The brilliant folks over at Common Craft have done one of their amazing jobs of reducing the complex to the simple, and here they tackle the big job of explaining the US electoral system. IT’s worth a look:
Archive for the 'Politics' Category
I really think we need to get these guys onto the footy field as they are at it again! They obviously need some constructive outlet for all this aggression!
Can just see it now the Greek Orthodox Geckos versus the Armenian Orthodox Anteaters packing out the MCG.
I was beginning to think that the amazing Mr Rudd was leaving nothing for me to do in Australian politics (though I would have like to see him go all the way, so to speak). However, Ecuador of all places shows that we still have a way to go before our societies hit some harmonious plateau:
A member of Ecuador’s ruling party proposes that a woman’s right to sexual happiness be enshrined in law.
Ecuador ’should enshrine in law’ a woman’s right to sexual happiness
Three cheers for Ecuador!
I initially struggled a little about the place of interrogation techniques like waterboarding. While I was reflexively against any form of torture, I was seduced by the powerful argument of greater good when faced with the ticking time-bomb example.
That was a long time ago. Now I just see base inhumanity and worthless “intelligence”. Our struggle against “terrorists” (for want of a better word), those people who oppose the freedoms we enjoy in place like Australia and Holland, is one of ideas.
In many ways it resembles the struggle we faced during the cold war. I have spent some time lately listening to some of the great speeches of the last century, and I have to say, I have heard some truly inspiring things. The one sticking in my mind is that of Eleanor Roosevelt in her address to the United Nations General Assembly on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its beautiful in its idealism and defiance.
Where are our great orators now? Where are the leaders who can “mobilize the English language and send it into battle”? For this is the stage where our ideas are best demonstrated.
Like the cold war, this “War”, cannot just be won or lost. What we face is a generation long shift in the global environment in which we live. Courage does not come from confronting it head on, but from standing firm in what we believe. By strengthening our systems of government, and then using them to secure our individual freedoms.
This battle of ideas should be easier. Our “enemy” today cares little for life, believes positive propaganda includes decapitation, and has a world view that is more than 1000 years out of date. Sadly, each time we drop to their level, by waterboarding, by Guantanamo Bay, by Abu Ghraib and even by laws which restrict our freedoms, we make the distance between us and them smaller, and undercut what are our powerful ideas.
If you are still not sure about torture, take another look at waterboarding:
Some on the internet think that Apple have done enough in the change to the automatic update software I complained about here and here. I don’t. The New software should NOT be checked by default, this is an UPDATE tool, not a NEW INSTALL tool.
Offer new software, fine, but don’t make it install by default.
Funny how the same people who still complain about Microsoft being a monopoly completely fail to see tactics like this as monopolistic (tying anyone?), let alone wonder about the closed system that is the iPod and iTunes.
Anyway, seems I still have the chip.
Outburst of emotion echoes across the land
It has been talked about for as long as I can remember, but without an apology, without saying “Sorry”, can it ever really be achieved?
Today, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, delivering on his promise, and on behalf of Australia, finally, finally said “Sorry”. The images on our televisions, even here in Amsterdam, were for the first time in a long time, showing what I believe is a true reflection of our beautiful country.
It is an incredible feeling to be so moved by so few words, but moved I have been. Lets hope that this is a new beginning for the process of reconciliation which has until now, not been given the prominence and respect it deserved.
“For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
“To the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.”
I feel this good!
An interesting project that collects together the x-rays from victims of terrorism.
Inside Terrorism – The X-ray Project
It makes no sense.
No, this is not a trailer for the latest action blockbuster from Hollywood, this is instead an advert for a political campaign. Now apart from feeling like my intelligence is being assaulted, I think this reveals a great deal about the mentality of the electorate in America.
Politicians, though more Republican politicians, run their campaigns on the basis of fear. With the direct result being more votes for them, and a growth in a fear of America throughout the rest of the world.
Since 9/11 America has been a very confusing place for those of us on the outside, and I wonder how much of that is because of decisions made out of a fear that we simply don’t feel. What would the world look like today if the Bush administration were not provided with such an incredible "enemy" (terrorism) on which to focus and build fear upon, a practice demonstrated perfectly here by the Republican front runner.
I always think back to the time when I was in the US and Anthrax was being sent through the post. This "attack" lasted for several weeks, and did in fact kill 5 people. Of course that is 5 too many, but through the entire time I was there, which was around 2 weeks, the news networks provided updates constantly. Most of the time of course there was no additional information to offer, but it made me feel like I was personally, directly and unavoidable at risk.
When I contrast this to the way London responded to the bombing of the underground, that is a message of "Please go about your business as normally as is possible, the police are handling it", I can quickly see which offers the healthier and more rational response.
Of course this could also have something to do with the quality of the media, the good old beeb making the blatantly right-wing Fox News network look like the tabloid it is. Don’t believe me?
Interesting article of the use of drugs to enhance your brain function.
“Whatever company comes out with the first memory pill is going to put Viagra to shame,” said University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe.
Makes me want to make a joke about those that already think with their Viagra, but this is a family blog.
While I suspect that the effect of these drugs today on a healthy brain is pretty minimal, this area will most certainly develop, and will throw up a huge range of ethical dilemmas.
Two ways of development strike me instantly. The first being the way of the sporting world, where those who take performance enhancing drugs are considered cheats, and when found punished by their sporting bodies.
The second would be the path followed by cosmetic surgery, where at first, those that had any “enhancement” went out of their way to hide the fact, but which has now become so socially acceptable as to be almost mundane.
I suspect drugs that enhance the brain will follow the second path.
However, what holds just as much interest for me, is just want impact the drugs these turn into in 10 or 20 years will have on the advancement of science.
This is a great example of what makes predicting the future so incredibly difficult.
If, and this is not to say it is even possible, we were to discover a drug that improved our ability to do X with our brain by X percent, and its use penetrated broadly enough, then it would follow that it would result in accelerated scientific progress.
It has just reminded me how much more potential lies in the human body, and that the ever more rapid advancement of technology is not only achieved through new technologies, but by using some of the old ones better!
The cradle of Christianity was rocked by an unholy punch-up when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.
As you can see by the above picture, the battle lines were certainly drawn. I’m really not sure who I would have been backing, but regardless would have loved to be a spectator.
The brawl apparently began when Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church after the Christmas Day celebrations.
Armenian priests claimed that the ladders encroached on their portion of the church, which led the two sects to exchange angry words which quickly turned to blows.
I totally understand how they feel, I used to have almost the exact same problem with my sister in the back seat of my parents car. Despite the middle seat being empty and elbow or something was always creeping over onto my side.
Witnesses said that the robed and bearded priests scuffled for more than an hour using fists, brooms and iron rods as weapons.
So much for love thy neighbour. And Iron Rods? Very ghetto, where exactly did these come from? Thankfully no one managed to pull the pitchfork from the hay in the stable in the nativity!
Five priests were lightly injured in the melee, which was eventually broken up by a dozen unarmed Palestinian policemen. Two of the policemen were hurt in ending the brawl.
“Lightly Injured”, well, I guess these guys are lovers and not fighters after all. Just it does seem strange that in an hour of fighting only five of them were injured, yet in breaking it up 2 cops were injured. These guys need some anger management courses!
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