Saturday, September 14, 2002
This morning I watched a talk show about quantum mechanics on Howard University television. It was a great panel, including John Searle, Gregory Benford, David Chalmer, and one of my favorite professors, James Trefil. They were debating the correlation between modern physics and consciousness. Quantum mechanics is a weird, inexplicable phenomena where an electron can occur in multiple places at one time or create changes in neighboring electrons without moving. Some physicists are usurping the sphere of philosophers and using the concept to muse upon the possibility of “parallel universes.” Quantum mechanics’ non-locality defies conventional cause-and-effect explanations. We cannot visualize what exactly happens, and for that reason, it’s a frustrating concept to ponder. Trefil made the observation that our intuition discredits it, but our intuition is programmed to accept only our “reality” as rational. We cannot expect our intuitional beliefs to transfer to another realm, anymore than we can expect people in other countries to speak English. Searle followed up discrediting those who may try to use quantum mechanics to explain conventional “mysticism.” We read all the time about mothers foreseeing the death of their children, and finding out later the premonition is true. That’s just chance overlap in consciousness and physicality.
Saturday, September 14, 2002
Although nominally illicit, you can in fact purchase speed at any gas station, and pot over the internet
Friday, September 13, 2002
We often think of racism as an Americanism, but the fact is that which exists in the United States is so out in the open you cannot lift a finger to point before getting placed under the racist umbrella. But perhaps openess is preferable to discretion. Hardly any mention is made on the racism that exists in any country with a minority. Even progressive Western states have growing nationalist movements more uneducated and hateful than our our political parties. With Jorg Haider back in the headlines, what might have been considered a trite post weeks ago is suddenly relevant again. The CS Monitor today questions a possible extremist movement among the Turkish in Germany.
Young Turks here often live between two worlds. They speak German and often feel a distant relationship to Turkey, land of their parents and grandparents. Their parents' generation came here in the 1960s and 1970s as so-called "guest workers" to fill jobs in German factories. Germany's political elite expected them to work, save money, and then go home. Until recently, little effort was made to integrate them.
This bring me back to a bed and breakfast I treated myself to, while stumbling thorugh Stuttgart last summer. The kind elderly woman at the door was excited to practice her English and fixed me tea. Later in the evening I asked where to go for a bite to eat and she warned, "No, don't go downtown Miss McNeil! There are Turks! And blacks! And horrible people!" Maybe it's not cause and effect. But there are definatly two parts to the story
Thursday, September 12, 2002
I took down the Ann Coulter post. Alas, Zoe got the best of me.
Next time, couch your argument in less offensive terms and be a tad more persuasive.
Zoe: 2, Jo: 0
Thursday, September 12, 2002
It appears the LP is looking for youngfemales to run for state congress. Well, gawrsh, if I could get paid to set up a weblog and talk about myself for a summer than you'll bet I'll forget my fear of public speaking and the public in general.
I've been mulling over these campaign ideas in my head:
1. Legalize cannabis on Indian Reservations -- The treatment of Indians in this country is deplorable, and casinos hardly make amends. The SC's peyote decision was a step in the right direction, but I propose granting full legal authority of reservation narcotics to the land-owners.
2. Voluntary Drug Testing for Senators and Congressmen -- Yes, I propose we demand drug tests from the state's legislative branch. I'm thinking of giving this idea to Adam to see what he'll do with it.
3. Clone Christ -- This goes back to my discussion with Dennison. You see, he's secured the domain clonechrist.com and I think it would be a great idea. We can propose to the CHristian populace that the miracles of science are getting us closer to the Second Coming. Christ will come again -- if we clone the Shroud of Turin! Hell, why stop at cloning one Christ? We could clone a dozen, maybe one for each of us. Also, I would definatly smoke a bowl with mine and discuss Ugandan matters
Wednesday, September 11, 2002 Vice, of all places, has a tight little interview with a former UN Weapons inspector, Scott Ritter.
Proponents of military action seem to think that the Iraqis will fold immediately and the Iraqi people will be waving flags to welcome the soldiers, as if it would be no problem to place a pro-Western government in place, leading the people down the path to democracy. Any expert on the ground will tell them that’s not going to work.
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
As it turns out, my exam is tomorrow so I did catch Robert Fisk's lecture. Alina remarked, "every time that man stands up, he risks getting shot." So who are you going to listen to? A respected, well-educated journalist who has risked his life and career for his beliefs ... or some knucklehead who calls himself Vodka Pundit? The "blogesphere" did wonders in quickly discrediting itself, by how quickly they took to the term "fisking." It's amusing to see people complain of not being taken seriously as journalists, although the content they provide is little more than a seccession of pats on the backs. Meanwhile, "warbloggers" neglect providing any real need for a war beyond what this prominent poster on a yahoo group remarks:
If you went to Glenn Reynolds' site, you would find a smug,
self-satisfied I'm-in-with-the-"in-crowd" attitude just as juvenile as
any real juvenile. Let's see: we should invade Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Iran, Iraq, etc. etc. etc. just because it'll be so damned _cool_!
Somebody who's lying about his hits (visitors, unique visitors,
whatever), and thinks he Oh So Important. Puh-leeeze. Glenn Reynolds
NEVER has any actual arguments: just sneering, quotes from other
people, and "shout outs" (i.e. "As the immortal Asparagirl put it the
other day...." Who the fuck is Asparagirl, anyway, and why should we
care?
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
America muses on, but the last line in Jesse Walker's piece for Reason is all that I remember from today's news coverage:
[A] year after those murderers killed nearly 3,000 people in a few quick blows, Americans are scarcely safer now than they were this same morning, 365 days ago.
But this essay by Jeremy Lott (to whom I lost the internship) is offensively jaded:
As bad as 9/11 was, it does not seem desirable that this terrible event should so radically change the ideals of a unique people. In many ways, America is about forgetting the past, or at least it used to be. From the Japan to Germany to Vietnam to former slaves and slave owners: the grudges slowly fade away, making America vastly different than so many other strife ridden clans and nations. This is a lesson we forget (or remember) at our peril.
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Alina informs me it is Lew Rockwell at LewRockwell.com. Clever guy that Lew, cause he secured lourockwell.com too, and I never noticed the difference
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
If you happen to be eagerly awaiting Thomas Pynchon’s next novel, The Atlantic’s interview with Jane’s reporter, Nick Cook will hold you over for five minutes. He’s got a book out, The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology, which is basically self-explanatory. During the mid-1950's, aerospace engineers wouldn’t shut up about “antigravity,” then the term was purged from everyone’s conscience. Cook tracks it down.
For instance, based on what we know of black program [“the discrepancy that's left when all the known weapons procurements, research programs, and technical developments are added up.”] activity in the States, based on what we know the black budget is worth, and based on what I know the U.S. Air Force is capable of in terms of turning vision into reality, I extrapolate that it is not unreasonable to think that they have taken antigravity technology, which has been around for fifty years, and put it to some use.
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
I’m still misty over the clunky windows 95 laptop that was stolen out of my apartment two months ago. It was slow and useless, but contained sentimental old notes and email, a good part of a novel I’ve since abandoned, and the best mp3 collection out of anyone. I had David Bowie and Marianne Faithful singing “I’ve Got You Babe” on the BBC. I had the “Sleeping with Clair Kincaid” mix of Losing Iris’s L.I.W. But now I’m building up a new collection, and helping you do the same:
Polvo - Hands down the greatest, most influential rock band since the Velvet Underground. This song, Tragic Carpet Ride is “classic Polvo”
The Shins – An article from the NY Press perfectly describes why I like them so much: “[James Mercer] looks like he would have been great as an extra on M*A*S*H. One of the young guys sitting at the far end of Hawkeye’s table in the mess tent who really doesn’t do anything.” Have a listen to Those Bold City Girls, the electric version is much better but here you can hear the lyrics, “memorize your thousandth line, kiss your thousandth guy...” Oh, Inverted World is a cross between Pet Sounds and The Queen is Dead and just as good as both
Don Caballero - Here’s your primer to math rock. Get June is Finally Here. It’s glorious. Like waking up to a sunrise on the cliffs in Dubrovnik.
Kari Bunn - I gave her my saddle shoes on the forth of July, she gave me a beautiful mix tape. Kari sold out CBGB last spring and she turned down the Lilith Fair twice because she has principles. Memory Won’t Erase is my favorite.
archive 9/3 - 9/10 Only three months old and already a retrospective
