Matus - philosophy.science.politics

2007-06-15T11:40:00.001-04:00

"Liberty and Freedom, you can make a distinction between them. Liberty perhaps being political rights, freedom; not being enslaved. The ancient Athenian had only one word "Eleuthera" …and to him it was the noblest and defining character of his nation. To be free." – J. Rufus Fears – “The History of Freedom” Lecture series.Pop culture is often a reflection of predominant philosophical themes.

Rand on Relationships without Sacrifice

2007-05-29T16:58:00.001-04:00

"I want nothing from you except what you wish to give me. I want you to come to me seeking nothing but your own enjoyment. To know that the joy you give me is paid for by the joy you get from me – not by your suffering or mine. I don't accept sacrifices and I don't make them. If you asked me for more than you meant to me, I would refuse. If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the

2007-03-21T10:57:00.001-04:00

They pretend an object is not what it really is.In the hopes it will not be that which it always is.Imagination, it seems to them, is meant to be absurd.They use a gun instead of reason to make their voices heard. They won't come to ever see how their morals shape reality, the only end they care to see is violent: forced equality. They pretend your mind is something that belongs to them.It's only

2007-03-07T17:50:00.001-05:00

50,000 galaxies, killer asteroids, and beat againSome quick news itemsSomebody beat me to it =( Still, mine will be better, but too slow on the draw again...http://i.n.com.com/i/ne/p/2007/34monotracer550x365.jpgCheck out this amazing Hubble image, 50,000 galaxies, be sure to load the zoomed version and explore the galaxies, 50,000 of them!http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/06/

2007-02-21T10:28:00.001-05:00

Check out my updated essay "Humanity Needs an Insurance Policy" on AssociatedContent.comHumanity Needs an Insurance PolicyIs Self Destruction from the Rapid Growth of Technology the Answer to the Fermi Paradox?http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/137048/humanity_needs_an_insurance_policy.html

2006-06-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

Here in south eastern CT, one of the most heavily traveled corridors of the nation sitting squarely between Boston and NYC, a battle is being waged between rational progress and environmentalist paranoia. In the early 70’s a highway was constructed which connected route 2 near Hartford, the capital of CT and major business center, with south eastern CT. Before that the highway route required

2006-06-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

Nuclear Power vs Coal PowerMany people consider Uranium and subsequently nuclear power to be worse, over all, than coal or other fossil fuels. They claim, for various reasons, including mining, refining, storage, and disposal; that nuclear power is worse than coal, but the reality is that in all areas Uranium and Fission power far outshine coal power. Lets take a quick look at the Energy Density

2006-05-11T18:38:00.000-04:00

Communism and Moral AmbiguityMost people react with vile disdain when they see a Nazi flag, and rightly so. Nazism has killed 20 million people, an estimated 6 million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and physically deformed people intentionally in prison camps. However, how many people share the same disdain for Communism? Even though it has killed almost ten times as many people as Nazism did, it

2006-05-11T18:37:00.000-04:00

On Different kinds of FreedomIn a conversation with an Anarchist I was told the following:“Just because someone is taking the free will of others, doesn't mean, in my opinion, that I have the right to take their free will (life).”And “The use of force to stop oppression is the same thing as the use of force to oppress. It is the will taking of another person's will through sheer force.”Freedom

2006-05-11T18:32:00.000-04:00

Life, Death, Obligation and ObfuscationI am a strong advocate of productive value affirming behavior. I frequently have discussions with Objectivists and Extropians holding them accountable to their own professed highest value, that of their own life. Most professed life loving secularists are content to sit idly by while they age, wither, and eventually die. They deride cryogenic preservation

2006-04-26T23:35:00.000-04:00

The Week and I on dogs, security, and emotionshttp://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&pop=1&indicate=1One of my favorite news magazines is “the Week” which does a great job of presenting many sides of issues rationally and objectively, I have a real hard time finding any bias in it. I highly recommend this publication. Here are some notes from a recent issue.From “The Week” March 10

2006-04-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

This weekend I saw a performance of the musical Chicago at the university my friend is attending. I had not yet seen this story on stage or in film, and was not overly familiar with it beyond having to do with some dancers and murder. The performance I saw was very enjoyable as far as productions by college students go, and a good friend of mine had a major role in it. Overall the cast did a

2006-01-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

The Rape of Nanking I just recently completed Iris Chang’s book ‘The Rape of Nanking’ This alarming title does not do justice to the true horrors of this event, and no collected works ever could. Iris first heard stories about Nanking when she was growing up, her parents told terrible stories of horrific events full of torture, rape, and murder. When she started going to school she tried to

2005-10-28T00:34:00.000-04:00

Are you Proud of your race?In a forum I frequent a poster stated that she was proud of her race. I would ask why are you proud of your race? Now it is important to emphasize the correct word here, I am not asking why she is proud of *her* race, or proud of her *race*, but why she is *proud* of her race. One should not attach any special significance to their race because that, in itself, is a

2005-10-18T01:20:00.000-04:00

This post was written to VietPundit, a Vietnamese American who writes a popular blog. Someone accused him of being a 'chickenhawk' and this was my response to him.Vietpundit,First let me thank you sincerely for taking the time to create and maintain this blog, America is severely lacking in voices which tell a more accurate story of the Vietnam War. As an <30 year old American, I was not around

2005-04-05T00:39:00.000-04:00

April 30th, 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and the start of the brutal oppression of the 100 million people who have lived and are living in Vietnam. Even as an atheist and a libertarian I never the less applaud US President George W. Bush and his administration for demonstrating their resolve in the just cause of supporting freedom and liberal democracy in the world. I

2004-01-28T04:03:00.000-05:00

Caroline said - "I can't wait till the day someone figures out a social ideology that can be applied to and benefited by everyone on this planet. I mean, it should be universally divine and scalar to a technologically advanced nation such as Japan, to an extremely complex and non-heterogenous nation such as America, and to the indigenous tribes of the Amazon--ALL THE SAME, without bending the

2004-01-14T03:47:00.000-05:00

Values in pursuit of Happiness By Michael Dickey V 1.0 Aristotle teaches us, and common sense would dictate that our ultimate goal in life is happiness. Most of what we do is done for the sake of happiness, but there is nothing else for its sake we choose happiness. Be it seeking a particular career, learning to play an instrument, or simply going down to the store to buy some milk. Who we

2004-01-14T03:46:00.000-05:00

2004-01-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Paul Grant > > The Palestinians, having been deprived of statehood by force, are not > > and cannot be a "high contracting party". > > > > When did the Palestinians ever have a state to begin with? Egypt nor > any other Arab country didn't see fit to give

2004-01-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Major > > > The Palestinians, having been deprived of statehood by force, are not > and cannot be a "high contracting party". > When did the Palestinians ever have a state to begin with? Egypt nor any other Arab country didn’t see fit to give em one.

2004-01-10T17:24:00.002-05:00

http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=3735 Environmental Pol Pots By Walter Williams FrontPageMagazine.com | October 9, 2002 Activists in the environmentalist movement have a callous disregard for people. You say: "What do you mean, Williams? We can't think of a more caring people." First, I'm not talking about sensible people who're concerned about clean air and water. I'm

2004-01-10T17:24:00.001-05:00

This is one of the most superb sites I have found on the web detailing ideals similar to those shared by many members of this mailing list. I highly recommend checking it out if you are not all ready familiar with it. Michael -------------- Atheism and Politics pages of Mark Humphrys Pro-free private life: Atheist. Pro-science. Pro-reason. Pro-free speech. Pro-liberal democracy. Pro-free

2004-01-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

These guys have crashed some of the recent peace protest and infiltrated ANSWER. They have a good number of photos and videos from the experience, definitely worth a look to those pro-freedom and pro-reason. Michael From www.protestwarrior.com "War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth

2004-01-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Harvey Newstrom > > Michael Dickey wrote, > > My statement that sometimes war may be extropic is a strong > > assertion? How so? Seems like that absolute that war is > > *always* anti-extropic is the strong assertion, since it > > requires not only a clear

2004-01-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Paul Grant > > > > As u can see, I have to agree with Charlie :) > > > > >I think you should refer to the rest of the discussion. Are you > claiming, absolutely, that not only have all wars that have ever > occurred but all wars that could possibly occur

2004-01-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Harvey Newstrom > > Matus wrote, > > Are you claiming, absolutely, that not only have all wars > > that have ever occurred but all wars that could possibly > > occur are definitely anti-extropic? Quite a strong assertion. > > Actually, your argument

2004-01-09T01:04:00.000-05:00

> -----Original Message----- > From: extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat- > bounces@lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Paul Grant > > Charlie Stross said: > > > I'd like to add to that: war seems to me to be about as anti-extropic > > as you can get. The triumph of brute force over enlightenment, > > destruction, death and despair on a massive scale. An excuse for the > >

2003-12-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

> On 25 Dec 2003, at 13:32, Matus wrote: > >> > > CS said: > > > >> I'd like to add to that: war seems to me to be about as anti-extropic > >> as you can get. The triumph of brute force over enlightenment, > >> destruction, death and despair on a massive scale. An excuse for the > >> enemies of freedom on every side to chip away at civil rights. The > >> ascendency of dehumanization is the *

2003-12-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

CS said: > I'd like to add to that: war seems to me to be about as anti-extropic > as you can get. The triumph of brute force over enlightenment, > destruction, death and despair on a massive scale. An excuse for the > enemies of freedom on every side to chip away at civil rights. The > ascendency of dehumanization is the *opposite* of transhumanism. I would like to disagree with that. War

2003-12-17T23:50:00.000-05:00

I have read many of the authors cited by the topic originator, and I would have to agree with them. Most skeptics and athiests probably did not undertake a full fledged investigation of religious arguments and then come to a conclusion after carefull consideration. I would tentatively say that I have, as I made a point to learn a lot of the pro-theism arguments, but I did this primarily so that

2003-12-17T23:34:00.000-05:00

I think a more appropriate question would be 'does everything happen for a purpose?' Instead of leaving open the question with the more broad phrasing of reason. As others rightly responded, everything occured for a reason, as part of an infinitely regressing cause and effect chain. I would however dispute that somewhat since random quantum mechanical fluctations influence the macroscopic

2003-12-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Yet there are more democracies than there have ever been before in the world, and more people enjoy freedom in the world than ever before. No democracies have ever started a war, and no two democracies have ever been at war. People work less and live longer than ever before, and fewer people starve than ever before. Population growth rates in all post industrialized nations have fallen and

2003-12-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

Ill make some comments on this, having worked at Pfizer for nearly 10 years. The US is reluctant to make price controls on medication because its the only place in the world where drug companies can still make any money off of creating drugs. You may think this is bad for US people, but if the drug companies cant make any money off of any drugs, they wont make any drugs. If you think they are

2003-12-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

Take the time to read this phenomenal speech given by popular novelist Michael Chricton. I have been a big fan of his for a while, despite the repetitive theme of his books, they tend to get some interesting science in them. In this speech he suggests environmentalism is the new religion of the secular west, complete with its blissful Eden (people in tune with nature, noble savages, etc) Its

2003-10-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

Drug produces faster healing and fewer scars From - http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994218 10:56 02 October 03 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues. Initial trials of a drug that reduces scar formation have produced encouraging results. Although the substance still has numerous regulatory hurdles to clear, it is the first of its

2003-10-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

Matus1976's riding corner - http://www.matus1976.com/motorcycles/riding_corner.htm I mentioned in my previous post the possiblity of a cheap, lightweight dual / supermotard style bike to open the motorcycle market in the US up wider. Recently I came across this article Motorcycle Online: The Rise and Fall of the NSU Empire it starts out... "Lightweight street motorcycles just never caught on

2003-10-06T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I just signed up to the Free State Project. This project has me quite excited, living in CT a move to New Hampshire will not be very inconvenient, additionally, I have been working to start my own company and hope to be able to bring jobs to the state, and operate a business in a much more business friendly environment. But most importantly, I want to see some of the libertarian ideals

2003-08-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

>BN wrote: >>matus wrote: >> >>> I would genuinely be interested to know how >>> they determined the incarceration rate in other not so open >>societies, >>> like communist ones, or tyranical dictator ones, or oppresive >>> theocracies. E.g. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, North Korea, >China, Cuba, >>> Iraq, Iran, etc. >> >>A quick Google finds, >> >>http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0818/p02s01-usju.html

2003-08-20T05:32:00.000-04:00

[Continuing in that same thread] > We agree that: Communists are awful. Terrorists are awful. > Saddam was awful. Well, let me be the first to welcome you to our minority viewpoint. Glad you can admit it. But don't say 'we agree' unless you mean merely you and I, because other members of this list obviously do not agree with that statement. Because members of this list have argued in favor of

2003-08-20T05:31:00.000-04:00

[A post made to the extropy list] Uh-oh. IRAQ Has World's Highest Government Sanctioned Mass Murder Rate By Concerned humanist Staff writer of The Humanist Science World Monitor Excerpt "More than 300,000 Iraqis are buried in mass graves, according to a new report by the Justice for the world Department released Sunday. With a population of 24 million, that's 1 in 80 people who end

2003-08-18T08:18:00.000-04:00

27) Atlas Shrugging in Santa Fe FrontPageMag by Ed Tinsley "Earlier this year, Santa Fe passed a law imposing an $8.50 minimum wage on all businesses in the city with 25 or more workers. The hike takes effect in 2004, with the wage rising to $10.50 -- more than double the national minimum -- by 2008. Not only is this the highest living wage in the U.S.; it is also unrivaled in its

2003-05-18T23:18:00.000-04:00

Who was right? A lament for the Vietnam War protestors. S said: > I have justified the comment and said why I made it now. Perhaps you > have not read it. I beg your pardon? I was not actively rooting > for the victory of any 'murderous regime'. In your comment to me, when asked why you hold Fumento morally culpable for AIDS deaths in Africa, you stated "He was busy insisting that AIDS was

2003-05-18T23:15:00.001-04:00

> Not recent enough, unfortunately. > > > How lethal is SARS? > > > > Globally, it's about seven percent, in the same league as other forms of > > pneumonia. This is notwithstanding the May 1 Washington Post > reporting that > > WHO official Mark Salter said it was 10 percent. A CNN.com > article that day > > was titled: "SARS Death Rate Rising," but it had Salter saying it "could > > likely

2003-05-18T23:15:00.000-04:00

A more recent skeptical look at SARS by columnist Michael Fumento. - Michael Dickey Hysteria, Thy Name is SARS from - http://www.fumento.com/disease/nrosars.html By Michael Fumento National Review Online, May 7, 2003 Copyright 2003 National Review Online The media need a chill pill.

2003-05-18T23:14:00.000-04:00

I must say I am surprised, albiet very pleasently, to see an article like this on Anti-War.com Columnist Justin Raimondo blasts the now pro-sanction Leftists for the absurdity of their position. Michael Dickey Why the left turnabout on Iraqi sanctions? ---------- Antiwar.com by Justin Raimondo "Remember how the sanctions were the equivalent of 'genocide' committed by the Evil American

2003-05-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

A visit to the hospital What a disgusting, and sad place. The Hospital, people everywhere dying, families fooling themselves that all will be fine, then insisting it was for the best when all is not. Lives unique in all of time and all of the universe withering away. We grow old, and weak, and wither. The machines that house our consciousness fail system by system, collapsing, imploding and

2003-04-11T15:15:00.000-04:00

From the extropy list - S writes: > Are you going to attempt to say that the cost of living in say > 1970 dollars has not risen and risen dramatically in the last 32 > years? The issue is not the cost of living by itself, but the cost of living compared to income. Both have increased due to inflation. The way to get an objective measure is to use constant dollars. These are dollars

2003-04-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

First China not only sells Iraq fiber-optic links to improve that country's surface-to-air batteries, but it even provides the workers to install them. The French are caught selling parts to Iraq for F-1 Mirage fighters. Now we've found that the Russians have been selling Saddam anti-tank missiles, night vision equipment, and jamming equipment. What a strange coincidence that these are the

2003-04-10T16:48:00.000-04:00

LDC: > > (SA):> > > > Are you going to address housing and the other implied > > necessities or just harp on your understanding of food > > abundances (but not necessarily food prices). If I have no home > > or cooking facilities the types of food I can buy are also > > severely limited and per unit of nutrition much more expensive. > > Are you going to attempt to say that the cost of

2003-04-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

Excellent site, Starship Scale Reference. Hundreds of vessels from every genre, in IE you can click on and drag them next to faimiliar objects. Very well done. http://members.fortunecity.com/zardalu/

2003-04-07T02:49:00.000-04:00

LC wrote: > or, taxes amounting to (797 + 186 + 518)/12854 = 11.7 percent. > > Shocking, really. There's no escape even for the poor---this is > even a little beyond the tithe extracted by theocracies! > CH: > I don't have any direct experience, but I seem to remember that anyone > earning more than $750 a year had to pay income tax. I have in front of me the Kiplinger Tax Letter, Dated

2003-04-07T02:22:00.000-04:00

An additional conversation from a 'warmonger' perspective PEACENIK JUSTIFIES PEACE TO WARMONGER by Mike Lorrey WM: Why is it that you are protesting against the war? PN: Because war is wrong. WM: War is always wrong? PN: Some think so, but I think there might be some wars that were and are just. WM: What sort of wars would you say are just? PN: Wars to oust unelected tyrants who invade their

2003-04-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

WAR Conversations. A thread going around is a fictitious conversation between a 'peacenik' and a 'warmonger' told form the obvious side of the 'peacenik' here is that conversation and another one, this time reversed, to tell it from the side of the 'warmonger' Provided from a member of the extropy list. Michael At 05:08 PM 4/1/2003 +0200, you wrote: >WARMONGER EXPLAINS WAR TO PEACENIK (

2003-04-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

MaxPlumm Said: >> All of these accusations are to some degrees true. However, I do not see any perspective given to >> any of these judgments you have passed. For instance, the United States "propped up" the regime of >> Syngman Rhee in South Korea in 1950. Rhee was certainly an authoritarian and a thug. To which DS responded: > And in 1950 we couldn't know how bad North Korea would turn out to

2003-04-02T02:31:00.000-05:00

Hubert, We all ready know that you dont like the war, so perhaps instead of posting these long diatrabes and desciptions of your previous days lunch's you could just say 'I dont like the war'. When you realize that you would end up with multiple posts each day that simple say 'I dont like the war' you will see why your arguments are getting your opinion no where. We know you dont like the war

2003-04-02T02:26:00.000-05:00

"Four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon could see clearly enough the need to move beyond idolatry of tribes. He suggested we think of ourselves as citizens of the Human Republic. Yet that notion has practically disappeared. That meme cannot hang on amidst the near universal colonization of human minds by nationalisms." Lets be fair here and compare *types* of tribalism. When some nationalisms

2003-04-02T02:25:00.001-05:00

"I already told you: they hate Saddam and want him removed too, but by peaceful disarmament. It could have worked out this way: 300.000 British and US troops stay in Kuwait. The costs for this threatening scenery could be split up between all nations - and Germany would gladly pay for it, too. Then let the inspectors in and do their job." Humania, something you neglect to acknowledge is that a '

2003-04-02T02:25:00.000-05:00

>... >And please correct me if I'm wrong Charles, but if you accept that Hussein >"is (or was) evil" then you must then accept the conservative estimates that >he is responsible for the deaths of at least 200,000 of his own people. If > "I don't have any basis to accept or reject any particular set of numbers. But there's a big difference between his doing it and our doing it. If he does

2003-04-02T02:18:00.000-05:00

Afghanastan and the US ML said: >The Soviet experience in Afghanistan is a good example of such a >conflict, yet it can be seen from the US experience there a decade >later that a certain degree of technical superiority, in both equipment >and training, can largely eliminate any advantage the local anarchists >may have once had, even when the conqueror is under both media scrutiny >and feels

2003-04-02T02:13:00.001-05:00

Samantha, I am also most inclined to a minarchist position, but one of the best papers I have read on the anarchocapitalist position and defense is here: The Private Production of Defense by Prof. Hans-Hermann Hoppe http://www.libertarianstudies.org/journals/jls/pdfs/14_1/12hoppe.pdf http://www.mises.net/journals/scholar/Hoppe.pdf

2003-04-02T02:13:00.000-05:00

I wonder if anyone has read some of the Libertarian arguments supporting the war? Here are some that showed up on FND or RRND ---------- Lincoln's lessons - "War is not the answer." Not the answer to what? ---------- Tech Central Station by Duane D. Freese "But as the ancestors of slaves and children of Holocaust survivors know, an aversion to war can pave the way to a crueler despotism

2003-04-02T02:11:00.000-05:00

A short while back I recall a few extropians discussing the cataloging of the state of freedom in the various nations in the world. Today I came across this site. http://www.freedomhouse.org/ "Freedom House, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization, is a clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world. Through a vast array of international programs and publications, Freedom House is

2003-04-02T01:49:00.000-05:00

A post that resulted in some research into the question of IRAQ and IRAN's involvment in the Gassing of Kurds at Halabja matus: >You support the unconditional removal of Bush for something he >*might* do but care not about Saddam who *has* done those things! Amara - "I suggest to look at all sides of the story, gather information from as many sources as you can, and not to swallow, hook, line

2003-04-02T01:47:00.000-05:00

> Hubert Mania wrote: "You[r] political leaders are way beyond simple paranoia. They are inhuman future war criminals. Calling them just paranoid would be a bit too polite." Hubert, If they were 'War Criminals' I wonder what you would propose doing about them, exactly. Say, for example, Bush murdered 100,000 of his own people, or attacked a neighboring country, what would you propose the

2003-04-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

Samantha said "I am working in my spare time on an exhaustive list of what rights we now on paper have lost and how those changes have in fact been used. It will be in website form when I am done." I would be very interested in seeing such a list. A clear objective and quantifiable observation of the rights that have been lost is valuable no matter what ones opinions are on the subject. I

2003-04-02T01:43:00.000-05:00

Since the topic here is Nixon, and Lee proposes to Judge one's action by thier motivations, and not on the actions themselves, and then further suggests that executirves in modern democracies focus solely on getting re-elected, I thought it would be prudent to post this. For those following this thread and following lee's comments, read through this speech of Nixon and see if you feel his

2003-03-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

EO wrote: > This could be taken as strong evidence in support of intellectual property > regulation, in its role as a protector/encourager of innovation. What is > shown is that, in the absense of any mechanism to protect IP in the area of > illegal drugs, real innovation is very low. > > Comments? I would certainly be interested to hear what extropians think of Patents (at least, mechanical

2003-03-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

Strange insights into different cultures. The unfamilitarity with much of the Japanese culture in America coupled with slightly wrong translations make these interesting reads. http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0303/0307peep.html "Peep box offers hole to the real world" http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/face/0301/23beckham.html "Beckham changing the face of female genital hair" http://

2003-03-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

Finally, let South Korea deal with its own Ambivilance and flights of fancy in regards to North Korea. 15) Rumsfeld may pull troops from Korean DMZ USA Today "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday that he might move U.S. troops away from the Demilitarized Zone that straddles the Korean peninsula. Rumsfeld said South Korea, which has an economy 25 or 35 times bigger than North

2003-03-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

Criticisms of more crazy left attempts to revive communism. 33) Disorganizing the world Reason by Ronald Bailey "Ehrenreich claims, 'No one yet knows how to make collective decisions on a national or global scale, and to do it in a way that is both flexible and inclusive of the illiterate street vendors and laborers of the world.' No one? How about we start with the 86 electoral

2003-03-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=115&ncid=742&e=6&u=/ucmg/20030306/cm_ucmg/is_war_with_iraq_just_ "How does this apply to Iraq? For one thing, as Michael Novak has pointed out, the war with Iraq is not a pre-emptive war. It is a war made necessary by the failure of a military aggressor to abide by the terms of its peace agreement, after its invasion was forcibly repelled. For

2003-03-06T10:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030305/4917996s.htm "But the biggest reason for Limbaugh's success is simple: Liberals have given him so much good material to work with. Thirty years ago, when liberal Democrats stood for a few clear principles and weren't consumed by guilt, he would not have caught on. And if all liberals disappeared tomorrow, his talk show would tank within six months. (

2003-03-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

Oklohama City politicians thought they would broadcast the mug shots of John's and Prostitutes to deter the activity, instead ""The scrolling and repeating mug shots of disheveled streetwalkers helped would-be customers identify prostitutes, the spokeswoman said. "It was almost a promotional thing for them. It wasn't a deterrent at all," Ingersoll said. " City Finds 'Shame TV' a Turn-Off http:

2003-03-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

13- Lincoln's lessons ---------- Tech Central Station by Duane D. Freese "But as the ancestors of slaves and children of Holocaust survivors know, an aversion to war can pave the way to a crueler despotism. Their pain doesn't fit neatly on a bumper sticker." (3/5/03) http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/defensewrapper.jsp?PID=1051-350&CID=1051-030503C Lincoln's Lessons By Duane

2003-03-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

(A pretty lame rebuttal to the 'top ten pro war arguments' conspicuously absent from these 'top ten' are 1) Saddam is a murderous tyrant and has killed ~400,000 of his own people 2) Saddam is a murderous Tyrant that controls the worlds second largest energy supply and uses it for, surprise, murder and tyranny and 3) no one is free unless everyone is free, corrupt murderous tyrants need to go ASAP

2003-03-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

30) Real environmental racism Reason by Ronald Bailey "That the world's poor breed environmental destruction is a disturbing, and possibly racist, tenet propounded by many prominent ideological environmentalists. ... the issue is not that the poor breed too much. The issue is that they are poor. Ehrlich and other would-be population controllers have confused poverty with

2003-03-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

10) Time to throw out "myth" of recycling London Daily Telegraph/Washington Times "Throw away the green and blue bags and forget those trips to return bottles -- recycling household waste is a load of, well, rubbish, say leading environmentalists and waste campaigners. In a reversal of decades-old wisdom, they argue that burning cardboard, plastics and food leftovers is better for the

2003-03-05T09:53:00.000-05:00

A testament to the limitations of 'Public opinion' 36 percent of russians think Stalin did 'more good than harm' I wonder how the 15 million dead would have swayed that tally? - Mike 5) An unflinching look at Stalin 50 years later Moscow Times "While in the West, Stalin is seen simply as a monstrous dictator, the view in Russia remains divided, as a survey by the Public Opinion

2003-03-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

Stalin's rule perverted communist ideals http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1045511199079&p=1012571727088 By Michael Prowse Published: February 27 2003 20:36 | Last Updated: February 27 2003 20:36

2003-03-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

Good article on lifesharers program. from - http://www.rationalreview.com/archive/tlknapp/tlknapp030303.html Excerpt - "But if someone dies waiting for a kidney because Mark Fox and Jeffrey Kahn are all enamored of The Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals? No problem. How about 6,000 people a year? Same-same; they're only numbers. And if Joe Sixpack takes his corneas into the ground with him

2003-02-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

An excellent article conveying the continual progress in the human condition, the value of life, and the security and insurance in undergoing cryogenic suspension... - Mike 19) Many are cold but few are frozen Laissez Faire Times by Bill Walker "Out-of-control government is certainly still a problem, but one reason government is so annoying is that there are so many more cool

2003-02-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

28) Affirmative action bake sale WorldNetDaily by Walter Williams "In early February, Bruin Republicans organized a campus cookie sale - - but not your ordinary cookie sale. They offered cookies at different prices depending on the customer's race and sex. ... Here's my question for those who condemned the event: Why be offended by a money version of racial preferences? After all,

2003-02-25T10:16:00.000-05:00

Good point to point commentary on Iraq war quesitons. 34) Reality bitten The New Republic by Jason Zengerle "When it comes to assessing the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, who are you going to trust? The real president or the guy who plays the president on Wednesday nights? Indeed, the best thing the Hollywood left could do for the antiwar movement

2003-02-25T10:14:00.001-05:00

Excellent article on where our concerns should really focus. 27) No homeland defense against idiocy Town Hall by Marvin Olasky "During 2001, Americans had about a 1 in 100,000 chance of being killed in a terrorist attack -- that includes those killed on the ground in New York and Washington and in the four airplanes that terrorists seized on Sept. 11. ... The odds of being killed

2003-02-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

Excellent post on democracy and the US by Max From: "MaxPlumm" X-Mailer: YaBB (Let me apologize in advance if this is a double post-Max) > I originally wrote: > > > I can just as easily say that the US should be blamed more for NOT > > maintaining the Shah's Peacock Throne in 1979. Especially when one > > considers that the abdication of the Shah led to the ceasing of Iran

2003-02-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

We must reach for the stars ---------- The Objectivist Center by Edward Hudgins "[S]pace travel and most other tasks involve risk. But the risks of choosing timidity and apathy are even worse." (2/3/03)

2003-02-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

Good post Mez wrote: > Here's the problem. If we're not committed to establishing democracy > in Iraq, we may be content to install (or allow to come to power) a > "friendly dictator". That serves US short term interests just fine - > it stops Iraq from getting nukes. But in the long term, friendly > dictators increase terrorism against the US and destabilize the > world. I do not

2003-02-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

An interesting phenomena I heard of today, that some larger elements can be excited at the nucleas level, and held in a stable state of excitation, and then coaxed into releasing that stored energy. It is not a nuclear reaction per se, just an inredibly more effecient system of storing energy. Fascinating, I wonder what the energy density of such a storage mechanism is? Nuclear-powered drone

2003-02-20T08:08:00.000-05:00

The two governments that do not maintain armies and weapons solely for defense are the US Government and Israel, a coalition of pure evil intent on destroying human freedom." (02/19/03) http://www.libertyforall.net/2003/archive/feb16/demented.html This is the kind of crap that makes me shamed to have any association with liberterians, at least the absolute isolationist half of the camp. The

2003-02-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is the same Nobel peace prize that was given to Yassar Arrafat and the North Vietnamese communist general, both mass murderers. 12) Chirac put on Nobel Peace Prize list Guardian Unlimited "The French president, Jacques Chirac, has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to avoid a US-led war against Iraq .... The Elysée insisted yesterday it had no idea who

2003-02-20T07:59:00.000-05:00

11) French fries axed over Iraq stance Ananova "A fast food restaurant in North Carolina has renamed its french fries in protest at the French stance on Iraq. Neal Rowland, the owner of Cubbie's restaurant in Beaufort, said he now serves freedom fries." (02/19/03) http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_752349.html?menu=news.quirkies

2003-02-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

Editorial in English Paper on 9/11 No matter what your views on President Bush's statement of upcoming war, this, from an English journalist, is very interesting. For those of you not familiar with the UK's Daily Mirror, this is a notoriously left-wing daily that is normally not supportive of the Colonials across the Atlantic. Tony Parsons Daily Mirror September 11, 2002 ONE year ago, the

2003-02-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

4- Comparing Saddam to Hitler is justified ---------- Town Hall by Jonah Goldberg "It's true, Saddam Hussein is no Hitler, but that's not because Saddam isn't trying his best to be one (actually, he's reportedly a bigger fan of Stalin)." (2/19/03) http://www.townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/jg20030219.shtml

2003-02-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

-----Original Message----- From: OG Greetings Michael D., "I hope you read JR and Ray's post. They essentially stated my view on the matter in different words. To respond to your post. If modern science knows exactly how X-rays cause birth defects(as you say) why was it still being used(and in texts) as recent as 1970's?" Is 1970 the present? "Picking and choosing which "results of

2003-02-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

(An Excellent Rand Esque appreciation of technology article) "The Long Room" (February 15, 2003) http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/the%20long%20room.html "Hang on, let me see for myself what is going on down there!"

2003-02-18T17:16:00.000-05:00

OG wrote: >"PS My approach is make decisions by relying 50% on science and 50% on >intuition." Michael Dickey wrote: >If you were to take such an approach in Quantum Mechanics, no doubt you >would be quite wrong in alsmot all cases. If practicing scientists had >adopted such a philosophy we would have no lasers, spectrometers, MRI's, >semiconductors and computers, etc. etc. etc. There is

2003-02-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

----Original Message----- From: og " Why take the risk? Medical science has been dead wrong in the past. As recent as 1970's X-rays were used in OBGYN in pregnant women.(written in medical texts as good science!) Obviously, we now know that that kind of radiation is potentially teratogenic to the growing fetus. " Is this not the same medical science that suggests a CRON diet will extend

2003-02-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

-----Original Message----- From: SA ML wrote: > --- DB > > And just as the anti-Vietnam War movement was supported and funded by > communist groups funelling money from Russia (as proven by the Venona > Files and autobiographies of North Vietnamese leaders) "This is absurd. I was a member of Quaker and other groups opposed to the war. We received no funding from anyone except those who

2003-02-18T13:29:00.001-05:00

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030217/ap_wo_en_ge/eu_gen_eu_chirac_eastern_europe It appears that Jaques Chirac, president of the allegedly freedom-loving French nation, doesn't seem to think that the leaders of eastern european nations should have a right to voice their opinions. He is threatening to keep nations with pro-American views out of the EU as their membership