Perfectibilists

Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati by Terry Melanson is a rich treasure trove of history, much of which I found I hadn’t quite been familiar with yet, and that, in spite of the author’s barely hidden bias, really puts the infamous Illuminati in a heroic position in their time. I’ve always… Continue reading Perfectibilists

no cures

“no cures.” No tears in the eyes of the youth Patriotism is the new faith “I am no criminal” Blind masses of youth marching Civil disobedience “It’s not the ideology, it’s the people” “It’s not the guns, it’s those damn bullets” Not to question patriotism is to stagnate and become blind followers to the new… Continue reading no cures

Societies with secrets, security culture and online social media

There’s a post about a new Social Media Code of Conduct for Massachusetts Freemasons [PDF] (HT @Masonictraveller) over at Freemason Information, part of The Beehive series by Fred Milliken. This document mentioned is particularly interesting to me because it touches on some issues I think are important; and the reactions to the document are also… Continue reading Societies with secrets, security culture and online social media

Re: Thank you for sharing your views

After months, I received a reply to a message I sent to Sen. Merkley. Only, when I responded, the address from which “Sen. Merkley”‘s messages was sent apparently is not accepting e-mail: <[email protected]>: host a-ess-sen3s.senate.gov[156.33.195.218] said: 550 5.1.1 <[email protected]>… User unknown (in reply to RCPT TO command) Yeah, so much for having a voice …… Continue reading Re: Thank you for sharing your views

Secretary of the Arts

As the woman says: It takes a couple seconds. Do it! :-) anna So, check out this petition, which I’m sure wasn’t actually started by Quincy Jones, if you’re inclined: Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of… Continue reading Secretary of the Arts

Holstic Design with Dr. Love at Schnitzer on Jan 15th at 7pm

Yeah, that’s not a porno, you perv. Holistic Design with Dr. Terence Love Professor of Architecture, Design and Engineering, Curtin University “Holistic design depends on the material opportunities but even more on our inner subjective, emotional life.” 7 pm, Thursday January 15th, 2009 This is part of the Linus- Pauling Memorial Lectures 2008-2009 Science, Techonology… Continue reading Holstic Design with Dr. Love at Schnitzer on Jan 15th at 7pm

Palin is a revenge fantasy

It should be clear from Palin’s recent speech that the Republican Party is about revenge, and the fantasy of revenge that requires a target. The rank and file of the Republican Party are being motivated by their fear and hatred to send an amoral and rapacious elite into office where they can do the most… Continue reading Palin is a revenge fantasy

Community not Communism

In this morning’s Oregonian (Wed, 18jul07; D2), there is an article, “Postage-stamp-sized service suits N.J. townsfolk,” that I cannot find on their own website. But, the Newhouse News Service is the source of “Tiny Post Offices Deliver More Than Mail“. From the article: “These smaller post offices are important hubs of the community.” I’m reminded… Continue reading Community not Communism

Politics in the Dark Ages of Online Games

Via Boing Boing: “Can you be a citizen of a virtual world? That’s the question that I keep asking myself, whenever anyone tells me about the wonder of multiplayer online games, especially Second Life, the virtual world that is more creative playground than game.” There’s been an online multiplayer RPG called Dark Ages for a… Continue reading Politics in the Dark Ages of Online Games

Real common wealth

Via The Huffington Post: The wealthy have made greater use of the common good–they have been empowered by it in creating their wealth–and thus they have a greater moral obligation to sustain it. They are merely paying their debt to society in arrears and investing in future empowerment. This is the fundamental truth that motivates… Continue reading Real common wealth

Pot meet kettle

I was reading an article, over at DailyKOS quoting Glenn Greenwald, about an interesting pattern that keeps coming up about lost information. What comes to mind first is the iconic patterns of corporate denial by representatives of the Tobacco industry testifying in front of congress and denying knowledge of anything. So, the model of corporate… Continue reading Pot meet kettle

The hands come together

In the Independent Online Edition, there’s an article about an amazing development in Northern Ireland: “The big news they contained was that Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party will be going into government together, launching a new era and underpinning the peace process with a political foundation. But even more striking was the absence… Continue reading The hands come together

“The sword of Damocles is hangin’ over my head …”

Be careful what you wish for, the consequences may be more than you expected: “Isn’t that what you wanted all along – freedom of religion? That freedom means all religions – even ones you don’t happen to like.” [via] In this article, an elementary school is forced to open up a system by which kids… Continue reading “The sword of Damocles is hangin’ over my head …”

Deja vu, all over again

With both John Edwards and Hillary Clinton maybe running, and a lot of noise about Obama, I can’t help but see the Edwards-Clinton-Obama collision as a reminder of the Edwards-Kerry-Dean collision. If this comes to pass, I have this tickle in my brain that thinks the eventual ticket will end up being Clinton-Edwards leaving Obama… Continue reading Deja vu, all over again

Who’s the smart egg that thought of this one?

Maybe it’s just me, but is handing out free eggs by the dozen such a good idea when there’s a protest about reproductive women’s rights going on? Thiftway, buddy, pal, that’s a bit like rudely refusing to offer candy on Halloween and, instead, handing out free rolls of toilet paper. You know, every chicken egg… Continue reading Who’s the smart egg that thought of this one?

MPAA – size queen, fashion diva, and girlfriend from hell?

Via Slashdot, BBspot – MPAA Lobbying for Home Theater Regulations, Apparently the MPAA wants to reach into your living rooms and bedrooms and regulate the size of your equipment and the arrangement of your furniture: The MPAA defines a home theater as any home with a television larger than 29″ with stereo sound and at… Continue reading MPAA – size queen, fashion diva, and girlfriend from hell?