Atheism a thing of the past?

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/books/reviews/8930/the-twilight-of-atheism-by-alister-mcgrath/

I thought this one was interesting.

Tim O'Neil wrote a PopMatters review of The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World by Alister McGrath, which discusses the future of atheism as a modernist concept.

According to O'Neal, McGrath condemns modernity with a double-pronged attack from the forces of spiritualism and post-modernism, viewing atheism as a "totalizing worldview." By definition, atheism excludes the truth of other opposing worldviews. As McGrath points out, "this critique of of such a notion has major implications for religions such as Christianity and Islam."

The problem with this argument from my view, and O'Neal seems to have agreed, is in the postmodernism lends itself rather well to atheism. Both discount the grand narratives of meaning and purpose that are answered by religion. They both reject belief in absolute Truth. 

 

O'Neal made a great point, declaring that the insertion of postmodernism into the book only muddled the argument by bringing in unnecessary contraditictions. 

 

It's an interesting argument. Certainly worth looking into. But, I think that O'Neal nailed it when he said that the insertion of postmodernism muddled the argument by bringing in unneccessary contridictions.  
 

2006 in review

Key international events of the year gone by

Brought to you by in part by iafrica.com (http://iafrica.com/news/features/519415.htm ) on Tue, 12 Dec 2006. This was a fabulous synopsis pf the years events with some of my own commentary. The highlights are to help guide you, and the articles are to explain the top stories that are dying for more explanation. Enjoy your history lesson with the events that made headlines throughout 2006.

JANUARY

• Russia sends shivers through Europe by reducing supplies of natural gas to Ukraine. 
•  At least 78 people die when roofs covered in heavy snow collapse in buildings in Germany and Poland. 
• Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon falls into a coma after a massive stroke; he fails to regain consciousness and is replaced by his deputy Ehud Olmert. 
• The hardline party Hamas enjoys a landslide election victory in the Palestinian territories. Western countries and Israel respond by cutting off aid to Hamas-led government.  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june06/hamas_3-01.html 
•  Bird flu... need I elaborate?
• Crowd crush kills 360 plus in Hajj celebration in Saudi Arabia.
• Iran resumes nuclear research. Western countries believe is aimed at building a bomb. 
• Protests break out after a Pakistani air strike against a religious college near the Afghanistan border. The dealy strike was US-led. www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1031-02.htm
• The tone is set for the Year of Women: Michelle Bachelet, a socialist, becomes the first woman elected to the presidency of Chile. In Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as the first women president anywhere in Africa.
• The collapse of Livedoor, an internet firm, rocks the Tokyo stock market.
•  Washington says goodbye to Alan Greenspan, long-time head of the US Reserve Bank. Ben Bernanke is confirmed as his replacement.
• The music world marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• New Orleans Mayor Ray Nugin urges residents to rebuild a "Chocolate New Orleans."

FEBRUARY

• Denmark faces a rising storm of criticism in the Islamic world for newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Danish interests are attacked in several countries.
• Some 1000 passengers of a ferry, most of them Egyptians, die when the vessel sinks in the Red Sea.
• The widow of the US human rights leader Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King, dies in the United States.
• The 20th Winter Olympic Games take place in and around the northern Italian city of Turin.
• US millionaire Steve Fossett sets a record by flying a plane all the way round the world without landing.
• The British government is embarrassed by video images showing troops in Iraq torturing local teenagers, while new images of violence against Iraqis in the Abu Ghraib prison also emerge. The United Nations calls for Abu Ghraib to be closed.
• Vice President Dick Cheney shoots a 78-year-old friend during a hunting expedition.
• Over 1000 people die when a landslide buries their village in the Philippines.
• At Samarra in Iraq, a bomb attack destroys the dome of one of the holiest Shiite Muslim shrines. The blast brings a huge increase in violence, which increasingly resembles a civil war.
• France is in shock after a young Jewish man is found to have been sequestered and tortured to death over several weeks by an exortion gang.
• Fifty-six people die when the snow-laden roof of a food market collapses in Moscow.
• In England, an armed gang steals a record 53 million pounds (78 million euros) from a security depot.
• The US city of New Orleans holds the first of its traditional Mardi Gras parades since a hurricane spread devastation in August 2005.

MARCH

• President George W. Bush signs a deal to sell nuclear technology India, then goes on to Pakistan, where his visit coincides with a flare up of violence by Taliban forces.
• The United States says it plans to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons.
• 'Crash', a low-budget racial drama, wins the Oscar for the best picture at the US Academy awards.
• The US state of South Dakota introduces a near-total ban on abortions.
• The European Union lifts a nearly 10-year-old ban on British beef.
• Citing fears of terrorism, the US Congress refuses to allow a company based in the United Arab Emirates to take over a firm that controls many American ports.
• France is shaken by mass youth demonstrations against a new short-term labour contract. It is later withdrawn.
• Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, on trial for war crimes, dies in his jail cell before a verdict can be given.
• Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, is re-elected with over 81 percent of the vote. A protest movement against him fizzles out after police move in.
• A former rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo becomes the first person to appear before the new International Criminal Court on war crimes charges.
• The Basque separatist group ETA announces a permanent ceasefire in its armed struggle against the Spanish state.
• Nigeria hands over the former Liberian president and warlord Charles Taylor to a special tribunal in Sierra Leone, where he is to go on trial for war crimes.

APRIL

• A centre-left coalition in Italy ousts the government of Silvio Berlusconi in parliamentary elections.
• Chinese President Hu Jintao makes his first official visit to the United States, and follows up with a tour of Africa.
• Queen Elizabeth II of Britain turns 80.
• Jawad al-Maliki becomes Iraq's new prime minister.
• John Kenneth Galbraith, one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, dies aged 97.

MAY

• Bolivian President Evo Morales issues a decree nationalizing his country's abundant oil and natural gas resources.
• Around a million people, mainly Spanish-speakers, rally around the United States to demand better rights for immigrants.
• A US federal court decides that Zacarias Moussaoui, linked to the planning of the September 11, 2001 attacks, will not be executed but instead face life in jail. 
• Violence increases sharply in Somalia, where an Islamic movement is battling US-backed militia groups. 
• President George W. Bush faces heat when it emerges that the government has been secretly archiving the telephone records of tens of millions of citizens.
• Over 170 people die in coordinated attacks by gangs in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo.
• The United States restores diplomatic relations with Libya, and takes the oil-rich country off its list of states supporting terrorism.
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament and critic of Islam, decides to move to the United States after conflict over her immigration status.
• China completes its massive Three Gorges hydroelectric dam.
• The small Balkan republic of Montenegro votes to cut its remaining links with Serbia and become fully independent.
• Australia and Portugal agree to send forces to quell violence between government troops and rebel soldiers in East Timor.
• A massive earthquake kills some 5800 people on Indonesia's main island of Java.
• Pope Benedict XVI, visits the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.
• British director Ken Loach takes the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival for a movie on the Irish independence struggle.
• Alvaro Uribe wins a second term as president of Colombia.

JUNE

• In one of a series of attacks on coastal oil installations in Nigeria, militants seeking a larger share of income for their region abduct and then release eight foreign workers.
• Italy says it will pull its troops out of Iraq by the year's end.
• US and Iraqi officials say their forces have killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of the feared al-Qaeda in Iraq group.
• Anti-NATO protesters in Ukraine prevent US soldiers from starting joint military exercises in the country. 
• President George W. Bush pays a brief unannounced visit to Iraq, where violence is killing hundreds of civilians every week. A few days later the US military death toll in the war goes over 2,500.
• Royals from around the world attend lavish 60th birthday celebrations for King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
• The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says his office has documented major massacres and rapes during the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.
• Scientists say polar bears are threatened with extinction because global warming is causing the Arctic ice cap to melt.
• Violence increases in Sri Lanka, with bombings and both land and sea battles.
• Russia says it has killed the hardline Chechen independence leader Abdul-Khalim Saidullayev.
• Countries in favour of hunting whales win a key vote at the International Whaling Commission.
• A painting by Gustav Klimt fetches a record $135-million at auction.
• Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is taken to The Hague where he is to face trial on war crimes charges.
• Japan pulls its small troop contingent out of Iraq.
• Palestinian militants kill two Israeli soldiers and abduct a third in an attack on a border post. Israel hits back with a massive incursion during which it knocks out the territory's only power station and abducts leading members of the ruling Hamas movement.
• Kuwait holds parliamentary elections in which women are allowed to vote for the first time.
• The US Supreme Court says President Bush overstepped his powers by creating special military courts for terrorism suspects.

JULY

• Conservative candidate Felipe Calderon is declared the winner of a presidential election in Mexico. His leftist opponent Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says the vote was fraudulent, and unsuccessfully demands a recount.
• A US veteran of the Iraq war is charged with raping a young Iraqi girl and killing her and her family.
• Forty-one people die when a metro train derails in the Spanish city of Valencia.
• North Korea test-fires several missiles, including one which could potentially reach US soil.
• Italy wins the World Cup, beating France in the final match. French star Zinedine Zidane is sent off for head-butting an Italian player.
• Russia says its forces have killed Shamil Basayev, the Chechen rebel leader who took responsibility for the 2004 Beslan school hostage massacre.
• Bomb blasts on commuter trains kill 140 people in India's financial capital of Mumbai.
• Isreal-Lebanon Conflict. Guerrillas of the Lebanese militia movement Hezbollah capture two Israeli soldiers in a raid over the border. The incident sparks a 34-day war that kills at least 1300 people dead in Lebanon and 158 in Israel, and causes massive destruction in Lebanon.
• G-8 Summit held in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. The event is dominated by the war in Lebanon.
• Cambodia prepares to try surviving former leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, but one of the most important ones dies before proceedings can begin.
• World Trade Organisation talks in Geneva collapse in acrimony.
• A tropical storm in China kills over 600 people. 
• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the war in Lebanon can help create a new Middle East. 
• Israel bombs an oil-fired power station on the Lebanese coast, causing an environmental disaster in the Mediterranean.
• The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo vote in a presidential election. The two-round process ends in November, with a victory for the incumbent.
• Fidel Castro, Cuba's leader of 47 years, hands over power to his brother Raul to undergo intestinal surgery.

AUGUST

• US film star Mel Gibson apologizes for making anti-Semitic remarks while being arrested for drunken driving.
• The United States sends troop reinforcements into Baghdad in a vain attempt to stem massive violence in the city.
• Flash floods kill hundreds of people in Ethiopia.
• Oil prices jump when the British oil company BP shuts down a key pipeline in Alaska for long-term repairs.
• Britain announces that it has prevented "mass murder" by thwarting terror attacks on planes headed for the United States. More travel restrictions ensue.
• On August 14, Israel complies with a UN Security Council resolution to end the war in Lebanon. In the final days of the conflict, it drops large quantities of cluster bombs on the country, which continue to maim and kill through the rest of the year. Hezbollah claims a "divine victory".
• John Michael Carr is arrested in Thailand, claiming to be the killer of a child beauty queen murdered in Colorado in 1996. The story turns out to be untrue.
• UN plans to "beef-up" forces in south Lebanon. Italy and Fance commit support.
• An international AIDS conference in Canada ends in recriminations.
• 170 people die when a Russian airliner crashes in Ukraine.
• A special Iraqi tribunal begins a new case against former leader Saddam Hussein, on charges of genocide against the country's Kurdish population.
• Scientists overturn decades of school astronomy lessons by decreeing that distant Pluto is not in fact a planet.
• A teenage Austrian girl found wandering in her town near Vienna turns out to have been held captive in a basement for eight years. Her captor commits suicide.
• In one of many deadly incidents involving illegal immigrants seeking to cross by sea from Africa to Europe, dozens of people are feared dead after 14 bodies wash ashore in Mauritania.
• Amid continuing carnage caused by Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip, two western journalists are held hostage by militants there for two weeks. Palestinians continue to fire home-made rockets into Israeli.
• The Ugandan government reaches a truce agreement with the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army. 
• New Orleans marks the first anniversary of the hurricane that has left most of it in ruins.
• At least 10 people die and hundreds fall ill when toxic waste from a cargo ship is dumped in various areas around the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast. 
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announces an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
• Norwegian art officials say they have recovered Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream', stolen in 2004.

SEPTEMBER

• NATO says it has launched a major new military offensive against Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan, where Canadian and British soldiers take significant losses.
• Meanwhile Afghanistan's opium production has jumped by 50 percent.
• Japan's Princess Kiko gives birth to the royal family's first boy in more than 40 years, bringing sighs of relief from traditionalists. He is named Hisahito, or "serene one".
• The United States marks the fifth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
• Representatives from more than 100 developing nations hold a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cuban capital Havana.
• Muslims around the world express anger after Catholic leader Pope Benedict XVI quotes a medieval text linking Islam with violence. The head of the Roman Catholic Church says he regrets causing offence, but does not apologise.
• The US shuttle Atlantis makes a successful visit to the International Space Station, while an Iranian-American becomes the first woman space tourist, aboard a Russian craft.
• A centre-right government is formed after elections in Sweden, but two of its ministers soon have to resign over financial scandals.
• Shinzo Abe is appointed prime minister of Japan, replacing Junichiro Koizumi.
• Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand is overthrown in a bloodless coup.
• At the UN General Assembly in New York, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls US president George W. Bush "the devil".
• Protesters in Hungary demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who has admitted lying about the economy. (Pres. Bush admitted to lying about more than just money... hmm)
• President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan says the United States threatened to bomb his country "back to the Stone Age" if it failed to support the "war on terror" after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah makes his first public appearance since the war with Israel, holding a huge "victory" rally in Beirut.
• The start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan brings even more violence in Iraq, where it has become routine to find dozens of dead and tortured bodies every day.
• The British Labour Party holds its annual conference. Prime Minister Tony Blair promises to hand the party over to a successor, expected to be Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, within a year.
• In China, Shanghai's top Communist Party leader is sacked over a major corruption scandal. 

OCTOBER

• Tension rises between Russia and its much smaller neighbour Georgia, after Georgia arrests four Russians whom it accuses of spying.
• Israel completes its military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but continues overflights.
• South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is elected to be the next secretary general of the United Nations, to take over on January 1.
• Five girls are killed in Pennsylvania Amish school shooting in the US.
• A sex scandal involving top congressman Mark Foley causes embarrassment for the US Republican Party, weeks ahead of mid-term elections.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation takes formal control of all the western forces fighting the resurgent Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
• Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist known for her coverage of atrocities in Chechnya, is found murdered in Moscow.
• An Islamist movement which has fought its way to power in most of Somalia accuses neighbouring Ethiopia of mounting an invasion.
• North Korea carries out a test explosion of what it says is a nuclear weapon, bringing outraged reactions from around the world.
• The search engine company Google spends a $1.65-billion to buy the YouTube video-sharing website.
• A respected British medical journal publishes a study which concludes that some 655,000 Iraqi civilians have died due to the US-led invasion of March 2003.
• The Nobel Peace Prize ia awarded to Muhammad Yunus, a promoter of small loans in poor countries. Most of the science-based Nobels go to US researchers.
• The head of the British army says his country's presence in Iraq is causing more problems than it is resolving.
• US President George W. Bush signs into law an act legalising secret prisons, relaxing limits on torture and removing the protections of the Geneva Conventions from certain detainees.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average index reaches a record high of over 12 000 points.
• Voters in Panama approve a proposal to widen the canal which crosses their country, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• A United Nations envoy is expelled from Sudan for published remarks critical of its policy in the war-torn region of Darfur. Fighting increases in Chad, the country which borders Darfur to the west.
• Kazakhstan reacts first with irritation then with resigned humour to a filmed spoof by the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. The jokes in the film, 'Borat', turn out to be mostly at the expense of Americans, who nevertheless lap it up at the box-office.
• President George W. Bush signs a law calling for the building of "The Great Wall of Mexico", an anti-immigrant fence along the US-Mexico border.
• The Israeli government takes a sharp turn to the right by bringing on board an ultra-nationalist Russian politician Arkady Gaydamak, owner of the Jerusalem's Beitar soccer club. Gaydamak has a "shady" reputation. http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8058481
• Political and social unrest worsens in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-8-25/45299.html
• The apartheid-era leader of white South Africa, PW Botha, dies at age 90.

NOVEMBER

• California Congresswoman Nancy Polosi is selected to serve as the next US Speaker of the House making her three steps from the Presidency. She will be the first woman in history to hold the position.
• Trade unions from around the world set up a world federation to represent their interests.
• A report says Britain is becoming a "surveillance society", due to the omnipresence of closed-circuit TV cameras in public places.
• Venezuela fails in its bid to win a seat on the UN Security Council, in defiance of the United States. The seat goes to Panama.
• Hoping for trade and energy supplies, China for the first time hosts a major gathering of African leaders.
• Scientists say overfishing could make seafood a thing of the past for most of the world's people by the middle of the century.
• A tribunal in US-occupied Iraq sentenced the country's former leader, Saddam Hussein, to death. US officials deny that the verdict has been deliberately timed to fall two days before mid-term elections in the United States.
• Former revolutionary leader Daniel Ortega wins a presidential election in Nicaragua.
• Vietnam becomes the latest country to join the World Trade Organisation.
• In the US mid-term elections the Democratic Party regains control of both houses of Congress, dealing a major setback to the Republicans.
• President George W. Bush fires his defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, seen as the main architect of the war in Iraq.
• A top judge in China set strict limits on use of the death penalty, applied in thousands of cases each year.
• Margaret Chan of China is elected head of the UN World Health Organisation.
• President George W. Bush is among Asia-Pacific leaders to attend a summit in Vietnam.
• Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, emerges as the winner of the vast country's first free presidential elections.
• A mass kidnapping of officials from a government ministry in Baghdad highlights the fast-declining influence of Iraq's US-backed government.
• Segolene Royal becomes the first woman with a chance of winning the French presidency, as she is selected as the Socialist Party's candidate.
• The Dutch government says it plans to ban the wearing of veils, such as those worn by many Muslim women, in public places.
• Chinese president Hu Jintao visits India, and later goes on to its arch-rival Pakistan.
• Plans to publish a book by OJ Simpson, in which he writes about how he might have murdered his wife if he had actually done so, collapse amid anger from his late spouse's relatives.
• Iran, Syria and Iraq announce plans to work together on ending the mayhem in Iraq.
• UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the United States is trapped in the country, and the world body says over 3700 Iraqi civilians died in the month of October.
• A former Russian spy dies after being poisoned with a radioactive substance in London.
• Rwanda severs diplomatic ties with France amid a legal spat over events leading up to the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
• Rafael Correa, an anti-US leftist, wins a presidential election in Ecuador.
• Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visits Tehran, and his Iranian opposite number calls for US troops to leave Iraq.
• Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Roman Catholic Church, makes a visit to predominantly Muslim Turkey.
• South Africa becomes the first African country to legalise gay marriage.

DECEMBER

• The world marks international AIDS day, with almost 40 million people infected with the virus that causes it.
• The US dollar falls sharply amid fears for the US economy.
• Almost 500 people are dead or missing in a landslide in the Philippines.
• The last Italian troops pull out of Iraq.
• Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet dies.

On top of Spaghetti

To settle an Equality Advocates debate, the following are the Lyrics
to a Children's Song that we were singing at the office this morning.

On top Of spaghetti
All covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball
When somebody sneezed
It rolled off the table
And on to the floor
And then my poor meatball
Rolled out of the door

It rolled in the garden
And under a bush
And then my poor meatball
Was nothing but mush

The mush was as tasty
As tasty could be
And early next summer
It grew into a tree
The tree was all covered
With beautiful moss
It grew lovely meatballs
And tomato sause

So if you eat spaghetti
All covered with cheese
Hold on to your meatball
And don't ever sneeze

As an interesting aside, the songwriter who composed this master piece
to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey" was Philadelphian Tom Glazer.

Leave it to a Philadelphian to associate Children's music with Italian food.

Post-modernism is the new black.

Or, so says The Economist.

 

In a detailed review of Selfridges, a London retailer, this article discussed Postmodern philosophy in detail, and accuses Postmodernists of being manipulated by capitalists into becoming a new breed of consumers to feed the beast.

 

It said, in sum: The long trail from Adorno and Horkheimer to Foucault was paved with the Pomo attempt to reconcile capitalism, in all of its mass marketing glory, with the overdose of individualism brought on by postmodernism.

 

Adorno and Horkheimer, the authors of the original Postmodern manifest, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944), were liberal thinkers, and believed that the evolution of the postmodern mind and society would throw off capitalism. 

 

In truth, the Pomo society is massively individualistic. As the article repeatedly explains, Pomos are the "artists of their own lives," meaning they consume not as contributors to a capitalistic society or to support the economic cycle, but to make their lives uniquely their own. Capitalists take advantage of this. 

 

Foucault recognized this connection. He recommended the readings of F.A. Hayek to explain why people must become consumers in a vain attempt to prevent themselves from being governed.  
 

The article concludes that capitalists have embraced postmodernism to a greater degree than Pomos have embraced capitalism. In their quest for unique, anarchistic lives governed by the individual self, Pomos too have become consumers - MP3 players and iTunes are redefining the music market, YouTube recreating television and visual media consumption, and as the article points out, GoogleNews and YahooNews are redefining news, advertising and marketing consumption. 

 

They have not stopped consuming, only begun consuming in new ways, meaning that capitalists are using postmodern philosophy to their advantage.

 

But, Adorno and Horkheimer would be thrilled with TIME Magazines Person of the Year issue however. "You" were voted person of the year for all of your creativity and accomplishments in 2006. Open-source became the theme of year. There was, again, YouTube, Wikipedia, Linux and the boom of Firefox. All of these are open-source - user created and maintained.

 

Seems Eric Raymond, author of Netscape's Open Source Initiative, has tapped into the Adorno/ Horkeimer liberalism and created a new wave of development. Open Source practices are creeping into agriculture, governance, technology development, education, the health industry and, of course, advertising and shopping. Don't believe me? Check out the Wikipedia notes and references on the matter.

 

As fast as capitalists can come up with new ideas on how to use Pomo fragmentation theories to generate sales, Pomo's are recreating the market. New ideas and information are being traded freely by a great many people these days. Innovation for innovations sake. Profits are taking a back seat to progress. Maybe the Pomo's aren't being as badly manipulated as the Economist implied. 

Daily Martini: Peppermint

Having a Christmas Party?

Having family over?

Well, if your family is anything like mine, that calls for a martini.

Try this one on for size.

The Peppermint Martini

1.5 oz Gin

1 oz. Dry Vermouth

1 oz. Peppermint Schnapps

Garnish with a candy cane and mint leaf.

Perfect for the holidy splendor.

Enjoy.

Newspapers: The great debate

TIME also did a piece on the future of newspapers.

I would elaborate, but my mother is chasing me into out the door for a fit of consumerism inhonor of Christmas. Think I will make her stop at In-N-Out Burger as payment.

Check this piece out. It has the opinions of media movers on the future of Newspapers.

Will they die completely? Read More!

How to have a green Christmas

I'm on a TIME Magazine kick.

TIME published a piece on how to make your Christmas more environmentally friendly. The report covers trees, lights, decorations, candles and even gifts. It makes suggestions like using LED lights, which consume less energy and using Pointsetia hemp to package your gifts. (Yes, you can actually buy pointsetia hemp.)

Of course it makes the traditional suggestions liek buying a potted tree that can be replanted. And, it also recoomended using pointsetia hemp to wrap gifts. (Yes, you can buy pointsetia hemp... on the internet - check out Importica.com or Paporganics.com.)But, there was some unique, practical ideas in the article that can be of use, suchas using LED lighting to be more energy efficient or recycling plain brown paper bags from the grocery store with pretty bows to conserve gift wrap.

Read More!

A semi-positive Wal-Mart post

Wal-Mart was boycotted by some religious groups on Black Friday for its participation in National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and a $60,000 donation to Out and Equal, an organization which promotes equality in the workplace.

According to the Ventura County Star conservative leaders saw this as a betrayal, accusing Wal-Mart of "sliding down the slippery slope" and "being extorted by the radical homosexual agenda."

On another interesting move by Wal-Mart that may please the liberals in the country. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott announced a plan to make Wal-Mart greener.
Whether or not these was an appeal to the liberal community. TIME Magazine reported that Wal-Mart has even gone so far as to demand greener policies from its suppliers.

Still, let us not forget that Wal-Mart is the largest minimum wage employer of the country and that it continues to buy goods from foreign companies without specific human rights regulations. So, starving your employees is fine, as long as the little bit of the foos they eat comes out of paper instead of plastic.

Condoms too big for Indian men

I couldn't resist sharing this one.

A study revealed that Indian and Pakastani men are having problems using condoms because standard sizes are too small for them. After measuring men from all regions and classes, the study found that Indians are 4 to 6 centimeters shorter, on average, than anywhere else in the world.

I don't know what was more humorous about this article, the fact that Indian men have small packages or that BBC News actually published a statement about how they use them.

"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said. "From our population, the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well."

Another Central PA School Shooting

ABC News reported that a janitor was shot and killed Kittanning High School today, and that, due to the proximity of the shooting scene to classrooms, school has been cancelled.

Read More!

Kittanning is a suburb Pittsburgh.

It appears that this shooting was not at the hands of a student. But, coming in the wake of two other violent school shootings in the state this year, it reaises questions about gun regulation in Pennsylvania yet again.

Just over one week ago, Shane Halligan, a 16-year-old student at Springfield Township High School in Montgomery County, just outside of Philadelphia, shot himself with an AK-47 in a crowded hallway. In October, there was the,Amish school shooting in Lancaster in which five girls were executed in their classroom.

Although it appears that this shooting in Kittanning was not at the hands of a student, it raises, yet again, the question about gun regualtion in Pennsylvania.

What do you think? Are PA gun laws too lax?

Daily Martini: Blue Shark

I'm feeling saucey today.

Blue Shark Martini

1 1/2 oz Tequila

1 1/2 oz Organe Vodka

1 oz Blue Curacao

Serve in a cocktail glass with orange slice garnish.

Have a designated driver and enjoy.

Columnist: Gay rights are civil rights

I found this in an Op-Ed from one of the most conservative counties in California no less. It's thrilling to know that our straight allies are not only recieving as much flack as we are, but they are giving educated responses back. Remember, as Mr. Pitts points out, this is not a struggle over morality or sexuality, it's a stuggle for equality.

Black-white, gay-straight -- the moral issue is the same
By Leonard Pitts Jr.

This is for a reader who demands to know why I write about gay issues. His conclusion is that I must secretly be gay myself.
Actually, he doesn't express himself quite that civilly. To the contrary, his e-mails — which, until recently, were arriving at the rate of about one a week — evince a juvenility that would embarrass a reasonably intelligent fifth-grader. The most recent one, for example, carried a salutation reading, "Hi Mrs. Pitts."
We're talking about the kind of thing for which delete buttons were invented. So you may wonder why I bring it to your attention, especially since acknowledging a person like this only encourages him. It's simple, actually: He raises an interesting question that deserves an answer...
...I'm not here to argue sexuality. I just find myself intrigued by the idea that if you're not gay, you shouldn't care about gay rights.
The most concise answer I can give is cribbed from what a white kid said 40 or so years ago, as white college students were risking their lives to travel South and register black people to vote. Somebody asked why. He said he acted from an understanding that his freedom was bound up with the freedom of every other man.
I know it sounds cornier than Kellogg's, but that's pretty much how I feel.
I know also that some folks are touchy about anything seeming to equate the black civil rights movement with the gay one. And no, gay people were not kidnapped from Gay Land and sold into slavery, nor lynched by the thousands.
On the other hand, they do know something about housing discrimination, they do know job discrimination, they do know murder for the sin of existence, they do know the denial of civil rights and they do know what it is like to be used as scapegoat and boogeyman by demagogues and political opportunists.
They know enough of what I know that I can't ignore it. See, I have yet to learn how to segregate my moral concerns. It seems to me if I abhor intolerance, discrimination and hatred when they affect people who look like me, I must also abhor them when they affect people who do not. For that matter, I must abhor them even when they benefit me. Otherwise, what I claim as moral authority is really just self-interest in disguise.
Among the things we seem to have lost in the years since that white kid made his stand is the ability, the imagination, the willingness to put ourselves into the skin of those who are not like us.
I find it telling that Vice President Dick Cheney hews to the hard conservative line on virtually every social issue, except gay marriage. It is, of course, no coincidence that Cheney has a daughter who is a lesbian. Which tells me his position is based not on principle but, rather, on loving his daughter.
It is a fine thing to love your daughter. I would argue, however, that it is also a fine thing and in some ways, a finer thing, to love your neighbor's daughter, no matter her sexual orientation, religion, race, creed or economic status — and to want her freedom as eagerly as you want your own.
I believe in moral coherence. And Rule No. 1 is, you cannot assert your own humanity, then turn right around and deny someone else's.
If that makes me gay, fine.
As my anonymous correspondent ably demonstrates, there are worse things to be.
— Leonard Pitts writes for the Miami Herald.
Source: Ventura County Star Op-Ed

This guy is my new hero.

Optimism for reception of lesbian family rights

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of a non-biological lesbian mother, granting her custody over the children she helped raise. The court found that the it was in the best interest of the children to stay in the custody of the non-biological mother, citing her ability to provide more stabilty for the children. This was a break from the traditions of the court which has historically ruled in favor of the biological parents in custody cases.

Reaction from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community emphasized the importance of providing healthy homes for children and family rights, finding that aspect of the case to be more essential than LGBT equality.

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article quoted LGBT leader Lee Carpenter:

"These things are frequently framed as gay rights issues, in terms of the parents' rights. That's partly true. But the part of the story that's missing is it's very important for kids," said Leonore F. Carpenter, legal director for Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, which represented Ms. Jones, along with attorney Maureen Gatto, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

"A child in a homosexual household deserves the same rights as a child in a heterosexual household," she said. But she emphasized that "This isn't just about gay families. Any [third party] who has been acting as a parent can apply this."
Read More!

I was pleased to find on a LiveJournal account by Booju_Newju a posting that presented the Post-Gazette article with a question: Should biology play a part in custody?

Comments invariably said that the interest and safety of the child must come first in custody cases, even from those who stuggled with the idea of a same-sex couple raising children.

NJ Supreme Court OKs Civil Unions

New Jersey passed a bill making civil unions legal in the state. According to the Inquirer, Legislators were not far from approving same-sex marriage.

"Many key lawmakers said they would have supported a gay-marriage bill, but they didn't think it had enough support in the Legislature. Civil unions, however, sailed through both houses - 56-19 in the Assembly and 23-12 in the Senate."

The law moves the state one step closer to legalizing marriage for same-sex couples. Activists say they will be back in the Legislature with proposals for a Marriage bill within two years.

Read More!

It is expected that residents from neighboring states Pennsylvania and New York will be taking advantage of the states new law, crossing the border to partake in the benefits that come with civil unions, including tax credits, property and estate rights, and powers of attorney.

Frankly, it should be interesting to see what the new law will do to the concentrations of gays and lesbians in neighboring states. Since the rights of civil unions are not recognized in Pennsylvania or New York, it is possible that the law will encourage migration. With the concentration of tax dollars pulled out of the LGBT community, this will certainly put pressure on other states to review their laws again.

It's a huge victory for the LGBT community.

Daily Martini: 77 Sunset Strip

Apologies to my fans... computer problems

77 Sunset Strip
1 oz Bacardi Limon
1/2 oz Absolut Citron
1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Triple Sec
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine

Shake and pour into chilled cocktail glass. Top with Sprite
Garnish with Orange slice and cherry
Enjoy

Los Angeles Baptist High... Any wonder why I'm crazy

(image courtesy of Andrew Chantry Fine Art Gallery)

If there was ever a question about my personal philosophy and how it got so messed up, check this out. In My wanderings today, I ran across this years student handbook from my Alma Mater. text in italics is my added commentary, highlighted in color ar the words I found most interesting.

Philosophy

Essentially, the Christian school brings together man's faith in God and its manifestation in his daily living. In its approach to general education the Christian school attempts to correlate and synthesize the whole of human experience, believing that the secular and religious facets of life, properly understood, constitute but two sides of the same reality.
--I love the word choice here. Don't you just get a warm, fuzzy feeling reading all of this chauvinistic perversity?
The school seeks to make Christ real and pertinent in the lives of students by providing an educational program which engenders wholesome attitudes, sound mental processes, and usable socialization skills based on the accumulated wisdom of human experience and of Divine Revelation.
--what does that gibberish even mean?
It is believed that the well educated Christian will be able to find meaning and purpose in the complex maze of life and to pursue courses of action that will bring spiritual self-realization, refinement of mind, moral awareness and creative involvement in the whole spectrum of living. Fundamental to this process is exposure of students to the ideas and forces that have shaped our world and brought us to our present level of achievement. To the extent the school can help students arrive at an embryonic world view, students are encouraged to interpret and reshape both personal and societal priorities and contribute to the betterment of the human condition.
--Excellent choice of words here as well. Embryonic? Are we talking about abortions and getting political here? Really. Defined as shapeless, rudimentary, premature and -at best - budding, why would you want to help a student have an embryonic worldview? Basically, they are trying to shape kids who live in a bubble, unexposed to the corrupting forces of the world and kept pure by ignorance. Brilliant idea guys. But, the next part is my favorite.
This concept of the Christian School is based upon the belief that there are unchanging principles of truth underlying the universe which make systematic knowledge possible, of goodness which make morality binding, and of beauty, which, because it is the reflection of both truth and goodness, frees the spirit for creative expression and renewal.
I was amazed by how far off base this statement is. It runs completely against the Postmodern model. Congratulations LAB, you are officially going against the grain!

Courtesy of the 2006-2007 Los Angeles Baptist High School Student Handbook, Section 1.4

Check it out.

I went to an awsome event cosponsored by these guys last night, and thought I would share some of their material.

Check them out.

Let's Stop US Tax Funded Aid to Israel Now!

SUSTAIN

Daily Martini: Stinger

I remember sitting on my moms bed watching Bette Midler in Beaches as a kid. We would always have a box of tissues, Raisinettes and a bag of lightly buttered popcorn. We'd watch and laugh when CiCi gets arrested in Central Park,a nd when she calls Hillary, Barbara Hershey's character, fat. Then, when Hillary died, we'd cry... everytime.

CiCi orders about a dozen Stingers in the movie. I always wondered what that was.

Now I know, and you can too.

The Stinger
1 1/2 oz Brandy
3/4 oz white creme de menthe

Stir, and serve in a cocktail glass.
Enjoy.

Philly Riverfront trying to break in.

photo courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer

This is a fantastic article about the Foxwoods casino, proposed for South Philly.

The company behind Foxwoods, holding 30 percent of the investment, is a Connecticut-based Indian tribe. The Peguot Tribal nation owns the worlds largest bingo gallery, and has expanded its gambling facility to a $300 million dollar machine complete with cards, slots and entertainment.

I think this would be an amazing development for the city. Philadelphia is certainly never going to become an Atlantic City or Las Vegas. It probably won't even become a Biloxi. But, the land that Foxwoods wants to develop needs to be developed. Right now it is an empty, overgrown lot that attracts nothing but litter.

The United Artist Theater, Walmart and Home Depot workers stand in front of the chained link fence everday and toss WaWa coffee cups, gum wrappers, chip bags and cigarrette buts into the field. That's all it produces... filth.

If Foxwoods is approved, it will draw upwards of 10 million people each year into the dorment section of South Philly. According to this report, the resort in Connecticut draws 500,000 every week.

Sounds better than garbage to me.

Read more!

Interesting Temple link, Women's basketball coach and three-time Olympic medalist Dawn Staley is one of the investors of this project.

Joining her, among others, are Comcast-Spectacor chairman Edward Snider, developer Ronald Rubin, and Lou Katz's daughter, Melissa Silver.

These investors would comprise the other 70 percent of the profiteers.


They have committed 40 percent of the profits to benefit local community programs and underpriviledged children.

Christmas at home.

My mom just finished decorating the Church, her annual project. Here are a couple of pics.

Reminds me of high school when we would chant:
"T- Cot- W,"
"What,what"
God, we were lame.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Doesn't it just make you want to take the plunge into a fit of consumerism?

Letterman, O'Reilly and ignorant Americans

I now this is like a month old, butI watched the Bill O'Reilly v David Letterman interview today in two segments: Part 1 and Part 2

Besides the lack of timeliness, I was amazed at the ability of both of these men to do three things:

• stay in character
• make a worn-out conversation interesting
• and, do an equal amount of talking over one another and have an actual conversation.

I am also amazed about some of the ideas that people come up with when listening to Bill O'Reilly. This was one of the posted comments to the video.

wesscoast (1 week ago)
Arghan is not a democracy, go after Kim Jong Il. They're going after Saddam because he was going to adopt the Euro as currency for Oil deals... which would fuck the US economy.

Please.
I think they are talking about Afghanistan not being a democracy, and no one said they were.
Go after Kim Jong and the North Koreans, oh, that's a great idea .War on 2 fronts...
And, my personal favorite, Saddam was going to join the EU!?

The European Union would never in a million years have emitted Iraq under Sadaam's regime. They won't even emmit Turkey. Muslim nations, terrorists nations and regimes that commit massive humanitarian violations will never be considered for membership, but more than anything, Iraq was under an American embargo up until the invasion. Bringing Iraq into the Union would have jeopordized Europes trade with the US. Unless the US fell from power, it would never happen.

More Commentary on Pope Visit

As I mentioned in my previous commentary on Eggs Benedict in Turkey, the issue is about Israel/Palestine, the battle for Jerusalem. The Vatican will never condone the entry of a nation supporting Palestine into the EU. You cannot have a political union, pact or contract between nations who have opposing views on this issue.

BTW Do you think they could have gotten a more queer priest for this segment?

McCain still unclear on gay marriage

I have been looking for a breif statement by John McCain on same-sex marriage. While I think this one is a bit too brief, McCain is not even afforded time to elaborate, the question does come across loud if not clear:

He is for a ceremony, but not for same-sex marriage. In other words, he is still being elusive on the issue.

I included the commentary from Netscape, because I thought it was interesting to see how this clip was percieved by many people across the country. It never ceases to amaze me how the majority of the population has not yet learned Politician-Speek. You have to listen carefully to these guys because they are paid to be our servants, yet they are masters of spin and vagueness.

Check out the link to the clip under View Story.

Daily Martini: Saturday Night Fever

I had a fever tonight, and its Saturday, thus the title of this one.

Saturday Night Fever
1 1/2 oz Bacardi Limon
1 oz Dissaronno

Serve in a cocktail glass with cherry garnish.
Enjoy.

Get your news here, its better than USAToday

First, forgive me for the series of posts linking to other blogs. I went browsing through Technaroti and found some quality material. Amidst it was this gem: Five Public Opinions.

I found a new source for my daily dose of culture, politics and world affairs, and of course, it is coming from abroad. I only looked at the last couple of days, but these pieces got me hot enough that I felt they needed to be shared.

Hillarious, and dead on.

There's a "week that wasn't" piece with some priceless stories.

• A kid burning down his churche because they weren't teaching the Bible in his way. What a postmodern revolutionary this kid is.
• The Pentagon downgrades homosexuality from a "mental disorder" to a "condition." It always makes me feel good to know that we are 5 years behind China on anything, especially when it's on social matters.
• And, A Texan launches a complaint for non-hostile coverage of a gay marriage... I have nothing to say to that.

I also dug the piece on the Klan. Unreal.

This guy is motivating me to move to Australia. Is everyone this openminded down under? I wonder.

YouTube and Postmodernism kick

Check this site out. I thought it was hillarious and right up my ally. A combination of anarchy, postmodernism and drug use... If the philosophers had it right, this guy is ahead of his time and society will be catching up in about 20 years.

I was cracking up watching the Vancouver piece... it looks just like Berkeley, all the way down to the homeless guy with the shopping cart. But, I swear, Canada is just so clean.

http://www.postmodernanarchist.com

Google is taking over the world

Next stop... YouTube.

For those of you who haven't heard, YouTube and Google are in negotiations. Google has proposed nine figures to the creators of YouTube. Startling when you realize that YouTube is presently not for profit.

Media experts believe that Google's size, combined with the sheer size of audience at YouTube will create a new market that broadcast companies simply can't compete with, changing viewing patterns. Finally, American broadcasting is going to be without commercials... or will it?

Google may sell advertising rights within the content of video steams, which would suck, and most people would stop using it. Otherwise, we may truly be walking into unkown territory... open forum broadcasting without commercials. Keep you eyes peeled.

Read more on the details at PoMo.

Benedict for Saturday Breakfast

I have to hand it to the Vatican, their PR machine runs smoothers than GW's. Here's another Vatican Blog speaking the highest praises of Pope Benedicts visit to Turkey.

My favorite part was this excerpt:

From his support for Turkey’s European Union membership to his speaking in Turkish during prayers in the ancient city of Ephesus, the Pope surprised and impressed.Most enthusiasm was reserved for his decision to pray alongside Mustafa Cagrici, the Mufti of Istanbul, at the Blue Mosque.The Mufti characterised the moment when Pope Benedict faced Mecca and clasped his hands in the Muslim manner, as the full apology that the Pope failed to make after his controversial address about Islam at Regensburg University in Germany in September.

A symbolic apology? How about a real one.

We Belong, an important film about Tolerence or Lack Thereof in PA High Schools

We Belong

Producer: Joe Wilson

This is the story of two rural teens who had the courage to stand up to bigotry and intolerance in their schools – and the determination to tell their stories to the world.

Homophobia is one of the last “permissible” forms of prejudice. Its effects are especially acute for youth, who often suffer alone and in silence. Two thirds of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth experience harassment or violence in school, and the suicide rate for this group is four times the average.

When C.J. Bills is gay bashed in the school locker room, then arrested for disorderly conduct because he protests to an administrator about the harassment he has experienced, he decides to fight back by making a documentary about discrimination. With his family’s help, he also initiates an investigation by the state human rights commission and shames the school district into developing an anti-bullying and diversity training program.

C.J.’s documentary project also leads him to Tim Dahle, a former high school student who challenged the years of anti-gay harassment he suffered in a neighboring town. In Tim’s case, the school district that failed to protect him agreed to one of the largest sexual harassment settlements in history, sending a signal to school districts around the country that such behavior can be costly.

We Belong demonstrates that young people have the power to change their communities and the world, and that helping youth to tell their stories, in their own way and on camera, is enlightening, empowering, and effective.

It is part of the Seeds of Tolerance Competition hosted by CurrentTV. The winner of the competition will have their documentary aired on nationall television.

Click here to view 'We Belong' on Current TV.

Daily Martini: Gimlet

This is a nose to the grind-stone kind of a day, and for that I recommend a simple, old-fashioned drink that will put you in your place without a lot of fuss.

This is the grown up version of a So.Co. and Lime shot.


The Gimlet
2 oz. Vodka or Gin
1/2 oz. Lime Juice

Shake well, serve in a chilled cocktail glass with lime wedge garnish.
Enjoy.

Postmodernism and Homosexuality, obviously my two favorite topics

This is young woman, a Cali girl like myself has some of the same interests as I do, obviously.
Elle Aurens, author of la petit mort, wrote an entry implying that the "queer movement" is inabled by, if not a direct result of the postmodern era.

Read more!

While I have to agree that the breakdown of traditional social distinctions and barriers has allowed for sexual express in unparalleled ways, and that these expressions are a rejection of binary gender constructs, I can't say that this is necessarily something to be afraid of.

Gays have existed and filled important roles throughout history. For one example, teachers have often been single women who, without the familial obligations that come with heterosexual constructs, have been able to devote themselves to the educating other peoples' children.

We are redefining the foundations of our society, but not abandoning them all together. Marriage has traditionally been a pillar of our society as it binds familes together and makes them units rather than individuals. By redefining marriage and its confines, we are actually building a new frame for social construct. This should be part of the intellectual argument in favor of same-sex marriage. Gay couples will not stop having relationships, in fact the manifestation of homosexuality will only increase with time. Society becoming more open to these behaviors. So, the effort to prevent marriage between same-sex couples will only serve to create increased individualism in society, putting more strain on the system. It is easier to care for, provide for and maintain a whole unit in its entirety than to service its individual components seperately.

In an era so focused on deconstruction, this is one construct that we should not let go of. Redefining marriage will releave stress on society, and allow for collective growth rather than division.

Unfortunately, I think that the foundations of this country in particular are so strongly influenced by conservative, Christian ideals, that same-sex marriage will be simply another fissure as it crumbles.

Another great mind

Found a great blog on my Google alert - I have to admit, I am enjoying Google's control over my life.

Check this one out.

This self-professed "mad man" has some humorous and thought provoking social commentary.

ICE CREAM

The sexy, silent, light-skinned boy is my buddy Jimmy Gorecki Never imagined I would know someone as talented as he is. He's spectacular skater and a character-and-a-half. Check him out. Remember, you can look, but you can't touch... mmm,mmm Ice Cream Skate Team.

Oh, and check out their web site at www.bbcicecream.com.

Postmodern warfare

I attended a movie/documentary psuedo-docu-drama screening event hosted by Hillel on Temple's campus this evening. The film was called "Obessions: Radical Islams War Against the West," and was probably the worst piece of propaganda I have ever had to suffer through.

Want to check it out? Taste a sample.

IN the film, a woman refers to Militant Islam as "postmodern warfare." This was disconcerting to me. How do you reconcile the two concepts? I suppose you don't and that is postmodern.

But, let's think about what postmodern warfare implies.

Warfare is organized choas - okay, there is a parallel. But, in war there is a specific goal and a plan of attack by which to reach that goal. If we are talking about Postmodernism as it applies to war, than just as postmodern art is art for arts' sake, the result would be war for wars' sake. Senseless killing on a mass scale.

Interesting that today's warfare is so hands-off. Missles launched from 100 miles away are killing millions of people. Most of the world is watching the war in Iraq unfold on their television screens. Dehuminzation of the war has lead to passivity and ambivalence. Politicians and demagouges seize the indifference of the people to wage war for their own benefit - can you say Halliburton?

This is not just a disturbing thought, but one that needs to be had by the people of America. We can embrace technology and emerce ourselves in a mosaic of self-imposed worldviews, but we cannot allow this to become such an overwhelming distraction as to deter us from the values that we hold most dear. Even with our individualized moral systems, most people in this world can agree that murder is an unacceptable means to an end.

Too funny to not share

I found this on Blogger's Featured Blogs and laughed my butt off.

Courtesy of Monkey's for Helping at http://monkeysforhelping.blogspot.com


Trackback: http://haloscan.com/tb/djrecon/116441234639920004

Anti-harassment policies challenged in New Jersey

This was interesting to read, considering that my final project for Investigative Reporting is on this subject. I thought I might share it.

The New Jersey Supreme Court heard arguments on the burden held by public institutions to provide a safe learning environement to students who are bullied.

Blog Cabin covered it nicely.

El- Banco de Wal-Mart. Waxing Philosophical

I am not going to elaborate on this. I will simply break it down.

Wal-Mart is the enemy of the small business, making it an enemy to Republicans.
Wal-Mart is also the enemy of believers in a living wage, making it an enemy to Democrats.

So, who the hell is supporting Wal-Mart? The Independants?
No, apparently, it is the Mexicans.

Wal-Mart will open a bank in Mexico, expecting to begin operation in the secon-half of 2007. Some say that this is going to open up opportunities for competition in Mexico, but I think it is only another facet for Wal-Mart to expand upon it capitalistic quest for global domination - or, should I say oppression.

Credit, as we have seen in the American marketplace has a way of making the economy move, even when there is increases in unemployment, inflation and poverty. But, it does this by making the rich richer and the poor poorer, thus weakening the middle class and threatening the core of democractic society. In a country like Mexico, where the middle class is bourgening and struggling to survive, there is no room for credit and debts.

I don't think this is going to open up opportunities to Mexico. No.
I think this is only going to further subjugate the Mexican people, making them more reliant of American dollars and American job to function.

Pope "Eggs" Benedict and the Turkey. Or, was it Bologna?

Perhaps the media is having a hard time processing the importance of the palpal visit to Turkey.
Reuters is raving about Turkey's "welcome" to the Pope Benedict XVI. United Press International says that the Pope's visit is "easing tensions." But, the Muslims in Turkey don't seem to be singing the same tune.

Let the gainsaying begin.

Reuter's went on to say that fears of large protests were "unfounded." Why, then, were there 3,000 police officers needed to keep order?

If the response was so "positive" to the Pope's visit, why, according to the Pope's own blog, were there only 250 people in attendance at the open air mass he conducted at the shrine at Efes?

(BTW, I think its awesome that the Pope, 79, has a blog, even if it is pure PR. I conjured the image of the Pontiff sitting at an iMac typing away at his Blogger account and laughed for about 15 minutes solid.)

ABC, Small Gov Times, and CNN say that thousands have been in protest since prior to the Pope's arrival. All of them pulled the story from the contradictory Reuters wire.

Nicely done modern media.

Perhaps the coverage should be contradictory. It's fitting, considering that Pope "Eggs" Benedict is under such scrutiny in the Muslim world.

Recall September, when Eggs made a speech in Regensburg, Germany that inflamed the Muslim world quoting 14th Century Christian Emporer Paleologus who said that the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhumane" things. (Read more on this statement)

Muslim protests followed.

The "Sausage-fest" of Vatican cronies apologized. Even after Muslim extremists destroyed a couple of churches and murdered a nun in Somalia, Eggs did not.

On the issue of Christian-Muslim relations, Eggs seems to be set on saying and doing all that the politicians cannot, and speaking with a firm, intellectually conservative voice.

So, why is he in Turkey, a Muslim country? After all, Eggs publically objected to Turkey's application for membership into the EU in 2004, saying the country is "in permanent contrast to Europe."

The media's message: (If you read between the lines)

Eggs and his sausage-fest of advisors still believe that Islam is connected with violence. When al-Qaeda in Egypt spoke out to say that the Pope's visit is part of a "crusader campaign," the Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi translated it as a threat of violence.

He said that they are not concerned, but that "[T]his type of message shows once again the urgency and importance of a common commitment of all forces against violence."

The Issue of Palestine
The Pope is not a Crusader. Rather, he is a firm believer in non-violence. He believes that an intellectual conversion is the only genuine one and that violence corrupts the process of personal conversion.

But, the Palpal history is not unblemished when it comes to Muslim-Christian relations, and when Egg's positions on Islam, Turkey and the EU are brought to the table for a discussion about violence, crusading and Palestine, that history cannot be disregarded.

Eggs recognizes that the Turkish people are different. Unlike the majority of Christians in Europe, they are strong supporters of Palestine. Without a reconcilitation on such a volatile issue in world politics, the two idealogical sides have no place entering into an economic or a political contract.

Forget violence. Forget John Paul's legacy of cooperation and mediation. Forget the EU. The root of this visit is, on the eve of Turkey's enduction into the EU, to remind the world that the Turkish people stand against Israel.

And who better to highlight a religious divide in Jerusalem than the Pope himself?

Aviation, radiation, signs Boeing aiding US nuclear build-up.

This report just came across the Reuters Wire:

LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - British Airways (BAY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that "very low traces" of a radioactive substance had been found on two of its aircraft being examined in a police probe into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

The airline said in a statement that three B767 short haul aircraft were taken out of service for forensic examination. Initial results showed "very low traces of a radioactive substance on board two of the three aircraft."
Read more!

Low levels.

Let us examine a few other common items that emit low levels of radiation.

Televisions
Microwaves
X-Ray Machines
Medical Wastes
Smoke Detectors
Some types of old glass and ceramics
Foods that contain Potassium
And, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, so does your drinking water.

So, the next time there is a detection of "low levels of radiation" on board a plane, let us suggest that the flight attendants turn off the video-screen, microwaves and smoke detectors. Tell the pilot to turn off his radio. And, heck, have the caterers remove all of the bananas from the plane. Then, run the test one more time.

Since it seems that there are "low levels of radiation" everywhere we turn, it makes you wonder, why were these planes really grounded. Perhaps they are facing the same problems as American Airlines did with there MD80's. They announced the grounding of 22 plains yesterday when they found paint in the fuel system.

Is this a coincidence?

Here is another thought. The MD80 is a Boeing product. The three planes grounded by British Airways were B767's, also Boeing's.

Ironically, at this time, the companies stock is trading at $88.75 per share which is up 0.78, Boeing Cheif Exec. James McNerney met with Zeng Peiyan, the vice-premier of China, and the company signed new contracts with Singapour Airlines and Air Berlin. Boeing is also a producer of weapons for the United States military.

Perhaps this is our answer to why there were "low levels of radiation" on the British Airways planes. Incidently, nuclear chemicals can leave traces of "low levels of radiation" on weapons that have been manufactured in the same plants.

Boeing is no stranger to nuclear technology. It was a Boeing B-29 that dropped the bombs over Hiroshima.

And, Boeing is also an active participant today's military. Most recently, they built a "Small Diameter Bomb" which is revolutionizing the industry by allowing more artillary to be carried by Air Force Bombers. And, that is just what they are telling the media about, and they were awarded the contract to help build the next model of the F-22 Raptor.

Check out Defense Industry Daily to see what else they are working on.

And, perhaps you should wear your radiation suit the next time you board a Boeing plane. I heard that "low levels of radiation can cause testicular cancer.

Daily Martini: Mai Tai's and Malibu Sunset

I know, I know, I've been slacking. But, it's my final finals week. Please forgive me.

Thinking of Thanksgiving in Ventura, CA always inspires me for something tropical, so here are a couple to add to the collection.

This one is for all of the lovers who always dreamt of Hawaii, but never managed to make it there. A recipe that should be common knowledge if for no other reason than it has a cool name.

The Mai Tai Martini:

1 1/4 oz Light Rum
3/4 oz Triple Sec
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Sour mix
1/4 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Orgeat Syrup

Shake well, serve in a chilled cocktail glass with cherry and pineapple wedge garnish.

For those of us without an extensive liquor selection, there is a wonderful subsitute.

The Malibu Sunset Martini

1 1/2 oz. Coconut Rum
3/4 oz. Sloe Gin

Shake well, pour into chilled cocktail glass and float 3/4 oz. pineapple juice. Garnish with a cherry and pineapple wedge.

Enjoy

Daily Martini, Pomegranate

Van Gogh Vodka has, perhaps, the most complete selection of flavored vodkas on the market - and it keeps growing. Latest added to their collection is Pomegranate. It is absolutely fabulous.

I had a chance to sample it at Byblos, an Arab hookah bar here in Philly.

Give it a try.

Pomegranate Citrus Cosmo

1 1/2 oz. Pomegranate vodka

1 oz. Triple Sec, Gran Marnier

1/2 oz. Pomegranate juice

1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice.

Serve in a chilled cocktail glass with orange slice garnish.

Enjoy.

CNN conducted an unofficial internet poll that I found interesting. As of 3:38 pm EST today, there were 90,192 responses - which was what caught my eye.

The question:

Do you agree with Rep. Charles Rangel that bringing back the draft would deter politicians from launching wars?

38% - Yes (34,503)
62% - No (55,689)

I'm curious, where do these 34,000 people live?

Some injuries in Iraq are unseen, many unreported.

Staff Sgt. Raymond Lee recieved a head injury when a roadside bomb blew up his humvee. A coma rendered his military career over.

This South Carolina produced report was a captivating retelling of the soldiers story. But, what I found disturbing in it is a statement, buried in the middle amidst a bunch of mundane detail about Lee's instant messaging habits: the Pentagon "refuses to release information about soldiers injured in Iraq" for fear that the information may be beneficial to the enemy.

Two questions: How? And, why?

I can't think of any reason why the type of injuries sustained by our military men would be of any benefit to the so-called enemy. Perhaps details about when and where incidents that involved injuries would be problematic, but statistics themselves?

I don't buy it.

That information would be valuable only to war protestors who would argue, as CNN did, that there would be far more deaths and casualities reported in this war if not for the brilliant efforts of medical staffers to keep our boys alive.

Pesbyterian Church needs to make up its mind. Its getting queer

The Presbyterian Church dropped charged against Janet Edwards, a Presbyterian minister who oversaw a gay marriage in June 2005. The commission hearing the case decided on November 15 that charges against Edwards had been brought past the deadline to file.

The constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reserves marriage for a man and a woman, although ministers may bless other types of “holy unions.”

Sounds a lot like the Democratic party to me.

Waffling.

Read More!

USA Today Blogger got it right... slightly left of center.

Kristen Powers, a blogger a USA Today argued that the Clintonian Era ushered in a new kind of liberal, and more importantly, a new kind of Democrat: the centrist Democrat.

This election cycle, the Dem camp spoke about faith, God and actually had nominees on the ballot who oppose abortion. They are growing more fiscally conservative. Perhaps this is in reaction to the neo-con believe in debt spending, but more likely, it is a party in jeopordy of losing its identity by meandering too close to the middle of the road.

Check it out, she nailed the ballot and the liberal misgivings.

Not surprising, the reactions in posted comments did as well by missing the point.

Truth.com

Mike Seate of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review laid out a plea to our public officials: Come Out Already.

His article mademe think of two things: My Aunt Sharon and Gray Davis. Remember him?

Yeah.

I understand that Mr. Davis kept an apartment in West Hollywood, a window-dressing wife and a fetish for twinkies.

Are you surprised?

I mean, like Seate said, you mean to tell me that this guy can't find a date... or even better, where is his "wife?"

Arizon Sen. John McCain expresses concern about party platforms, I'm concerned about his.

John McCain is my choice for president in 2008. Let me just put that out there.

But, I a must say I am a bit concerned with his positions. Why?

He believes in small government.
He opposed the war in Iraq, but now that we are there, he has taken a stance that we have to finish what we started in order to preserve stability in region.

McCain does seem to have a firm grasp on his strengths. According ot a Business Journal report, he told a conservative political action committee this week that he felt the party's greatest strength was in the weakness of the Democratic party.

"The election was not an affirmation of the other party's program. Try as hard as I could, I couldn't find much evidence that my Democratic friends were offering anything that resembled a coherent platform or principled leadership on the critical issues that confront us today," McCain [said].

McCain wants a return to traditional Republican values of limited government. He says he has faith in the conservative nature of Americans. I like it.

Here are my concerns.

McCain is governor of the only of eight states to reject a ban on gay marriage this midterm election. I need to know if he accredits this to the conservative belief in limited government, or if he recognizes that there is a significant liberal contingent in this country that wants to see equal rights for everyone.

Second, he says he believes in small government, but he wants us to stay in Iraq and embed American personnel in their police force. This says American Colonialism to me.

I hope to hear a clarification on how he justifies these positions... soon.

More election follow-up: Nearly the worst report I have ever read.

I hate to bring disrespect to other people's writing, but if this is the product we are printing, there is no wonder why the public is not interested in news anymore.

John Smith is the editor of the Religion section of the Reading Eagle. He wrote a report on the key issues that brought voters to the polls this midterm election, headline: "Moral issues key in election results."

It seems that the point he was trying to come to was that voters were displeased about the moral stances of the candidates, and this was there primary motivation in hading to the voting booth.

Quote, after quote, after quote.

There is no rhyme or reason here.
In fact, the truth that I came to out of quotes in Smiths' report is this: First, middle Pennsylvania, like middle America is far more conservative than the rest of the state; and second, more people turned-out because they were dissatisfied with the status quo.

We're at war, John, and everyone hates it.
Remember.

I think what John was trying to say is that voters do have an array of issues on their collective radar, but he failed to convey the message effectively, because he failed ot recognize the growing disconnect between rural and city life. He may have hit his audience in Podunk, PA, but it was dishonest and incomplete.

Check out the same argument, more complete and sure of itself, from a city dweller.

Now if we could only merge these two discussions.

The Philadelphia Inquirer tried, but they missed by making the same mistake as John Smith in Reading: a declaritive statement about the political landscape. It is a good assessment though, if we are forced to make an educated guess.

Wikipedia Blocked in China

Less than one week after lifting a year-long ban the infamous user-created and edited encyclopedia, the Chinese government has again denied access to Wikipedia in several areas of China.

The People's Republic of China reportedly blocked access to the site in October of last year to prevent over-exposure on controversial issues such as Tibet and Taiwan. The block was officially lifted in the english version on October 21, and the Chinese version on November 13.

But, many users report recieving an error message when trying to access the site. Residents and reporters in the region believe this is a false message, that the government is still regulating access on the site.

Read more.

Daily Martini, Hairy Navel

My brother thinks he's a drinker, but he's 29 years-old and still orders Fuzzy Navel's at the bar. I mock him out on a regular basis. This one is for him.

Hairy Navel Martini
1 1/2 oz. Orange vodka
1 oz. Peach Schnapps
1 oz. Orange Juice

Serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Top with soda. Garnish with orange slice.

Daily Martini, Kyoto Martini

Kyoto Martini

2 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Melon Liqueur, Madori
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
Squeez of lemon juice.

Serve in a chilled cocktail galss with lemon twist garnish.

Vodka v Gin Martini's

You may have noticed that I don't post recipes for gin martini's. Reason being, I prefer vodka over gin any day of the week and twice on Sunday's. Not to mention, gin has a tendancy to be drier than vodka, detracting from the flavor of added ingredients. I would rather have a full tasting martini than one designed to overcome the dry nature of the central ingredient.

Both gin and vodka contain ethanol, the same substance in red wine that has been proven to reduce blood pressure. They are the lowest of all alcohols in calories, which make them good for your diet.

But, gin is often distilled with juniper berry's, which help in maintaining a healthy uriniary track. The problem with them is their potential to deplete potassium. It has been debated among herbalists, but I am not taking my chances.

Daily Martini, AppleWood

A Cheryl Ellis original, this one is dynamic and uninspired by any other drink I have ever tasted. Fantastic with a Pecan-crusted chicken salad, topped with cranberry-raisins.

Apple Wood Martini

1 1/4 oz. Apple Vodka
3/4 oz. Madori Melon
1/2 oz. Creme de Mint
1 oz Apple Juice
1/4 oz. Rose's lime

Sever in a chilled cocktail glass.
Enjoy.

Same sex marriage bans pass in seven of eight states.

The count is still going on, but it appears Arizona was the only state to reject a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage yesterday. Still, there is no reason to be disheartened.

Althought the ban was passed in South Dakota, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Colorado and Virginia, it was not by an overwhelming margin. Look at the numbers.

(in percents, for ban/against ban)
Arizona: 49 / 51
Colorado: 56 / 44
South Carolina: 78/ 22
South Dakota: 52 / 48
Tennessee: 81 / 19
Virginia: 57 / 43
Wisconsin: 59 / 41

Average: 61.7 / 38.3

Take the Bible-belt states of Tennessee and South Carolina out of the mix and the numbers are even tighter.

Average: 54.6 / 45.4

Pretty close to an even split.

What does this mean? Though the American people may not yet be ready to hear same-sex couples say 'I Do', they are not ready to write discrimination into their constitutions. While this is not necessarily a giant leap for homo-kind, it is a small step toward equality.