Kungfu Fightin'

Live 8

2005-07-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Is Live 8 THAT Great?

I'm getting sick and tired of everyone RAVING about how "wonderful" and "charitable" Live 8 is. Live 8 is a fucking joke of massive proportions. Too many people think that the Live 8 concerts will miraculously bend the perception of the world's most powerful leaders to "end poverty". What the fuck? Like you cancel a few debts and then no more poverty? Do you honestly think that Bono, Destiny's Child and Madonna have outwitted the world's best economists? Don't you think if the solution to poverty were THAT obvious it wouldn't be a problem?

Moreover, Live 8 doesn't actually DO anything The Live 8 concerts just make suggestions, that's it. Then the leaders nod their heads and agree poverty is bad. Maybe they increase their country's support, but it typically miniscule and gets lost in the shuffle of world politics and policies. Live 8 is supposed to "raise awareness" - Hello, what idiot doesn't know that there is poverty in the world?! Am I the only one who thinks it's ironic that we're wasting money on a concert to end poverty? HAHAHA! Additionally, it raises the participating artists to a God-like platform of martyrdom and compassion - as if! The only artist suitable to play for Live 8 in the recent concert was Youssou N'Dour. If you want to raise awareness - interview starving orphans in Ethiopia or exploited workers in Sierra Leone. That raises awareness.

In conclusion, everyone stop talking about Live 8 before I kill myself.

Schedules?

2005-06-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Currently, I'm registered for:

1. AP Literature
2. AP Government
3. Honours/AP Physics
4. Honours Pre-Calc 1+2
5. Music Appreciation 1+2
6. Lunch, of course.
7. Spanish 3 [con Senora Jackson!]
8. Advanced Painting
9. AP World History

What about you guys? POST CLASSES, TEACHERS, AND PERIODS, PLZ!

Show Your Support: Abbas Amini

2005-06-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

On my art field trip, we saw a photography exibit by Phil Collins (not THAT Phil Collins). One of the pictures was so moving and inspiring that I had to look into it. That picture was of Abbas Amini, an Iranian poet who has sewn his ears, eyes and lips together in protest of the UK not granting him Asylum. He hasn't had anything to eat, he hasn't had anything to drink.

Learn how to show your support HERE

Abbas Amini:

Excessive?

2005-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

L_I_N_K

All right, I'm not usually one to side with protesters (because they're almost always crazy), but in this instance I have to agree 100%.

I don't care how much the Bush family claims they're trying to "mend" the United State's relationship with Islamic countries. After George Bush stirred up all this conflict in the Middle East, soiled the world's perception of Muslims, and basically spat in the face of religious equality by pushing his conservative Christian agenda - I'm shocked that he would even consider visiting Islamic infrastructure (not-to-mention, EXTREMELY holy Islamic infrastructure). Additionally, Bush ferociously supports the Israelis in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, but he'll visit the Dome of the Rock mosque, one of the things we've taken away from the Palestinians by supporting and aiding the Israelis.. So, am I at all upset when Muslim protesters shout "you don't belong here" at the president and the first lady, as the hop from holy here to holy there in their limo? Not really.

Additionally, I can just picture the shock on Bush's face when he figured out that the Israelis hate him, too. All the Israelis are stilled miffed about Jonathan Pollard, and rightfully so. The poor guy does some spying for Israel (to get info on some Arab countries), and then he's arrested and sentenced to life in prison. AND THEN, in the mid 1990's Yitzhak Rabin convinces Clinton to pardon the guy, but the Justice and Defense Department (not to mention the worthless CIA) tell him not to pardon him. Yeah, way to be a pawn Clinton (isn't he always? CHINACHINACHINA). Anyways, now Bush is in office and the guy is still wasting away in some shitty North Carolina prison.

Not to sound like an angsty teenage anarchist, but the president blows, and I'm glad everyone is starting to realise it. Oh well.

What Ever Happened to Charlie?!

2005-05-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

I always wondered what happened to that kid who played Charlie in Willy Wonka. Well, now I know. Look here.

Musics!

2005-05-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

I want to go to Sonic Boom Records in Seattle, Washington. I can't find my vinyls anywhere, and they've an original production Cannonball Adderly. I need it! I'm revamping my music list again. More jazz, less classical. I found some very cool bands to listen to through Shira and Jordan.

The Jolly Rogers sent me their brand, brand, brand new EP I wanted. It's free, so I'm pretty stoked. I'm soooo angry that The Basement cancelled their May 4th show! Argh!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2005-05-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Why did the chicken cross the road,
Where headlights gleamed and traffic flowed?
For death was surely waiting there,
And with death, a bird's despair.

No feasible answer can be provided,
But when she and the car collided,
The chicken clucked out as it died,
"I'm going to the other side!"

Everyone is at homecoming, and I am alone. :(

Guilt-Complex

2005-05-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of my father's death. I can't help but feel guilty. I'm not sure if anyone else ever feels guilty just for being happy or not being miserable, but I feel that way all the time, especially today. I was never very close with my father, but I remember things. And it hurts to remember, it really does. It's even worse being in this house, it's haunting. Half his clothes are still in the closet with their dry-cleaning tags on. His razor is still the bathroom, but it's rusty. No one has the heart to throw even the smallest thing out, like he's going to come back and want a nice shave and a clean shirt. I feel like I'll never be happy again because if I'm happy for a second, I'm miserable for the rest of the day. And is that worth it? I'm sure some people would say yes, but I'm sure those same people just don't understand.

I wanted to go to his grave and be with him today. I wanted to keep him company, even though I know he doesn't need it. Death just seems so lonesome, and I regret not spending enough time with my father when he was alive. I regret the rules I broke, the times I let him down, whenever I said, "I hate you". I can't take anything back, though. I just wish I could tell him, and have him forgive me. I wish I could say goodbye, and have him understand. When he was dying, I had to be the strong one. Everyone was crying and miserable, I just sat with him holding his hand and waiting. I kept telling him everything was okay, that it was okay to die, even though everyone was begging him to live. I was so angry that I had to be the one pretend to be stable, even though I hurt so badly inside. Sometimes you just have to take control of those situations, though.

It's kind of sad because the last time he was conscious and could speak was on my birthday. I remember he sang me a little song and pretended to play the guitar, "seventeen, seventeen" and everyone laughed. Then he looked at my mum and said, "Lynda, am I going to die?" And she said, "yes." The next day, he was vegetative.

Well, now I feel REALLY super miserable, and I wish I hadn't gone to school and visited my father instead. Visiting him would have been the right thing to do, but I'm selfish sometimes. I feel like I could just keep going and pretend nothing happened. I want to forget, but I don't want to forget at the same time. I want to be kind of blissfully ignorant, but I love my father and want to remember everything about him, even his death. It's very confusing.

I guess I'm complaining a little too much because everyone dies. And I guess it's horrible to think "why him?," like death makes exceptions to accommodate me. I can't help it, though.

Hair/Music

2005-05-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

My brother's teacher told his hair was too long (again). I guess he was just tired of hearing about it, so he CUT HIS OWN BANGS IN CLASS! Well, they were all uneven, so my mum said I could cut his hair to fix it. I was so excited, I almost died. I'll post a picture of it soon to show you all my handy-work. I'm quite proud of myself. It's not a masterpiece (he even made me stop halfway in the middle), but it's a damn good job considering I've never cut anyone's hair before. I think I've found my talent, too bad it's for some lame job. I can always work for the government decoding license plates. Skillz.

On a different note, I've almost completely renovated my music list:

The Apples in Stereo, Animal Collective, Beethoven, Bjork, Brahms, Broken Social Scene, Caribou, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, The Chinese Stars, Chopin, Cibo Matto, The Clash, Daft Punk, Deer Hoof, The Dismemberment Plan, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Earth Wind and Fire, Gang of Four, George Gershwin, Handel, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, The Jolly Rogers, Joni Mitchell, LCD Soundsystem, Les Savy Fav, Liszt, Louis Armstrong, Luther Allison, Mahler, Miles Davis, Mozart, Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, The Olivia Tremor Control, Owls, Palestrina, Papa Wemba, Pavement, Prefuse 73, Prokofiev, Ravi Shankar, Regina Spektor, Schubert, Schumann, Sebadoh, The Shins, Shostakovich, Soul Coughing, Stan Getz, Tchaikovsky, The Unicorns

I Want...

2005-02-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Digitalis: Digitalis can be poisonous in large doses. Found in the common Foxglove flower, crushed parts of the Foxglove can be dissovled in 190 proof vodka. Then, one merely has to wait for the vodka to evaporate and leave the poisonous Digitalis powder behind.

Reforms in the Cabinet

2005-02-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, I'm not an enthusiastic Jew, but I can feel it rise up in me sometimes. Not to say I was ever intended to be Jewish. My parents really don't care about my religious beliefs, as long as I practice a monotheistic religion that encourages chastity.

Brian relayed some interesting information to me. I guess the Jewish Community is all a-buzz over it. I, in turn, will share it with my blog...

Today, Ahmed Qureia promised a drastic overhaul of his Cabinet, which many hope is the beginning of long-sought reform after his previous lineup of fossils for Cabinet exponentially failed. It's funny how a huge rebellion can inspire change.

Qureia wants to appoint experts, opposed to politicians. And tomorrow, he gets to deal with Parliament. Lucky him.

What's significant about this? Palestinian Authority isn't exactly known for drastic changes in the Cabinet. Until recently, we just fished ministers out of a small pond of Yasser Arafat's buddies. Regardless of qualification. Hmm, sounds familiar (BUSHBUSHBUSH).

Qureia's proposed cabinet includes ex-general Nasser Yousef as interior minister in charge of the security forces (reform freak.) Also, U.N. envoy Nasser al-Kidwa is supposed to replace Nabil Shaath as foreign minister, with Shaath becoming deputy prime minister (demotion, it's a bitch.) Lastly, the most prominent of the appointees is Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, an anti-corruption crusader who is widely respected by the international community (yes, even the US.)

Most important, though...

Hanan Ashrawi said parliament's rebellion marked a turning point for Palestinian politics. "The conclusion is that what people want are (ministers) who are capable, who are honest, who have credibility and who will do the work," she said.

Verrry good.

The Tangent Continues

2005-02-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

Lies, lies, lies - it's the only thing people seem to tell me anymore. Why lie to me, though? I have a sense, and while I might not directly call you out on it - I know, and you know I know. I've made some interesting discoveries in the past... seconds. Thanks to the internet, my resourcefulness knows no bounds.

This Season: Suicide

2005-02-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's funny how when one kid commits suicide then everyone's secretly trying to "do themselves in". Unless you have a note-in-hand compliments of a psychologist (or other conventional medical official,) I'll be hard pressed to believe that anything's wrong with you besides the fact you're an attention-grabbing whore.

Please note, suicide is NOT a trend. Suicide is NOT cool. While someday you might be able to look back and say "man, I wish I didn't get that tattoo," killing yourself is irreversable and basically a way of saying, "okay world, you win!"

Additionally, I could snore off the symptoms/demographic/treatment-steps for suicide in my sleep. If you think you can fool me, you can't. Other people might buy that bullshit, but I don't. Look else where for pity.

Also, who tries to steal attention away from a dead kid? Get a life, fo'real.

OMG!!!!!!!! (and similar overly-dramatic responses)

2005-02-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

"A gun? In our suburban paradise? [Gasp] It can't be!"

It was an UNLOADED gun. The worse he could have done is smacked someone over the head with it - I could do the same thing with a textbook. When push comes to shove, I could probably kill some one more efficiently with a pen cap than an unloaded gun (unless it's a bayonet). Actually, I want to know how they found the gun, considering the fact I haven't seen the administrators pat-down any of the students. How did they even notice? I don't see a lot of disciplinary action being taken for students necking/dry-humping in the hallways or smoking cigarettes in the lobbies, yet they notice a concealed weapon? Plus, unless you want to take in your piece for show and tell, you have a reason for bringing a gun to school. If Lincoln can't provide a learning environment conducive to students (the potential-victims and the potentially dangerous) then let's not point the finger at some deranged teenager. Everyone just needs to chill out.

On the bright side, maybe they'll realize we need another high school for "control issues". That would be nice. Ugh, I hate the over-population.

Cool:

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Yep, that sounds about right.

Sorry - No Entry

2005-01-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Just felt like posting. WHOOO!!

Tsunami Stuff 2

2005-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

See cute picture here

A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant, male, century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombasa, officials said on Thursday.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300kg, was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean and then forced back to shore when the tsunami struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," said ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park.

"After it was swept [away] and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added.

"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby. He was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

[From AnimalPlanet.com]

Tsunami Stuff

2005-01-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

So how "generous" are the governments who have pledged money to help out with the greatest human tragedy outside of war-time? Well, not very generous at all; in fact, every nation that has made a pledge has been relatively mean about it.

There is no point basing such a judgement on the ABSOLUTE amount of money pledged - that tells us nothing at all. As any economist will tell you, a good start is comparing the amount pledged with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) generated by a country. (There are other, better measures too, but this is a fair starting point.)

So, here are the stats. I have ranked the pledge-countries from 'most' to 'least' generous. The stats indicate the percentage of a nation's GDP pledged. No, the decimal places are not in the wrong positions. Yes, that's right, every country, except Qatar, has pledged less than four one thousandths of a percent of their GDP. So let's not go on about how generous we are all being in helping out with the relief effort. Countries spend more money on pets every year than they do on this.

1 Qatar 0.0014253%
2 Sweden 0.0003357%
3 Denmark 0.0003282%
4 Japan 0.0001396%
5 Switzerland 0.0001278%
6 Norway 0.0000963%
7 Australia 0.0000813%
8 Spain 0.0000768%
9 Netherlands 0.0000737%
10 Italy 0.0000613%
11 Portugal 0.0000598%
12 Britain 0.0000576%
13 Libya 0.0000571%
14 Kuwait 0.0000507%
15 Finland 0.0000430%
16 New Zealand 0.0000422%
17 Saudi Arabia 0.0000347%
18 UAE 0.0000347%
19 Canada 0.0000344%
20 France 0.0000338%
21 USA 0.0000318%
22 Singapore 0.0000283%
23 Ireland 0.0000234%
24 Venezuela 0.0000170%
25 Germany 0.0000120%
26 Austria 0.0000111%
27 Algeria 0.0000102%
28 Taiwan 0.0000099%
29 China 0.0000094%
30 South Korea 0.0000058%
31 Slovakia 0.0000032%
32 Slovenia 0.0000030%
33 Turkey 0.0000027%
34 Hungary 0.0000019%
35 Poland 0.0000008%

Fucking Titanic...

2005-01-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

In response to seeing Titanic on I Love the 90's: Part Deux...

Yeah, yeah, tragic love story. What's the REALLY sad thing about this movie, though?
"
Jack is too stupid to find his own piece of driftwood.

END.

Annoying:

2005-01-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

1. People who expect me to be the perfect host when they're not the perfect guest (i.e. they make a mess, eat all your food, and fight with your family - but still expect you to go fetch them whatever their heart desires).

2. Pencil sharpeners that NEVER work. The pencil sharpener in my maths room CONSUMES fresh pencils.

3. People who think it's funny to be loud, obnoxious and crude. It never was, is, or will be, amusing - give it up.

4. Microwaves that heat only one side of my Toaster Pastry.

5. People who use my personal hygiene items (especially without asking), it's gross!

6. People who borrow endless amounts of money from me and then expect me to pay them two dollars back. Go fuck yourself, seriously.

7. People who endlessly talk about nothing.

8. If you're a 12 and under Catholic school girl you can rock the knee-highs, otherwise forget it. It's just creepy.

9. Nickelback?

10. PETA - Why do you throw paint on fur coats? They just go out and by new ones? Actually, vegetarians in general. Unless it's for religious purposes, you're fucking nuts. Chickens can barely survive as it is, they wouldn't last long in the wild. These animals owe us SOMETHING for keeping them alive. I mean, turkeys are so dumb they look up at the sky with their mouths open when it's raining and drown - but they have "feelings"? Don't try to make up for your stupidity by saying my lifestyle of normalcy is morally and ethically wrong.

11. People who think sex, drinking and/or smoking makes them seem mature or cool. All of the above are exponentially lame. Participating in such activities is moronic.

12. People who compare tiny, upsetting events in their life to HUGE disasters. I'm sorry, no matter how long you're grounded for the holocaust was worse.

13. My mother

14. Lies, of any sort. People who force me into lying. People who lie to seem cooler. Anything to do with lying or fakeness annoys me.

15. Plagiarism, it is quite possible the most dishonest and loser-esque thing you could do.

16. Attention whores. You would think 10 compliments would be enough, but no! They want more, and they'll annoy you to no end to get it.

17. People who leave their Christmas decorations up all year long. Okay, we get it, you love Jesus.

18. People who watch me brush my teeth, like it's interesting. Get the hell away from me, freak.

19. Alise - What's the point of women's rights if you're just going to turn around and be worthless and disgusting?

20. People who can't take the truth. I hate it when I give someone an honest answer or say what's on my mind, and they're like "oh! I can't believe you said that to me" or deny it. I mean, come on, you're not fooling anyone.

Desmond Morris: Crack Pot

2004-12-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

In his latest book, The Naked Woman, British zoologist (and psuedo-socio-biologist) Desmond Morris seeks to provide explanations for why men find the female body so appealing (as if "because" isn't a good enough answer). His predictable answer, in short, is that each part of the primate female body has been molded by millions of years of evolutionary struggle to finally give rise to the reproductively appealing human female form.

Here's a sample of Morris's accounts of various parts of the female form. You'll be able to pick holes in the accounts almost the instant you read them. I'll save my basic criticism of the whole approach for the end.

Legs: Long legs signify sexual maturity and "therefore transmits super-female signals"... this is an actual quote, people! Smooth, curved legs indicate the female of the species and also indicate a healthy body for breeding. Legs, in general, are "sexy" because they cause men to focus on the point at which they join, "which is the focal point of male sexual interest".

Breasts: Breasts operate as visual and tactile information-senders. Most basically, they identify the sex of a humanoid and also, obviously, indicate sexual maturity (capable of raring young). Less basically, on closer inspection, they indicate age via their shape. Here's Morris's breast-chronology: 1.) "nipple breast" of childhood; 2.) "breast-bud" of puberty; 3.) "pointed breast" of adolescence; 4.) "firm breast" of young adulthood; 5.) "full breast" of motherhood; 6.) "sagging breast" of middle age; (7) "pendulous breast" of old age. "Super breasts" are unusual because they fall between (4) and (5) and are only exhibited in teenage breasts that have developed slightly more quickly than average - "thus exhibiting the perfect roundness required, yet retaining the firmness of extreme youth".

Back: The curve of the back (women's backs are naturally more arched than men's) accentuates the female buttocks and so "adds a sexier outline to the profile of the body". The two sacral dimples on each side of the base of the spine are also erotic.

Buttocks: Protruding female buttocks "transmit a powerful gender signal", and naturally protrude more than men's. Relatively large female buttocks (compared to men) serve as fat stores and so indicate good survival potential. Undulation (hip swaying) - due naturally to the physical structure of the female pelvis - is another distinctive signal of femininity.

Armpits: Women tend to shave under their arms and this is due to a desire to appear "cleaner, younger and helps them reduce their scent-signalling". This, presumably, is alluring to men.

Each line here could be subjected to ridicule. For example, saying that legs are sexually attractive because they form an "arrow" (Morris's word) to the female naughty bits, is moronic: creatures as no-brained and no-legged as snails seem to have no problem finding each other's naughty bits, but the most intellectually advanced creatures on the planet need road maps? Riiiight. And "sacral dimples" are attractive because...? If you can come up with an evolutionary explanation for this one, good luck. And "super-breasts" are most desirable because they express the best survival combination - simultaneous youth and maturity. So all those guys who like small or voluptuous breasts are evolutionary defects? That's one hell of a lot of defects! But I'll put these aside. My criticism is more basic than these (although these particular criticisms allude to it).

Most socio-evolutionary 'explanations' for human phenomena are pseudo-scientific; that is, they appeal to a scientific theory (Darwinian evolutionary theory, in this case) but do not actually empirically investigate matters in a scientific way. How so? Most socio-evolutionary 'explanations' are unfalsifiable: that is, they presuppose a single causal process (evolutionary survival) for every conceivable outcome. What's wrong with that? Well, to take Morris's topic of interest, if all features that are attractive to men are "selected" by an evolutionary process, and we predict according to an evolutionary selection story that feature X is attractive to men but it turns out that in a good many cases the 'opposite' feature, not-X, is attractive to men, then according to the 'explanation' that just means X and not-X are both due to evolution. It's a bit like saying, "The weather is due to the will of the gods"; if it rains, we conclude, "thus it is proved that rain was the will of the gods", and if it is sunny we then conclude, "thus it is proved that sun was the will of the gods"; no matter what happens, no matter what you predict, you always have the same explanation (the will of the gods). In both cases, there is no real empirical testing here (empirical testing being the hallmark of science.) So, if women shave under their arms, that's due to the evolutionary desire to look younger to attract a mate, and if they don't that's due to the evolutionary desire to look mature to attract a mate. If women get breast implants that's due to the evolutionary desire to look younger to attract a mate, and if they get their breast implants removed that's due to the evolutionary desire to look natural to attract a mate. And so on and so forth. You might object that the explanation is actually talking about what men find naturally attractive, not about women's behavior. OK, let's do it that way. Men find big butts attractive because they indicate "healthy fat" and thus survival potential for offspring. And men who find small butts attractive? That's because small butts indicate youth and nubility and thus survival potential for offspring. And round and round we go again. This is not some kind of scientific explanation; it's imaginative storytelling: give me a characteristic and I'll tell you a story which always has the same ending. Mother Goose, eat your heart out.

Now, that's a basic criticism of the usual socio-evolutionary account of social phenomena. Curiously, Morris doesn't go down this path, but he does employ a reasoning strategy that has the same basic flaw. Morris doesn't ignore the fact that there is cultural variation in the particulars of female beauty (e.g. Japanese men think neck-lines are very erotic according to Morris), but he certainly doesn't subscribe, of course, to the view that the notion of beauty is culturally determined. He pulls this off, acknowledging the influence of culture while simultaneously discounting it, in the following way: he claims there are "biological features all women share" that are the underlying or essential sources of judgements of beauty (as determined by the evolutionary reproductive struggle), and then there is culture, which is responsible for attempting to modify in countless ways the basic evolutionarily 'given' female form to make it "even more" beautiful; the template, however, for what IS beautiful in essence, and therefore worthy of "improvement", has already been set by Nature. So, anything that doesn't seem to 'fit' the basic evolutionary story is just a transitory cultural variation or some other 'deformation' of the basic gifts bestowed by Nature. Now Morris tries to be "politically correct" with his explanation by saying "every woman has a beautiful body." But when it gets down to tin-tacks, his account is explicitly exclusionary: there are such things are naturally and objectively perfect breasts, perfect bums, perfect backs, perfect legs. If men (or women) claim that Morris's version of 'perfect' Y is not their ideal, he can just write-off their opinions as transitory cultural variations from the objective truth of the matter. So for Morris, his 'perfect' Y is not really his personal aesthetic judgement - the judgement is in fact determined by Nature (and there is no arguing with Nature).

Maybe this could be excused to some extent if his account were based on factual claims which could be tested. The problem is that it isn't factual at all. The scientific sounding explanations are nothing more than that - sounds. The real "engine of investigation" is in fact nothing more than Morris's own mind (Morris, not all of humanity for all time, likes long, slender legs, firm, full breasts, a curvacious back, protroding buttocks and shaved armpits). Insidiously, at no stage does he admit this. It is insidious because, say, a woman who isn't aware of the basic flaw in Morris's explanation (its pseudo-scientific character) could well falsely conclude from Morris's book that Science has established that by her very nature she is an objectively undesirable monkey who fell out of the evolutionary tree.

Communism = Religion?

2004-12-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

Many people believe that Communism and Atheism come hand and hand every time. Countless books and websites have popped up claiming Communism to be it's own religion. Communism is NOT a religion, although. Nor does affiliation with Communism dictate one's religion as Atheist (although typical.)

Communism can't be defined as religion because of one, small aspect... spiritualism. People will tell you that anything that is an institutionalized system based around belief and worship, like Communism, is a religion. Well, do you consider Monarchy a religion? No, of course you don't. So, Communism is not a religion because it lack of spiritualistic appeal.

So, is Communism essentially Atheism? Nope. I'll use Romania for an example, if you don't mind. I can tell you that religion wasn't the main reason people were persecuted in Romania. Just because they tortured Christians doesn't mean that it was BECAUSE they were Christian. Sure, Communist countries typically have a flair for inquisitions, but the fact-of-the-matter is that almost the whole population of Romania was, and still is, Christian. You can't tell me that Ceausescu managed come to power in a country when he wanted to slaughter/torture all of the citizens? Is the religion of the Communist leader the religion of the Communist country? No, thus Romania, a COMMUNIST country, is a chiefly CHRISTIAN country. Actually, a census taken of Romania showed that it had the highest concentration of Christians in the WORLD (with a resounding 99.5% of the population.) Some would argue with the persecution of Baptists in Romania, but that has nothing to do with Communism. It's on a very small level (more people are killed for hate crimes in the US in a month than Romania in a five years) and it's because that almost everyone in Romania is Romanian Orthodox, Romanian Catholic, or Protestant (making Baptist the religious minority.) Of course, things have change quite recently, but I'm talking about... the... old... Romania... yeah!

Do you know why Communism is so short-lived in some countries and not in others? Because there are certain pre-requisites for the Communism to succeed. These are the society should be a "free society", meaning it should give importance to an Individual over the society and that it should be based on equality, fraternity and liberty. These have been brought to China by Buddhism, Russia by Christianity and Vietnam by Taoism. The absence of these factors in Hindu India society could not foster the growth of Communism in India. So technically, "free society" (which also insinuates freedom of religion) is necessary in a Communist government... anything without is either 1. not truly Communism or 2. destined to fail.

Additionally, people have added on extra meaning to Communism. Why do most Communist leaders push for Atheism? Because it allows more influence for the government, of course! The technical definition for Communism is "a totalitarian system of GOVERNMENT in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production". We have all these Communist/Atheist leaders, but why? You know it's because instead of taking on just Marxist theories of economics they adopted the theories on religion, too ("opiate of the masses", etc.) Hey, if you're going to go Marxist... go all the way!

People think that just because Communism is secular it's automatically Atheist. Just because Communism isn't associated with religion, doesn't mean that there is NO religion. It's disproving induction again.

Went a little overboard, but I'll go to extensive lengths to prove I'm right... even if it's to myself.

Music Elitists

2004-12-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

NOTE - Just because someone doesn't spend all their time on sites like noconformistindielabel.net and musicnoonehaseverfuckingheardof.com doesn't make them a loser, it makes them sane. Step back, re-evaluate. If I'm the loser then how come you're the one with all this free time?

Mission Tranc3, yes!

Plato on the Nature of Love

2004-12-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Symposium is one of the greatest literary pieces in existence. Aesthetics, love, what more could I want?

"He who has been instructed thus far in the things of love, and who has learned to see the beautiful in due order and succession, when he comes toward the end will suddenly perceive a nature of wondrous beauty (and this, Socrates, is the final cause of all our former toils)-a nature which in the first place is everlasting, not growing and decaying, or waxing and waning; secondly, not fair in one point of view and foul in another, or at one time or in one relation or at one place fair, at another time or in another relation or at another place foul, as if fair to some and-foul to others, or in the likeness of a face or hands or any other part of the bodily frame, or in any form of speech or knowledge, or existing in any other being, as for example, in an animal, or in heaven or in earth, or in any other place; but beauty absolute, separate, simple, and everlasting, which without diminution and without increase, or any change, is imparted to the ever-growing and perishing beauties of all other things. He who from these ascending under the influence of true love, begins to perceive that beauty, is not far from the end. And the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is. This, my dear Socrates," said the stranger of Mantineia, "is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute; a beauty which if you once beheld, you would see not to be after the measure of gold, and garments, and fair boys and youths, whose presence now entrances you; and you and many a one would be content to live seeing them only and conversing with them without meat or drink, if that were possible-you only want to look at them and to be with them. But what if man had eyes to see the true beauty-the divine beauty, I mean, pure and dear and unalloyed, not clogged with the pollutions of mortality and all the colours and vanities of human life-thither looking, and holding converse with the true beauty simple and divine? Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may. Would that be an ignoble life?"

Fucking brilliant, man.

Totally Random

2004-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

To great insult to my ego, I thought I got an okay grade on the Romanticism Test, but Alex Weaver got a 95% and had to kill my good mood with "eh, it's all right... it's not a 98% or anything". Progress reports are out tomorrow. I'm somewhat depressed over it. You know, I try to fight the man, but it's so difficult when my success is contingent upon working with the man. I know I am going to end up in some shitty university over this.

I'm reading a book about Japanese internment camps in WW2. Two accounts particulary disturbed me. A Japanese man was shot in the leg by one of the guards and had to have his leg amputated, instead of offering reparations after the war had ended, he was charged for the bullet he was shot with. Another story, a teenage boy was shot trying to escape, and the guards hung his blood stained t-shirt in the cafeteria to remind the other prisoners of the "consequences" of trying to escape.

Zombies

2004-11-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves zombies; well, I know I do. Anyway, why is it that zombies capture the imagination? I think there are a number of things going on in our minds at the subconscious level that makes zombies fascinating. For one thing, they are "the walking dead", and that taps into a bizarre twist on the story of Jesus. Jesus was also a man who arose from the dead and walked among the living. Of course, the Jesus story is a message of hope and gives a sense of purity. Zombies share in common with Jesus the power of life after death, minus, of course, the white robe... oh, and Jesus never wanted to eat people's brains (the sole objective of zombies). But when we make this disrespectful comparison, we notice something interesting - zombies don't really cut it as the inverted image of Christ. Zombies are not really devil-like; they are not really demonic; they are not even just plain evil. Zombies lack something crucial that would make them truly evil; that would make them blameworthy beings; that would make them deserving of our enmity. What is it that they lack? They lack consciousness; they lack freely chosen intentions. While zombies are certainly not brainless (indeed, the only way to kill a zombie is by destroying its brain), they are definitely mindless. They have no "inner life"; no sense of themselves acting in the world; they never really make any choices about what do to. Deep down, I feel sorry for zombies. I hope this little piece contributes, if only in some tiny way, to a better understanding of and empathy for zombies and eventually to a rapprochement between zombie and human-kind.

New Blog

2004-11-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

I am quite pleased with how my blog customization came out. If you haven't noticed, there is no comment link. I don't exactly know how to get one up at the moment. I'll be working on that, though.

Who cares, new blog!