Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Sovereign Individual
Just finished reading Davidson and Rees-Mogg's The Sovereign Individual. Every so often you read a book that changes your view of life. I now look at government power with a more jaundiced eye than ever before. And I wasn't exactly a collectivist in any case! I've been a confirmed objectivist (note the small "o") for some years.
It struck me that a lot of the crises cobbled up by environmentalists and health crusaders have a perhaps not unintended effect. Global warming, for instance, enforces the logic that only national or supernational (not "supranational" - the UN is just a bigger state, not a different kind of state) entities can solve the terrible problems caused by greedy stupid capitalist white men. The same rationale applies to acid rain, the ozone non-hole, AIDS, world hunger and every other putative problem of recent years. Without these problems, we wouldn't need anywhere near as much government power. The Sovereign Individual predicts the decline of the nation-state, as well as the frantic efforts of those who depend on and profit from the nation-state to retain and strengthen its power. It all makes sense now, how the media and the political system work together. Hey, paranoia is when you think you know what's going on, right?
Just finished reading Davidson and Rees-Mogg's The Sovereign Individual. Every so often you read a book that changes your view of life. I now look at government power with a more jaundiced eye than ever before. And I wasn't exactly a collectivist in any case! I've been a confirmed objectivist (note the small "o") for some years.
It struck me that a lot of the crises cobbled up by environmentalists and health crusaders have a perhaps not unintended effect. Global warming, for instance, enforces the logic that only national or supernational (not "supranational" - the UN is just a bigger state, not a different kind of state) entities can solve the terrible problems caused by greedy stupid capitalist white men. The same rationale applies to acid rain, the ozone non-hole, AIDS, world hunger and every other putative problem of recent years. Without these problems, we wouldn't need anywhere near as much government power. The Sovereign Individual predicts the decline of the nation-state, as well as the frantic efforts of those who depend on and profit from the nation-state to retain and strengthen its power. It all makes sense now, how the media and the political system work together. Hey, paranoia is when you think you know what's going on, right?
Starving
Funny living in Tallahassee how sometimes national events jump up and grab you. I walk through the Capitol courtyard several noontimes a week, on my way to the library or a restaurant. Yesterday I headed over to the library and bought a book (I never borrow books from the library, but have found it a good source of bargain tomes) on dieting: Kurzweil's rant about low-fat living The 10% Solution. I've tried Atkins and not been able to stay on it, so thought I'd give the much-despised low-fat regimen a try. So I'm heading back to work through the Capitol plaza, thinking about how hungry I'm going to be for the next, oh, thirty years or so. Then I see a couple of "Don't let Terri Schiavo die!" protesters wandering around aimlessly looking for a TV camera or at least a couple of legislators. One of them was holding a sign reading: "Don't starve the living!" So I'm thinking, is this a message for me from the diet gods? But then I realized it was OK. If the low-fat fanaticism turns out to be as painful as all that, I'll never stick with it, anyway, and go back to high living - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high anxiety and gout all day every day. Now Terri's husband has chosen the ultimate low-fat, low-calorie diet for her. I just wish I knew more about her mental state or lack thereof, so I could get all worked up over keeping her "alive" or letting her die, whichever is more appropriate. The case is an education in how people take sides without having full information. And in these days of blogging, more information than anyone could want is available somewhere. But deciding rationally spoils all the fun. Where are the MRI's, EEGs and all the other brain scans that might prove whether anything's going on in her brain? You would think the educated populace would be clamoring for them. But I guess they're more concerned with soundbites.
Funny living in Tallahassee how sometimes national events jump up and grab you. I walk through the Capitol courtyard several noontimes a week, on my way to the library or a restaurant. Yesterday I headed over to the library and bought a book (I never borrow books from the library, but have found it a good source of bargain tomes) on dieting: Kurzweil's rant about low-fat living The 10% Solution. I've tried Atkins and not been able to stay on it, so thought I'd give the much-despised low-fat regimen a try. So I'm heading back to work through the Capitol plaza, thinking about how hungry I'm going to be for the next, oh, thirty years or so. Then I see a couple of "Don't let Terri Schiavo die!" protesters wandering around aimlessly looking for a TV camera or at least a couple of legislators. One of them was holding a sign reading: "Don't starve the living!" So I'm thinking, is this a message for me from the diet gods? But then I realized it was OK. If the low-fat fanaticism turns out to be as painful as all that, I'll never stick with it, anyway, and go back to high living - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high anxiety and gout all day every day. Now Terri's husband has chosen the ultimate low-fat, low-calorie diet for her. I just wish I knew more about her mental state or lack thereof, so I could get all worked up over keeping her "alive" or letting her die, whichever is more appropriate. The case is an education in how people take sides without having full information. And in these days of blogging, more information than anyone could want is available somewhere. But deciding rationally spoils all the fun. Where are the MRI's, EEGs and all the other brain scans that might prove whether anything's going on in her brain? You would think the educated populace would be clamoring for them. But I guess they're more concerned with soundbites.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
The Intellectual Terrorist
Nah little poufters*.
I have stumbled upon the basic misconception (!) that has led to this recent idea that men can or should, in some sense, "marry" men and women can or should "marry" women. This obviously monstrous absurdity can only have come about because some addle-pated "gays" (but I repeat myself) must not ever have been told the facts of life. They must be harboring the fond but biologically impossible hope that after they have whatever they consider an approximation of heterosexual sex, little poufters will suddenly, from some bodily orifice, emerge nine months or so later. Or maybe the new little addlepates will spring full-grown from their heads, like the gods and goddesses used to do. It reminds one of the pathos-soaked cargo cults of the Pacific Islanders, who after seeing US GIs call up on radios and have large airplanes full of trade goods descend, copied the GIs after they left, but with radios made of wood and vines for antennas. Needless to say, no C-47s full of Hershey bars and nylon stockings ever responded to these primitive entreaties.
The idea of marriage - and the fact I have to say this demonstrates the depths to which this discourse has descended - is to have children emerge that display a mixture of the characteristics of the husband and the wife. That is why a man looking for a wife carefully observes not only a woman's physical conformation but her intellectual shape and size as well. Does she have a good sense of humor? Ah, our child may share that. How jolly. Does she have flashing green eyes? Imagine a boy with my muscles and her eyes! He will be a great warrior and a triumphant conqueror of women! Is her mother a scold? Later, baby.
Perhaps it's understandable that those whose sexual "preferences" make it impossible for them to have a biological family would think that by standing up in front of a fake religious figure and going through a fake ceremony and having fake sex they can share some of the juju associated with the most basic relationship of the tribe of Man. But, as they say on MTV, get over it. Ain't gonna happen.
*reference is of course to the Constitution of Australia, which consists of two words: Nah poufters.
Nah little poufters*.
I have stumbled upon the basic misconception (!) that has led to this recent idea that men can or should, in some sense, "marry" men and women can or should "marry" women. This obviously monstrous absurdity can only have come about because some addle-pated "gays" (but I repeat myself) must not ever have been told the facts of life. They must be harboring the fond but biologically impossible hope that after they have whatever they consider an approximation of heterosexual sex, little poufters will suddenly, from some bodily orifice, emerge nine months or so later. Or maybe the new little addlepates will spring full-grown from their heads, like the gods and goddesses used to do. It reminds one of the pathos-soaked cargo cults of the Pacific Islanders, who after seeing US GIs call up on radios and have large airplanes full of trade goods descend, copied the GIs after they left, but with radios made of wood and vines for antennas. Needless to say, no C-47s full of Hershey bars and nylon stockings ever responded to these primitive entreaties.
The idea of marriage - and the fact I have to say this demonstrates the depths to which this discourse has descended - is to have children emerge that display a mixture of the characteristics of the husband and the wife. That is why a man looking for a wife carefully observes not only a woman's physical conformation but her intellectual shape and size as well. Does she have a good sense of humor? Ah, our child may share that. How jolly. Does she have flashing green eyes? Imagine a boy with my muscles and her eyes! He will be a great warrior and a triumphant conqueror of women! Is her mother a scold? Later, baby.
Perhaps it's understandable that those whose sexual "preferences" make it impossible for them to have a biological family would think that by standing up in front of a fake religious figure and going through a fake ceremony and having fake sex they can share some of the juju associated with the most basic relationship of the tribe of Man. But, as they say on MTV, get over it. Ain't gonna happen.
*reference is of course to the Constitution of Australia, which consists of two words: Nah poufters.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Pathetic old yawp
So Hunter Thompson is dead. You know you're dead when Tom Wolfe writes about you in the Wall Street Journal. Thompson of course was amusing, at least the first time you read one of his items. But they all sound the same after a while. Thompson was one of those pathetic ex-hippies who don't think life is worth living unless something weird is happening every second. Reminds me of an old man at a wedding trying to get attention by standing up every so often and shouting incoherently. Regular old boring everyday life isn't good enough for him. So he never had a chance to see deeper. The most ordinary, "conformist" waitress or bank clerk, who had to put up with Thompson's childish tantrums, knew more about real life than Thompson ever was going to find out if he lived another "gonzo" lifetime. Sad.
So Hunter Thompson is dead. You know you're dead when Tom Wolfe writes about you in the Wall Street Journal. Thompson of course was amusing, at least the first time you read one of his items. But they all sound the same after a while. Thompson was one of those pathetic ex-hippies who don't think life is worth living unless something weird is happening every second. Reminds me of an old man at a wedding trying to get attention by standing up every so often and shouting incoherently. Regular old boring everyday life isn't good enough for him. So he never had a chance to see deeper. The most ordinary, "conformist" waitress or bank clerk, who had to put up with Thompson's childish tantrums, knew more about real life than Thompson ever was going to find out if he lived another "gonzo" lifetime. Sad.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Lucky me
All this Social Security stuff has been making me think. I'm 56 years old. If Ray Kurzweil is right, there's a good chance that I'll be ready for Social Security right about the time when the scientists figure out how to make people live pretty much forever:
As I understand the present proposals for Social Security, those who are now within ten years or so of retirement will be guaranteed full coverage for the rest of their lives. Now, following Kurzweil, that could be forever. Unfortunately, for younger people, no such guarantee is available, although I can well believe that the personal equity accounts that Bush is supporting will allow today's twenty-somethings to make a lot more money than I ever did on my admittedly spotty SS contributions. But the trade-off there will be no automatic guaranteed government income forever. I may be the last of the complete socialists, able to loaf indefinitely even when, because of medical advances, I could be working. Am I lucky or what?
All this Social Security stuff has been making me think. I'm 56 years old. If Ray Kurzweil is right, there's a good chance that I'll be ready for Social Security right about the time when the scientists figure out how to make people live pretty much forever:
Many experts, including the authors, believe that within a decade we will be adding more than a year to human life expectancy every year. At that point, with each passing year, your remaining life expectancy will move further into the future.
As I understand the present proposals for Social Security, those who are now within ten years or so of retirement will be guaranteed full coverage for the rest of their lives. Now, following Kurzweil, that could be forever. Unfortunately, for younger people, no such guarantee is available, although I can well believe that the personal equity accounts that Bush is supporting will allow today's twenty-somethings to make a lot more money than I ever did on my admittedly spotty SS contributions. But the trade-off there will be no automatic guaranteed government income forever. I may be the last of the complete socialists, able to loaf indefinitely even when, because of medical advances, I could be working. Am I lucky or what?
Schema? Schemata?
I read somewhere on the Web about how a good army allocates its officers. Sorry I can't link to it, because I can't remember where. There are two continua, from Brilliant to Stupid and from Active to Lazy. So, the officers break down into four groups:
1. Stupid but Active
2. Lazy and Stupid
3. Brilliant and Active
4. Brilliant and Lazy
Group 1, Stupid but Active, are very dangerous. These men must be reassigned, transferred, cashiered, whatever. They will get many men killed in battle, or even in training, because they don't have a clue what they're doing and yet are always doing things.
Group 2, Stupid and Lazy, form the mass of the officer corps. They head almost all the field units. They're not dangerous, because, even though they don't know what to do, they do as little as possible. They're not very useful, however, because they can't figure out what to do. They do get along with the masses of soldiers, because they're very much like them.
Group 3, Brilliant and Active: These are the staff officers, who are always having bright ideas and doing things. They can't be successful field officers, because the men - and the Group 2 officers - hate them, because they're always pushing soldiers to do stuff. They're only useful at Headquarters and do most of the work there.
Group 4, Brilliant and Lazy, are the top commanders. These are the guys who can be relied on to come up with good ideas but to delegate the carrying out of those ideas to the Group 3s. Every few months they may make a tour of the front lines, but they're usually relaxing and drinking, like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now or Nero Wolfe, who let Archie Goodwin do all the legwork.
My goal, of course, is to be recognized as a Group 4, even though I'm not in the army. Someone should write a management book using this schema (These schemata?) But I just got a new bottle of gin and it's been in the freezer long enough to be nice and cold....
I read somewhere on the Web about how a good army allocates its officers. Sorry I can't link to it, because I can't remember where. There are two continua, from Brilliant to Stupid and from Active to Lazy. So, the officers break down into four groups:
1. Stupid but Active
2. Lazy and Stupid
3. Brilliant and Active
4. Brilliant and Lazy
Group 1, Stupid but Active, are very dangerous. These men must be reassigned, transferred, cashiered, whatever. They will get many men killed in battle, or even in training, because they don't have a clue what they're doing and yet are always doing things.
Group 2, Stupid and Lazy, form the mass of the officer corps. They head almost all the field units. They're not dangerous, because, even though they don't know what to do, they do as little as possible. They're not very useful, however, because they can't figure out what to do. They do get along with the masses of soldiers, because they're very much like them.
Group 3, Brilliant and Active: These are the staff officers, who are always having bright ideas and doing things. They can't be successful field officers, because the men - and the Group 2 officers - hate them, because they're always pushing soldiers to do stuff. They're only useful at Headquarters and do most of the work there.
Group 4, Brilliant and Lazy, are the top commanders. These are the guys who can be relied on to come up with good ideas but to delegate the carrying out of those ideas to the Group 3s. Every few months they may make a tour of the front lines, but they're usually relaxing and drinking, like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now or Nero Wolfe, who let Archie Goodwin do all the legwork.
My goal, of course, is to be recognized as a Group 4, even though I'm not in the army. Someone should write a management book using this schema (These schemata?) But I just got a new bottle of gin and it's been in the freezer long enough to be nice and cold....
Monday, February 14, 2005
Straightening out the tangle
I would be even more straightforward than Instapundit or the Goodridge case:
It's hardly surprising that the expectations that many have of the marriage relationship are often disappointed. When love disappears, the bare framework of legal obligations is frequently insufficient to achieve the state's aims. Any woman who's tried to get the state to force an absent husband to pay child support, and any man who's tried to get a fair shake from the state in domestic litigation knows the incompetence and impenetrability of the state apparatus. These facts form just some of the background that make me shake my head in wonder at "gay" folk who actually expect state certification of their pretend "marriages" to do anything good for them or for the society as a whole.
Which forces an odd conclusion: Since successful results - well-reared children - from a marriage depend on love, and cannot be forced, and the state depends on successful marriages, the state itself depends on love. Who would have thought it?
I would be even more straightforward than Instapundit or the Goodridge case:
Yes, the creepiest line in the Goodridge case is the one about there being three parties to every marriage -- the couple being married, and the state.Marriage is not a relationship between a man and a woman, it is a relationship between an individual and the state. Anyone who's ever been through a divorce, or even contemplated one, knows what I mean. The relationship between a man and a woman is called love. You do not - or should not - enter into marriage to get anything from your mate. The bonds of love are your only security with relation to the one you've married. Signing a marriage license application binds you to a certain standard of behavior set by the state, not by your mate. In return, the state guarantees certain financial benefits, including tax relief and inheritance rights. From the state's point of view, the beneficiaries of this relationship are the children of the marriage. The state has an obvious interest in keeping new taxpayers coming along, as without them it would fail.
It's hardly surprising that the expectations that many have of the marriage relationship are often disappointed. When love disappears, the bare framework of legal obligations is frequently insufficient to achieve the state's aims. Any woman who's tried to get the state to force an absent husband to pay child support, and any man who's tried to get a fair shake from the state in domestic litigation knows the incompetence and impenetrability of the state apparatus. These facts form just some of the background that make me shake my head in wonder at "gay" folk who actually expect state certification of their pretend "marriages" to do anything good for them or for the society as a whole.
Which forces an odd conclusion: Since successful results - well-reared children - from a marriage depend on love, and cannot be forced, and the state depends on successful marriages, the state itself depends on love. Who would have thought it?
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
Europe Day - Silesia
Ah, Silesia! I remember it well. In law school I competed in an international law moot court contest. The Franklin Pierce team's assignment was the International Claims Commission for Silesia after World War I. I only have a vague recollection of the issues - something about compensation for minerals mined while Silesia was under occupation. But I've had a soft spot for Silesia ever since. And in Karpacz there are strangely shaped rocks! Who could ask for more? But there is more - skiing! Look around the linked sites. You will be all prepared to have a lovely time in Silesia, summer or winter.
Ah, Silesia! I remember it well. In law school I competed in an international law moot court contest. The Franklin Pierce team's assignment was the International Claims Commission for Silesia after World War I. I only have a vague recollection of the issues - something about compensation for minerals mined while Silesia was under occupation. But I've had a soft spot for Silesia ever since. And in Karpacz there are strangely shaped rocks! Who could ask for more? But there is more - skiing! Look around the linked sites. You will be all prepared to have a lovely time in Silesia, summer or winter.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Rand centennial
Cathy Young celebrates 100 years of Ayn Rand with a critical but appreciative article in Reason magazine. (via Vodkapundit) Branden and Branden and Roark and D'Anconia and Dagny Taggart and Peter Keating and Hank Rearden and Wynand and Dominique and Sciabarra and even David Kelley. But no "Doctor Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand's Intellectual Heir". Perfect. Perhaps at 200, in an Objectivist world, today will be looked back on as a dark age which our progeny marvel that we survived.
I am bothered by the constant confusion between Rand's ideas and her personal life. Granted that she herself thought her life should reflect her ideals, the fact that she wasn't epistemologically perfect shouldn't adversely reflect on her political thesis. Doesn't "ad hominem" still mean anything? The whole lesson of the Barbara Branden thing is that we can all fall prey to personal silliness, which makes solid, workable political ideas even more, not less important. The final test of Rand's ideas is not whether she lived up to them all the time, but whether, everything else being equal, they help create a freer and happier world when implemented. So far, they haven't failed that test.
Cathy Young celebrates 100 years of Ayn Rand with a critical but appreciative article in Reason magazine. (via Vodkapundit) Branden and Branden and Roark and D'Anconia and Dagny Taggart and Peter Keating and Hank Rearden and Wynand and Dominique and Sciabarra and even David Kelley. But no "Doctor Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand's Intellectual Heir". Perfect. Perhaps at 200, in an Objectivist world, today will be looked back on as a dark age which our progeny marvel that we survived.
I am bothered by the constant confusion between Rand's ideas and her personal life. Granted that she herself thought her life should reflect her ideals, the fact that she wasn't epistemologically perfect shouldn't adversely reflect on her political thesis. Doesn't "ad hominem" still mean anything? The whole lesson of the Barbara Branden thing is that we can all fall prey to personal silliness, which makes solid, workable political ideas even more, not less important. The final test of Rand's ideas is not whether she lived up to them all the time, but whether, everything else being equal, they help create a freer and happier world when implemented. So far, they haven't failed that test.
Asia Day - Sri Lanka - Uva
Let's celebrate a province of an Asian country that sounds like a part of the human eye. Or is that "uvea"? Anyway, there's plenty to see in Uva with your uveas and your foveas. Especially check out the super-aboriginal-looking aborigines. And remember, they're "fast-dwindling". Looks to me like they've already done a major amount of dwindling. My old school's motto is "Finis ab origine pendet" which, I think, means "Finns hang aborigines" or some other such slander on the Suomi nation. The Uva natives' god is called Skanda, which appears to this social scientist to be proof positive of the visit of Finns (or other Skanda-navians, in their navies, no doubt) to the area at some remote period. And don't forget the "tea experience". If you know what I mean, nudge, nudge!
And, just in time, here's breakfast!
Let's celebrate a province of an Asian country that sounds like a part of the human eye. Or is that "uvea"? Anyway, there's plenty to see in Uva with your uveas and your foveas. Especially check out the super-aboriginal-looking aborigines. And remember, they're "fast-dwindling". Looks to me like they've already done a major amount of dwindling. My old school's motto is "Finis ab origine pendet" which, I think, means "Finns hang aborigines" or some other such slander on the Suomi nation. The Uva natives' god is called Skanda, which appears to this social scientist to be proof positive of the visit of Finns (or other Skanda-navians, in their navies, no doubt) to the area at some remote period. And don't forget the "tea experience". If you know what I mean, nudge, nudge!
And, just in time, here's breakfast!
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Africa Day - Madagascar
Even though a former French colony, Madagascar, to my mind, still qualifies as part of Africa. The website is an information-packed travelogue by a half-Malagasy, half-German guy who went back to explore his roots. In most of the countries I've investigated, the best websites are from travelers who cobbled together the information on their own, without any government help or reliance on "environmental" movements or "sustainable travel" ideocracies. The most striking fact about Madagascar I gather from Kuederle's site is how it seems well-favored by nature and not very much affected by the inherently evil activities of Man. If you believe the Lonely Planet people (what a self-hating pessimistically-named organization!) there will soon be nothing left. But then they say the "salvation" of the country may be "eco-tourism". Now why would tourists visit a country portrayed as a pile of dirt denuded of trees and animals by globalist corporate fascism? Well, I've long ago stopped trying to figure out the non-logic of the hysterical lying left. Read here about the abounding lemurs and "countless animals". Hmm. Doesn't sound like an environmental basket case to me. I like the journal entry where the guy says that in some end-of-the-earth disco, they consider Britney Spears music "world music"! Ha! And no vegetarians! Love those Malagasy.
Even though a former French colony, Madagascar, to my mind, still qualifies as part of Africa. The website is an information-packed travelogue by a half-Malagasy, half-German guy who went back to explore his roots. In most of the countries I've investigated, the best websites are from travelers who cobbled together the information on their own, without any government help or reliance on "environmental" movements or "sustainable travel" ideocracies. The most striking fact about Madagascar I gather from Kuederle's site is how it seems well-favored by nature and not very much affected by the inherently evil activities of Man. If you believe the Lonely Planet people (what a self-hating pessimistically-named organization!) there will soon be nothing left. But then they say the "salvation" of the country may be "eco-tourism". Now why would tourists visit a country portrayed as a pile of dirt denuded of trees and animals by globalist corporate fascism? Well, I've long ago stopped trying to figure out the non-logic of the hysterical lying left. Read here about the abounding lemurs and "countless animals". Hmm. Doesn't sound like an environmental basket case to me. I like the journal entry where the guy says that in some end-of-the-earth disco, they consider Britney Spears music "world music"! Ha! And no vegetarians! Love those Malagasy.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Vast frozen wasteland day - Siberia
Yamal means "the end of the earth". Looking around the website at how far north and far east the Yamal Peninsula (Poluostrov) is, I won't quibble. Lakes and rivers abound, mostly frozen, I'm sure, most of the year and abounding in mosquitoes in the short summer. An icebreaker would be handy for getting around in winter and a hovercraft in summer.
Also, the Yamal holds what may be the greatest untapped natural gas reserves in the world. So we may be hearing more about this unheard of vast frozen wasteland. Oh, here are some Russian eskimo types (eskimoskis?), complete with reindeer. Nice dogs, too, if you like white shaggy ones. I don't like dogs. I tend to think of them as wolves who only put on collars and tags so they can sneak up on you and eat you.
Yamal means "the end of the earth". Looking around the website at how far north and far east the Yamal Peninsula (Poluostrov) is, I won't quibble. Lakes and rivers abound, mostly frozen, I'm sure, most of the year and abounding in mosquitoes in the short summer. An icebreaker would be handy for getting around in winter and a hovercraft in summer.
Also, the Yamal holds what may be the greatest untapped natural gas reserves in the world. So we may be hearing more about this unheard of vast frozen wasteland. Oh, here are some Russian eskimo types (eskimoskis?), complete with reindeer. Nice dogs, too, if you like white shaggy ones. I don't like dogs. I tend to think of them as wolves who only put on collars and tags so they can sneak up on you and eat you.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Oceania Day of the Weekly World Tour - Nauru
World's smallest republic (hmm. Smaller than the Vatican? But, right, that's not a republic. It's a popeocracy or something like that.) Nauru is made up entirely of guano, which brought in much money. Squandered under UN supervision, depopulated by the Japanese, Nauru is a typical fiasco island, where politics reigns. Ah, "Bank owned by the government". There's your problem. And, of course, "threatened by the greenhouse effect." IF global warming raises water levels, Nauru goes under. A big "IF". You mean they don't really know and there's been no sign of it yet, even though SUV's have been around for twenty years? Hey, something smells here and it ain't just the guano.
World's smallest republic (hmm. Smaller than the Vatican? But, right, that's not a republic. It's a popeocracy or something like that.) Nauru is made up entirely of guano, which brought in much money. Squandered under UN supervision, depopulated by the Japanese, Nauru is a typical fiasco island, where politics reigns. Ah, "Bank owned by the government". There's your problem. And, of course, "threatened by the greenhouse effect." IF global warming raises water levels, Nauru goes under. A big "IF". You mean they don't really know and there's been no sign of it yet, even though SUV's have been around for twenty years? Hey, something smells here and it ain't just the guano.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
South America Day - French Guiana
There's still a European colony in South America? Mais non, it's an overseas department of France. Not a colony at all. And it's different from a colony exactly how? Well, it's very much like France in one way:
Which reminds me. Two cannibals were eating a clown. One looks at the other and asks, "Does this taste funny to you?"
There's still a European colony in South America? Mais non, it's an overseas department of France. Not a colony at all. And it's different from a colony exactly how? Well, it's very much like France in one way:
French Guiana is expensive, with costs comparable to those in France; even diehard budget travelers will have a tough time getting by on less than US$45 per day. If restaurant meals and the occasional warm shower fit into your plan, count on spending close to US$100 per day. Transportation, especially to Guiana's interior, is very expensive.Maybe they've even imported some snooty waiters. The European Space Agency site at Kourou looks like it's worth a visit and I hear Cayenne is hot!
Which reminds me. Two cannibals were eating a clown. One looks at the other and asks, "Does this taste funny to you?"
Monday, January 31, 2005
Chaos in thinking about Iraq
Since Sunday's election, I have noticed quite a few borderline antiwar types acting in a very strange manner, as though blinders have been lifted from their eyes. I must admit there were some honest antiwar types, not so blinded by emotion that they couldn't see when striking facts such as the joy and determination of the Iraqi people became obvious. I must admit I thought all of them were being blind on purpose. I'm glad to give up that misconception. The thoughtful types seem thrown into a maelstrom of indecision and wonder. Could it be true that all people do want freedom, that everyone will participate in their own liberation? Even those of us who have been hanging on by our fingertips through all the blood and horror of the last year and a half, half-doubting the wisdom of the boldest political step of the last half century, have to shake ourselves awake. More attacks will come, more brave American soldiers and defiant Iraqi soldiers and civilians will die, but the terrorists are done. They are history. As is George W. Bush.
Since Sunday's election, I have noticed quite a few borderline antiwar types acting in a very strange manner, as though blinders have been lifted from their eyes. I must admit there were some honest antiwar types, not so blinded by emotion that they couldn't see when striking facts such as the joy and determination of the Iraqi people became obvious. I must admit I thought all of them were being blind on purpose. I'm glad to give up that misconception. The thoughtful types seem thrown into a maelstrom of indecision and wonder. Could it be true that all people do want freedom, that everyone will participate in their own liberation? Even those of us who have been hanging on by our fingertips through all the blood and horror of the last year and a half, half-doubting the wisdom of the boldest political step of the last half century, have to shake ourselves awake. More attacks will come, more brave American soldiers and defiant Iraqi soldiers and civilians will die, but the terrorists are done. They are history. As is George W. Bush.
Europe Day - Slovenia
What a beautiful country! Let me go over these pictures for a minute. Fjords, waterfalls, castles, lakes, quaint old buildings. Makes me want to relax just looking at the ambience. And right next to Venezia. Not that there isn't much to see in Tallahassee. But there isn't! It's amazing how small Slovenia's coastline is to have all those opportunities for seascapes. In that it resembles New Hampshire. Much, much more (in Slovenian) here.
What a beautiful country! Let me go over these pictures for a minute. Fjords, waterfalls, castles, lakes, quaint old buildings. Makes me want to relax just looking at the ambience. And right next to Venezia. Not that there isn't much to see in Tallahassee. But there isn't! It's amazing how small Slovenia's coastline is to have all those opportunities for seascapes. In that it resembles New Hampshire. Much, much more (in Slovenian) here.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Asia Day - what else could it be?
This looks like the framework for a representative government website in the most interesting country in Asia today. Interesting in that, in true democratic fashion, the future is quite unpredictable. The legions of news stories indicate that even Sunnis, in defiance of the terrorists' warnings, are participating in the elections. Who could have predicted any turnout at all in Fallujah a few months ago?! And John Kerry's on Meet the Press saying, "don't jump to conclusions!" Well, the average Iraqi isn't going to vote for freedom and then vote against it! The cat is out of the bag, the egg is broken, alea iacta est. The political alignment is entirely unclear, except that Arabs have shown that, given a chance, they will defy violence to make their own political decisions. I look forward to watching, over the next few months, a new polity emerge from chaos and nothing to allow Iraq to reach its full potential. Doomsayers compare Iraq to Lebanon in the late Seventies and Eighties. I don't see it. Lebanon had outside forces stoking the fires of internal chaos with no effective means of achieving order and stability. Thanks to George W. Bush and our brave soldiers, the Iraqis have a great chance to serve as a model not just for the Arab world but for all countries kept down by collectivism. Bravo!
This looks like the framework for a representative government website in the most interesting country in Asia today. Interesting in that, in true democratic fashion, the future is quite unpredictable. The legions of news stories indicate that even Sunnis, in defiance of the terrorists' warnings, are participating in the elections. Who could have predicted any turnout at all in Fallujah a few months ago?! And John Kerry's on Meet the Press saying, "don't jump to conclusions!" Well, the average Iraqi isn't going to vote for freedom and then vote against it! The cat is out of the bag, the egg is broken, alea iacta est. The political alignment is entirely unclear, except that Arabs have shown that, given a chance, they will defy violence to make their own political decisions. I look forward to watching, over the next few months, a new polity emerge from chaos and nothing to allow Iraq to reach its full potential. Doomsayers compare Iraq to Lebanon in the late Seventies and Eighties. I don't see it. Lebanon had outside forces stoking the fires of internal chaos with no effective means of achieving order and stability. Thanks to George W. Bush and our brave soldiers, the Iraqis have a great chance to serve as a model not just for the Arab world but for all countries kept down by collectivism. Bravo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)