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2月28日 'Unintelligent Design''A monstrous discovery suggests that viruses, long regarded as lowly evolutionary latecomers, may have been the precursors of all life on Earth.'
2月27日 Blaise Pascal - Pensées'Man is neither angel nor beast, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would play the angel plays the beast.'
'Man is only a reed, the weakest in nature; but he is a thinking reed. There is no need for the whole universe to take up arms to crush him: a vapor, a drop of water is enough to kill him. But even if the universe were to crush him, man would still be nobler than his slayer, because he knows that he is dying and the advantage the universe has over him. The universe knows nothing of this.'
'What a chimera, then, is man! what a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a subject of contradiction, what a prodigy! A judge of all things, feeble worm of the earth, depositary of the truth, cloaca of uncertainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe!'
'We do not content ourselves with the life we have in ourselves and in our being; we desire to live an imaginary life in the mind of others, and for this purpose we endeavor to shine. We labor unceasingly to adorn and preserve this imaginary existence and neglect the real.'
The struggle alone pleases us, not the victory. We love to see animals fighting, not the victor raving over the vanquished.... It is the same in gambling, and the same in the search for truth.... We never seek things for themselves—what we seek is the very seeking of things.
'Men are so necessarily mad, that not to be mad would amount to another form of madness.'
'Men never do evil so fully and cheerfully as when we do it out of conscience.'
'We run heedlessly into the abyss after putting something in front of us to stop us seeing it.'
'Atheism shows strength of mind, but only to a certain degree.'
'We know then the existence and nature of the finite, because we also are finite and have extension. We know the existence of the infinite and are ignorant of its nature, because it has extension like us, but not limits like us. But we know neither the existence nor the nature of God, because he has neither extension nor limits.' 2月23日 Sophistry for Stupid PeopleThis is what politics amounts to south of the border. You take a carrot, like say abortion or gay rights, and you let the people chase it. They want that carrot so badly, that they're willing to sell their souls for that one little victory over liberalism. Meanwhile, you do whatever it is you want, quietly behind the noise if you can, and if not, with religious language and conviction. When you're caught in an embarrassing situation, you offer some vaguely powerful justification like national security, without explaining how that makes any sense, because an explanation would put national security at risk. The harder you're pushed, the more you spin the fear card.
But mostly, you rely on the carrot. Mormonism and ScienceIt was ten years ago I guess (geez I'm getting old) when I first encountered Mormons. Some peers and I quized these poor teenagers mercilessly. We weren't belittling their beliefs, we were just trying to understand them. After being given an explanation of Mormon archeology, I asked why, if Native Americans are Jewish decendants, do they look more 'Mongoloid' in appearance than 'Jewish' (whatever that means; I'm still not certain what makes a person look Jewish). This seemed to stump the young missionary, who obviously had some Native American ancestry himself.
Since then we've been blitzed with Mormon missionary activity in the prairies. I haven't asked the question again of some poor teenager, because for some reason I'm worried it might trouble them. This is probably just silly of me, but then again, maybe not. I'd imagine they've reworked science to their liking much as creationists have done.
'DNA Tests Contradict Mormon Scripture'
2月21日 Noam Chomsky'The policies are functional for the leadership, disfunctional for the population, but that's pretty normal. I mean their job isn't to do things that are helpful to the population; that's the rhetoric, but that's Hitler's and Stalin's rhetoric too. That's everybody's rhetoric and it doesn't tell you anything, its uninformative, you don't pay any attention to that rhetoric, if you're sane, because its uninformative, its universal. But if you look at the consequences, they're quite systematic. In fact, you can pretty much predict Bush administration policies by a very simple measure, almost perfectly. Does it help the rich and powerful? If it does, that's going to be their policy. Does it harm the general population? Well, that's kind of irrelevant. Most of the time it does, but its just not a consideration...Is there some kind of fundamental deep structure to empire? I don't think so...When you take it all apart, its pretty much all common sense. Its not that people are incompetent [that they don't see the big picture], its just too hard. We don't understand enough about human beings whether its family or international affairs. But if you think about it, you can sort of work it out. This standard principle, that decisions made by the powerful tend to be in the interest of those they represent. You don't need anything too profound to understand it...So what's the answer? Eliminate heirarchy and domination; there's no other answer.'
Other Interesting Chomsky Links:
'Washington's Messianic Message'
(If it's choppy, just download it.) 2月20日 Genocide in Sudan2月19日 Why The USA?
Why The USA?Why is the USA so frequently the victim of resentment around the world?http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/4893/Why_is_the_USA_resented_around_the_world_
This question is asked and the answers explained. It seems to be a pretty decent resource, if someone is curious. Of course, the rest of us aren't just innocent bystanders. 2月17日 God's Funeral by Thomas Hardy I I saw a slowly-stepping train -- Lined on the brows, scoop-eyed and bent and hoar -- Following in files across a twilit plain A strange and mystic form the foremost bore. II And by contagious throbs of thought Or latent knowledge that within me lay And had already stirred me, I was wrought To consciousness of sorrow even as they. III The fore-borne shape, to my blurred eyes, At first seemed man-like, and anon to change To an amorphous cloud of marvellous size, At times endowed with wings of glorious range. IV And this phantasmal variousness Ever possessed it as they drew along: Yet throughout all it symboled none the less Potency vast and loving-kindness strong. V Almost before I knew I bent Towards the moving columns without a word; They, growing in bulk and numbers as they went, Struck out sick thoughts that could be overheard: -- VI 'O man-projected Figure, of late Imaged as we, thy knell who shall survive? Whence came it we were tempted to create One whom we can no longer keep alive? VII 'Framing him jealous, fierce, at first, We gave him justice as the ages rolled, Will to bless those by circumstance accurst, And longsuffering, and mercies manifold. VIII 'And, tricked by our own early dream And need of solace, we grew self-deceived, Our making soon our maker did we deem, And what we had imagined we believed, IX 'Till, in Time's stayless stealthy swing, Uncompromising rude reality Mangled the Monarch of our fashioning, Who quavered, sank; and now has ceased to be. X 'So, toward our myth's oblivion, Darkling, and languid-lipped, we creep and grope Sadlier than those who wept in Babylon, Whose Zion was a still abiding hope. XI 'How sweet it was in years far hied To start the wheels of day with trustful prayer, To lie down liegely at the eventide And feel a blest assurance he was there! XII 'And who or what shall fill his place? Whither will wanderers turn distracted eyes For some fixed star to stimulate their pace Towards the goal of their enterprise?'... XIII Some in the background then I saw, Sweet women, youths, men, all incredulous, Who chimed as one: 'This is figure is of straw, This requiem mockery! Still he lives to us!' XIV I could not prop their faith: and yet Many I had known: with all I sympathized; And though struck speechless, I did not forget That what was mourned for, I, too, once had prized. XV Still, how to bear such loss I deemed The insistent question for each animate mind, And gazing, to my growing sight there seemed A pale yet positive gleam low down behind, XVI Whereof, to lift the general night, A certain few who stood aloof had said, 'See you upon the horizon that small light -- Swelling somewhat?' Each mourner shook his head. XVII And they composed a crowd of whom Some were right good, and many nigh the best.... Thus dazed and puzzled 'twixt the gleam and gloom Mechanically I followed with the rest. 2月16日 Should I Feel Troubled or Amused?
I was sure this was satire. I mean...how could it be anything but over-the-top satire? How fucked up would you have to be? I feel bad even pointing out this site's existence; it was nauseating and painful to look at. Making fun of them seems pointless.
But still, I'd just like to point out that the God of Leviticus hates masturbation too, and that everyone who has masturbated is just as worthy of death as anyone who has engaged in homosexual activity. Or if you've had sex during menstruation; well the message is pretty clear. Any sort of sexual act that doesn't result in procreation is supposed to bring about a God-ordered stoning.
So appease your sovereign God and let the stoning begin. This archaic God hates all of us. 2月14日 Charts and OilSome interesting statistics. (There is a direct link below each chart.) If you want to get to the bottom of things, it always comes down to statistics and charts.
More detailed breakdowns, with charts that would never fit in my blog, can be found here.
Top World Oil Producers, Exporters, Consumers, and Importers, 2004(millions of barrels per day)
NOTE: OPEC members in italics.
Source: Energy Information Administration (EIA). www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/ .
Greatest Oil Reserves by Country, 2005
NOTES: Proved reserves are estimated with reasonable certainty to be recoverable with present technology and prices.
Source: Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 102, No. 47 (Dec. 10, 2004). From: U.S. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/petroleu.html .
Greatest Natural Gas Reserves by Country, 2005
NOTE: Proved reserves are estimated with reasonable certainty to be recoverable with present technology and prices.
Source: Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 102, No. 47 (Dec. 10, 2004). From: U.S. Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/petroleu.html .
2月13日 Syriana'When a country has five percent of the world's population...but does fifty percent of its military spending...then the persuasive powers of that country are on the decline.'
A line that stands out from the movie 'Syriana'. There were a few of them actually. 2月12日 'Case Dismissed''ROME, Italy (AP) -- An Italian judge has dismissed an atheist's petition that a small-town priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed, both sides said on Friday.
Luigi Cascioli, a 72-year-old retired agronomist, had accused the Rev. Enrico Righi of violating two laws with the assertion, which he called a deceptive fable propagated by the Roman Catholic Church. "The Rev. Righi is very satisfied and moved," Righi's attorney, Severo Bruno, said. "He is an old, small-town parish priest who never would have thought he'd be in the spotlight for something like this."' 2月9日 Its a Great Big Stupid World'Danish paper rejected Jesus cartoons'
'Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that have caused a storm of protest throughout the Islamic world, refused to run drawings lampooning Jesus Christ, it has emerged today.
The Danish daily turned down the cartoons of Christ three years ago, on the grounds that they could be offensive to readers and were not funny.' 'AEL accused of posting anti-Semitic cartoons' 'A Pro-Israel organisation has lodged a criminal complaint against the Arab European League (AEL) for allegedly anti-Semitic cartoons on its Dutch website.
The Hague-based Centre Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) contacted the public prosecutor's office on Sunday after the cartoons appeared on AEL.nl. CIDI said one of the cartoons - since removed - depicted Adolf Hitler sharing a bed with Anne Frank, author of the world-famous diaries about her Jewish family hiding in Amsterdam from the Holocaust. A second cartoon showed a person doubting the Holocaust actually took place. 'Iran daily holds contest for Holocaust cartoons'
'TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust in retaliation for the publication in many European countries of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.
The Brussels-based Conference of European Rabbis (CER) denounced the idea and urged the Muslim world to do likewise. The daily paper Hamshahri said the contest was designed to test the boundaries of free speech -- the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet.' I read these three articles back to back. I think they could produce a range of responses depending on the reader. My basic reaction is in the title of this post. You think to yourself: Okay, what's the worst-case scenerio as far as a reaction from different groups is concerned. And poof, some group answers the question for you. Everybody's out for 'justice' or to teach the other a lesson. I'm really concerned about where this whole lesson in causation is going to end. 2月7日 The Ultimate Tool of ManipulationFear is a great motivator. It seems to tap into a more primitive region of the brain. Whether the fear is actually justified or not is almost irrelevant. Its real to them and it threatens their way of life. Fundamentalism could be defined as fear of the modern world. In Islamic fundamentalism, it manifests itself as a reaction against western culture. Christian fundamentalism's war is generally against science. But it seems both groups can be easily manipulated by fear. This can be done by religious leaders, by politicians, the media, or some such combination. But suppose you were a poor Muslim farmer who found himself in a country subject to the whims of industrialized nations (meaning simply, you don't live in an industrialized country). The subsidies of industrialized nations make competition a joke; a brutal and unfair joke. Then a large corporation like Cargill tries to entice you, and then later bully you into using seed its developed, which happens to be sterile, to make you wholly dependant apon them for survival. Your government is corrupt and lining its own pockets. The world and its market forces don't give a good God-damn about your personal welfare; just the opposite. Others profit from your misfortune; the others being those living in industrialized countries. Your faith in God is what keeps you going, but you worry for your future and your family's. If someone presents you with a way to strike a damaging blow at the evil forces in the world, are you not going to be tempted to take up the cause? When someone blasphemes your God, are you not going to speak up? Is it not going to feel deeply satisfying when the opportunity comes to vent that anger and frustration? When the disadvantages you face are framed in a powerful religious metaphor of good versus evil, of the powerless versus the powerful, what exactly is going to stop you from embracing these views? Nailing Down HistoryI made mention of a case in Italy where the court is deciding whether a priest 'should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed.'
The man who brought the charges, Luigi Cascioli, actually has his own web site.
The english translation of his various articles are pretty awful and hard to get through. And it reads like centuries-old German liberal theology; what I can understand of it anyway. For some reason, as I was reading what sounded like pretty wild conjecture (assuming I even understood what the heck he was talking about), I was reminded of a book by John Allegro called 'The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross'. In this book Allegro tries to convince his reader that Christianity was actually a fertility cult dedicated to the mushroom amanita muscaria. This is kind of a tall order. Luigi Cascioli takes on a few tall orders himself, which would be fine if backed with strong evidence. With history being what it is, I think one could construct a decent argument for non-historicity; I don't think this is that argument. If this is what the priest is up against, I think he probably doesn't have that much to worry about. 2月5日 The Mohammed CaricaturesI just had to see what all the fuss is about. The cartoons that have caused the uproar can be found here.
I don't think that they're all that terribly clever, and certainly didn't need to be published, but that's just my opinion. I also don't think its terribly clever for Muslims of whatever stripe to burn down embassies because of what they perceive as blasphemy. It tends to reinforce the stereotype, and lets face it; it doesn't take much these days.
I feel bad about the way Muslims are treated. Those who live in western countries put up with a lot of hypocritical bigotry, and those who don't are treated like second class citizens. But I don't understand how some of the more zealous feel justified in acting as God's agent of retribution. Can't God take care of himself? If I blaspheme God, shouldn't it be God who carries out my punishment, and not man? Why should man feel threatened by such things? Why should he feel the need for revenge on God's behalf? Don't Muslims have faith in a sovereign God who can sort out the ethical concerns on his own without the need of human intervention? It seems to me that it should be blasphemous not to. 2月4日 Where The Birds Always SingThe world is neither fair nor unfair
The idea is just a way for us to understand But the world is neither fair nor unfair So one survives The others die And you always want a reason why But the world is neither just nor unjust It’s just us trying to feel that there’s some sense in it No, the world is neither just nor unjust And though going young So much undone Is a tragedy for everyone It doesn’t speak a plan or any secret thing No unseen sign or untold truth in anything... But living on in others, in memories and dreams Is not enough You want everything Another world where the sun always shines And the birds always sing Always sing... It doesn’t mean there has to be a way of things No special sense that hidden hands are pulling strings But living on in others, in memories and dreams Is not enough And it never is You always want so much more than this... An endless sense of soul and an eternity of love A sweet mother down below and a just father above For living on in others, in memories and dreams Is not enough You want everything Another world Where the birds always sing Another world Where the sun always shines Another world Where nothing ever dies.. Where The Birds Always Sing
The Cure, Bloodflowers
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