Rocketman's Revenge

Self-Made Night

2009-08-24T23:00:00.002-05:00

"The self you have betrayed is your mind; self-esteem is reliance on one's power to think. The ego you seek, that essential 'you' which you cannot express or define, is not your emotions or inarticulate dreams, but your intellect, that judge of your supreme tribunal whom you've impeached in order to drift at the mercy of any stray shyster you describe as your 'feeling'. Then you drag yourself through a self-made night, in a desperate quest for a nameless fire, moved by some fading vision of a dawn you had seen and lost" - John Galt, in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Are we animals? Perhaps. But what seems to set us apart from all other animals is our capacity for rational thought; our ability to reason. Our ability to reason is a function of survival drive, and we as humans are otherwise extremely physically vulnerable.

We do not survive vicious weather events, or stalking predators, because of our superior physical strength, as a tornado or lion's strength dwarfs our own. We do not experience nutritional contentment because food is lying around, prepared, in plenty, ready for our mindless consumption.

We do not survive based on feelings, or intuitive judgements that we cannot explain. We survive because of our knowledge, and failing our incomplete knowledge, our bitter experiences absorbed into our memories and recalled for objective evaluation and contextualization. We either know, learn, or die.

The self-made night is the rejection of the power in our mind to sustain its body. Oh the hell one makes for oneself on earth when will, curiosity, responsibility, and free choice are sacrificed to the unknown; and we fall down, begging (or demanding)favour from those who did not sacrifice their self-esteem. And this is done not to save our lives, but to feed the monster of our feelings - to assuage the guilt we feel for relinquishing our minds, and consequently, our lives.

HumAnimal

2009-02-24T00:06:00.002-06:00

According to a theory advanced by Dr. Ernest Becker in his book The Denial of Death, all human endeavors are part of an innate, symbolic survival mechanism. Our ongoing evolution has intrinsically individuated each of us to the point of incredible awareness of self and the self’s relationship to a mysterious universe, and we look for ways to transcend the terror of our mortality in the form of immortality projects; making ourselves part of something that is larger than ourselves and which will perpetuate long past our own deaths. In short, since for the majority of humans in Western society our instinct for basic survival necessities has been more or less satisfied, symbolic needs have been elevated to give us some additional insurance against the possibility of dying, and to give us some existential relief; some way of transcending the smallness of our own lives cast upon the temporal scale of the whole human story.

We devise social devices such as fame, celebrity, cultural roles, social status, wealth, and art, in order to have a metric of our significance, and a way of settling the questions of why we’re here and why it is that we must die. Social recognition is a form of capital that many in our society try to accumulate throughout their lives, and as Becker says,

“Man…must desperately justify himself as an object of primary value in the universe; he must stand out, be a hero, make the biggest possible contribution to world life, show that he counts more than anything or anyone else.”

He goes on to say that this heroism, or drive for the accumulation of maximum social capital, is in fact propelled by a fear of dying like an insignificant animal, to be forgotten and turned into fertilizer after expiring. Of course, capital is not primarily social in nature, and many humans consider the accumulation of material wealth to be the holy grail of immortality projects. If one has enough money, one can comfortably escape the cruder and more basic anxiety of meeting physical survival needs, can be considered ‘successful’ and thus heroic by one’s peers, and if one still has capital left over at the end of life, this capital can be given away to causes or to offspring, thus extending the individual’s influence past the grave in some way.

Design Implications of Becker’s theory

Art and Artist
Otto Rank, in his book Art and Artist, posits that artists have a special type of survival drive manifest in their talent to first perceive their world in a unique way that sets them apart from others, and second to present that perception in a unique creative work. But the power of the art piece is in its reception by a preferably large number of people; in a reaction, hopefully positive, by admirers which might help the artist’s work to be woven into the cultural story of his or her society, thus preserving a place in social immortality for the creator of the work.

Suburban Development & the Automobile

People want insulation from death, a baffle, a way of blocking the knowledge of one’s own mortality. They want symbols, not reality, and they want those symbols like pack-rats want a new acquisition. They hoard them, materially and psychically, for years, desperately, in the greatest quantities possible. The common hero rises in the world in material wealth or social capital. The suburban dwelling is scaled to the hoard’s conglomerate size. Isn’t suburbia a purely rational expression of human comfort, which some cynical types might call ‘numbness’? What is more accurate to say, is that suburban living provides satisfactory solutions to many anxieties that people can develop regarding survival. Physical tokens of security of person aside, symbolically suburbia represents status. Having a house that’s just a little nicer than the neighbour’s, with fancy shiny automobiles on the driveway, and other material displays of wealth, are in fact a rational accumulation of symbols that the individual can cling to in order to have a feeling of comfort, or a barrier against the inevitable surrender to the universe which is the process of aging and dying. New homes and new cars, the newest technological gadgets, new clothes, this process of constantly consuming new consumer goods (which suburban sprawl seems to represent) is in fact a defense that a lot of people have against the loss of their youth, and ultimately their vitality.

Driving along in my car the other day, I had a moment of clarity with respect to how it feels to be in a car, using its motion and accessories to elevate my status relative to the universe or to nature on a local scale. Driving a car is to be physically separated from the world, and all of the mysterious threats to the body that could act upon me with ruthless indifference to my well being. In our little capsules, we have at our fingertips the power to control our own little microclimates – to protect ourselves from the elements of weather and natural atmosphere. Especially in a town like Winnipeg, where both the extreme summer heat and winter cold can kill, the control over temperature and the protection from winds, rain, hail and snow has a powerful effect on our senses of personal security. We can lock ourselves away from other potentially dangerous humans if we’re driving through an area that is perceived to be saturated with criminal or violent activities and intent. We can race along to any destination we choose at terrible speeds, comfortable in knowing that even if we crash we have a pretty good chance of survival, and thus we feel somewhat more powerful against the rules of chance and nature. The car becomes an armor coat that we wear to enhance our relatively frail bodies. It is no wonder then, that humans love cars so much. Cars give us strength that we could never have and provide a shelter and microcosm in the world where we have much greater control and power.

Political Positions
The world of politics is very similar to the organization of other mammals into herds, packs, flocks, or gaggles. The root of this behaviour is the drive towards auto-organization - high level identification with others. Why? Political positions are purely strategic decisions of human pack animals. The premise is safety in numbers, usually, but also careful calculation of advantages and disadvantages one has compared to some large societal group, and collecting together in alliances with others of comparable positions, to protect each other from the rest - Symbolically in the beginning, but with an ultimate motive of physical protection. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t save them. In fact, usually a group will begin to become hypnotized by a leader who has clearer ideas, exercises more personal power, and thus can bear the anxious guilt that the less powerful have about their own vulnerabilities. In short, groups gradually auto-organize into a parent-children relationship whereupon strong leaders give the followers a strong sense of safety behind the ideas and actions of the leader(s). This is where danger lies, ironically, as the leaders are usually men who have immortality projects of their own which involve the exploitation of their personal power and the power of the group in order to carry out their designs and work in the world. Destructive and authoritarian governments rise in the process, eventually threatening the lives of those that they rule.

Environmentalism
The largest failure in sending the environmental catastrophe message has been in not building an overwhelmingly convincing argument that there is personal and immediate danger to the life of the individual. Warning about the ‘health of the environment’ has the same impact that driving past an accident, or watching a crime show on television does, in that the salient thought is always ‘it could never happen to me’, or as Becker says of soldiers on the battleground watching his fellows die:

“One of the main reasons that it is so easy to march men off to war is that each of them feels sorry for the man next to him who will die."

It is my view that environmentalism’s successes are wherein attempts at instilling fear of death have been emotionally accurate.

Utopianism
The word utopia, in my opinion, is pregnant with the promise of completely peaceful, eternal existence, where every human need is met.
But utopist visions, by Becker’s implication, are stillborn. Just as materialism, automobiles, and social rank are examples of immortality devices; the ideal utopist existence would exclude the possibility of death. Planners seek a built form that would provide maximum physical and symbolic protection from the ultimate fate of all biological entities. To make things more complicated, these days planners are looking for ways to protect not only humans, but also every species.
But as Becker says,

“Creation is a nightmare spectacular taking place on a planet that has been soaked for hundreds of millions of years in the blood of all its creatures. The soberest conclusion that we could make about what has actually been taking place on the planet for about three billion years is that it is being turned into a vast pit of fertilizer.”

Who are we, as mere humans and having always succumbed to our ultimate fate, to believe that we have any control whatsoever over it?

But, tragically, the drive for immortality is too strong for reason, as it is as instinctual and animalistic as any other creature’s survival mechanism. Political parties, as alluded to previously, are prone to hypnosis by a strong leader, whose motives are immortality and social heroism, and will stop at nothing to fulfill his/her perceived role. In a book called Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, James C. Scott says:

“…certain kinds of states, driven by utopian plans and an authoritarian disregard for the values, desires, and objections of their subjects, are indeed a mortal thread to human well-being”

Thus, the political party who can gain control of a society, and is cursed with a blindly driven leader, can violently trample over the immortality projects of any opposing parties or peoples, in order to complete its immortality projects and perform its works upon society. This in turn usually makes people feel less secure in life, and more exposed to the threat of death.

Design Directions
It is critical for designers and urban planners to appreciate that in Becker’s view humans are simply animals with a self-consciousness that while separating us from the earth’s myriad species, is simply another animalistic survival instinct mechanism. All endeavors undertaken by us are desperate, clawing attempts at avoiding death, and at deeper subconscious levels, even the entire concept of dying. Aside from eating, sleeping, procreating, and finding shelter, our goals are symbolic, and our actions virtually unconscious. We have largely learned the lessons of violent movements towards utopist visions, and cannot go back to that kind of intervention. So if suburbia and car-centric urban forms are the problem, how do we get an effective solution? We will never be able to design a way out of our car-oriented cities, or our perfect cookie cutter suburbs, until we can design a form which competes with and exceeds the death-avoidance symbols which are so popular with such large groups of people. We will not have superior public transportation until that form is perceived to be more conducive to a greater degree of death avoidance than cars, by the greatest number of people. We will not have better planned and more community-oriented places than suburbs until the forms that can replace them give the greatest number of people a higher degree of perceived immortality and symbolic capital (social and material). Politically, and perceptually, suburbia is in the hands of the majority, who will need a very convincing reason to change. Aside from that, as the great Winnipeg poet John K. Sampson says,

“There’s no structured narrative, no neat storyline to explain”.

Justice is Done

2007-10-12T23:48:00.000-05:00

Vigilante justice has just been served. My hat goes off to the man who caught a thief trying to rip off his car stereo. My vehicle has been broken into several times in the past, and each time I've wished I could have caught the thief in the act, to teach him a lesson he'd relearn every time he looked at his broken face in the mirror for weeks after. The worst part of the story is that the cops told the guy they wouldn't be able to take a report from him in person because they were too busy 'investigating' other crimes. Bullshit.

30 Days

2007-04-29T01:21:00.000-05:00

30 days until I'm 30. Good God!! I need some kind of thing that I need to do each day for the next 30 to celebrate!

The Great Global Warming Swindle

2007-04-29T01:20:00.001-05:00

Wow. This is a fairly long video (1.25 hours) but so worth watching. If you've ever indulged in a Michael Moore or Al Gore film, you should watch this one as an intellectual counterweight.

Global Warming Causes Hornet Infestation!

2007-02-21T18:35:00.000-06:00

It's not that I don't believe that the globe is/did/will again experience warming, or that the ecosystem/biosphere adapts to different climates. It's not that I really have anything against France. It's that I'm sick and tired of all of this bullshit about the impending 'crisis' that the doom-mongers are so breathlessly waiting for; you know, the one that will finally 'wake people up' to the evils of capitalism, and convince them to return to a planned society. Just because that's what they want, doesn't mean that's what's actually happening.

First of all, the globe, if it has warmed at all over the last hundred years, has not warmed up enough to cause hornets to suddenly invade France, causing unending havoc with the local bee population. It also has not warmed enough to cause a fraction of the things currently attributed to climate change. Finally, I believe that global warming, like diseases, can and will be dealt with by humans existing today that are brilliant, and completely financed by the spoils of capitalism.

It's like the doom-mongers really have no respect for the intelligence of the average citizen. No scratch that, they really don't. I'd hope that in fact, most people read this as the garbage propaghanda that it really is.

Mind Blowing Internet

2007-02-19T23:22:00.000-06:00

Ok. If you know me personally, you'll know I'm the 'golly-gee-whiz' kinda guy when it comes to science and technology. And the reason for this is simple. Aesthetics, as I understand the term, relates to the cosmos, or the order of things. Fibonacci numbers, golden sections, harmonics, etc., all come from the natural order of the reality that we all participate in. These orders are recognized by us as beautiful because when we notice them in the world, we are only recognizing the part of our own bodies and minds that are designed by the same ordering principles. And so we strive for this order, we surround ourselves with it in our buildings, our arts, our languages, and I believe also in our science, among all other things that we make. So it is that I have been blessed to receive new and beautiful information to share with you. Check out Utorrent.com and download the software. Then, go to isohunt.com and search for anything you want to, and download it. When I say anything, I mean information; books, papers, movies, tv shows, music, software, ANYTHING. I can't do this site justice within the body of this post. All I can say, and of course this technology might be old news to you, is INCREDIBLE.

Another site worth checking out is gapminder.org, this thing is retardedly cool. It's a project by a Swedish academic in partnership with Google who have endeavored to graphically represent astounding amounts of data collected by the UN among other agencies. The data includes demographics, income distribution, birth rates, death rates, etcetera etcetera. The reason it's cool is that it manages to extrapolate remarkable global trends in a way that is very interesting and incredibly useful, and I dare say optimistic. If you are of the sky-is-falling set, you will not be pleased with the direction the world is actually headed, according to this site, I must warn you. Check it out!

Global Warming - Cause of Everything

2007-01-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

Apparently, higher suicide rates are being attributed to global warming. Which is in turn George W. Bush's fault. Let's see, what else is caused by global warming:

- rising sea levels
- warmer temperatures
- colder temperatures
- mass animal extinction
- hurricanes
- tsunamis
- snow
- liberals

Anybody care to add anything?

Nanny-Statism Gone Mad

2007-01-24T18:27:00.000-06:00

Toronto city councillors are calling for helmet laws for tobogganing. Now, I'm not anti-helmet or anything like that, and I've definitely taken a few spills where a helmet would have saved me from a head injury. But I think this is an example of trying to legislate common sense into people, and it ain't gonna work. What are they going to do, hire some tobbogan police to enforce this law (funny mental image of tobbogan with flashing lights and siren, 'can I see your license and registration son?') Accidents are still going to happen, people will die tragically because of foolishness forever. But the state has no business making these pieces of law, and even more importantly, has no business enforcing said laws. I still think that seatbelt laws and motorcycle/bicycle helmet laws are beyond the pale, no matter the contrived justification.

2007-01-17T12:48:00.001-06:00

Meanwhile, Back in Chavezistan (Part III)...

2007-01-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hugo Chavez has declared "Socialism or Death" for Venezuela. Well ummmm, I guess rest in peace, Venezuela... Go ahead and follow the other former socialist countries over the cliff.

There's Only One Taxpayer

2007-01-09T21:33:00.000-06:00

Ever been tempted to support redistributive taxation? The kind where the rich are taxed at a higher rate than the poor, because they can afford to pay for social programs while the poor cannot? It does seem like a just way of attaining equality, you know, 'from those according to ability to those according to need'. An easy way to alleviate poverty, you might think.

But this standard socialist boilerplate is, in action, one of the most repressive tools that your government has ever concocted, aside from physical brutality. See, the way the rich get rich is of course by profit. Profit means earning more than you spend, ie. a margin between cost of the good sold and the price that it is sold for. So if a loaf of bread costs 50 cents to make, and it's sold for a dollar, the baker earns 50 cents, right? This is a simple concept. The rich capitalist understands this concept, and has long realized that the value of his/her labour is in that profit margin. However, sometimes costs go up. So if the capitalist wants to still earn 50 cents, s/he will raise the price of bread to $1.25 if the cost of making bread rises to 75 cents. Still a simple concept, no?

Ever ask yourself if taxation is considered to be an expense by the capitalist? I mean, there are more direct expenses, like raw materials, labour, transportation, marketing, etc., but truly, the capitalist knows that taxation is built into the cost of manufacturing as well. So if the increase in taxes amounts to 25 cents per loaf of bread, then this cost is always considered, and subsequently the price of bread for consumers increases in lock-step.

So while that 25 cents of taxation might go towards some social program that on one hand enriches the poor in some way, those who are poor still spend an extra 25 cents per loaf of bread. So who is paying for the social programs then? Certainly rich folks need bread too, but the poor need it even more desperately, and have less disposable income for other things after buying the bread.

Besides, that 25 cents in social programming ultimately doesn't all end up as a total benefit to the poor. Administrators (Bureaucrats) of social programs need to get paid, often handsomely, and so do the social workers further down the line (I know, they're underpaid, right?). So let's say for every 25 cents extra a poor person spends on bread, s/he receives 10 cents worth of social programming. Meanwhile, the rich are unaffected, still earning 50 cents a loaf.

That said, do you really think that the government isn't aware of this simple economic condition? Those bureaucrats who campaign on promises to erradicate poverty are actually intentionally keeping poor people poor, and the only ones who actually get richer are the bureaucrats. Who, as far as I'm concerned, could do a better service to society by learning how to bake, so that they can teach poor folks to do the same. But the bureaucrat understands that s/he needs the poor to believe that bureaucracy will save them, in order to perpetuate their parasitic lifestyle. The poor folks might just see a benefit to them of 10 cents, not understanding that it came from their own pocket in the first place, and this perception is supported and manufactured by the liars who campaign on promises of salvation. It's actually salvation given with one hand, while the other hand is picking their pocket.

Rich folks are always going to be rich, and generally it's their type-A personality and high productivity that gets them there. They could be taxed at 75% of their incomes, and yet they'd still be rich, and poor folks would still be poor, if not actually poorer.

Ok, That Was Fast

2006-12-30T01:17:00.000-06:00

Bye bye Saddam.

Justice

2006-12-27T13:53:00.000-06:00

Saddam Hussein will hang within the next month for the crimes against humanity which he has committed over his lifetime. I wouldn't ordinarily celebrate something so solemn and grim, but I see this as an important milestone in humanity's march towards freedom. As any regular reader of this blog would know, emancipation is a common theme for me, and when I perceive that an act of emancipation is being performed, I pay respectful attention to it.

So good riddance, Mr. Hussein, and may the souls of those you've tortured and slaughtered over the years be at peace. And may the survivors of your regime look forward to a future of freedom.

Funniest Thing I've Seen All Year

2006-12-12T21:58:00.000-06:00

I realize this seems like a departure from a blog that's not all sweetness and light, but I'm sure that this is a good reason for an exception: Robby Rabinovitch of the CBC speaking sense.

Call Me On My BS

2006-11-29T23:41:00.000-06:00

Now, Rocketman's Revenge is pleased to present a new feature to this website, fast, reliable (well, fast anyway) definitions for words that I use, which I may not always fully know. Simply double click on any word in the body of any post, and a new window will open with a definition of the word, along with some synonyms and antonyms. So anytime I try wrangling with a big word, call me on my BS! I can take it.

Perspective

2006-11-29T23:13:00.000-06:00

Via Hot Air, it turns out that 12 Americans are murdered by illegal aliens every day in America. Interesting by itself? No. However, compared to the Iraqi death toll in the "Quagmire" that this war has "become", it seems as though aliens living in the states are more of a problem than the "civil war" that has "broken out" in Iraq. Hmmmm.

A Good Quote

2006-11-29T23:08:00.000-06:00

I don't usually pay much attention to the quote of the day on the right side of this page, but there's a good one today, of the variety that makes one think "ain't that the truth". Sir Alexander Hamilton says: "A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous."

MIA

2006-11-29T22:49:00.000-06:00

It's been exactly three weeks since I last made a post, I realized today. Time flys. I've been really busy with school, and I just came off a 24 hour marathon of work, no sleep in between. A lot of newsworthy stuff has happened in three weeks; Russian spies popping up all over, interesting semantic evolutions in Canadian indentity, etc etc. School work is coming to a close for the holidays soon, which is welcome, so I'll be back in full force. Stay tuned....

The Votes Are In

2006-11-08T00:11:00.000-06:00

Looks like the Dems have captured Congress, and at this time Senate is still up for grabs. I'm going to bed now, but I still think we'll see a Republican-controlled Senate. Not the best news for Libertarians, but it could be worse. In fact, despite all the negative press the GOP and the Admin get on a daily basis, it's remarkable that the Dems have picked up less seats than historical averages for the sixth-year ballots. most mid-second-term elections see larger gains for the opposition party in both houses. So if there's a silver lining for Republicans, it's that.

Seeing The Unseen

2006-11-07T16:41:00.000-06:00

Proteus, at Ejectejecteject.com, has a fantastic essay here that just debunks just about every bumper-sticker lefty slogan that I've ever heard of. Man it's good. This site is going on my Blogroll.

Hey Adam Nagourney

2006-11-07T13:56:00.000-06:00

Looks like The New York Times is already bracing for the worst: Not winning enough seats to take control of either house. Looks like over-confidence may cost the Dems, which The New York Times manages to ludicrously blame the GOP:

"Republicans, of course, may have decided that they have a Machiavellian interest in setting up Democrats with inflated expectations." says the NYT. Yeeeeaaah. The evil political mastermind Karl Rove has somehow manipulated events to make the Democrats foolishly believe that they'll easily take both houses. This style of thought is the most telling revelation about that paper and party's complete lack of self-awareness. They both can't believe that the majority of people don't actually agree with them, and will conjure up an 0verly-complex and improbable cause of their failures every time they fail. And they actually have so little respect for the average person that they don't think s/he'll notice that what they're saying is ridiculously irrational.

Hey Adam Nagourney. Find out about Occam's razor.

Chapters Finally Caves

2006-11-06T23:44:00.000-06:00

Chapters/Indigo/Coles/Smithbooks has finally gotten Steyn's book, America Alone into inventory. How does it feel to capitulate to the imperialist capitalist dogs, Ms. Reisman?

Vicious

2006-11-05T18:44:00.000-06:00

David Olive of the Toronto (Red) Star, trumpets the "End of The Neo-Cons", seeing the result of the mid-term elections as a foregone conclusion. He is truly venemous and slanderous in his review of "neo-con" policy, and really does not hold back. It's very educational reading. He might be interested to find that the Democratic lead is diminishing as his piece is raced to print, and that the Dems are performing very poorly in the polls, historically speaking. Add to that widespread speculation that polling is as biased and inaccurate as it was in 2004 when exit polls showed a Kerry victory, and you get a man who may find out that his foot doesn't taste very good.

2006-11-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

November Surprise?

2006-11-03T00:10:00.000-06:00

The New York Times has just undermined their buddy, the anti-war movement. According to the Times, recently declassified documents, obtained by the US in 2003 and released under intense pressure from the anti-war left, show that Iraqi nuclear research had progressed to being a year away from building the bomb in 2002. So for the last 3 years, the memes that there were no WMDs in Iraq, or 'Bush Lied, People Died" have been based on a false premise.

The Times comically manages to blame the Bush Admin for declassifying and publishing sensitive nuclear information that 'might help Iran', which makes me think that either the Times just hasn't allowed for the possibility that this revelation has just vindicated the Admin completely in their intent, or they have no respect whatsoever for the intelligence of the populace in general.

I mean, there were so many other reasons for invading Iraq than WMD, but the only thing the looney-left had against the Admin that gained traction was the fact that no WMDs. But first of all, many hundreds of Sarin nerve gas shells have been found, there were nuclear centrifuge parts found buried in backyards, and now there is strong evidence of an intent and capability for nuclear weapons. And finally a Weapon of Mass Destruction is about to be condemned for his crimes against humanity.

So that should be the end of it.

America Alone

2006-10-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

Even lefty rag The New York Times can't keep Mark Steyn off the bestseller list.

October Surprise?

2006-10-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

This is just disturbing. Democratic Senate Candidate Jim Webb has been exposed. Turns out he's a fiction writer who does erotica involving underage boys and girls, and parent/child sexual expression. Can you say moral bankruptcy?

Stupid Americans

2006-10-26T20:42:00.000-05:00

The stupid Americans have won three out of three Nobel science awards, and the Nobel economics award this year. "The stupid Americans must have bought the awards, they're not smart enough to win fairly" a typical anti-American might say, and s/he'd be half right. The fact is, America does buy their science achievements. With dollars. Cash. It has a way of working for them every time. And that cash, earned by hard-working, optimistic people, including the scientists themselves, is the core of the American social contract, and it's a fact that the far left will tragically never understand.

The Americans excel at virtually all sports (except for soccer). Why is that? Cash. Their athletes are allowed to earn virtually as much money as the market will bear, through professional sports organizations and endorsement deals. Whereas here in Canada, with the noteable exception of hockey players, athletes are virtually obligated to live at the edge of subsistence, depending on government handouts to get by. And don't get me wrong, Canada's star does sometimes shine. But not consistently. And those hockey players are successful because of the American dollar, not government.

2006-10-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

Update: Mark Steyn's new book, America Alone, is number one on Amazon.ca. Still unavailable at Canada's only major bookseller. It has reached number ten at Amazon.com.

Hostages

2006-10-25T00:07:00.000-05:00

Jack Schafer of Slate.com has a good article on the hostage taking that is done by government and big media regularly these days. First he takes government to task for holding essential services hostage (ie. Fire-fighting or Crime-fighting) in order to preserve the tax revenues that support other crappy/unnecessary services (ie. community centers/social services), and then he moves to big media claims of their importance to freedom of speech and how it's necessary to continue to patronize them in the face of better and more reliable sources of information. It's an interesting comparison.

America Alone

2006-10-23T18:41:00.000-05:00

is the title of Mark Steyn's new book, which has been out less than a week and is already in its fourth printing in the states, and is number 2 at Amazon.ca.

Funny thing is, Chapters/Indigo/Coles didn't order any. That's because Ms. Heather Reisman, Canada's book police chief and CEO of the company, is a pinko, and she knows better than you do what you should read and what you shouldn't. Steynonline.com will ship it to you autographed, and based on my previous experience, within a couple days. I haven't read it yet, but as soon as Amazon sends out my order, I will post a review.

This Man is Brilliant

2006-10-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Al Gore, a presidential loser most famous for inventing the internet and destroying the environment while trying to save it, has decided that America's space policies will create an Iraq-like quagmire in space! Wow.

He goes on to say “It has the potential, down the road, to create the [same] kind of fuzzy thinking and chaos in our efforts to exploit the space resource as the fuzzy thinking and chaos the Iraq policy has created in Iraq.” Well, I guess if it's coming from the expert on fuzzy thinking, it must be true.

But seriously, he may have a point. If you don't believe (as I don't) that Iraq is a terrible mess, then there is a way for him to be telling the truth. If you believe that this project will yield tremendous results for Iraqis 5 or 10 years down the road, and that the glory of Mesopotamia will be restored by a responsible democratic society whose seeds have been already sown, then perhaps yes, space will one day be like Iraq.

The New Tet Offensive

2006-10-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

"George Bush Sees Possible Iraq/Vietnam Parallel" shouts Reuters, mouthpiece to terrorists world-wide.

You know, Democrats have been warning of this possibility for years. "Quagmire" is the preferred term, and the comparison between the 'Quagmire' in Vietnam and the difficulties in Iraq has long been made. Some of the loons out on the far left have been fairly triumphant as a result of GWB's 'admission', completely oblivious to the irony he is pointing out.

He is not comparing military failures, first of all. What he's saying is that the Tet Offensive in 1968, which was a complete failure for the Viet Cong, was part of the enemy's overall strategy of manipulating Big Media and other 'useful idiots' in the States to turn the public against the war effort. He sees Al-Qaida and other radical Islamic groups as trying the same thing, which judging by the complete corruption of Reuters, Associated Press, CBS, CNN, CBC, BBC, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and others, has had at the least limited success. All they have to do is find a way to keep killing people, and with that in mind, they will continually try to turn people off of the greater good that the Americans intend.

Useful idiots. I believe it was Lenin who coined the term, and it was meant to describe those in America whose weak sense of morality could be subverted to promote the Sovet agenda. It was particularly descriptive of those in America and other Western countries who did not agree with the constitutional construction of their nations, and who would side with anyone else who opposed it. I think fondly of some in my parents' generation who would believe anything except for that which was spoken by the mouths of those in authority, and also of some of my peers who would foolishly believe any useless conspiracy theory that's out there (because it 'discredits' their political opponents), rather than the wisdom of those who are democratically elected to lead our countries and make the hard decisions that are necessary to protect our liberties.

To those that would retort "Jer, your sense of moral superiority makes you blind to the other possibilities and points-of-view that might be equal to yours"....I say that in a world of many choices, you have to make choices. I read literature that I don't agree with. I read the editorials of at least 4 newspapers with opposing views almost every day. I listen to punk rock, I love Propaghandi, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Strung Out, Anti-Flag, and many others who espouse a different point of view, I watch the Jon Stewart Show, CBC Newsworld, I read Slate, The Daily Kos.....

But I still have to make a choice. Being 'open-minded' doesn't mean that you can't chose. It doesn't mean that there isn't a black or a white. It's not all gray, contrary to what some people will tell you. In fact, being open-minded is only a tool to discover what is black or white, and to not be blind to either. Being empty-minded is what allows one to only see gray. And if you only see gray, you are a useful idiot.

So what was GWB talking about when he drew comparisons between the Tet Offensive and the situation in Iraq today? I would say that he sees massive defeats for the enemy, which continually seem to be perverted by mainstream media into useful propaganda for the enemy. I challenge readers of this blog to look at the situation with this in mind, and to make your choice.

Pining For The Old Days

2006-10-14T00:36:00.000-05:00

Mikhael Gorbachev laments that the United States has squandered a chance to improve the world, since the fall of the Soviet Union. An excellent introduction to the regular socialist boilerplate, most tellingly revealed by this quote:

""At that point, the West focused more on its geopolitical interests," Gorbachev said, adding that Western countries had been more interested in cashing in on the "unbridled burst of globalization" that followed the end of the Cold War than in improving the international political climate".

Ah yes, it's all coming together; the world is falling apart, and it's because of capitalistic industry. Capitalism is also making the rich richer and the poor poorer. And it's also breeding extremists. And producing terrible Hollywood films.

Or,

it has created an environment where any able-bodied person (which the vast masses of humanity are, contrary to current liberal beliefs) can live a productive life full of joys and sorrows, during which science has produced virtual miracles that extend and enhance human experience, and believe it or not, has exponentially developed the social conscience; our concepts of right and wrong are so incredibly more complicated that generations before us that it's ridiculous to compare them. And directly contradicting Gorbachev's world-view, world-reality demonstrates that more and more countries every year have finally recognized that individual liberty, embodied by 'globalization'(read capitalism), is the catalyst.

Sure, there's some basket-case states out there still that haven't got it yet, as any good liberal will protest; "You know, there's shit going on in _______________ state in Western/Northern/Asian/South American that is just as _______________ as Iraq, but the States doesn't care about them - they only care about oil, man - you don't see them trying to reform the country if it doesn't have oil reserves."

But you know what? It's only a matter of time, if things keep progressing so nicely, before the silly little issues like Poverty-case North Korea or Somalia or Sudan become the only problems left, and the powers of the world at the time end up solving them (compare this with 50 years ago, when all of Europe, North America, major parts of Asia, Africa and Australia were all at war with each other). I think currently about the position China will end up taking on North Korea, as NK continues to 'threaten' to release thousands of refugees across the border into China. First of all, are the people of North Korea citizens, or hostages? But secondly, can China tolerate a nuclear-nutbag neighbour now that it realizes that the protection and encouragement of individual liberty is what is transforming their economy?

The governments of progressive, libertarian countries world-wide have recognized that their fundamental role, and only real legitimate role, is to protect the liberty of their citizens, whether it be from killers, rapists, thieves, or whatever.

My prediction: China will play a bigger role in the neutralization of North Korea than the Americans will.

My second prediction: In fifty years there will be complete world peace.

My third prediction: My grandchildren will at least visit Mars, if not live there.

Spice Island

2006-10-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

My good friend Jason (aka Rumpus) and his wife Kristy have just arrived in Grenada, where they'll be spending the next 6 months working with NGOs, as a practicum for J's program at the University of Winnipeg. They've got a blog, and so far it's pretty good and educational reading! Check it out!

GWB, The Cause of All Things Bad

2006-10-12T18:16:00.000-05:00

It took a while, (like two days), but the Bush-Haters have pinned the blame for North Korea's nuclear ambitions on him. Let's see, what else is George W. Bush's fault?

1. Global Warming
2. Poverty
3. Islamofascism
4. Gun Violence
5. Species Extinction
6. 9/11
7. Terrorist Attacks in Russia, Britain, Spain, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India.
8. smelly farts
9. Christianity
10. The disappearance of the rain forest
11. The existance of the oil industry

For some people, the world only began in November 2000, and since then, the sky has been veeeeery slowly falling.

Universal Values

2006-09-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

There are certain value systems which humans have. Among those is the innate value to survive. Some would say that there are also intrinsic doctrinal values that are available to humans, should they aspire to realize them. Of those, many say that one guiding principle is selflessness; in the sense that the interests of others must supercede self-interest. Conversely, some say that the cardinal value is self interest.

Multiculturalism is probably the most fashionable and thus popular doctrinal value these days, one which moonbats everywhere claim as the Descartian universal truth, the one natural law by which all humans must guide their lives.

But what if, regardless of how strictly you adhere to that idea, people of other cultures disagree with you? And refreshingly, I'm not talking about neo-cons or republicans or whatever. I'm talking about people who, just like any good liberal, hold that the masses are incapable of running their own lives, but rather than working for the CBC they decide to strap explosives to their chests and blow the shit out of themselves and any infidels that disagree. What if those people don't agree that all cultures are equal and deserving of liberty? What should you do? Protect your country's ideals? Or hold sensitivity training courses for the jihadi? That is the question GWB wakes up to every day. Do I protect those in my country who oppose me, or do I let the immediate future prove them wrong?

It's like finding your long lost son!

2006-09-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

Sweden, long a bastion for socialist supremacy, the ultimate talking point for many a liberal, has voted in a government that will dismantle the 'cradle-to-grave', or as I see it: embodiment of the law of diminishing returns, system of distribution that has created such orgasmic praise from lefties in the face of astonishing evidence refuting it.

Everything's OK

2006-09-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, I'm starting to get my stuff together again. It's been 3 months since I left PC, and it's definitely taken this long to get to a place where things are organized, purposeful, and right. I'm still tying up loose ends with PC, but just a couple small items. School is really starting to become exciting, the new business is starting to become active, and I'm definitely digging not having roommates. I've seen all of my friends, and most of my family, so I'm feeling a bit more tuned in to what's going on. It's good to be back, and it's good to be around the people I care about. I felt a little like I was floating in the ether for the last couple months; there's been some uncertainty and anxiety, etc., but now I feel focused, and ready to really burn it up, baby.

Pope Benedict: The New Rushdie!

2006-09-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

So now the pope's gotten a death sentence. Sheikh Abubukar Hassan Malin, a hardline cleric in Somalia's Islamic movement has decided that the Pope's gotta go for his quotation of a 14th century Byzantine Emperor. I wasn't going to write about this; it's really quite a tiring thing to work through all of the incidences where the self-described 'religion of peace' makes completely insane moves that reinforce its image as a vicious and intolerant religion of jihad and oppression.

And I mean intolerant in a way that us in the West aren't used to, because yeah, you know how relatively accepting of gay rights and women's rights we are. There's something about affirmative action too. Oh yeah, and we generally like to let people worship however they want to, or not at all if that's their thing. Or um, we have a rule of law relatively free of religious influence. Blah blah blah. Or yeah, remember how willing we are to ignore the flaws of others, as long as the others will accept us and like us. And find us to be non-threatening. Oh right, there's something about free speech that we've all kind of accepted, you know how you can generally say whatever you want publicly, and maybe people don't agree, or maybe they respond aggressively with other words or whatever.

Oh wait, I should stop. It's no use trying to position this superficial, materialistic, individualistic society as somehow morally superior to anybody else (Shhhhhh, Rocketman, you probably shouldn't talk so loud, maybe there's someone listening who wants to behead you), because as we all now know from our postmodern, nihilistic, enlightened perch condescending upon anybody else who doesn't agree, all morality is subjective and equivalent.

And this polite fiction goes on and on and on, and it's great. Everything's great, we're all getting along, and WHAMMO!! The Pope goes and turns off the music at the party and tries to pick a fight. Way to go you Papal maniac!! Why did you have to go and tell Jihad Johnny that he's wearing an ugly sweater? You know he's all coked up and looking for a fight. See look, he's just phoned all his buddies, and they're just a few church-torchings away from coming down to kick all of our asses! Why can't you just shut up for once and keep your opinions to yourself?

Funny how the West can tolerate "The Piss Christ" without getting all freaky, eh?

Conspiracy Nuts Rejoice!

2006-09-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

A new conspiracy to debate about for decades to come!! Actually, the staging of the events of 9/11 has been hypothesized for some time, but a group of rabid America-haters seem to have organized a bit. No matter, they're still completely insane. Steve Dutch of the University of Wisconsin debunks.

My favourites from both studies: The first study exclaims: It looks like a building which is being demolished! Steve Dutch rebuts: How's it supposed to look; like an errupting volcano?

The Truth Will Not Be Silenced

2006-09-17T00:31:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered whether Saddam Hussein had ties to Al-Qaida?

He's A Few Years Late For The Party

2006-09-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

Kofi Annan has announced today that unless the UN intervenes, Sudan is "headed for disaster". No way. You don't say, Kofi.

He goes further and says "When we had Rwanda, almost everyone said we should not let it happen again". Well first of all, almost everyone?

Second of all, if the policy in Rwanda was to debate whether or not it was a good idea to intervene, and then do nothing, and then debate again until everybody's dead, then it looks like it is already all happening again.

Say what you will about the Americans, believe in 'imperialism', 'blood for oil' conspiracies, military-industrial complexes, blame them for all the world's ills, criticize their screw-ups, but hey, at least they're trying in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also did their best in Germany and Japan.

It Seems I've Struck a Nerve

2006-09-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

There's been a relative flurry of commenting activity here in the last few days, and I think it's good reading. It seems as though I've said a few things that have created some resonance, and I have to say I've enjoyed the reaction.

Friends, (if I may still have the honour of using the term) let me make an appeal: Please keep it coming. This sort of debating is a healthy thing! You don't need to change my mind, and I don't care to change yours either. What's good about discussions like this is the exploration of the way we feel about the things that are important. We can build on our individual beliefs this way, and if we have opposing views on some things, that's fantastic! Where else can you interact with someone who disagrees with you in a polite arena?

It's too easy to become so rigid in your beliefs that you can't stand to hear opposing views from people you'd otherwise get along with. So again, please comment, it's brain food! I only ask that nobody takes anything personally, and that nobody gets personal. That way, no one gets hurt.

9/11

2006-09-10T23:53:00.000-05:00

I'm 29 years old. I'm still young enough that I'm changing quickly, but old enough that I've experienced a fair amount of change. Something that I've realized is that there is a lot of struggling involved with being human. You don't know that as a very young person, but once you get to say, mid-elementary school, it starts to hit you. Struggle to fit in. Struggle to understand yourself. Struggle to understand others. Struggle to survive.

It's funny how when you say a word enough, it loses its meaning. It's a fun game to repeat a word over and over until it sounds like it's from another language. My favourite word for that game is 'leotard'. Say leotard over and over and over, and suddenly it's the funniest sounding word you can think of.

Despite all the little struggles I've had over the years as I've grown up, or because of them, the word 'struggle' had become just like leotard in my vernacular. A silly word with very little meaning.

But it's funny how when you suddenly have proper context for a silly word, it becomes meaningful once again.

Vigilante Justice

2006-09-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

In New York city yesterday, a 57 year old disabled grandmother confined to her WHEELCHAIR shot her would-be mugger in the elbow with her registered .357 magnum. That kicks ass in so many ways.

Here in Canada where you are not allowed to fight back against your assailants, the mugger would probably be protected by more laws than the muggee. He'd probably get put in jail (if the police could be bothered to try and find him), but money would be lavishly spent on his 'rehabilitation', and he'd be released early. Then he'd probably sue her, but she'd probably already be in jail for attempted murder with an illegally concealed weapon.

Oh yeah, and there would be people trying to understand the 'root causes' of the crime, which would undoubtedly be the oppression of the working class and the poor by the heartless rich people. The mugger would be a victim of the bourgeousie, and his only fault would be acting out his frustrations.

I say forget root causes, I'm glad he got his, it's only too bad she couldn't have put that bullet in a different spot.

My favourite line from grandma: "I feel bad, but it was his choice."

Communist Revival

2006-09-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

Bolivia is exploding.

Dems: They Keep on Slandering, But Can't Take It Themselves

2006-09-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

Michael Moore. John Kerry. Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton. Mary Mapes. Dan Rathers. Oliver Stone. Willie Nelson. Dixie Chicks. Maureen Dowd. Thomas Friedman. Daily Kos. New York Times. Los Angeles Times. Reuters. Associated Press. Toronto Star. Globe and Mail. All have slandered the Bush administration over the past 6 years.

vs.

One little miniseries on ABC.

Outrageous.

Canada: Machine of Capitalism?

2006-09-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

There are some (all too rare) moments that make me really proud of Canada. This is one of them. Bank of Montreal is helping to create IPOs for Chinese banks, so that those banks can become publicly traded companies. It's a giant step forward for communist China's economy, and will help an already exploding free-market movement expand further. Pierre Trudeau must be rolling in his grave.

A Few More Brazil Pics...

2006-09-08T18:26:00.000-05:00

Brazil

2006-09-06T23:47:00.000-05:00

2 impressions of 1 experience.

Brazil was amazing. I learned some things, I think. I saw natural beauty. I saw human beauty. I experienced human beauty. There were beautiful products of humanity's efforts.

Brazil was appalling. I saw fear. I saw hatred. I saw envy. I saw misogyny. I saw filth.

I don't mean to sound grandiose, it just fits to say that. It doesn't sound terribly original to me either. I expect that it's typical to have that experience wherever you go in this world. It seemed like a completely human experience to me altogether. These things, aesthetics, are all human. They're all ugly or beautiful, and all because of a human judgement; a comparison of sense data with values held.

"A Society With Nothing To Die For Is Already Dead"

2006-09-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

I still can't imagine how this man came to be a product of Canada, but I'm glad he is. Mark Steyn lays the truth bare in his latest column. He covers a lot of ground, but the main point is that the western Multi-Cult tries so hard to understand and tolerate other cultures that it becomes completely blind to the way other cultures see it; and some cultures hate it for it's secularism, individual freedom, decadence, etc. etc. As a case in point, he theorizes that the kidnappers of the FOX News reporters didn't force their captives to convert to Islam for the sake of Islam (because it was clearly a sham), but to show the rest of the Islamic Jihadi world how easy it is to corrupt a culture with no identifying values. It was a show of force against a 'culture' that is perceived as weak.

Justice as a Cultural Value

2006-09-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

Four American soldiers are facing the death penalty for murder, by military tribunal. The case against them is a little strange, as they were participating in an official raid, but it sounds like the soldiers were supposed to take prisoners, as opposed to killing their captives - even though the captives were clearly identified as enemies. Regardless, if they are found guilty and punished accordingly, could anyone come up with a story of Al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, or other religious Jihadis prosecuting their own this way to make sure they do not compromise their own rules of engagement? I think not. I think that the Jihadis don't discriminate.

Changing The World With Lightbulbs

2006-08-31T23:09:00.000-05:00

These certainly aren't new, but their proliferation is gaining momentum. Walmart has decided to heavily promote Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFL), aiming for annual sales of 100 million lightbulbs (only one bulb per customer that they have). Apparently, the annual electricity savings, should 100 million Americans buy one bulb each and replace one old incandescent bulb, would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people!

It just got a little harder to hate Walmart.

Meanwhile, Back In Chavezistan....Part 2

2006-08-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hugo the Hospitable welcomes Syria into his circle of friends... My favourite line he had regarding counter-weighting 'American Imperialism' was "We want to cooperate to build a new world where states' and people's self-determination are respected." This coming from a man who wants to rule Venezuela until 2031! His reason for the prolonged tenure is his opposition's refusal to run against him in a fixed election, where the people's vote is compromised. So I'm not sure where he suddenly found respect for 'people's self-determination'. Never mind the fact that his best friends are all tyrant dictators.

A Little Balance With My Biases?

2006-08-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I must admit, there are religious fanatics in the West as well.

HOWEVER, does anyone think Katherine Harris is gonna strap some plastic exposives to herself and blow up airplane-loads of people to further her cause?

Now This is Interesting...

2006-08-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

The Canadian Auto Workers Union, for the first time, is wading into the competition game, proposing a deal to Ford that is designed to attract a product line to facilities in it's operating region, southern Ontario. It actually seems fairly attractive for Ford. I just developed a soft spot for unions. :)

If only they'd make membership optional....

The Dilemma

2006-08-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

Do regressing women's rights bother you? Have you heard about the real Imperialism? Ever wonder if there's any enemy of yours that's distorting the truth?

What would you do if you were kidnapped or beaten or forced to convert? Would you blame your aggressors, or blame yourself?

What if this sort of thing happened in Canada? Would we be duty-bound to try to understand the motives of the perpetrator? Would it be just to ignore the link between his culture's doctinal values and his motivation, in the name of multiculturalism?

What should we do?

Terrorist Theatre

2006-08-29T18:30:00.000-05:00

Via Powerline, an excellent column by Caroline Glick detailing the psy-ops that terrorist groups are using as successful tactics against the west. Mainly corruption of large media organizations and NGOs.

The Values That Are Shared, But Not Universal

2006-08-29T01:19:00.000-05:00

I asked before, do you believe there are any universal values? I hope that I've shown that there are some; innate values. All humans value survival and reproduction; it's what makes us alive, in the same way that other animals are alive. But apart from that, there isn't any set of universal values. Most people have (at least) four value systems that are developed to some degree, but the content of those systems varies widely. Especially aesthetics. Doctrine and ethics are much more culturally distributed, and that's usually why there are nation-states; groups of people who share cultural values living together and hopefully having the desire to protect their values.

But there is a doctrine that has been metastisizing in the west, and it is called moral relativism. It is a firm belief that no doctrinal or ethical value is an objective value; no value is greater or worse than any other. Well, I shouldn't say that too quickly, it is a cannibalistic doctrine, only capable of seeing faults in the doctrine that gave it birth - Liberty.

In fact, indulge me while I skate on thin ice, but I'd venture to guess that the self-loathing that the west currently languishes in is no less an enemy than any silly terrorist running around with crude weaponry.

Consider how a culture like Canada's with it's majority Christian population cannot bring itself to allow Christmas celebrations at many of its schools anymore, because it's afraid of offending someone, but at the same time raises almost no protest over a plan to bring oppressive Sharia law to Ontario! Or, don't blame the criminal, he's a product of society! It's our fault! Or, oh those poor inmates in Guantanamo, they are being detained without charge! We're such terrible people! Never mind that their compatriots like to lop off the heads of the people trying to help build Iraq! Or, oh Britain got bombed because they're allies with the terrible Americans, it serves them right - the 'resistance fighters' are just lashing out at 'western imperialism'!

And that brings us back to the silly terrorists with antique guns... The 'isolated incidents' that are actual terrorist attacks are not worth being afraid of - their means aren't terribly sophisticated, and the attacks should be easily subdued - it's our own self-loathing that I'm worried about.

Values in Ethics

2006-08-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

Ethics: Moral/Immoral, Right/Wrong, Permissable/Prohibited, Virtue/Vice.

Positive or Negative. What should I do, and what shouldn't I do.

When you are poor, you have little care for ethics. If you and your family are starving, you will not care to consider whether what you are doing to provide sustenance is moral or immoral. You'll do whatever it takes to survive.

When you meet your survival needs, you consider aesthetics next. When you study aesthetics through your experiences, you gradually begin to find some things appealing, and some things repulsive. Some things good, some things bad.

When you realize that some things are good, and some things are bad, you wonder why that is the case. You search for answers in doctrine.

Doctrine guides you to act in ways to maximize the good through ethics.

Ouch...

2006-08-26T00:02:00.000-05:00

Ms. Ann Coulter delivers some pretty scalding comments....

Global Warming: Cause of EVERYTHING!!!

2006-08-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is starting to get just a tad silly. Apparently, global warming is now responsible for the increased size of glaciers! First, it caused polar ice cap shrinkage. Then it caused hurricanes, typhoons, tornados, a bunch of terrible hollywood flicks, and most horrendously, Al Gore!! But this, this is too much.

Ethanol

2006-08-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

Something that I´ve noticed while in Brazil is the interesting products sold at gas stations. Anyone surprised? :)

Mainly, they´re the same as in Canada, they sell smokes, chips, drinks, chocolate bars, etc., and of course, gas. But one thing that almost every station sells is alcohol. Of the drinking variety sure, but also of the kind that you put in your fuel tank! It´s a product called E85, which means it´s 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, and it´s actually cheaper than regular gas. Most of the new cars sold here are equipped with a flex-fuel system, which means they can run on either product, so drivers can opt for the cheaper product. There are even some totalflex cars that can also run on natural gas, but can switch to gasoline or E85 when required!

It´s a little unusual for a country like Brazil to be an environmental leader of the world, but it certainly is! But soon, North America will follow its lead: GM will be producing 400,000 cars a year starting this year which are flex fuel, and in fact, certain models starting from 2000 are already compatible. Because E85 behaves very similarly to gasoline, it will quickly become available at gas stations everywhere, because the oil companies won´t have to change any pump systems, they´ll just switch a tank from gasoline to E85, and voila! Instant supply. Ethanol plants are also springing up in Canada, by year´s end Husky Oil will be producing over 250,000 million litres of the stuff, with plans for incremental production over the next several years.

I wonder who will still attend the Critical Mass rallies....

Hezbollah: Terrorists or Misunderstood Youth?

2006-08-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

This just in, certain Liberal, NDP, and Bloc MPs want Hezbollah taken off of Canada´s terrorist organization list. Can you hear the sound of my jaw dropping to the floor all the way from Porto de Golhina, Brazil? Peggy Nash, NDP MP, says "that it is just not helpful to label them a terrorist organization.` No Peggy, I guess it´s not. But it´s also not helpful that Hezbollah undertakes terrorist acts on Israeli civilians, or are committed to the destruction of ´The Zionist Entity´.

Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal MP from Etobicoke, likens Hezbollah to the IRA, and says ´´if there wasn't the possibility for London to negotiate with the IRA, you'd still have bombings."´ Well Borys, I think that the IRA had a reasonable struggle and they were not intent upon destroying the state of Britain. They also did not hide behind women and children, hoping that the British would kill the moms and kids in order to create public relations problems for them. Hezbollah is not interested in negotiation, and I think that people have to realize this.

"This is Canada's shame," Ms. Maria Mourani, Bloc MP said. What´s Hezbollah´s shame Maria?

Have no sympathy for the devil.

Doctrine

2006-08-20T13:40:00.000-05:00

Doctrine, the main topic of most of my blogs, is derived from the latin doctrina, which essentially means code of beliefs. Catholicism´s Immaculate Conception is a good example of a religious doctrine, and communism is an example of ideological or political doctrine. You might say that this blog details some of my doctrinal values, albeit not necessarily in a structured or progressive way. A doctrine is something that is used to understand the way the world works, and usually also detail how humans should interact with each other in an organizational sense.

It might seem provocative, or maybe not, to say that doctrinal values only develop in an incremental sense relative to the realization of innate and aesthetic values. That is to say, doctrine becomes more complex with the security of having realized some level of satisfactory survival, and some appreciation of aesthetics. I´d wager that the more secure a person is in meeting survival needs, and the more a person understands things to be either ugly or beautiful, the more likely that person will be to start exploring a doctrine of some kind which can explain how things are, or how things should be.

So given that to be true, innate values are still the keystone to the foundation of all other values, and the development of them. At this point I would like to express a belief that I have, and that is that humans universally value survival, and that this is not a subjective expression; I believe it to be objective fact.

Breaking the Radio Silence

2006-08-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, back in Manaus for a few hours, after a three-day trip through part of the Amazon basin. All I can say is wow! We had a great time there, the accomodations were really basic, but the forest is incredible! We saw so many different animals; pink dolphins, alligators, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tarantulas, sloths, iguanas, a million kinds of birds, etc... We went piranha fishing (they´re delicious but boney), alligator hunting (pictures to follow), saw trees that smelled like peppermint and rosewood, contained milk of magnesia, treat malaria, etc. Man, that´s one dense, diverse place. The temperature got as high as 40 degrees celcius, with enough humidity to make it feel like 60. We´re going to hop on a plane in a few hours, which will eventually get us to Recife for the last few days of the trip, where hopefully there will be an opportunity to relax on the beach and sip on Caperheinas and possibly do some surfing.

Aesthetics

2006-08-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

My current favourite. I´d have to say that an innate value system is something that all humans share, as we all have to possess one in order to continue living. Survival is not automatic, people must have the ´drive to survive´in order to do so. I´d also like to think that the other value systems don´t get developed unless that one is realized. That is to say, it´s hard to think about beauty when your body is starving.

But once innate values are realized, then suddenly a human has the leisure to think about aesthetics. People spend a lot of time thinking about aesthetics, I think, whether they are considering the beauty of a landscape, a building, an art piece, another human, music, poetry, prose, etc. Of course, although there are many things that many people consider beautiful, each person has some set of values that must apply to an object in order for him/her to call it beautiful.

I don´t think that there is any universal aesthetic value system, nor do I think that all people have a very developed aesthetic value system; but I do think that all people have some sense of aesthetics. Because again, one man´s junk is another man´s gold. But each man has an opinion on the object in question.

Innate Values

2006-08-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's hard to argue that humans don't have the survival instinct. Of course, during their lifetimes, some people decide that it is too hard to live, and decide to end their lives . Others still decide that the doctrinal values they hold are more important than their will to live, and become suicide bombers for their cause. But of course, up until the point that their lives end, they find ways to sustain themselves to whatever degree they are capable.

Further, this value system overwhelms any other value system, because it contains the necessities of life, without which no other value system is relevant. So before seriously considering different doctrines, aesthetics, or morals, a person must consider how to obtain water, food, and shelter.

And it could be said that even suicidal people have the innate value of survival, but that they don't possess the integrity to uphold even that basic value until the natural ends of their lives.

Hello from Lencois

2006-08-11T18:48:00.000-05:00

Good day. Well, here we are in Lencois. Victoria made it here safe and sound, and we took a 7 hour bus ride to Lencois, in a national park, the name of which I can´t remember right now...Something to do with diamonds...It´s a pretty chill place, a small town of about 9000. It´s our first place away from the coast, but there are apparently alot of fresh-water lakes and springs etc. to go swimming in, which is good because it´s reeeeeally warm here. We´ve got a couple of hikes organized for the next three days, including some caves and waterfalls, multicoloured springs, etc. Should be a good time, hopefully I get some sweet pictures...Ciao

Four Value Systems

2006-08-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

There are four systems of values which are, in my opinion, worth discussing within the context of universality; those are: Innate values (intrinsic values of survival and reproduction), doctrinal values (political/ideological/religious), aesthetic values (beauty/ugliness), and ethical values (moral/immoral, right/wrong). There are two others, which are too abstract to be relevant ever, those are passive values (those which apply to things that don´t exist), and potential values (those which would apply to something that could potentially exist).

It´s easy to say that aesthetics are not necessarily universal among people and cultures - beauty is in the eye of the beholder, etc. One man´s junk is another man´s gold, or whatever.

Innate values are of course the easiest ones to defend as being universal. Humans are biologically all the same, we have a natural need to prolong our experience, whether during life or through to the after-life. We will do anything that it takes to protect ourselves, and our own interests. Onlywhen self-preservation is assured, do we become altruistic in our actions.

The tough ones are ethical values and doctrinal values. The postmodern ethos would have an easy way to answer my previous question, because it would deny objective qualities to either ethics or doctrine, allowing the most horrible perversions of both, and because these perversions have been committed to historical record, it would seem that postmodernism would answer that no, there are no universal values.

I know that there are some objections. To innate values for example: Homosexual couples may not have a desire to reproduce...But is that only because of present logistical issues? Perhaps there are ways to circumvent those issues. To ethical values for another example: A man may believe that it is wrong to kill another man under all circumstances save war or other self-defence, but in a fit of jealous rage might kill his wife´s lover....But is that because he truly lacks value, or because he has not enough integrity to uphold his values? Or perhaps, in both cases, perhaps the individuals in question have these values, but have other, stronger values that override the others. In any case, I may be digressing by raising these objections....

Values

2006-08-09T17:50:00.000-05:00

Before I make any posts explaining my own views, let me ask my loyal readers something:

Do you believe there are any universal values?

I ask that knowing that most of my open-minded friends will believe that value differences can be explained by cultural differences.

Morro do Sao Paulo II

2006-08-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

Friends

2006-08-08T18:49:00.000-05:00

The first is of, in order left to right, Colin, Ana, Me, Nates, and Sophie. The second is Ana, Me, and Colin. These are friends I met in Rio, and the scene is of a boat (booze) cruise we took off the coast. It was a day of all you can eat, drink, and swim, and it was one of my favourite days in Rio, if not Brazil. These people are awesome!!

Ilha Grande

2006-08-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

The first photo is of a group of Capoeiristas demonstrating their art/fighting on the dock in front of our pousada in Ilha Grande. It´s a form of self-defense that african slaves came up with to defend themselves against their masters, and they were able to develop it only because they disguised it as dance! The second is the same dock in daylight, the third is a view of a street in town, the fourth is of Ana and Greg on our balcony, watching the Capoeira.

Chester

2006-08-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

This is my dog Chester, whom I miss terribly! He´s looking at me with an expression that means, ´why are you leaving me´! See how his left lip is slightly curled?

Salvador

2006-08-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

Assorted photos from Salvador: The first is a colonialist-era building which is slowly decaying - the roof is missing, yet the lower levels still house people, the second is a lighthouse near where we stayed in Barra, Salvador, the last is of a cross made of steel that memorializes a church that was destroyed in the name of ´progress´,.

Photos of Morro do Sao Paulo

2006-08-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

These photos are of the beach near Gamboa, a small fishing village about a 45 minute hike from the main town of Morro. You have to walk along the coast, but at high tide, which is when I did it, there is no coast. You must walk in water sometimes chest high with your belongings above your head to get there. But it´s worth the walk, the beach is virtually deserted, the water is calm, and there are two really good restaurants there for when you get hungry. It´s also stunningly beautiful. The walk back is easier, as the tide recedes it leaves behind a small strip of beach that you can walk on.

2006-08-07T18:39:00.000-05:00

via the absurd report, todays cartoon...

2006-08-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

I´ve finally found a place where I can upload a few pics, so here´s a couple. Hopefully there will be more to follow in the next few days...The first is a picture of Foz du Iguassu, a really nice one. Sadly, we´re not here during the rainy season, so there´s not as much water going over the falls right now, but it´s still quite a spectacular sight. The second is a pic of Copacabana beach at sunset, with a game of American-style football going on in the foreground.

Brazil - The Land of Surprises

2006-08-06T14:22:00.000-05:00

I try not to talk politics too much at home, because an argument usually ensues; one which neither side can hope to win, but with both sides usually ending up frustrated and upset. But travelling is different, because it´s somehow easier to avoid actual debate, and simply learn other points of view while getting to know people a little...

And just like anywhere else, there are many anti-americans, socialists, or non-political people. I´ve even met people that think that George W. Bush is to blame for the favelas here in Brazil; I almost cracked up when I heard that one...

But last night, I had a bit a shock. Greg and I went out with a group of French guys, and a couple of British girls. There were 4 French guys, and I kid you not, they were to a man pro-capitalist, pro-Bush, pro-American, business students. I almost fell out of my chair! Heck, one more Cerveja and I would have!!! I expected to have a slightly altered world-view after this trip, but my God, I did NOT expect to be impressed by the politics of the people of France!! Don´t get me wrong, I have much respect for the culture and history of France, but I must admit I had generalized their politics in a most disrespectful way.

And for that, my French friends, I must apologize. Vivé la France!!

2006-08-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Morro Sao Paulo

2006-08-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

Ola from Morro Sao Paulo! Suddenly travel plans change... We were in Salvador, wondering what was next, and several fellow travellers recommended this island which is a 2 hour catamaran ride from Salvador. It is truly paradise! There are several white sandy beaches, a lively night life, day-long party-boat rides, scuba diving, surfing, waterfalls, friendly people, and trust me, fantastic food!

Crazy Small World

2006-08-02T12:28:00.000-05:00

Funny how small this world actually is. When I was in Rio, a group of us went to the Brazil Cup Football Final, which was the most incredible sporting event I´ve ever witnessed in person. The fans were truly delirious, there were smoke bombs, fireworks, a little tear gas in one trouble section, on-going chants, a over-filled stadium, etc. The right team won, so the crowds were ecstatic, and largely peaceful after the game, although that might have to do with the police helicopters monitoring the exiting crowds with searchlights, etc.

Anyway, my seat at the game was right beside an ex-pat Brit who now lives in Ecuador where he runs an English pub, and the weird thing about this pousada in Salvador, 1500-plus kms away from Rio, is that the same guy walks in here with a pizza last night as we were arriving back from an amazing street festival!! Like what are the odds eh?

Cuban Crisis

2006-08-01T10:08:00.000-05:00

I haven´t been posting anything political during this trip, but I can´t help but make note of this news item. I personally think that Castro is already dead, and that ´his´ written statements were carefully prepared by strategists who hope to make a smooth transition of power to his brother. Ask the hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles living in Miami what they think of that potential development...

It´s also probably comforting for them to know that his brother Raul is 75, and could kick the bucket at any time as well.

Salvador

2006-08-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Salvador yesterday, after a fantastic weekend on Ilha Grande. Part of me is still there, trying to work out how I can buy my own pousada on that island, where I can live during high season :) It´s an amazing place, filled with beaches, forest, waterfalls, beautiful friendly people, and lots and lots of partying.

The other part of me got to Salvador exhausted after a day of travel that included taxis, boats, buses, and airplanes, at around midnight. We needed a place to stay, and our first choice was booked for the night. We ended up at a reeeeeeeally sketchy place in Barra, a neighbourhood in Salvador. It cost 30 reals for the night for the both of us, which is about 12 dollars Canadian. It was pretty disgusting, after having stayed in such a nice pousada on Ilha Grande. There was a patio on the street where we unwound a little after arriving. We were propositioned by prostitutes, panhandled, etc. But otherwise, after an uneasy sleep, we are ok. We found a super nice pousada today called Ambar, in a better, trendy part of Barra, just down the street from the beach. We´ll stay here for two days or so, and then set out for the countryside around Salvador. Victoria is coming here on the ninth of august, and then we go to the Amazon shortly after.

Down Time

2006-07-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been relatively quiet here on Ilha Grande, as it's been rainy and cool. No problem for me though, it's nice just to chill and have coffees under the awnings of the cafes here. Met a couple new friends here, Mariana from Argentina, and a guy from New Jersey who's name escapes me at the moment. We're going for dinner later tonight. Yesterday there was a dance party on the main street of this town of 3000 (which must have swelled to at least 6000 for this festival), and even though it was raining, people were dancing and laughing and partying anyway. That was cool. After checking that out for a while, we retired to the Pousada for drinks and cards. Tommorrow we go to Salvador, which I''m really excited about.

Ilha Grande

2006-07-28T07:51:00.000-05:00

We've just arrived in Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Brazil near Rio. It's an island with 102 beaches! Quite the idyllic spot. We've got a room right on a beach with a beautiful view, hopefully I can upload a few pictures later today. The pousada that we're staying at is run by an ex-pat German guy and his Brazilian wife. Quite a colourful character, and as it turns out, he still owns a touring van which he stores in Winnipeg, for when he's touring North America.

We're here because there's a weekend-long music festival going on, which promises to be amazing! A friend that we made at the hostel in Rio, Ana from New Zealand, will be joining us here today to help us make sure we party appropriately. She is an engineer professionally, so her and I have alot of common interests - lots to talk about. A bit of socialist though....sigh.

On monday, we'll go back to Rio to catch a flight to Salvador, where we'll likely meet up with this guy named Colin that we also met in Rio. He's from Singapore, but he teaches in Taiwan, and is here for his vacation. He's a great guy, and he's also got pretty good english and portuguese, so he's been immensely helpful, in addition to being fun to hang out with.

Anyway, it's almost 10 am here, so I guess I should go...Time to go seek out a good beach or two for surfing!

Favela Funk

2006-07-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

There´s these things called favelas in Rio. They are essentially slums, populated mainly by the descendants of African slaves who were eventually ´freed´ from bondage by their portugese owners. Freed is not really the right word. They´re completely segregated from the regular population, they have very minimal access to electricity, there´s open sewage everywhere, they can´t get jobs, the Brazilians don´t consider them humans.

They offer tours through the slums, half of which supposedly goes towards humanitarian aid, the other half to the tour operators. They also have favela funk parties where you can go to this giant hall where the favelians party. but you are in a VIP area, looking down on the scene from above. I haven´t been able to bring myself to go to either.

The other travellers here at the hostel all say it´s a great experience, but I can´t help thinking that it wouldn´t feel right. Making this poverty a spectacle, the socialists here revel in their elitism, and it makes me ill.

I´ll definitely be ruminating more on this situation at a later date.

Life´s a Beach

2006-07-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

We´re in Rio now, staying at a nice hostel in Copacabana, about 4 blocks from Copacabana beach. Went to the beach today, or rather beaches - Copacabana and Ipanema, which are right next to each other. Beautiful day, about 27 degrees, sunny, a bit of a breeze. Cervejas are about 3 reals, which is around 1.25. Coffee is strong, black, and delicious. Women are beautiful. Jeremy is very content. This city is huge, and incredibly busy. We´ll stay for around 4 days, and then set out for the beach towns outside of Rio. Ciao for now.

P.S. I should be posting some really nice pictures sometime soon...stay posted.

I Made It!!

2006-07-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

6000 plus kilometres, two days later, I´m blogging from Foz du Iguassu, Brazil. We've already played a round of golf, I shot a 103. Ugh. Many, many cervajas have been consumed, the food is great, the people are very friendly, and accomodating. We played golf with a Taiwanese businessman who was really nice. We're gonna go see the falls here, and then we fly to Rio. We'll be there for 9 days, and then to Salvador. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity to blog from there. Bye for now.

Quote of The Day

2006-07-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

I'm ripping this off from the Free Will blog, so please check him out some time:

"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan

No Compromise

2006-07-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

It should seem so simple to Hamas and Hezbollah. Simply release and return the 3 soldiers that are being held hostage, and the fighting stops. Instead, Hamas is foolishly demanding that Israel release 1000 Hamas prisoners in exchange for one soldier, and I don't even know what Hezbollah has asked for in exchange this time. Cox and Forkum, the site where this cartoon is published, notes that Israel has capitulated to these sorts of ridiculous demands before, but isn't in any mood to right now.

Israel's Response:

2006-07-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

Israel will stop the offensive in Lebanon once Hezbollah disarms.

What Should The World Do?

2006-07-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Is a UN Security Council resolution the right move at this juncture? I would suggest not, given the toothlessness of its resolutions of the past oh, decade or so. The only thing that they've done that's been quasi-effective has been to sanction Saddam. And actually, all that did was starve his people and perpetuate his tyranny.

Should world leaders continue to tut-tut and issue soundbites to try and influence domestic polls? Not if they have learned a lesson from Canada's own Mssr. Martin.

An interesting idea has been floating around for a while, involving admitting Israel to NATO. This organization has a policy that, if you attack one member, you're attacking all of them, so there would be less disharmony from member nations when thinking about how to proceed. NATO used to be an instrument to contain the Soviet Union. Since the Commie threat has dissipated in no small part due to NATO, perhaps using it to contain the Islamic fundamentalist threat would be ideal!

What Should Israel Do?

2006-07-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of condemnations of Israel coming in from around the world right now (although remarkably, they still have some allies other than America), and very few of Hezbollah. Nobody seems to be mentioning the hundreds of Hezbollah rockets raining down on Israeli cities and towns, having been launched across the border in Lebanon. Or that the Lebanese government seems unwilling or unable to stop them.

Funny thing about these rockets. They are difficult to aim. You sort of point them at the city you want to hit, and hope that they'll hit something of high value.

Funny thing about Israeli warfare. It's targeted. Highly lethal to actual military targets, less dangerous to civilians. It's designed to avoid 'collateral damage', to put it crudely.

Assuming that Israel is entitled to their own self-defence, they are acting within their rights as a sovereign nation when they are attacking Hezbollah targets. And if Lebanon can't stop Hezbollah, because Israel can, Israel should.

It Took Longer Than I Expected....

2006-07-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

....but some moonbat has finally blamed George W. Bush for Israel's developing war with Hezbollah. It's funny how people can simultaneously ridicule him for being a moron who can't talk properly, and demonize him for being this evil genious who is the cause of every bad thing that happens in this world!

Let's see....have you blamed GWB for :

1. Global Warming?
2. Poverty?
3. War?
4. Tsunamis?
5. Hurricanes?
6. Business Bankruptcies (Think Enron)?
7. Unemployment?
8. Illiteracy?
9. The Tech Bubble Burst?
10. Last, but not least, 9/11?

Because he's just as responsible for these things as today's catastrophe. That is to say, not at all.

Shizzam!!

2006-07-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

A lightning storm in Arkansas, no photoshopping involved.

Calendar of Cowardice

2006-07-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

9/11, 10/12, 3/11, 7/7, 7/11.