Top Ten Worst Cities to Visit!
cn | 29 March, 2007 23:05
If you want to travel, you may want to avoid these destinations. From gangland wars to devastating boredom, check out the full description of each destination at roadjunky.com:
- Bombay
- Dubai
- Liverpool & Manchester
- Any American Suburb
- Guatemala City
- Sao Paolo
- Beijing
- Singapore
- Milan
- Cancun
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"300" and the Troop Surge
sean | 24 March, 2007 15:01
"300" is the number one movie in the country, having grossed almost $33 million to date. How does this relate to American foreign policy and the direction our country is moving right now?
The film is based on the historic account of a battle that took place in 480 BC in Greece between the Spartans (a cultural subset of ancient Greece) and the Persians (an ancient culture based out of what is today Iran).
The movie opens with a short exposition explaining Spartan culture. Apparently, (I question any historical accuracy in the film based on subsequent data) when a male baby was born in Sparta, it was abandoned or destroyed if it exhibited any physical imperfection. If allowed to survive, males were indoctrinated into a rigorous regimen of military training and philosophy. (Remember this point)
The real story however begins with a messenger arriving from the ever-westward advancing Persian army. This emissary meets with the Spartan king Leonidas and councils him to surrender to Xerxes, the head of Persia, and the commander of the Persian army. Of course, Leonidas takes exception to this advice, and proceeds to kick the messenger and his escort down a deep well. Score one for the good guys?
So Leonidas marches off with 300 of his best men to meet the encroaching Persian army, without the aid of the rest of Greece, and against the wishes of the ruling council-whoever that is-it’s never adequately explained.
Bloody battles and other semi-fantastical whatnot (a rhinoceros is employed as a weapon of war) ensue throughout the movie, and make no mistake here, it is visually stunning and the pinnacle of the filmic art form at the moment.
However, what is troublesome is some of the rousing speeches and comments made by Leonidas to his men at various points during breaks in the fighting. Picture this: a man from a culture that discards children who don’t fit the required standard of perfection, a culture that takes young boys before they are able to reason and immerses them into a lifestyle of violence and bloodshed; and here he is, making the argument that they fight for freedom, and liberty, and the other good things comprising what will ultimately become western civilization as we know it.
Huh? So the Persians have an army comprised of slaves-Leonidas makes this point-and that’s bad. The Greeks-if I’m not mistaken-also owned slaves, but because we credit them with developing some of the cornerstones of our modern culture, that’s never mentioned or even alluded to. (Effectively insinuating that it’s ok they did) What does this inconsistency mean with respect to any assumptions we might hold about the superiority of western civilization?
So, how does all of this relate to the war in Iraq and the troop surge that is so hotly debated? Well, I had the recognition whilst leaving the cinema, with my adrenaline surging and my ideological hackles raised, that were I a younger man and not in possession of the rudimentary ancient history I’ve learned, I would feel a relatively strong desire to go out and fight; fight for democracy and what I see as the forces that threaten my wholesome and comfortable American way of life.
This in and of itself is not necessarily problematic; I think it’s good for people to feel inspired to go out and fight and strive for what they believe in. The troublesome point arises when our media are inaccurate with respect to historical fact, and when the products they release for our consumption are massively distorted by internal consistency.
I don't know if "300" was an intentional tool of propaganda as some are asserting-the simpler explanation is that it is not-but the salient point is we have serious deficits with respect to our ability to critically think in this country. I personally find the prospect that any person might go to a local recruiting station and enlist based on their experience of this film distinctly disturbing.
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Bizzare Demands By 'Animal Rights' Guy
cn | 20 March, 2007 08:44
There's a polar bear cub born that was born in a zoo in the UK who has stirred up a hornets nest of news and debate. The cub's mother ignored him after he was born and the zoo staff decided to raise the cub rather than let him die. As a result, the cub has become dependent on humans for its survival and would most likely not survive in the wild (which doesn't seem like it would be much of an issue, being that he lives in a zoo...).
This dependency prompted one animal rights activist so proclaim (from CNN.com):
"Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws," animal rights activist Frank Albrecht was quoted as saying by the mass-circulation Bild daily, which has featured regular photo spreads tracking fuzzy Knut's frolicking.
"The zoo must kill the bear."
Now what I want to know is which bizarre animal right is this individual trying to protect for this cub? The right to be killed?
This is not a statement by animal rights activists in general, as many have come out to condemn the above statement, but it does highlight the potential issues that arise from blind zeal, no matter what the content point is (environmentalism, animal rights, economy, etc). And the statement is just a bit scary....
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Free Land in Alaska!
cn | 16 March, 2007 17:26
Just like in the olden-days when the government gave away land to the homesteaders to encourage America to move west, a town in Alaska is giving away 26 lots of 1,3 acres each on a first-come, first-serve basis. What do you have to do to obtain one of the lots? Says CNN.com:
The 1.3-acre lots will be awarded to the first people who apply for them and submit $500 refundable deposits beginning at 9 a.m. Monday. Each winning applicant must build a house measuring at least 1,000 square feet within two years. Power and phone hookups are now available.
And what's Anderson, AK like?
...no gas station, no grocery store and no traffic lights, but it does have plenty of woodsy land
...
Among the other advantages of Anderson: no property taxes, state income taxes or sales tax, virtually no crime, and no traffic. There are magnificent summers with temperatures as high as 90 degrees and plenty of wide-open space.
But it sure is smack dab in the middle of nowhere. But check out the town's website here to see details of the land giveaway! I'm thinking I might just have to apply...
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Quote of the Day - March 15th
cn | 15 March, 2007 22:07
source: http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/quotes.html
- The full use of your powers along lines of excellence.
- - definition of "happiness" by John F. Kennedy
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Quote of the Day - March 13th
cn | 13 March, 2007 23:17
The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind.
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
source: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/
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Quote of the Day - March 11th
cn | 11 March, 2007 17:13
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; its when you had everything to do, and you've done it.
- Margaret Thatcher
source: http://www.quoteland.com/
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What to do what to do...
cn | 10 March, 2007 23:01
I've been thinking a lot lately about what's going on in the world and what's going on with people in the world and why things are how they are. I have certain beliefs about liberty and freedom and the general rights of all people that, based on events in the world, are not beliefs that are shared by other people...obviously.
I think there are so many things that influence peoples' moment-to-moment beliefs and decisions that people often are not fully aware of what they are supporting or choosing. As a result, in the moment they hear a public figure speak or read a news article, they are impassioned, they are caught up in the rhetoric of the moment and forget the implications of the action they are about to support or the action or stance that the public figure is taking.
The media and those people who exist in the public eye and have established themselves in positions of power are well aware of their own capacity to sway public opinion and belief and choose to do so in a way that will entrench enough of the general public on their own side and keep the masses at bay, as it were. You see, I believe that if most people fully understood the implications inherent in restricting our rights defined in the Constitution - especially restricting them in the manner in which the government is currently proceeding - people would to a great extent oppose the direction in which our society is moving.
But how will people come to understand what is really going on in the world? How will they come to move beyond the immediate blood and gore of the front page of the newspaper or the meaningless yet emotionally moving speeches of politicians to see the real issues? I have some opinions about this but essentially it all comes down to objectivity and respect for the general public.
It would seem that most politicians have one of two driving beliefs in place:
- the general public is ignorant and even if given all the information they will make poor choices, therefore as I (the politician) must misinform them in order to protect them from themselves.
- the general public is smart, but if I (the politician) give them all the relevant information they will not support me and I will lose my power/money/etc, therefore I must misinform them in order to maintain my position of power.
Not to say that all politicians fall into one of these two camps, but it would seem that a great many wish to present only one side of data or not data at all when presenting their ideas.
The obvious question would be 'How do we change this?' But perhaps a more important question would be: 'Why change it?' or phrased with less brevity: 'Is it even important or necessary to change it?'
I suppose that depends on one’s greatest desires in life – what one sees as important and how far into the future one looks. If all in the world I care about is the material possessions I have at this moment or the idea that I have a job today and will (I believe) have a job tomorrow, then what the goes on in the world does not concern me, so long as I’m continually assured that I can have my stuff and will have my job tomorrow. But let’s say that today I am told by an unassailable source that I can have my job forever – until I die or retire – and can keep everything I have now forever – until I die or give it away – but in exchange for these graces granted by this almighty entity I must subjugate myself and forfeit all my freedoms – those of speech, those of choice, those of religion, those of self-determination – to the whims of this unassailable source. What do I choose? I put forth that we as a culture, as a civilization, are choosing to forfeit ourselves to the unassailable source, a source which at any moment could decide to take what little it grants us, yet we continue down this road unseeing.
What will it take to see? What will it take for us as a culture and nation to step back and look down upon ourselves and ask: ‘Is this how humanity is meant to live? Is this all we can muster?’
Things for us as a society are very good right now but it seems to me that we are at a precarious position and can choose to step to the side of fear and veiled totalitarianism or to the side of freedom. The only catch is that we have to actually do something. And it might mean less TV or fewer Walmarts or more expensive gas. But that could all be gone tomorrow anyway if we choose to continue in the direction we’re headed.
I leave you with this:
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the sick, the so-called incurables, and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't mentally ill.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me
- Pastor Martin Niemoller
The poem has a few versions – learn about them here.
Read an adapted modern version here.
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Quote of the Day - March 10th
cn | 10 March, 2007 12:02
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.- John Quincy Adams
source: http://www.wisdomquotes.com
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Today in Headlines...
cn | 09 March, 2007 11:51
I would assume most people believe CNN to be a reliable source of news. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. I can't confirm that one way or the other. However, I can comment on what they run as headlines on the US section of CNN.com. Today there's the lead story - Audit Show FBI Snooping Underreported - which seems to be newsworthy, along with three of the five secondary lead stories. But the final two secondary leads are N.J. Town Rejects Sopranos Filming and Idol Down to its Final 12.
Now, is it just me or do these things seem like entertainment rather than news? Of course, news is entertainment - for most of us at least - but I think there's a certain responsibility the media overlooks so often today - the responsibility to bring the mass public data, as objectively as possible, about issues that affect our lives. My belief is that Idol and Sopranos, though entertaining, do not qualify as issues that are affecting my life to a point of me benefiting in any way of knowing the details outlined in the 'news' stories on CNN.
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Quote of the Day - Back in Action
cn | 09 March, 2007 11:00
I've been lazy!
I apologize for my recent failures to maintain the entertainment of the daily quote. So here's the quote for today:
The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.
- Charles DuBois
source: http://www.wisdomquotes.com
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Freedom Suppression in France
cn | 07 March, 2007 09:46
It seems that France wants to reign in the use of video cameras by the general public. As posted on 27B Stroke 6:
France is making it illegal to shoot or distribute video of violent crimes, unless you're a professional journalist, IDG reports.
There's an update in the post at Stroke 6 quoting a post, apparently by a French journalist, on TechDirt stating that:
the story is bogus. The law includes an exemption for "when the recording or the diffusion results from the normal exercise of a profession devoted to inform the public or is carried out in order to be used as proof in justice."
This is, in essence, beside the point. The issue is that the French government is attempting to prevent its citizens from collecting, sharing, and distributing information. Ostensibly the intent may be stated as a protection of public safety or some such excuse, but once again the government is really saying that anything we can claim to lead to insecurity trumps any and all basic freedom.
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Academy of Achievement - A Great Site
cn | 05 March, 2007 13:21
Ken K. sent me a link to this Academy of Achievement site last week and I just got a chance to look at it and I must say that it represents something I'd love to see more of in the world. A clip from their 'About' section:
The Academy of Achievement is like no other organization in the world. For more than 40 years, this unique non-profit entity has sparked the imagination of students across America and around the globe by bringing them into direct personal contact with the greatest thinkers and achievers of the age.
The site itself is beautiful and includes an 'Achiever Gallery' that has profiles of and sometimes interviews with some amazing people in the world from all walks of life - people including Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, Willie Mays, Jonas Salk, Johnny Cash, etc.
The site is a great representation of upholding people who create true value in the world and who are working to move it in a positive direction.
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...only outlaws will speak freely
sean | 01 March, 2007 20:35
From the news of 2/28/2007, three separate articles from separate news sources for consideration:
“That’s so Gay” Saying at Center of Court Fight
http://www.firstcoastnews.com:80/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=76944
Suit filed in swearing casehttp://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/communities/costamesa_newport/article_1593951.php
City Council approves banning the “N-word”http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5078270
In the first article, at issue is the phrase “that’s so gay”, which was used in a playground (!) altercation. The court case seeks to determine when regular insults “cross the line into hate speech that must be stamped out.”
In the second article, a Californian college student was arrested at the airport for using the word “fuck” when children were nearby.
The third article describes the efforts of none less than the New York City Council to pass a measure symbolically banning the use of the word “nigger”. The bill is a non-binding measure calling for New Yorkers to stop using the word. Of what use is a non-binding legal measure?
In all of these instances, don’t we as a people have better things (ending war, famine, for example) to be occupying our time, courts and resources with than language which might be deemed offensive? Do we really need to get the government involved in this?
Apparently the old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” has been scientifically disproved. Of course, it now falls to the various local governments to stamp out this hateful speech. Where will this lead? Maybe we will need to enforce public mouth out-washings with soap? Perhaps the IRS can set up individual swear-jar funds to be added to our personal tax accounts? Of course this is absurd; there is no practical way to legislate the use of language.
In the second article, the author quotes an expert in constitutional law who states “freedom of speech does not cover obscenities”.
Oh really? Why shouldn’t it? What kind of “harm” does this “hate speech” do anyway? What sorts of studies have been published on the effects of obscene or offensive language? Imagine a child who is raised never hearing the words “fuck”, or “faggot”, or “nigger”. What advantage could this give them over a child who grows up hearing these words? Could such a child still grow up to be bigoted and filled with hate? Could the child who hears and understands these words still grow up to become tolerant and humane? Of course the answer to these questions is yes. So what are we so preoccupied with? Increasing the taboo associated with these words will only increase the force of their seemingly magical powers. Let’s grow up and stop worrying about the specific words of “hate speech”, and start looking at what the real problem is: the actual hatred such speech stems from.
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Factoid for March 1st
cn | 01 March, 2007 13:45
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.source: http://hookedonfacts.com
Posted in Speeding Towards a Police State, Facts, Quotes, and Whatnot . Comment: (0). Trackbacks:(0). Permalink