Gerbye!

And seein' as its me that'll be on the receiving end of our dearest GeneThug's game-table thuggery over the next couple weeks, you can bet I'll be blog-blocked til next year, too. 'Til then, here's to a truly great couple months knocking skulls together on this here web log-- thanks for tuning in, and I look forward to more Mook madness with you all in '05!

The future is very bright!

Cheerio,
And much love!

Mooks

The Principles of Dialogue

Here's a start to the psychology part of the Mookblog, as promised by the header. A very nice bit of pre-holiday family-feuding advice follows. It may look like a short list, but there's a lifetime of wisdom in this,

The Principles of Dialogue:


Listen
with all of your attention
with respect for everyone’s voice
without fixing, problem solving, advice giving


Suspend Certainty
don’t let “what you know” get the best of you
open to other possibilities


Hold the Space for Difference
let go of assumptions, or at least listen to them
let the space in the conversation emerge


Slow Down the Inquiry
let there be spaces between the speakers
let the space in the conversation emerge


Speak from your Own Awareness
what are you feeling/wondering right now?
speak your truth
make your words count


• Principles of Dialogue adapted from Sue Miller Hurst.
Courtesy of Heartland Institute www.heartlandinstitute.com

Name My Company!

As many of you know, I'm opening a Yakety Yak Wireless Store (a franchise) with Matt Destombe, a good friend of mine. He and I now need a name for our partnership, which will be established as an LLC. Suggestions would be much appreciated!

(Disclaimer: you can forget about any royalties or rights other than "bragging," bub-- if we use anything offered here it comes free of charge by you. But I'll gladly give you a good deal on a new cell phone!)

So far, we've only come up with one name we both like: "Quit Yer Cryin', Inc." That should give you an idear of where we're at with this.

Cheerio and thanks!

Mooks

A Holiday Sing Along!

Hello dears!

I've decided the Mookblog needs a moment of holiday happiness to brighten our day! Here are my two toothy friends from those Quiznos Sub commercials spreading their freaky joy to the world. Let's all hold hands and join in!

(Fine, the music isn't exactly typical of the Christmas repetoire, but it sure is festive, eh?)

Warning! This is noisy.

New Poll: Iraq War Unpopular In States

We've entered another unfashionable period for the War in Iraq, according to a new poll. Apparently, a majority of Americans think that our security has improved over the long-term as a result of the conflict, but that the cost in troops hasn't been worth it.

Money quote:

While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of Americans think these gains have come at an "unacceptable" cost in military casualties. This led 56 percent to conclude that, given the cost, the conflict there was "not worth fighting" -- an eight-point increase from when the same question was asked this summer, and the first time a decisive majority of people have reached this conclusion.

I flatly disagree with the American people.

As I've said many a time, if there's any reason to celebrate this war it would be because of the incredibly low GI body count. Let's put this in perspective:

Solders killed in Iraq to date (21 mths): 1,297
Soldiers killed in Vietnam War (64-73): 58,200
Soldiers killed in Persian Gulf War (90-91): 382
Chicago murder rate in 2002-2003 (24 mths): 1,197

Of course, no deaths are good news. But golly, we went in expecting to see our troops sprayed down with nerve gas by unmanned miniature aircraft. This has been a cake walk, even given awful stories like the one we read today about troops being bombed in their mess halls (wow).

I also do not share the confidence that most Americans feel about our improved long-term security due to this war. I think only time and a few elections will tell. I can easily imagine an Iraq under Shia rule turning just as fascist theocratic after a few elections as its puppet-master neighbor-- a result that would certainly further destabilize the whole region and escalate tensions.

What this poll does quite dramatically show is that America, despite leftist worries of neo-imperial colonialism, has lost its tolerance for war. Again, entirely due to its horrors being broadcasted live and by Hollywood full-montey straight into our living rooms. Soccer moms no likey.

Test Your Knowledge of Oriental Medical Theory!

Hi folks!

I'm back from a weekend of unrestrained and unimagineably macabre Chinese torture and have lived to tell of it!

"Mook! Surely your final exams weren't that bad?" I hear you ask/exclaim.

"Ha ha ha har har har hee hee har!" Is how I reply.

And just to show how threaded is the fabric of my very soul from this experience, I will now give you your own ten question quiz on OMT with real questions sampled from the midterms for the actual classes I just took. Let's see how you do! You can post your answers in the Comments section for me to grade, if ye dare.

1. A patient exhibiting constant fever that rises during the evening indicates:
a. Qi deficiency
b. Heat in the Stomach and Intestines
c. Yin Deficiency Heat
d. Invasion of Wind Heat

2. Frequent and spontaneous sweating indicates:
a. Weakness of Yang Qi; Qi Deficinecy, Weak Defensive Qi
b. Serious Deficiency of Yang Qi
c. Protective Qi too weak to expel the disease
d. Invasion of Wind Cold

3. Poor appetite, tastelessness in mouth and fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen indicates:
a. Cold Damp or stagnation
b. Retention of food
c. Weakness of Stomach and Spleen/Damp Heat in the Middle Burner
d. Cold and weak, Deficiency of Qi and or Yang

4. List all 60 Antique Points (Jing Well, Ying Spring, Shu Stream, Jing River, and He Sea for the five elements):

5. Zong Qi leads to (fill in the blank) Qi which leads to (fill in the blank) Qi which leads to (fill in the blank) Qi and (fill in the blank) Qi.

6. At what time of day would you needle to sedate the Lung? At what time of day would you needle to tonify the Pericardium? Describe your 5 element 4-needle technique and which points you use based on the Circadean clock.

7. The Heart Divergent Channel ascends along the throat and emerges on the face, connecting with the Small Intestine Channel (Hand Shao-Yang) at the inner or outer canthus?

8. Name the point whose name translates to "Head Binding" and meets with the Foot Yang-Ming, Foot Shao-Yang, and Yang Wei. It is used for headeaches due to wind and eye pain. (Fill in the blank).

9. a. This point is specifically for knee disorders. The Yang Ming channel traverses through the breast and is also used for breast swelling, pain abcesses. (Fill in the blank).

9. b. This above point is also the (fill in the blank) point of the Stomach channel. (Xi Cleft, Yuan Source or Luo-connecting or Mu point) Choose one.

9. c. What other point may be used for knee disorders due to heat, cold, or deficiency? It is needled toward Weizhong UB-40. (Fill in the blank).

10. List all 11 Influential points and their areas of influence, all 4 Command points and their areas of influence, and all 17 Back-Shu points of the Bladder Meridian and their functions.


Okay, fine-- that wasn't fair, there's no way you could even attempt to answer most of those. But it gives you some idea of what I just went through. Now multiply that list times ten for each class (I only had four this semester, the usual number is six to eight) and you get some idea of why my sanity must be questioned for a few days at least.

Ah . . . . On a brighter note, I did very well on these tests, thankfully. After I took my hardest one on Saturday, a bunch of friends and I were standing outside the class debriefing the exam, when my teacher comes bursting out into the hall waving my test around and says "Mukhtar, you only missed one! You only missed one!" And then just as quickly disappears back inside. My peers were not pleased: "Thanks for blowing the curve, Mooks."

Heh.

Finally

Taking final exams today and yesterday. . .

Blog you later.


UPDATE:
My last final is tonight (Monday). Anatomy and Physiology-- promises to be insanely hard. But so far I am kicking exam arse-- wish me luck and forgive me for ignoring me blog one more day . . .

Iran's Underwar

I really like that. "Underwar." You heard it here first.

Refers of course to Iran's coming victory in the January elections in Iraq. I'll be spending my Christmas holiday practicing my most annoying "told you so" voice.

Ignatius has this to say about it in the Washington Post today.

Money quote:

Iran is about to hit the jackpot in Iraq, wagering the blood and treasure of the United States. Last week an alliance of Iraqi Shiite leaders announced that its list of candidates will be headed by Abdul Aziz Hakim, the clerical leader of the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This Shiite list, backed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, is likely to be the favorite of Iraq's 60 percent Shiite majority and win the largest share of votes next month.

Not so money quote:

Given the stakes for the United States in these elections, you might think we would quietly be trying to influence the outcome. But I am told that congressional insistence that the Iraqi elections be "democratic" has blocked any covert efforts to help America's allies. That may make sense to ethicists in San Francisco, but how about to the U.S. troops on the ground?

Yes, those damned San Fransisco liberals, with their ethics and their insistence on actual democracy. And that damned liberal congress . . . wait-- Huh?

If this guy wasn't a staunch Cambridge-born liberal, I'd think we were seeing the beginnings of Rove's new emergency talking points: "Quick! Democracy is a liberal value again! Democracy is a liberal value again!"

That does beg the question, then: why does Ignatius make this odd statement? Is he kidding? Is this supposed to be Leftist tongue-in-cheekery? Does he really think the troops on the ground would be happier knowing that the democracy and the elections they're dying for should be rigged? My guess is, he's trying to have his argument slice both ways-- democracy is a liberal value, but look at me and my gutsy not-so-San Fransisco call for realpolitik subversion!

Well, for what it's worth, here's how he wraps things up, and I think he's mostly right on:

Iraq's Shiite majority deserves its day in the sun, after decades of oppression, and the January elections should endorse the reality of majority rule. But future historians will wonder how it happened that the United States came halfway around the world, suffered more than 1,200 dead and spent $200 billion to help install an Iraqi government whose key leaders were trained in Iran. Our Iraq policy may be full of good intentions, but in terms of strategy, it is a riderless horse.

Spawn of Mook

Congratulations to Ben and Steven, my wee-little and highly endearing brothers, for starting their own Mook-inspired blogs! Enter the minds of a fourteen and thirteen year-old (respectively) if ye dare.

The Mookblog will go ahead and take credit for inspiring one more blogger still, that being Gary Musisko, a person not of small stature at all--he is our modern (and as yet undiscovered) Elvis and one of my favorite persons ever. Unfortunately, Gary hasn't posted in weeks, so the idear here is to light a small but most stimulating fire under his arse.

More please, Gary!

Rumsfeld: Philosopher Bard

If you haven't yet read any of the "poetry" (that is, actual statements to the press re-written as verse) by Donald Rumsfeld, (and I know many of you have, sorry to bore you-- but those that haven't really aught to), then please enjoy the following. It's spectacular. Courtesy of Slate.


The Unknown

As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing


Glass Box

You know, it's the old glass box at the—
At the gas station,
Where you're using those little things
Trying to pick up the prize,
And you can't find it.
It's—
And it's all these arms are going down in there,
And so you keep dropping it
And picking it up again and moving it,
But—
Some of you are probably too young to remember those—
Those glass boxes,
But—
But they used to have them
At all the gas stations
When I was a kid.

—Dec. 6, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing


A Confession

Once in a while,
I'm standing here, doing something.
And I think,"What in the world am I doing here?"
It's a big surprise.

—May 16, 2001, interview with the New York Times


Happenings

You're going to be told lots of things.
You get told things every day that don't happen.
It doesn't seem to bother people, they don't—
It's printed in the press.
The world thinks all these things happen.
They never happened.
Everyone's so eager to get the story
Before in fact the story's there
That the world is constantly being fed
Things that haven't happened.
All I can tell you is,
It hasn't happened.
It's going to happen.

—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing


The Digital Revolution

Oh my goodness gracious,
What you can buy off the
Internet
In terms of overhead photography!
A trained ape can know an awful lot
Of what is going on in this world,
Just by punching on his mouse
For a relatively modest cost!

—June 9, 2001, following European trip


The Situation

Things will not be necessarily continuous.
The fact that they are something other than perfectly continuous
Ought not to be characterized as a pause.
There will be some things that people will see.
There will be some things that people won't see.
And life goes on.

—Oct. 12, 2001, Department of Defense news briefing


Clarity

I think what you'll find,
I think what you'll find is,
Whatever it is we do substantively,
There will be near-perfect clarity
As to what it is.
And it will be known,
And it will be known to the Congress,
And it will be known to you,
Probably before we decide it,
But it will be known.

—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing

Mook on Wheels

Oh yeah-- so, my scooter officially won't be going anywhere anymore-- at least, not with me on it. For one, it won't start. This is because the kick-starter fell off of it sometime ago. Just fell off, and I don't know where. And now the electric starter won't work either, God only knows why. For two, I'm sick of the thing-- I believe it gave me an attack of "wind-cold," as the Chinese would say-- the whole numb face ordeal (appears to have cleared up, now, thank you very much for asking). For three, I'm buying a car. Okay, fine-- it's an SUV. A Forerunner, apparently. Embarrassing, given that I actually canvassed door-to-door for an entire summer fighting to get their MPG standards improved. But I'm really strapped for cash, my credit is stretched very thin right now, and I'm getting a good deal-- the Yakety Yak guy who sold (that is, gave away for free) the store to Matt and I yesterday happens to be a friend, too, and when I told him I was in the market for a vehicle, he said I could have his. He'll basically hold the title while I pay its bluebook value off at a monthly rate, something less than $200/month-- sort of a lease-to-own arrangement. I haven't agreed to anything yet, but it seems like just the thing, and saves me the hassle of having to find wheels come January.

Yesterday was a big day.

Stepping Back

So you can see I had a busy day, yesterday-- that would explain the light blogging. That, and the fact that I have all my final exams this weekend. And when they're done, I'm heading home for the holidays. I guess I may as well ask you for an extended pardon and excuse myself for a while. I'll still try and post regularly-- it just won't be at the rabid rate I was at before. I have every confidence that I'll be able to blog away my day come January. Here's looking forward to the new year. . . .

The future is very bright!

Mook Gets Into the Yak Industry

So I bought a large retail business yesterday. It's that wireless/cellphone store I mentioned previously. It's called "Yakety Yak"-- a franchise, actually. Catchy name. We'll sell cellphones by the sea shore-- all the name brands-- Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc., in one place. It'll be in a really high traffic location-- a packed strip-mall ten minutes from my home, right next to a Blockbuster, a laundrymat, and one of these mega-health food grocery stores. The space is huge, given our needs, but the lease is very affordable. My very good friend Matthew and I are going in on the thing as partners and plan on owning two more stores by the end of '05. He's the "master licensee" for this company already, so we were able to buy in to the franchise for nothing, believe it or not. Zero dollars--they usually charge $10,000. Yakety Yak doesn't take any royalties, either-- just a $250/month administrative fee, which is peanuts. And they're the biggest wireless store in AZ, so we'll have all their advertizing, expertise, training, and presence behind us. Basically, our only costs up front will be first and last months rent, inventory, and incidentals-- the landlord will pay for most of the expense of refurbishing the store, and we've negotiated for free rent for the first couple months of business. I'll be the one running the place, for the most part-- Matthew will be back up, especially while I'm in class (and I will still be going to school-- that hasn't changed), but mostly he'll be dedicated to his job of finding more store locations and selling them to people-- except the choicest spots, which he'll cherry-pick for us. An average store makes about $100,000/year, and we think this one will do much better. Once we have three stores, we'll hire a general manager, step back, and enjoy the show.

Cheerio!

Mooks

Ursula's Wrath

Catch the much trumped SciFi special "The Legend of Earthsea?" It was based on Ursula LeGuin's (love that name) truly awesome books "The Wizard of Earthsea" and "The Tombs of Atuan"-- childhood favorites of mine.

Turns out Ursula's pissed. Slate has the story, titled: "A Whitewashed Earthsea: How the Sci Fi Channel wrecked my books." Written by the author herself.

Advantage Republicans

From the Political Wire:

The latest Gallup poll shows a "historic surge" in Republican party affiliation, with those identifying themselves as Republicans jumping to 37% of the public, with Democrats trailing with just 32%.

Also, this:

President Bush "dominated the South so completely in last month's presidential election that he carried nearly 85% of all the counties across the region -- and more than 90% of counties where whites are a majority of the population," according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. The findings provide "the most detailed picture yet of the vote in Southern communities" and "shows that Bush's victory was even more comprehensive than his sweep of the region's 13 states would suggest."

The Mookblog Welcomes Mrs. Mook!

That's right! We've got another newly annointed Mook! And this one's been a fan of Mookness for a long time, now. She likes it so much she married it. Introducing my lovely wife, Myrna. A.K.A., "Keri." Or vice versa. You pick.

Love you, Sweet pea!

Mook Actually Working a Real Job Today

The lady who works at mys school's clinic front desk from 12PM to 9:30PM on Wednesdays is the birthday girl today, so I'm picking up this killer-shift for her. I'll be a'blogging more tonight and tomorrow. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves . . .

When It Rains . . .

Last Friday was a funny day-- I called into work (at my school's clinic front-desk) to say I'd be a little late, only to hear that I wasn't needed anymore. Don't worry, I wasn't fired. They hired a clinic manager to take over my shift and wanted me to do student recruitment for admissions instead-- a much better job. Later that day, I met with the new director for the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, who asked me to drop out of school and come work for her as their new Energy Advocate. Right after that, I got a call from a close friend who wants me to be a part-owner of a cellphone store he wants to open. When I came home, I discovered I'd made $1800 on an internet-based business that day.

Heh.

Take the Poll, Please!

It's fun, and it took me an hour just to figure out how to set it up. You'll find it in white text on black in the margin to the right.

Have at it!

T-Rays

Al Jazeera's Sci-Tech section fascinates Mook once again, this time with a piece on a truly inspiring new x-ray replacement technology.

"[T-rays] can see through clothing, plastic and packaging well enough to identify explosives, guns or even biological weapons instantly and accurately."

"Because T-rays are low energy, they are also safe to use around people, unlike X-rays."

"They can even detect diseases such as cancer. "

Bad Sex Writing Award

From the Guardian:

This year's Literary Review Bad Sex award goes to Tom Wolf, for his latest novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons."

The annual prize is awarded to the worst description of sex in a contemporary novel. Wolfe triumphed with the following - edited - passage:

"Hoyt began moving his lips as if he were trying to suck the ice cream off the top of a cone without using his teeth ... Slither slither slither slither went the tongue, but the hand that was what she tried to concentrate on, the hand, since it has the entire terrain of her torso to explore and not just the otorhinolaryngological caverns - oh God, it was not just at the border where the flesh of the breast joins the pectoral sheath of the chest - no, the hand was cupping her entire right - Now! She must say "No, Hoyt" and talk to him like a dog. . . "


Hat-tip Andrew Sullivan.

Finite And Infinite Games 1.7

"Finite games can be played within an infinite game, but an infinite game cannot be played within a finite game.

Infinite players regard their wins and losses in whatever finite games they play as but moments in continuing play."


From James Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games."

Mook Responds To GeneThug on Iran Issues

Hi ho--

GeneThug comments here. My response as follows.


GT: "Both Zakaria and Yglesias seem like bright guys, but seem to have completely overlooked in their analysis two crucial members of the conflict: Iran and Israel."

Mook: But Zakaria does not overlook Israel-- check the first link:

"And then there is Israel, which has long seen Iran as its greatest threat. It is unlikely to sit passively while Iran develops a nuclear bomb. The powerful Iranian politician Ali Rafsanjani has publicly speculated about a nuclear exchange with Israel. If Iran's program went forward, at some point Israel would almost certainly try to destroy it using airstrikes, as it did Iraq's reactor in Osirik. Such an action would, of course, create a massive political crisis in the region."

He repeats your Israel point just about word for word.

GT: "Yglesias uses the exercise to engage in Bush bashing - sure, whatever.."

Mook: You're being overly sensitive. The entire basis for your remark seems to be Matt's use of the word "Bushies" and this statement: "risk-friendly, arrogant, and slightly paranoid about the motives of everyone outside their circle." "Bushies" might not be a respectful way to address the president and his staff, but it's hardly a thing worthy of getting your hackles up. And as for the rest, it's a pretty acceptable and not that over-the-top critique IMO-- probably even most Bush supporters would agree with the characterization if they were at all fair-minded. And it's germane to the issue at hand-- Bush operates his presidency based on his principles of character. He's proudly stated this many times. All presidents do, Bush more than some, less than others. There's nothing wildly or even inherently partisan about critiquing a president's character as it truly impacts his FP decisions, as this certainly does.

GT: While Zakaria's analysis is pretty solid, his proscription for diplomacy as the answer is totally wishful thinking.

Mook: I don't think Zakaria thinks that diplomacy, especially by the US, is the prescription, here. Read his words:

"If military strikes are not a good option, engagement isn't great, either. . .They say that the Bush administration is unwilling to offer a "grand bargain"-- normal relations with the United States in return for no nukes. Also true. But there is little evidence that better U.S. policy would produce an Iranian response."

What he is suggesting is that action by the EU in the form of sanctions or the threat thereof might very well give Iran cause to waiver. Or not-- who knows. Sanctions are rarely successful, granted, but there's reason to think they might have traction in Tehran. And it strikes me as a much toothier response than trying to initiate regime change by UNARMED students or passing this legislation Darling refers to, though these suggestions couldn't hurt, either.

But where you/Darling and I/Zakaria seem to differ most is that your camp seems to boil the US/Israeli strategic options down to a "do or die" situation. Your case seems to be based for the most part on Iranian smack-talk, which I agree is totally OTT. But it's smack talk, nonetheless-- it's what evil regimes do. It strikes me as a very low-value particular relative to Iran's under-war in Iraq and its terrorist ties; actions speak louder. And with respect to their threats, there's every reason to believe they're empty. The Iran-attacks-Israel/US with nuclear (or otherwise) missiles meme rests on the totally absurd suggestion that Tehran could willingly commit national suicide, as surely it knows it would if it did so. As if it were bound to a law of physics, the US would react reflexively by bombing the entirety of Iran into glass. If it hasn't done so already with conventional weapons, it is much less likely that Iran would attack with nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons, as I have said before, fulfill only one useful function-- they exist only as a kind of self-destruct button, militarily useful only in the occasion of having been hopelessly backed against a wall with no escape route in sight. They imply mutual destruction always. That said, a US/Israeli initiated conflict, which would follow Yglesias' law of escalating retaliation, is more likely to produce the sequence of events in which nuclear weapons might be used-- that is, Iran backed hopelessly against a wall, as surely it would be-- than anything other than another 9-11 linked (however tenuously) to Iran.

Therefore, we either preventatively invade Iran now, before she has nukes, or we apply sanctions and hope they put Iran into an inspection-friendly mood. Given our national debt, our current struggle with Afghanistan and Iraq, the threat from terrorism, and our already hyper-stretched military, the invasion of Iran in the near future could only be seen as a very serious defensive compromise for our nation. As I said, it's a bad idea.

Bury them in sanctions and hope for regime change in the long-term.

Khumeini's Poker Face

Iran has been playing cat and mouse with Europe and the US on the issue of developing nukes out of their efforts at nuclear energy production, and it looks to me like there's little chance that we and our "allies" will be able to stop them. A response scenerio often put forward has the US/Israel bombing the 20 odd suspected R&D sites into dust and then waiting to see if Khumeini blinks.

Bad idea.

Matthew Iglesias has one prediction vector:

The other element of the prediction business that people are missing is that full-scale war is nowhere near as unlikely as folks seem to believe. All it would require is for the Bushies to somewhat underestimate Iran's ability to counterstrike after we launch airstrikes. No one knows for sure what, exactly, Iran would be capable of doing in retaliation. But if they can hit us reasonably hard, our government will feel the need to escalate again in counter-retaliation, and then down the spiral we go. People forget that wars are usually started because of miscalculations on the part of the relevant actors and not because it "makes sense" to start them. There mere fact that no one in Washington wants a full-scale war with Iran is no guarantee that we won't get it. Events have a way of spinning out of control when the people guiding them are risk-friendly, arrogant, and slightly paranoid about the motives of everyone outside their circle.

We turn to Zakaria again to sum up where I'm at with it:

If coercion means American military strikes, it is an utterly counterproductive idea. Such a move would do limited damage to Iran's nuclear facilities, rally the country round the regime, isolate the United States further in the world and probably prompt the Iranians to retaliate by sponsoring terror attacks against our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, it's really hard to trust that this president would pay much attention to this, a conservative foreign policy argument, unless it meant promoting abstinance over condom use in Africa's AIDS crisis.

Kid Oakland Lays It Out

More clamor from the progressive rabble for a Howard Dean make-over for the Democratic party. I like where this guy is coming from. Here's how he starts:

A friend of mine had the chance to meet with Howard Dean in a small group format the other day...

Dr. Dean showed up on time, answered all questions asked, and though not a "buddy buddy" kind of guy, generally won the renewed respect of those in the room. None of that should be a surprise to anyone who's read this blog over the last two years.

When asked about 2008, however, Dr. Dean had an interesting response. He said, paraphrasing, if we don't reform this party now, and do the hard work of fixing it, if we don't shake this thing to the core, then we've already as much as lost 2008...

UPDATE:
Here's a good breakdown of who's in the running for control of the party.

The Left Slam Dunks Bush's Social Security Reform

I went to bed last night thinking, "Gee, isn't it swell that Bush is actually going to do something about the long-term insolvency of social security." Of course, I was extremely uncomfortable with the fact that he would have to add another couple trillion dollars to the national debt to do it, but I was hopeful that maybe that number could be too high. At least the guy was willing to stick his neck out in the name of progress.

But then I woke up today and read this (not necessarily in that order).


Money quotes:

President Bush continued pushing the idea that there is a "crisis in Social Security" a misconception repeated uncritically by major news stations. But a 2004 report prepared by several Bush appointees said that while "the financial difficulties facing Social Security" should be addressed "in a timely manner," the program's assets are in little danger of running out before 2042.

and

A study published in September by University of Chicago business school professor Austan Goolsbee "predicted Wall Street could collect $940 billion or more over 75 years [from the privatization of soc. sec.], an amount he called the largest windfall in American financial history.

Mook Endorses Life

So, a while back there were some questions raised by Layli in some commentary on a post by GeneThug on the coming age of techno-immortality. The gist of it was, "Hey, seriously-- do we really want to live forever? Never mind that-- do we actually want to live forever around the kind of people who would also want to live forever?" I failed to weigh in at the time, other than to thank GT up and down for the enlightening links (of which there were so many the reader might have been very much in need of some anti-aging therapies just to get through them. Snort!) Not sure why I didn't, but I would like to, now.

I'd like to live to be 1000 years old.

Here's why:

Our lives are, in fact, much too short. I mean, look at the potential within the least of us, this uber-critter known as the human being which, choose your own adventure: [God Himself created in His own image] and/or [reigns supreme in the 4 billion-year Earth Contest for specie supremacy]. Our brain is the most complicated thing in the entire universe, or so I'm told by smart people in my new-age science & math books with no science or math in them so that people like me (complete with said "brain") can understand them (or at least the first three pages that I actually read). Bottom line, no other creature on this planet exhibits anything remotely close to the intelligence we possess. But when it comes to longevity, we're beat out by a host of evolutionary slackers. Tortoises can live into their 170's, and Japanese koi fish living well past 200 years are commonplace. Rockfish, sturgeon, bivalves, whales, and possibly lobsters are said to live far longer, without showing any signs of aging. To do what? Float more? But the average lifespan for the being of infinite latency that is us? Something like 75-80 years.

Let's break it down. We are invested with boundless creative possibility, the entire cosmos is our canvass, but by the time we've figured out how to finger-paint with any flair we've already cashed in 1/15th of our allotted chips, assuming a life-span of say, 75 years. Obtaining (or at least having been offered) a remedial education, I mean really basic math and language, requires handing over a full 1/5th of our stash to the deadly dealer. College? Graduate school? Good luck without it-- if you finish it all on time, you've now blown a third of your life just getting ready to live. Now squeeze finding a mate, raising a family, mastering your profession, figuring out how to make some money, developing your talents, seeing some of the world you live in, figuring out how to be happy in it, and accomplishing something of worth to be remembered by into the remaining 50 years. Oh, and 20 of those years gets escrowed to sleeping and pooping. Good luck.

Okay, yes-- amazingly, there is time to do all or much of that in 75 years. Of course. One can live a very full and exciting life in even a few decades. This fact in and of itself is a testament to the miracle that is humanity. And sure, you could live past the age of 75, and if you do-- great, good for you, bonus-- except that you'll be OLD. Your bowels will lock up, your bones will become brittle, your hearing, sight, and sense of wonder will cloud, hair will grow in unpleasant places, parts you didn't even know you had will hurt, sex will become a distant memory, and life will center around Bob Barker. Go for it-- have fun.

The point is, you could do so much more, if only you had the time and the vitality to go with it. And who likes deadlines? Maybe the reason life can be so stressful is because we all feel so rushed to accomplish all these very basic things before our sands come a' tumbling down. Many of us discover fascinating inventive personal propensities along the way that never get explored-- no time. Never mind your talents-- think of all the cool things you could learn to do by shear determination and perseverance if you only had an extra couple hundred years to blow. You could carve your own David, write and perform all the parts in your gorgeous symphonies, recite breath-taking poetry in dozens of languages, cure cancer, win the White House in 2542, travel to distant planets in ships engineered by your design-- there's no end to the possibilities when there's no end.

There again, I don't think I'd want to live in this world forever. I do happen to believe in an afterlife, and I'd like to check it out. I hear good things. If reincarnation's the deal, than maybe taking a chance on a fresh new start might get tempting after 1000 years or so of staring at Mook in the mirror. And if the grave is really the end, then at least I would have had the time to do something really worthwhile for the world before being buried in it. Anyways, chances are I'd end up there eventually, if only by accident. And if that's the case, why succumb prematurely?

1000 seems like a nice round number. Assuming 75 years for me as is, given my diet and inclination to exercise, which are both lacking-- then 1000 years would give me 10 times that long to accomplish success in my pursuits and pleasures, plus an extra 250 years just to fart around. Sounds about right. And heck-- if at any point in between I decide I've had enough-- then I'm free to go. Vice versa-- if I get there and want to stay, I've got options.

Of course, I haven't explored the really interesting socio-economic/environmental impacts of an age-defying populace here. This piece is already plenty long, and the issue of "would I even want to not die naturally" seems to be enough to tackle for most. But there's certainly much to explore in another post. It's funny-- I wonder if there have been any serious polls out there on how many Americans (or any other large sample) would opt for immortality if they could? Google turned up nothing, but I didn't look that hard. I really am curious to know what you all think on this matter. Alright, that settles it-- I'll look into setting up my own poll here on the Mookblog, and you can answer the question for yourselves.

Cheerio, and to your health!

Mooks

My Itching Anus and Kickass Knife-Fighting Skills Finally Explained

It's apparently because I'm left-handed. So says Al Jazeera's Sci-Tech section, of all places. An interesting ditty on why left-handed people beat the crap out of Darwin.

Apologies

For light blogging! Weekends are busy for me-- the fun to resume tomorrow.

Cheerio!

Mooks

Fly Guy

Dedicated to my sister, by way of thanks. Look out for the space-squid, Loo.

From My Darling Sister, Laura

Love in the past is only a memory. Love in the future is a fantasy. Only here and now can we truly love. --Buddha

Two Stones

Sit there, breathing very lightly, and slow, so
You don't know.
It's getting dark. Time to
Trill on a watery note--
Let it lick,
Taste,
Wash something away-- we'll see it later.

One day it washed you away.
Water whirled you 'round the world
(Toilet bowl effect);
I dipped in a toe
But my heart pushed me in
And slowly
I melt, fragment
Dust
And then float lightly around you.

2/5/91

Democrats Defending

Kevin Drum and Armed Liberal begin what looks to be an excellent diablog on the question of why/where/how Democrats need to understand national defense if they plan on winning another presidential election anytime soon. I'll try to patch you into the thread; it's kinda all over the place, but it's good reading now and bound to get better as it gets deep . . .

Kevin Drum starts it here.

Armed Liberal picks it up here.

The rest can be heard over at Winds of Change's hallowed halls. Enjoy.

Dead Guys Say Cheese

I know it's the wrong holiday season for it, but check out this neato flash "documentary" on ghosts captured on film, recordings, etc. Of course, Some of the stuff on this video is a little silly, all of it is questionable, but much of it is pretty compelling, nonetheless. I post, you decide.

Subuders-- listen to the voice of a ghost doing latihan at the end of the video-- it's unmistakable. Interestingly, it was the only audio-clip the filmmakers didn't (or couldn't) translate, but it was instantly recognizable to me-- she sings the word "Allah." Have at it, kids!

UN Issues: The Left Responds . . . ?

I've finally unearthed a response from the Left on Food-for-Oil, the fate of Kofi Annan, reforming the UN, etc. It's a scattered and weak article in general and offers few specifics-- but it's literally the first such article I've come across in my admittedly peripheral search efforts. I'll be interested in hearing what Layli has to say on this front, since some of what's said here mirrors comments she made earlier (sorry- can't find a link; maybe it was in a personal email. Layli?)

Come on, folks-- I'd really like to see some thorough discussion on this matter. GT and I have been bitch-slapping the UN without making very strong arguments; will anyone rise up to the challenge and defend this piece of crap institution?

I Need A Book

I'm gonna have some time on my hands after my final exams to read something other than Oriental Medical Theory. Any suggestions? I'm completely open to anything, but I'm a huge snob for good writing if its fiction-- make it good.

Snake Charmer's Unite!

And believe it or not, this is rated by YT as only the second most interesting thing in the news today. See below for today's winner.

Santa Claus, Teeth, and Knuckles

This is by far the most interesting thing in the news today, courtesy of Drudge. Man, I would have liked to have seen some footage of that-- it somehow strikes me as the most honest reflection of holiday-season secular madness I've heard of yet. Totally awesome.

Confessore Nails It

Here's the best analysis of inside-the-Democratic party post-election Howard Dean dynamics you'll find on the web right now. Really good stuff, for the most part.

Booobabeedoooo . . .

I could be. . . . . . . . missing . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . for a few days . . .. . . . stumbled. ... . . across .. . ... . this . . . . . . a couple hours . . ago ... . . . . ... . .


Sooo . ... . . . . . happy ... . . .. . . . .

School As Metaphor For Religion

1. In Judaism, school goes for one year, but it seems like 40. Everyone fails the class, but the teacher plays favorites and graduates a few of the students despite their grades. Failure means a year of punishment; graduates get to watch the others suffer, knowing they just got lucky.

2. In Christianity, school goes for one year. There are two teachers-- one who gives out candy and lets you do whatever you want, and one who flogs himself every time you do anything wrong. The class is graded on pass-fail, and the final has only one question: "who's your favorite teacher?" Failure means eternal hellfire with the cool teacher; passing means a field-trip to Disneyland with the masochist.

3. In Islam, students have school for one year, girls sit in the back of the class, and all students start with an A and are graded on merit. Those who pass get to go to the prom. But kids in class who refuse to believe there is only one teacher in the school all fail. Punishment for kids who fail is enforced by the believing students during the school year (who get nice dates to the prom as a reward for creativity) and for all eternity by their teacher, who will stalk them all down and burn them alive himself.

4. In Hinduism, kids go to college for four years and get to pick their classes and their professors. All the seniors get an A and get to hang out with the professors, the juniors get a B and are allowed to feel superior and boss around the other kids, the sophomores get a C but don't care because they are all business majors, and the freshmen get a D and are hazed every day in the fraternities. Kids that aren't yet in college are eaten during snack-time. When the students graduate, they all move to the suburbs for eternity and get real jobs.

5. In Buddhism, kids don't know how long they'll be in school, there are no grades, and there's nothing to do but sit there and stare at the blackboard. The only way to graduate is to decide you really like school and agree to become the professor.

6. In Confucianism, everyone is home-schooled by their grandparents. Everyone majors in etiquette. You graduate when you start having kids of your own.

7. In Taoism, school is awesome-- there are no grades, no teachers, and no one ever wants to graduate. Everyone learns how to get high and kick ass. When the cool kids finally go off to college, they become high school legends.

Finite And Infinite Games 1.6

"In one respect, but only one, an infinite game is identical to a finite game. Of infinite players we can also say that if they play they play freely; if they must play, they cannot play.

Otherwise, infinite and finite play stands in the sharpest possible contrast.

Infinite players cannot say when their game began, nor do they care. They do not care for the reason that their game is not bounded by time. Indeed, the only purpose of the game is to prevent it from coming to an end, to keep everyone in play.

There are no spatial or numerical boundaries to an infinite game. No world is marked with the barriers of infinite play, and there is no question of eligibility since anyone who wishes may play an infinite game.

While finite games are externally defined, infinite games are internally defined. The time of an infinite game is not world time, but time created within the play itself. Since each play of an infinite game eliminates boundaries, it opens to players a new horizon of time.

For this reason it is impossible to say how long an infinite game has been played, or even can be played, since the duration can be measured only externally to that which endures. It is also impossible to say in which world an infinite game is played, though there can be any number of worlds within an infinite game."


From "Finite and Infinite Games," by James Carse.

Getting The Party Started

Howard Dean once again set the tone in a major political campaign, this time for his party's top job (Chair of the Democratic Committee-- that being the governing body of the Democratic Party, for those of you who quite understandably shy away from inside-party politics) in a short speech he gave yesterday. It's worth a read, as it may very well be the new voice of this tragically self-defeating party, and though I hesitate to fully endorse the guy, there sure is an awful lot to like in his "pull no punches" rhetoric.

Face Update: feeling much better today, thanks, though still a little heaviness around the mouth. Heading off to the clinic for another treatment later today. And thanks, GeneThug, for picking up the blogging slack and running it in 90 yards for a touchdown. Awesome stuff.

The Better To Eat You With, My Dear

Here's a fascinating and important piece on wolf ecology. As some of you know, I went canvassing door-to-door through the hellish depths of a Pittsburgh winter in order to save the last remaining wolf habitat in this country and create a little more, if possible. Inevitably, I remember the conversations in people's living rooms would turn into a kind of fairytale face-off over this mysterious woodland monster. People knew the wolf as a real living animal almost not at all, and guiding them out of their archtypal forests of childhood fears into a place of politics and ecology with regard to this not-so-distant cousin of their own fuzzy lap-dogs was always a weird and wonderful experience for me.

As I explained back then, there's never been a single verified attack on a human being on this continent by a healthy wild wolf. I've since learned, however, that my myth-busting factoid was itself a myth, as you'll see here. I've had to unlearn more than a few enviro-myths since those days-- a commonly tripped snare born of mixing politics with science on the job-- but it must be admitted that incidences of wolf attack are still historically remarkably rare in the States. Regardless, wilderness here takes the lives of campers and hikers in one way or another all the time-- that's what makes it wild. And though you wouldn't know it from the way they whine and rage, a fund has been set up by The Defenders of Wildlife to compensate ranchers completely for any cattle lost to wolves in the U.S.-- their complaint is null and void. In my opinion, the wolf is the critical missing natural predator in this country's natural places, and, as much safety may allow, every effort should be made to care for the animal, preserve its home, and promote its return there.

Alright-- enviro-tirade over for now. Thanks for listening in.

Strindberg and Helium

Black-- as is my need; bleeding-- as is my heart . . ."

Have a cupcake, Strindberg's of the world.

"For you!"

Cranks, Kooks, and My Numb Face

Hi!

Sorry about the light blogging today-- I'm having a minor bout of facial paralysis (seriously!) for which I was treated to a really intense acupuncture treatment this morning by one of my professors, so I'm a wee bit woozy still. Prognosis is good-- don't mean to worry anyone.

I'll be back in true form soon enough, have no doubt, but in the meantime-- here! Keep yourselves merrily entertained for hours with these two modern wonders of the internet:


www.crank.net

and

http://www.globalserve.net/~sarlo/Ratings.htm


Peace!

Mooks

For The Bible Told Me So

According to a Newsweek poll released this week, 55% of all Americans believe "that every word of the Bible is literally accurate -- that the events it describes actually happened," 67% of all Americans believe that "the story of Christmas -- that is, the Virgin birth, the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the Star of Bethlehem, and the Wise Men from the East -- is historically accurate," and 82% of Americans believe that "Jesus Christ was God or the Son of God."

Jesusland, indeed.

The Stork

Here's a cheery outlook on humanity brought to you by the good folks over there at The Voluntary Human Extinction Project. Enjoy!

Untitled

In the morning,

Light taps politely at my eyelids.

Opening them, I cast a

Veil over my soul.

Evening comes, and, anxiously, I crawl

Under my covers, waiting to

Dream.

Each day goes like this,

And the hours between sleep are

Nothing to me.

Near to you in my dreams,

I am in Heaven.

1/5/97

More, please!

I just finished reading through all the links in yesterday's post, "Countdown to the Singularity, part X" by GeneThug. I now find myself running circles in my skull in happy pursuit of my mind, which, netted by many a misconception, ignorance, and other intellectual constraint, now flies free like a butterfly.

Joy!

Reforming the Unformable

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an impenetrable field? A call for reform. The Economist has a nice article on this principle in effect at the UN. The last few sentences say it all:

"America is in a foul mood about the world body. Why bother reforming something hopelessly ineffective and even corrupt, many there ask? Despite universal agreement that the UN is in a bad way, the case for reform faces an uphill struggle."

Hurlbut Booby-traps Embryo Ethics

Two actual solutions are here presented for resolving moral issues raised over using embryos for stem cell research. Can this world get any weirder. . .

A Day In The Life

I highly recommend these fascinating journal entries from people living in Iraq. It's a quick read, but most revealing.

Finite And Infinite Games 1.5

"Only one person or team can win a finite game, but the other contestants may well be ranked at the conclusion of play.

Not everyone can be a corporation president, although some who have competed for that prize may be vice presidents or district managers.

There are many games we enter not expecting to win, but in which we nonetheless compete for the highest possible ranking."


--James Carse, "Finite and Infinite Games."

Night Flight

Journal Entry, June 21, 1973

"I wake up at 5:00 A.M. and move to the sofa. After reading for about fifteen minutes I become sleepy and decide to try something new. I grab a sheet of paper and begin to write out-of-body affirmations. "Now I am out of the body." As write, I verbally repeat them to myself. After writing fifty or so I can barely keep my eyes open. As I drift to sleep, I continue the affirmations in my mind.

I'm startled awake by a strange numbness and vibrations throughout my body. I stay calm as possible and focus on the sensations of floating upward. After several seconds, I feel myself lift up and out of my body. I stand beside my body and walk to the window. I feel somehow out of focus and request clarity. There's only small improvement so I repeat my request, and this time I'm more demanding: "I need clarity now!" Instantly, my awareness becomes crystal clear. My body feels lighter and more energized. I feel vibrantly awake and aware and decide to try to fly. Stretching out my arms, I take a small leap and fly through the ceiling and roof, until I'm several hundred feet above my neighborhood. I rotate my arms slightly and level off. It's absolutely exhilarating. I feel completely free as I glide over the town of Catonsville. Even though it's night, the landscape is illuminated by a silvery glow. Below me the houses and streets appear like a Christmas garden. Suddenly, I feel a tugging sensation at my back and spontaneously think of my body. The thought of my body snaps me back to it with a jolt. I awaken with a slight numbness and tingling throughout my body."

From "Adventures Beyond the Body," by William Buhlman

1,000

That's the number U.S. troops killed in Iraq as of today, according to the Pentagon. The reason this fact should be profoundly newsworthy is because of how incredibly low that number is relative to what an engagement like this might have cost if we invaded, say, North Korea or Iran (or just about anywhere else in the world, for that matter). Of course, to the degree that it matters anymore, common wisdom says this story will hurt popular opinion of Bush and his handling of the war. That's truly remarkable when you think of what this country put up with from war-time presidents during the last century in terms of casualty rates. Of all the major conflicts-- WWI, WWII, North Korea, Viet Nam-- I would argue that all except WWII seemed to offer no more compelling of a rationale for war than Bush offered for Iraq, yet we the public put up with hundreds of thousands of lost sons and brothers in those times. What gives? Why do we as a nation now have so little tolerance for sacrificing the lives of our G.I.s in overseas military exploits? I'll tell you-- it has everything to do with the fact that we've all had a chance to actually see on the big screen and up close on our tv sets what war really looks like-- and we don't like the idea of sending our children into that hell.

Curiously, this story stayed up on Yahoo's top stories for all of about a half an hour, and CNN isn't running with it at all. . .

Sullivan On Anchoring the American Culture

Piercing insight in this piece-- I have to recommend you back to Andrew Sullivan once again.

How Low Can We Go?

Marvin Olasky, a staunch social conservative, interviews Peter Singer, "the most influntial philosopher alive" according to the New Yorker, on issues of practical ethics. Olasky tries to corner Singer with sexual scenerios he thinks surely must outrage even this highly progressive thinker, but to no avail. I'm doing fine with everything Singer has to say and am even amused by Olasky's stuck-up'edness until Singer flatly agrees that "parents conceiving and giving birth to a child specifically to kill him, take his organs and transplant them into their ill older children" is morally a-okay.

What-what-WHAAT?

Scarrier Than Cadavers

Notice the way the debt starts to explode upward around the time of Reagan's administration. It continues in that direction through Bush I, but then starts to level off and even head downward during Clinton's years. Then W. resumes the job of Republican big government spending. Conservative my arse.

Friedman Visits The Moon

BWWAAH HAA HAA!

Thomas Friedman, a very widely read and highly respected foreign policy journalist for the New York Times who specializes in Middle East relations is now officially the winner of The Mookblog's Most Naive Man In The Entire Universe Award.

Congratulations, Tom.

Here-- read his latest opinion piece to find out why he's the lucky sucker. And afterwards, if you still can't figure out why he won this not-so-prestigious prize, then I've got a very good deal on some property I'd like you to take a look at.

(Seriously-- I agree most passionately with his larger point, of course; it's just his choice for the target of his message that seems just a wee bit laughable).

HAR! HAR! Sooooooooooo FUNNY.

Oh, man, I'm crying here.

Yes Men Strike Again

My loyal reader, please step into this temporary autonomy zone, relax, and enjoy the spectacular view.

If Everyone Lived Like Me . . .

We would need 4.6 planet Earths to satisfy our needs. So says this ecological footprint quiz.

Shmerrrr.

On To Happier Things . . .

For example, this.

Heh.

Cadaverlicious!

I had to go to cadaver lab last night as part of my Human Anatomy and Physiology class. It was the first time I've ever seen a dead body. I've been quietly freaking out about it all week (hence the death-fixated poetry). My dreams have been about death every night this week, too (a change from my standard repetitive subconscious drama, that of making love to a tiger. Anybody know what the heck that means?) I even had this strange idea that once I had seen death up close, that would mean the end of my own life. Yes, I thought I could actually catch death off those cadavers. This is a very dangerous line of thinking, since my mind is extremely apt at bringing into fruition that which it imagines-- and, in fact, I nearly did pay the price for these morbid fantasies. I was driving on the highway on the way to class. My mind was, needless to say, distracted-- I didn't notice that the cars in front of me had come to a screeching halt. I slammed on the breaks, which immediately locked up, causing the car to slide around underneath me; I had two seconds to live before I would slam into the car in front of me. I didn't have time to look in my mirror, I just turned into the next lane and prayed. Nobody hit me, of course. But that didn't do much for my mood.

The technician with the keys to the lab who was supposed to let me, my professor, and my fellow students in to see the cadavers was about 45 minutes late. I was so glad at first, thinking we would be sent home, then so down when my teacher decided to hold lecture while we waited, then so glad as every minute passed that he wasn't there, thinking I was going to be freed from this ordeal, then so deeply, tragically upset when he finally did show.

The tech marched us into a little room and made us put on white lab coats. My professor casually pointed out a fetus in a jar on a bottom shelf by some shoes. It looked like a doll-- I really wasn't convinced that it was real.

Then we went through a door into a cold room with six steel canisters sitting on some tables. They were like coffins. A tub near the door was filled with some discarded human flesh and bones. My teacher herded us around the tub and lifted out an intact vertebrae, complete with meat and nerves hanging off of it. She started talking away, but everyone was watching me because I was leaning low against the wall, burying my face into my shoulder. The lab tech, also an acupuncturist, kept signaling me to rub my forearm two inches above the wrist crease-- Pericardium-6, a primary acupoint for nausea.

The spine was put away, and the teacher asked us to come closer to one of the metal caskets. She opened it. I looked away immediately, automatically. I literally couldn't bring myself to see it-- my own body fought against my command to turn and face what was lying on that table. I've never experienced reflexive aversion or a battle of will versus instinct like that before. I fought with my revulsion and finally turned to face the body. I held the image in my eyes for only a second. All the skin had been removed, so it was just a red and brown carcass streaked with yellowish tendons and fatty tissue. The teacher lifted an arm, and I saw the hand. I don't think I feinted or puked or anything, but my mind did a kind of somersault as my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I kind of went numb. The next thing I remember was the lab technician helping me get my coat off. The rest of the class was nowhere to be seen-- I guess he had pulled me out of the room. He started asking me questions-- what's wrong? Are you okay? Do you need to talk? Nice fella. I said no, thank you, and just left. After sitting alone on a bench for about an hour I called my mom, who had a good laugh at my expense, God bless her.

So, apparently, I have issues.

I want to talk more about this, but I really really need to take a nap and get some studying done before we head out to a Christmas party being held by my wife's boss. But I wanted to get my recollections down before I had permanently blocked the memories out of my mind.

Let's talk more about it later.

Time of Defiance

So my oldest brother, Lukman, has proposed that he and I and anybody else as wants to start up some group gaming at "Time of Defiance." It's an online strategy game somewhat similar (says Luker) to Starfarers of Catan, a board-game that I have been known to play once and [forty-three times this year] a while. I've only kinda checked it out a little, but it seems cool-- I like the fact that it's situated in real time, so you can set things in motion, and when you come back a few days later your ships (for example) will have arrived at their chosen destination.

I'm in. Any other takers?

Torture-- Okay!

This is really pissing me off. We know torture elicits bad intel. We've been getting bad intel for a long time from client states like Egypt, Syria, or Jordan where we've exported captives and torture equipment for that purpose. It's the kind of intel that convinced us to invade a country the size of California practically alone for WMD that aren't there:

By Michael Isikoff, Investigative Correspondent, Newsweek July 5 issue -

A captured Qaeda commander who was a principal source for Bush administration claims that Osama bin Laden collaborated with Saddam Hussein's regime has changed his story, setting back White House efforts to shore up the credibility of its original case for the invasion of Iraq. The apparent recantation of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, a onetime member of bin Laden's inner circle, has never been publicly acknowledged. But U.S. intelligence officials tell NEWSWEEK that al-Libi was a crucial source for one of the more dramatic assertions made by President George W. Bush and his top aides: that Iraq had provided training in "poisons and deadly gases" for Al Qaeda. Al-Libi, who once ran one of bin Laden's biggest training camps, was captured in Pakistan in November 2001 and soon began talking to CIA interrogators. Although he never mentioned his name, Secretary of State Colin Powell prominently referred to al-Libi's claims in his February 2003 speech to the United Nations; he recounted how a "senior terrorist operative" said Qaeda leaders were frustrated by their inability to make chemical or biological agents in Afghanistan and turned for help to Iraq. Continuing to rely on al-Libi's version, Powell then told how a bin Laden operative seeking help in acquiring poisons and gases had forged a "successful" relationship with Iraqi officials in the late 1990s and that, as recently as December 2000, Iraq had offered "chemical or biological weapons training for two Al Qaeda associates."

But more recently, sources said, U.S. interrogators went back to al-Libi with new evidence from other detainees that cast doubt on his claims. Al-Libi "subsequently recounted a different story," said one U.S. official. "It's not clear which version is correct. We are still sorting this out." Some officials now suspect that al-Libi, facing aggressive interrogation techniques, had previously said what U.S. officials wanted to hear. In any case, the cloud over his story explains why administration officials have made no mention of the "poisons and gases" claim for some time and did not more forcefully challenge the recent findings of the 9-11 Commission that Al Qaeda and Iraq had not forged a "collaborative relationship."

You know what-- if you worked some thumbscrews into my digits, I'd tell you anything you want, too. You start pulling my finger nails off with pliers and I'd come up with some really really juicy dirt-- we'd be bombing Canada in days based on my highly compelling testimony. Folks, what we are telling the terrorist states today is-- "Keep on electro-whippin' the prisoners, boys, 'cause Uncle Sam likey!" I'm sure everyone that died during the attacks on 9/11 would be proud of what we're doing in their name. Our record* on this issue is absolutely disgusting, and it's enough to make me deeply ashamed of my country.

*Need a reminder? Here ya go!

Abortion-- Yes!

America favors upholding Roe V. Wade. Emerging Democratic Majority has the scoop.

Coalition Count

Daily Kos has a good list of who's really in Iraq. 28 countries contributing. But the sum contribution of the bottom five countries on the list doesn't even add up to a hundred troops, and the bottom thirteen on the list totaled doesn't even add up to 1,000 troops. This is a token coalition, folks-- let's be honest.

Meet The Neighbors

Here's a great piece by Andrew Sullivan on the reality of moral values in the red and blue states versus the stereo-hype. Very interesting.

Spooked

A lovely presentation of a budding conspiracy theory to rival WSJFK. Oh, and there's plenty more where that came from . . .

Hat tip Russ Klein.


UPDATE:
Now take some over-the-counter debunking pills and go about you're ordinary lives. Ah, but it was exhilarating for a moment, there, wasn't it? To be in the know. Nice touch with the rock and roll music and everything. Good stuff.

Wong on the War

This guy is supremely hilarious and must be read. Warning-- humorous vulgarity alert.

Hat-tip to GeneThug.

Finite And Infinite Games 1.4

"To have such boundaries means that the date, place, and membership of each finite game are externally defined. When we say of a particular contest that it began on September 1, 1939, we are speaking from the perspective of world time; that is, from the perspective of what happened after its conclusion. So also with place and membership. A game is played in that place, with those persons.

The world is elaborately marked by boundaries of contest, its people finely classified as to their eligibilities."

J.C.

Instant Philosophy III

One should not blame a butterfly
For being inconsistent.


2/97

No News is Good News

There's nothing happening of note in the world today, it would seem. The top stories on all the news outlets are truly trivial-- Tom Brokaw stepping down, Bush insisting there will be timely elections in Iraq, a new Secretary of Agriculture-- yaaaaawwwwwn. The most exciting stuff, sadly but not atypically, is on Drudge-- and even that's pretty dull. But I liked the story about a giant fog engulfing China.

The major bloggers I read are silent today, too. Just a nice, quiet, nothing going on in the world kinda day.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Think I'll write some poetry.

Raising Death

Help!
Cries Death.
I've tripped on my flail
And am impailed!

Please, says I,
Do me this pleasure,
And I will lift you
At your leasure.

You'll find my maw bone-dry,
Small fry.

I only wish
To never die.

Go toss your knuckles!
He says with a chuckle.
That tune I cannot pick--
Now help me up or I'll lay you quick.

Dear Death,
I'll prove my courage bolder,
And lift you high up on my shoulder!
Umph! Hah!

You're grinning behind me,
Darkest shade.
Yet, should I trip now--
You, too, get laid.


2/12/04

Tidbits

Turn into time
And step forward--
Leave others sniffing as
Your past goes blowing by them.
Sneak around Death and be free--
It is the ultimate audacity.
And I am wholly without sex.
Also this--
A dragon may be tapped
By trapping sunsets,
But those days must be left
To beatific excesses.
Aye!
A poet warrior's work is
Ever fun. . .


3/99

It's Alive

Wow-- I actually want to buy this car now. (Warning-- this is noisy).

Hat tip to Russ Klein. Hi Russ!

Bhopal, USA

From the Arizona Public Interest Research Group:

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster in India, the deadliest chemical accident in history. On December 3rd, 1984, poisonous methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide factory. Over 7,000 people died immediately as a result of this accident, and Amnesty International has estimated that 15,000 more have died of related illnesses since 1984.

Hard to imagine, but Americans every day live at risk of a repeat disaster here in the United States. The danger is real and the risk is high. More than 100 chemical facilities in the U.S. store enough hazardous chemicals to threaten the lives and health of over one million Americans. In fact, the 9/11 Commission singled out chemical facilities among the most lethal targets for a terrorist attack.

Despite the risk, there are no federal standards to regulate security at chemical facilities. Common-sense solutions exist that would prevent a catastrophic accident or attack, but they are not being implemented. Strong chemical security legislation is needed here in the United States to protect us from a similar disaster.

Please take a moment to contact your Senators and ask them to support strong chemical security legislation. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this email on to them.To take action, click on the link below or paste it into your web browser:http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=456&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Diane E. Brown
Arizona PIRG Executive Director
DianeB@arizonapirg.org
http://www.arizonapirg.org/

Muddy Road

Two monks, Tanzan and Ekido, were traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk komono and sash, unable to to cross the intersection. "Come on, girl," said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak until that night when they reached the lodging temple. Then he no longer could constrain himself. "We monks do not go near females, " he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous! Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there, " said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

GeneThug Bites . . .

Be sure to read GeneThug's excellent (per usual) response to the Roman Catholic Church's position on stem cells and the beginning of life (which I always associated with the day I had my first chocomate ice-keem) as posted here on The Mookblog.

Still Counting Votes . . .

Jesse Jackson comments loudly on some of the odd going-ons on in Ohio (you know, the state that decided the presidential election)-- where the votes still haven't been counted. He's now spear-heading the legal campaign to challenge the election results there, despite the fact that Kerry and the DNC has long since conceded. So says the Guardian. Democrats take their case to Ohio's Supreme Court today.

Meanwhile, the Gubernatorial race in Washington State was just decided by 42 votes in favor of the Republican candidate, a difference of 0.0014 percent. Wow. The Democrats are now forced to pay for a manual recount with a $750,000 price tag-- no doubt they'll fork over, since common wisdom says the error for voting machines is somewhere between 1 and 2 percent, or 1,000 times as great as the vote difference.

Think that's close? In Montana-- you know, the red state that voted overwhelmingly in favor of Bush-- the State House of Represenatives is currently tied 50-50 between between Democrats and Republicans, and a race in District 12 that would decided it in favor of the Democrats is, you guessed it, tied at 1,559 votes each for the Democrat and the Constitution Party candidate (the Republican finished a distant third behind him). The story just gets nuttier-- read it in full as reported by The Daily Kos.

Take Totten's Visual Tour of Lybia

Have you ever even seen a picture of what Lybia actually looks like on the ground? I don't think I had before today. Michael Totten, a blogger generally worth reading, has some great photos up from his recent trip to Tripoli, (of all places to take a vacation!)-- check it out.

Two Reviews

U2's my favorite band, and have been since they came out with "The Unforgetable Fire," but their new album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" is total crap-- don't buy it. Not one good song-- not even one decent song-- on the whole album, and that includes that new IPod song "Vertigo," which is a total rip-off of Diana Ross' "Set Me Free" anyways.

Andrew Sullivan (my favorite blogger, present company excluded, of course) says "Team America" was the best movie of the year. Sure, the politics of the film are fabulously articulated, whether you agree with them or not-- but on every other count the movie is boring, tired, not funny, and vulgar in the extreme. I'm a huge South Park fan-- I wanted out of the theater in minutes.

The Game

Gary--

Victory in conflicts between players vying for nations is defined by control and ownership over an area of land-- that is, borders-- and all that exists within those borders, including the people themselves, natural resources, etc. This is because a nation itself is generally defined by its borders. True, there are "nations of people" who have no borders, but they are the losers in the game of nations. Their status as a "nation" describes the human players who vied for borders and lost. They are not a "nation of people" so much as they are "the nation's people"-- the people living on the land (or who once lived on the land) now claimed by another. Borders, whether they currently control them or not, define their status as a "nation" and not the other way around. But look out--they are still players, and they can attempt to win their old borders back or acquire new ones. And that would appear to be their intent, so long as they refer to themselves as a nation unto themselves as though they still control borders. (There are also people who claim to occupy "spiritual" land as a nation, but since that land has no physical borders, they are not really talking about the same game).

Borders define space. It is thus finite, and it can be occupied. To control it, all I have to do is to be perceived as occupying more of it than my opponent. However, the key word here is "perceived." For example, I can control the borders without even being there if I am perceived as a player to be able to defend the borders despite my absence-- boobie traps, for example. Or rumor of boobie traps-- risky if my bluff is called, but they can be very effective nonetheless. Since one is attempting to rest control from a player who is a human being, one can play to the weaknesses of human perceptions. Of course, control is still control, and if the perception of control cannot be compelled through any mind games or trickery, then you as a player may decide to take more physical measures; indeed, you must if you wish to win. If your opponent still does not respond to the force exerted because they do not perceive it as being force sufficient to occupy and thus claim ownership, then more occupying force may be necessary. This can go on in degrees indefinitely-- in point of fact, you can of course cause your opponent to cease to occupy space entirely-- you can kill them-- however, you have then lost a resource associated with your land. That may or may not be important to you, if all you are interested in is the land they occupied. You may be quite happy to repopulate the land with your own people. Of course, it is possible to control the people but not to be able to control the land. Imagine defeating a tribe on an island only to be defeated by the insect-borne disease on the island to which the tribe had become immune. However, people as a rule are much harder to control than the land, and this is increasingly so as history and technology progresses. Especially in that they are a movable resource-- they are able to escape the borders, thus depriving their opponent a valued resource in themselves. However, in doing so they have surrendered victory in the game of nations, since they are now collectively a team of players who control no borders. In general, it is not possible to control borders if you do not control the people there, too, however that is accomplished.

Yes, this is crazy. But resources are what keep us alive. We occupy space, we could even be said to "consume" space--and there is a limited amount of space around in the form of land, so things can get tight. That's just the nature of finite reality. But if we perceive together as players that it is more to our individual benefit if we act mutually, cooperatively, to share resources and space, then we may indeed devise ways of settling conflicts more peaceably. We may indeed decide that the best way to get along as players in the long run is that control of borders or resources should be handed back and forth between players through some mostly harmless war-game, like paintball, or the other ones you suggested. One player gets to be the winner for a while, the others are the losers, but everyone gets treated pretty well for the most part. It's certainly possible, and in fact, if you look around, you might see very similar games being played increasingly in the world today. But if player(s) that control nations do not decide that cooperation is in their best interest, and that competition is the best method for satisfying their real need for land and its resources, then their opponent(s) must stand to gain nothing from pursuing a strategy of mutuality, (since mutuality implies giving and taking, and if you only give and never take, you are functionally the loser and your opponent controls your land), and therefore direct conflict is likely.

As it turns out, nations that have made cooperative agreements between each other are almost always nations that have first established mutuality agreements within their own borders between the players within each nation's respective team. In other words, the people of these nations are themselves cooperative with one another, they are team players, and they share control of power of their own nation in a system of give and take. Players that control a nation that do not play on a team within their own nation rarely get the idea of playing as a team with other nations. Therefore, until most or all nations are controlled by teams of players with highly functional rules of cooperation within their own teams, you probably will continue to see the game played the old-fashioned way.

Does that answer your question?

Cheerio!

Mooks