The State of the Blog It seems slightly a cop-out to make -- not even mid-week-- a post regarding the state of my blogging hiatius, but what the hell. I've gotten too comfortable with this two paragraph hasty style and need to get back to writing essays again. I can't feel sorry about letting any of you down if your bored at work, because you can always peruse the archives which are bountiful. By the way, I'm looking for an apartment in town if someone can hook me up. Preferably a U-street efficiency under $800, but that almost goes without saying.
I'll leave you with this to ponder:
"There was a footpath leading across fields to New Southgate, and I used to go there alone to watch the sunset and contemplate suicide. I did not, however, commit suicide, because I wished to know more of mathematics" - Bertrand Russell
Update 2: I posted the introduction to my book Over here. I've about 30 pages into it, and want to get double that before my job begins. Please tell me what you think.
Saturday, March 8, 2003 02:20 p.m.
The Well of Loneliness Is Getting Shallow
Alina's forwarded me an article from The Boston Globe on "Lipstick Lesbians," and how gay and lesbian culture is moving past "butch-femme" constraints. Faulty logic implies sexual relations is always analagous to magnetic attraction. Opposites do not always attract, and to want a partner similar to you is not narcisssism, but honest longing for a meaningful relationship.
Secondly, while there are still gym teachers to uphold stereotypes, the idea all lesbians are "butch" is ridiculous. So few people have actually met a lesbian -- because they tend to be far less open with their sexuality than male homosexual counterparts -- they can imagine only field hocky players fall into this category.
The "butch" label is also misogynist because it implied men have the monopoly over reason, intellect, and humor. No matter how many pretty dresses are lined up in my closet, people will still consider my mannerisms "dykish." As a matter of principle I am offended that people consider my intellectual seriousness "butch," but in all good fun, yes, I'll love it if you call me "stud."
Friday, March 7, 2003 12:13 a.m.
"Sanity becomes compromise"
Forget Andrew Sullivan, Susan Sontag is a masterful writer. After speeding through a biography of Simone Weil the other day I immediatly hunted up Sontag's essay on her work in Against Interpretation. What I found was a nuanced character appraisal, noting her eccentricity gives weight to her ideas.
I cannot believe that more than a handful of the tens of thousands of readers she has won since the posthumous publication of her books and essays really share her ideas. Nor is it necessary—necessary to share Simone Weil's anguished and unconsummated love affair with the Catholic Church, or accept her gnostic theology of divine absence, or espouse her ideals of body denial, or concur in her violently unfair hatred of Roman civilization and the Jews. Similarly, with Kierkegaard and Nietzsche; most of their modern admirers could not, and do not embrace their ideas. We read writers of such scathing originality for their personal authority, for the example of their seriousness, for their manifest willingness to sacrifice themselves for their truths, and—only piecemeal—for their "views."
Perhaps a "sane" person couldn't ever replicate Weil's grandiloquent designs. But I too, belive Weil to be mediocre (as well as completely misguided.) Print this out and read it. It's a beautiful piece of work.
Thursday, March 6, 2003 04:12 p.m.
Al Qaeda-Pakistan Ties CSM today has a very informative article on fickle Pakistan. While members of the government are working with the US to catch Al Qaeda operatives, like Khalid Sheik Mohammed, it only highlights the strong ties between the faction and Pakistan's own Jamaat-e Islami.
Thursday, March 6, 2003 01:23 p.m.
Stalin = Evil. But How to Verify?
Just a quick note on the 50th anniversary of Stalin's death:
It is somewhat unfair to characterize Russian nostalgic for his dictatorship as foolish and reprehensible. The sad fact is, the quality of life in Russia is poor, and you still can't trust your closest friend with your least valued secret.
We make the assumption that Russians must understand that life is better now than it was ten years ago. Still, even under communism, techonological advances boosted their quality of life with time. It gets better all the time no matter where you live, generally speaking.
The extent of Stalin's duplicity is unmatched by any other leader in modern history. The nostalgia that exits today is testament to his "cult of personailty." A man framed to be god-like in his leadership will not fade out of one's mind, no matter how many books are written that castigate him.
Who can we trust? All we have it what we know. And if our knowledge conradicts itself, than we must rely on the unreliable: intuition.
Whenever one is faced with condradicting evidence, he has to go on a hunch that one side outweighs the other, but that hunch is influenced by plenty of other factors
If the Cato Institute can continue to believe Vaclav Klaus is a libertarian despite a wide variety of reports suggesting otherwise, than we can forgive the poor Russians with only their limited resources that ever speak the truth, for falling for Stalin's evil theater
Thursday, March 6, 2003 09:45 a.m.
The Last Incentive Spent
Business 2.0 asks, Do Stock Options Really Motivate?. Answer: No. The columnists argues not only is it too indirect to motivate even CEOs, the fact that the shareholder didn't "take a risk" and buy the stock himself suggests his value for the stock is very little no matter it's worth. The column is much too general, forgetting that perhaps the baristas at Starbucks have entirely different motivating principles than executives. Calling "stock options" irrelevant is a little too quick, especially considering, as this Tech Dirt poster writes, the writer backs up claims with figures in aggregate. A better analysis would explain how directly involved one muct be in a company to be motivated by stock options. Certainly many CEOs have grown quite wealthy because of their shares
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 03:05 p.m.
Alan Greenspan in a Bathtub
According to a spokesman, the chairman of the Federal Reserve "luxuriates" in the bathtub every morning, looking over reports and books. This comes from a Post article on where people like to read.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 01:07 p.m.
I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home Here's The Independent on "lad-lit," specifically, Cad: Confessions of a Toxic Bachelor, the memoirs of some typical New York writer/womanizer. It's the same-old, same-old and proves the point that every Cassanova is just a lonely man with low-standards.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 09:46 a.m.
Voodoo Economics
Every once in a while I'm going to try to post something on economics just to prove I didn't sleep through four years of college. Bruce Bartlett's new column on the legitimacy of the Laffer Curve would be a perfect opportunity, if only it weren't difficult to explain (and understand.) Let me try anyway: The Laffer Curve determines what is the optimal tax rate for revenue. At 0% taxation there is obviously no revenue, so optimal taxation for revenue runs somewhere between x and 0%. Still with me?
Supply-side economics believe that tax cuts will raise tax revenue. This rests on the assumption cutting taxes will increase people's real weath so a smaller taxation rate will still generate large revenue. That explains why though the Republians cut taxes, they optimistically never cut spending.
The basic assumption is that productivity declines when taxation increases is accepted by almost all economists, but they disagree on where to draw the line.
Unfortunatly my copy of Paul Krugman's -- who has his moments -- Peddling Prosperity is at my parents' house, but from what I remember he argued the curve can only be used simply and theoretically. Broad policies justified by Laffer don't cover risk and uncertainty
But here's where I get confused: Bartlett, a pro-Laffer-er, says never did supply-siders try to convince the president "taxes could be cut with no loss of revenue" and that assumption is "canard." So supply-siders weren't usng the Laffer Curve? Then what the hell is supply-side economics anyway?
Update: Looking over Bartlett's comment again, I can only imagine he implies the short-run. In somewhat muddled language he is probably arguing against the claims -- as I state above -- that government spending in addition to taxation cuts were the essence of the supply-side economics. Keynsian and supply-side economics together hardly make a policy ying-yang -- it's more like a chocolate and mustard sandwich.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 09:28 a.m.
SoccerGrrl69, I'm Taking You to Court
The ACLU is defending chat room users' net privacy claiming "the Internet is the equivalent of the anonymous sheets patriots once nailed to trees and courthouse doors to criticize the English monarchy before America declared independence." The case involves the anonymity of an AOL chat room user who wrote that PA Superior Court Judge Jane Ore Melvin lobbied then Gov Tom Ridge to give her friend a seat on the bench. Melvin's defamation lawsuit depends on whether or not the user's identity may be protected.
What I want to know is how did she ever find this chat room? Last time I checked (albeit four or five years ago) AOL chats all were all titled "M4M HARDCORE" or "XXX Teen Pics XXX," or at least served for similar purposes
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 12:35 a.m. Godspeed You Black Emperor Last Night Two words: flash backs. Funny, you can tell the coolness quotient of the show based on the percentage of people in the audience that look ready for a David Brubeck look-alike contest
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 06:37 p.m.
The Demonic Comedy
"Saddam he is elected! What is the bull's sheet, not elected?" "Who elected him?" "Revolutionary Council is electing him."
"How is Revolutionary Council elected?" "Saddam he personally choosing them," replied Omar, with pride. "Oh, well, sorry then: that sounds pretty democratic to me."
The Demonic Comedy: Some Detours in the Baghdad of Saddam Hussein by Paul William Roberts is great. I found this book, like plenty of literary treasures, in the clearance section at Borders. Roberts is one of the few journalists that was allowed into Iraq during the Gulf War, and it's a good thing too -- he's laugh-out-loud funny like a more sardonic Dave Barry. The book runs from his clever observations on everyday Iraqi life and some history of Middle Eastern affairs since World War I.
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 06:02 p.m.
Dita Von Teese
I was hunting around on Dita Von Teese's site. She's the new girlfriend of Marilyn Manson (now this guy has a type.) Turns out she's giving a show in my hometown three days this weekend at the "Foxy Lady" in Brockton, MA. However lovely "Miss Burlesque" may be, I can not make it unfortunatly. But here's hoping she's got a DC date soon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is investing close to a million dollars in an obscure Russian scientist's antigravity machine, although it has failed every test and would violate the most fundamental laws of nature. The Patent and Trademark Office recently issued Patent 6,362,718 for a physically impossible motionless electromagnetic generator, which is supposed to snatch free energy from a vacuum. And major power companies have sunk tens of millions of dollars into a scheme to produce energy by putting hydrogen atoms into a state below their ground state, a feat equivalent to mounting an expedition to explore the region south of the South Pole.
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 04:08 p.m.
We Were Made For Each Other! He Loves Shania Twain Too!
I had the perverse pleasure of watching parts of "Married by America" the other evening. The premise is basically that 25 of America's most desperate single women are matched up with 25 of America's gayest men. Viewers call in to vote for their favorite couple and if they remain together after x number of days they win $ 100,000.
There's nothing wrong with keeping your sexual orientation a secret -- even from the woman you are sleeping with. "Chet from Thanta Monica" will probably be the envy of "vivacious" Cindy's friends. She won't have to have sex that frequently (I imagine the wives of homosexuals are usually somewhat frigid,) plus she'll have someone to help her pick out curtains and tile patterns. Who cares if your in or out? The business gets done behind closed doors (unless your really kinky)
Monday, March 3, 2003 11:25 p.m.
Something Else Here's the text of Diplomat John Brady Kiesling's letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. An excerpt:
We should ask ourselves why we have failed to persuade more of the world that a war with Iraq is necessary. We have over the past two years done too much to assert to our world partners that narrow and mercenary U.S. interests override the cherished values of our partners. Even where our aims were not in question, our consistency is at issue. The model of Afghanistan is little comfort to allies wondering on what basis we plan to rebuild the Middle East, and in whose image and interests. Have we indeed become blind, as Russia is blind in Chechnya, as Israel is blind in the Occupied Territories, to our own advice, that overwhelming military power is not the answer to terrorism? After the shambles of post-war Iraq joins the shambles in Grozny and Ramallah, it will be a brave foreigner who forms ranks with Micronesia to follow where we lead.
Monday, March 3, 2003 11:23 p.m.
In Case You Missed It The House passed the cloning ban Friday 241-155. It still needs to go through the Senate.
Monday, March 3, 2003 10:21 a.m.
Well, He Says He Likes Liberty...
Here's Cato completely wrong on Vaclav Klaus again in National Review. Somebody please distribute A Laissez-Faire Fable by the scholars at CZ's Liberalni Institut, before he gives another song and dance at the Hayek Auditorium again
He preached private enterprise and free trade, touting the ideas of Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. His quick privatization of small business paved the way for a transition to a market economy, no small achievement. But Mr. Klaus's press clippings were often better than the substance of his policies.
His privatization of state industry through vouchers granted to the people suffered from inadequate safeguards against fraud and respect for a rule of law. The result was chaos and a failure to transfer any significant company into private hands. The Klaus governments pressured state banks to bail out companies, which is not very Hayekian. By the time his party left power in 1998, the country was in recession and its banks saddled with bad debt. Under the former Communists, who won power again in last June's elections, banks were sold off, unemployment fell and growth rebounded.
D-Level One-Offs
Mark Steyn in The Spectator has the anti-war movement all wrong. Sure there are "D-level" celebrities that are vocally in opposition, but who gets his foreign policy advice from Bianca Jagger? Then he cites a Sontag-esque op-ed proclaiming "9/11 is itself over — that it was just a one-off, a freak, like a bad tornado or the record-breaking snowstorms that hit New York and Washington this week." I guess then that all Iraq war dissidents are in unison just like all hawks want to implement a United States of Israel in the Middle East. Horray for generalizations, but this really does go to show a few bad apples can nullify the merit of millions others.
Monday, March 3, 2003 09:44 a.m.
Better Never Than Late The Sun reports the war will begin Thursday.
A crucial UN Security Council vote for war is now likely a week this Wednesday.
Allied commanders could order air strikes against the dictator hours later.
A top US intelligence source said last night: “The moment we know we have the nine votes needed, we will go for it. The military won’t hang around after that.”
And here's something funny from Christian Science Monitor; opposition groups that the US has long tried to work together have finally reached an agreement -- that they "object to key elements of the US strategy for overthrowing Mr. Hussein and improving on his regime."
Sunday, March 2, 2003 01:45 p.m.
Now I've Heard Everything Wired reports that an Israeli student has developed software that plays vinyl records placed in ordinary flatbed scanner
Sunday, March 2, 2003 01:37 p.m.
Red Baiting
CNET on how businesses are preparing for the war, makes an interesting point that China is now considered the "safest place in the world" to invest.
Saturday, March 1, 2003 02:51 p.m.
You Are With Us Or You Are With Us
Institute for Policy Studies, though not exactly one of my favorite places, released a report on US "arm-twisting" over Iraq. The most prominent example is two weeks back when Rumsfeld threatened to withdrawl US bases in Germany. Other preys include NATO-hopefuls in Eastern Europe and the countries Chile and Costa Rica that are close on negotiating free trade agreements.
Saturday, March 1, 2003 02:46 p.m.
Who Me?
Someone on Indymedia doesn't like me. Ah well, he's sent dozens of people my way. Hope no one's disappointed.
This is on the heels of an email I received today from a Jesus freak. I was one of several bloggers to recieve this prestigous note, instructions on how to follow the road to salvation. Maybe I am going to hell, but as the Spacemen 3 song goes, "I think I'll be good company down there with all of my friends"
Saturday, March 1, 2003 11:47 a.m.
Jak Se Lothario to Rekne Cesky?
The New York Press has hired expat Prague literati to take over. Jeff Koyen's first editor's letter, not available online, is excerpted on Gawker. "I never did fuck that 17-year-old woman. I'd call her a girl--'that 17-year-old-girl'--but in the Czech Republic, the age of consent is 15..."
Saturday, March 1, 2003 05:16 a.m.
But Can You Make Them Happy?
I was getting a little bored by endless coverage of the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's discovery, until I found this in the New Scientist. Watson says stupidity is a genetic disease that should be cured.
"If you are really stupid, I would call that a disease," says Watson, now president of the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, New York. "The lower 10 per cent who really have difficulty, even in elementary school, what's the cause of it? A lot of people would like to say, 'Well, poverty, things like that.' It probably isn't. So I'd like to get rid of that, to help the lower 10 per cent."
Watson, no stranger to controversy, also suggests that genes influencing beauty could also be engineered. "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great."
All Tomorrow's Parties
The saddest sight I ever saw was in a Montmartre boite at about 5 o'clock of an autumn morning. At a table in the corner of a hall sat three young American girls, quite unattended, adverturously seeing life for themselves. In front of them, on the table, stood the regulation bottle of champagne; but for preference - perhaps on principle - they were sipping lemonade. The jazz band played on monotonously; the tired drummer nodded on his drums; the saxaphonist yawned into his saxaphone. In couples, in staggering groups, the guests departed. But grimly, indominably, in spite of their fatigue, in spite of the boredom which so clearly expressed itself on their charming and ingenous faces, the three young girls sat on. They were still there when I left at sunrise. What stories I reflected, they would tell when they got home again! And how envious they would make their untravelled friends. "Paris is just wonderful..."
