November 23, 2003
More Leftist Nonsense...
Laurel mentions a panel at the University of Chicago's "Center for Gender Studies" pushing for unisex bathrooms. I found these lines both hilarious and revealing:
...
Nate Claxton, another panelist, knew people who had contracted bladder infections because choosing a gender bathroom bothered them so much that they did not go to the bathroom all day.
New Battlestar Gallactica Series
Last year, I started watching 1979-era Battlestar Gallactica episodes on the SciFi channel. The show was pretty decent, and when I heard that a new series was being made, I was initially excited. Then I read the intro:
See if I still care to watch the show. Incidentally, that seems to be the theme of all the original movies and many shows the SciFi channel makes: empty, plotless and nihilistic shoot-em-ups where there are no good or bad guys, just hormone and violence crazed lunatics running around and bitching about how pathetic and primitive human beings are.
(There is some good stuff in the mix: Stargate SG1 is a great show, and Tremors isn't bad either. SG1 and Law and Order is pretty much the extent of the shows I watch on a regular basis.)
November 22, 2003
Glow in the dark fish!
The next miracle of genetic engineering has arrived: glow in the dark fish!
Eco-freaks are already moaning:
November 21, 2003
November 02, 2003
November 01, 2003
October 27, 2003
Egypt won?
"30 Years Since Egypt’s Victory Over Israel:"
And if you liked that, :
Here is what actually happened:
October 24, 2003
Hey Kids!
Perhaps in response to the widespread ban of “Jewish” Barbie dolls in Muslim countries, an American company has created Razanne, a Muslim Barbie. Um...no comment.
In related news, a survey by a evangelical Christian group claims that that 81% of American's believe in some sort of an afterlife, and 90% are open to the possibility, but only .5% believe that they are headed for hell. 48% of the younger generation believes that it is possible to talk to the dead, and 18% believe that they will be reincarnated. I wonder how many of them watch John Edwards, the “biggest douche in the universe?" No comment on this either, other than a favorite quote of mine from Thoma's Paine's "The Age of Reason":
Comments on the GLBTA/YCT Service Fee Debate
The university-funded “Gay Lesbian and Transgender Alliance” debated with the self-funded “Young Conservatives” tonight. Here are the comments I posted at a local forum:
The GLBTA president is a typical leftist. His sole argument was: "Students are not capable of deciding which groups they should support, so their money should be forcibly taken from them for their own good. This is justified because the free flow of ideas and my freedom of speech is limited if I can't forcibly take other people's money to promote views they oppose."
The president of the YCT replied: “Students should be able to decide which groups they support by choosing which organizations their money will go towards.” (Of course if they do this, they might as well support them by paying dues.)
What he should have added:
The right to free speech is solely the right not to have the government forcibly stop you from presenting your views to others, not the "right" to force others to support your views. Governmental coercion is the only valid meaning of the word "censorship."
I disagree with the conservatives because I think that universities should be able to limit what students can and cannot say on campus and where they can say it. The function of a university is to educate, not to provide a forum for different political views. While school-sponsored events like "Muslim Awareness Week" and “Coming Out Week” are thinly veiled attempts to brainwash students with leftist multicultural garbage, their conservative versions (school-sponsored religious groups, strict visitation rules, etc) are no more justified at a public university. While I believe that all education should be private, I think that private schools should implement the same guidelines.
October 22, 2003
NK Nukes
Steve sent me two interesting stories about nuclear proliferation in North Korea and the Middle East. I don't think there's any better way to sum up the matter than this.
In other news, a new poll says that 59% of Palestinians would support terrorist bombings of Israel even if Israel pulled out of West Band and Gaza, and a Palestinian state were formed.
Similarly, 80 percent of Palestinians say that, under those circumstances, the Palestinians should not give up the “right of return.”
...
Nintey-six percent of Israeli Jews say the people who piloted the planes on September 11 were terrorists, while 37 percent of Palestinians share that view.
Slightly more than one in four - 26 percent - of Palestinians believe Israelis planned the 9-11 attacks.
Forty-two percent of Palestinians and 61 percent of Israeli-Arabs stated that they support the people who are attacking Americans in Iraq. Zero percent of Israeli Jews said they did.
Jews don't support Islamic terrorism? No way!
October 18, 2003
judge raps out dismissal...
Here is the actual ruling handed down by a judge in the Eminem defamation case, quoted verbatim:
Mr Bailey complains that his rap is trash,/
so he's seeking compensation in the form of cash./
Bailey thinks he's entitled to some monetary gain,/
because Eminem used his name in vain./
The lyrics are stories no one would take as fact,/
they're an exaggeration of a childish act./
It is therefore this court's ultimate position,/
that Eminem is entitled to summary disposition.
More loony Brits...
Terrorists can have serious moral goals, says Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Furthermore,
A nation protecting its self-interest? God forbid!
In related news, here is an interesting story on Shirin Ebadi, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize: "Why the Mullahs Fear Her"
October 11, 2003
Didn't Jesus eat fish?
Disney joins forces with pro-fish activists: "Fish are friends, not food!"
My favorite part:
Probably not: There is strong evidence suggesting that Jesus was a vegetarian. The only stories depicting Jesus eating fish took place after the resurrection, and most Biblical scholars agree that they are very late additions to the Gospels. The scribes who added the stories were not, apparently, averse to eating fish. But since this is the only depiction anywhere in the Gospels of Jesus eating any animals at all, it seems that he was a vegetarian.
October 08, 2003
A whale of a story...
Environmentalists are trying to ban the Navy from using sonar because it's - get this - causing whales to die from the bends. There is no connection between the crucial tool of many naval vessels and whale death, but that didn’t stop environmental groups from protesting tests (which are costing the taxpayers $9 million) done in response to their claims.
While there is evidence that certain rare types of sonar harm marine life in close proximity, it is absolutely ridiculous to demand that our military give up a key part of our national defense for a few whales, and then protest tests done to verify those claims. This is just one example of how enviro-whackos don’t care for the facts, humans, or even whales, but merely want to destroy civilization – by wiping out the technology that makes it possible.
October 06, 2003
Kennedy To Receive Bush Public Service Award
What they hell are they thinking giving that pathetic, ignorant, lying, traitorous, drunken commie who recently accused our president of “fraud” and “bribery” a "George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service"??? Pathetic!
Update: Here is an editorial from the Wash Times. Nicholas at The Rule of Reason comments:
ALF, the eco-terrorist group responsible for a long string of attacks made a slight miscalculation it its latest scheme: “Mink eat each other after animal rights break-in.”
I can’t think of a more fantastic way to waste that much money than to spend in on “world health initiatives.” I mean sure, I don’t need more than $5 -10 billion for my personal expenses, but there are much better ways to fritter away one’s wealth than to enrich Africa’s dictators. If Bill Gates really wants to start a “world health initiative,” then he should go after the world’s primary killers: poverty and the oppressive regimes that keep their citizens mired in it. There is only one cure for this ailment, and while it can’t be fixed with any amount of money, it will generate enough wealth to fix all of Africa’s problems: capitalism.
September 19, 2003
Who is the bigger Apple?
This is getting ridiculous: The Beatles Sue Apple Computers Over iPod, iTunes
The purpose of trademark law is to prevent a business from mooching of another’s success by falsely representing it. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Apple Corps is using it for in this case.
Saudi Arabia's religious police have declared Barbie dolls a threat to morality, complaining that the revealing clothes of the "Jewish" toy — already banned in the kingdom — are offensive to Islam.
For more on the story, see Cox and Forkum.
September 15, 2003
September 12, 2003
Victims? I don't think so.
An MSNBC story reports on RIAA's suit against 261 music pirates:
Innocent and ignorant victims, huh? As misguided and counter-productive as I think RIAA's actions are, the "RIAA 261" were all sharing at least 1000 songs – not a number you can easily download in a single afternoon, or even a week. It takes a dedicated downloader to download and share thousands of song for a period long enough to get RIAA’s notice. Anyone using P2P software that much can hardly be excused for being ignorant of the law, especially with all the disclaimers and warning most P2P applications present, and the widespread coverage the RIAA actions have received in the media.
Regardless of how the current suit turns out, in the long term, the RIAA effort is futile, and it is inevitable that some sort of music subscription service will supplement CD’s. Nevertheless, the media should not irresponsibly present music pirates as innocent victims when the great majority of them knew full well that what they were doing is illegal and wrong, but ignored such considerations with the pragmatic attitude that is common today.
September 09, 2003
More news of interest: Patriots for the Defense of America issued "America's Failing War Effort: A Report Card," girl of 12 settles with RIAA for $2,000, and faced with losing their precious pools, Germans are turning to (God forbid!) private enterprise to save their badekultur.
Also:Tim's article appears in today's Mises Daily Article. It's a decent story, but I don't get his obsession with capitalizing the word “State.” Like using too many exclamation marks, it rapidly loses effectiveness with overuse!
Interesting: Thomas Sowell makes a convincing case for voting for Arnold, and a man ships himself home in a wooden cargo crate.
If you're wondering where the real content is, I'm busy with my job, grad school, and a introduction to Objectivism that I'm writing for the meeting tomorrow. I’ll be sure to link it here when I’m done with it.
August 29, 2003
Two news stories that provide some interesting insight into the human mind and its potential: a 12-year-old begins medical school at the University of Chicago and a man's visision is restored after 43 years of blindness.
August 21, 2003
Mural Of Nude Eve Covered With Mock Crime Scene Tape
Mural Of Nude Eve Covered With Mock Crime Scene Tape
"It's nu-dity!" he blustered.
Asked if he thinks the mural lacks social value, he replied, "Did you not hear me? It's nu-dity!"
"Anatoly Chubais, chief executive of Russia's national power monopoly Unified Energy System, called the [NYC] blackout "the biggest accident in the history of world energy systems."
From personal experience, I can assure you that he's wrong. (Thanks, Jaboobie )
June 05, 2003
Thoughts on the new WTC Design.
Have you seen the design chosen to replace the twin towers? It's an atrocity: a bare skeleton where the building stood and a big hole in the ground where it fell. Apparently Mr. Libeskind has chosen to erect a giant tombstone as his tribute to the "resurgence of life." As a further insult, he has decided to place a garden atop the framework as "a constant affirmation of life." It seems that a few weeds are a better affirmation of "life" than the work of 100 thousand individuals. There are a number of groups that share my indignation at the chosen design: one group is hoping to rebuild the twin towers, while another is suing the port authority. It seems that neither the old nor the new WTC are subject to the building code imposed on private enterprises because they were/will be maintained by the Port Authority, which is immune to prosecution. I'm not qualified to speculate whether this made any difference on 9/11, but I have much more confidence in private construction that does not follow a building code than a public one that does. Since it was found out that Mr. Libeskind will not actually construct the new WTC, as he has never build a skyscraper before, there have been a number of alternative designs proposed. Most of them are impossible designs made by amateurs, but here is one I actually like.
One a side note, the skyscraper in general may be becoming an outdated relic. The rise of the Internet and intranets has greatly diminished the need for large numbers of people to work in the same place, allowing large, sprawling corporate campuses to become the new standard. As much as I love skyscrapers, they may soon join the sailing ship and biplane in my list of great symbols of man's mind surpassed by even greater inventions.