Arthur C. Clarke (December 16, 1917 - March 19, 2008)

The Velvet Underground vs Lawrence Welk

Bush's Exit Strategy: Iran?

CNN is reporting the resignation of the head of U.S. Central Command (overseeing American forces in the Middle-East).

To put this resignation into context, as if losing the head of U.S. Central Command wasn't enough to get you thinking this may be significant, you will probably want to look at the Esquire article that predicted this very outcome and makes some dire predictions for what his resignation may lead to.

Esquire "The Man Between War and Peace".

The last time he misses his saving throw

Gary Gygax has died.

Battlestar Galactica's Last Supper

via Galley Slaves
(click on photo for large version)

Did Vanilla Ice Predict 9-11 ?!?!

Inside Tarantino's Mind

Tarantino is decoded by two guys in Brazil

WF Buckley RIP

Part 1


Part 2

Quote of the Day

"How did they come this close to losing this? They had all the money, all the contacts, all the machine levers, the entire establishment, the biggest Democratic name in decades, and they've been forced into a humiliating death-match by a first-term black liberal with a funny name.

It seems obvious to me that the Clintons blew this because they never for a second imagined they could. So they never planned to fight it. Once put in a fair contest, they turned out to be terrible campaigners, terrible politicians, bad managers, useless executives, wooden public speakers."

- Andrew Sullivan

Intel Dump

Lots and lots of strange and curious new stuff;

- Check out the Obama Curve as of today (click on it to enlarge). Gotcha.


- Two great flavours that go great together; The Matrix and Carl Sagan;



- The best blog on space exploration 'Centauri Dreams' has an interesting article assessing the potential risks asssociated with SETI.

"The IAA SETI Permanent Study Group continues to work on it ('it' being the San Marino scale of threat assessment - ch), hoping to measure “…the potential exposure of employing electromagnetic communications technology to announce Earth’s presence to our cosmic companions, or replying to a successful SETI detection.”

- 'Macaciavellianism' - It seems that some of our monkey relatives thrive on being bastards;

"Described by Dario Maestripieri as being the sort of thing we think of when someone says "monkey", the macaque manages to flourish just about anywhere it finds itself, or wherever we put it. And it primarily does so by being nasty. "A rhesus macaque," writes Maestripieri, "can wake up one morning, feel a little drowsy, and find himself in danger of being killed by his best friends."

- Speaking of behaving like bastards, consider professor of philosophy Colin McGinn. He recently came to some extra attention for his excessively nasty review of Ted Honderich's book 'On Consciousness';

"This book runs the full gamut from mediocre to the ludicrous to the merely bad. It is painful to read, poorly thought out, and uninformed. It is also radically inconsistent."

What makes the review even juicier is that there are several back and forth responses between the two feuding philosophers, and because the disagreements between the two are very personal and may go back to a social occasion where one philosopher referred to the other philosopher's girlfriend as being 'plain'. Academia never seemed so pure a profession.

- At first blush I liked Ron Paul among the Republican field of presidential candidates, but the pretty glow wears off quickly. His brand of libertarianism is less a philo-political blue-print and more a catch-all excuse for collecting every black-helicopter chasing Dixiecrat with a grievance and gathering them together under a 'leave me alone to be a loony' banner. But its not just his worshipers that are over the edge, Paul's positions on the gold standard, The UN, race relations, and the constitution, are little short of

The deal breaker for me cames when he failed the basic reasoning test of endorsing evolution.

- Here's Michael Pollan author of 'The Omnivore's Dillemna' on how the plant world views humanity.



- What advancements did Intelligent Design theory make in 2007? 'None'.

- More proof that desire is the ultimate democracy; Deaf Porn.

- Spiderman rants on the the decline of America under George W Bush. No word on whether the webbed wall-crawler would vote for Obama.



- Check out the strange and disturbing art of Julie Morstad. Don't argue, just do it. Art is like broccoli, even if you don't like it its still good for you.

- Jeet Heer from 'Sans Everything' has this awesome take-down of the National Review's checkered history for opposing terrorism.

- Speaking of NRO, Jonah Goldberg, that writer of decidedly limited talent who achieved most of his fame through a toxic brew of nepotism and contrarian douche-baggery, is calmly eviscerated in this post .

- Looks like the evidence is now fairly clear that the Old World gave the New horses, colonialism, and gunpowder, while the Old World managed to give back to the New World a plague of Syphilis.

"They said a genetic analysis of the syphilis family tree reveals that its closest relative was a South American cousin that causes yaws, an infection caused by a sub-species of the same bacteria.

"Some people think it is a really ancient disease that our earliest human ancestors would have had. Other people think it came from the New World," said Kristin Harper, an evolutionary biologist at Emory University in Atlanta.

"What we found is that syphilis or a progenitor came from the New World to the Old World and this happened pretty recently in human history," said Ms. Harper, whose study appears in journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases.

She said the study lends credence to the “Columbian theory,” which links the first recorded European syphilis epidemic in 1495 to the return of Columbus and his crew."

Not the fairest of trades, but just in it's own way.

- Medicins sans Frontiere lists the top 10 under-reported humanitarian crisis of 2007

On the list;

- The rise of drug resistant Tuberculosis
- Restricted humanitarian aid in Myanmar
- The health care crisis in Zimbabwe
- The targeting of civilians in Sri Lanka's civil conflict

Not very cheerful reading.


- . Well, I've done McGinn vs Honderich, how about something a little more evenly matched like, Gould vs Dennett perhaps? (IMO Dennett wins)

- WNBA Live 2008



- Once upon a time, I took part in a pair of moderately successful campus election campaigns. Here are some things I wish I had known then; 'How to rig an election'.

I believe this line about says it all;

"You don’t win any prizes for running a moral campaign. Success in politics is all or nothing: a candidate wins or loses, period, and either ends up with power (and the extreme likelihood of retaining power) or no power whatsoever. So the “right” thing is simply defined as the “winning” thing."

Machiavelli (not to mention the Macaques' mentioned above in #2) would be proud.

- So long as I am covering 'How To...' subjects, here's one on How To Get Laid In NYC (or any city). Sadly, I lacked this information at the time it would have done me the most good.

- Harper's gov't officially recognized the reality that the US is a nation that tortures people.

Wait! Not so fast!

Here is Jeet Heer on how on Harper's swift reversal is indicative of what our 'special relationship' with the US entails.

- Disturbing and plush stuffed toy monsters.

- Three of the coolest words you'll ever hear used together, 'Origami Space Plane'.

"Japanese researchers and origami fans are getting together to develop an specially-folded paper airplane they want to launch from the International Space station, so that it will survive re-entry, and land back on Earth again."

So. Awesome.

- From 'Strange Maps' comes this determined effort by the Dutch to moisturize Mars.



- Will the new season of Battlestar Galactica be heading back to Caprica?

- A compilation of the top 50 Atheist slogans and bumper stickers

A sample of ten;

10. I Forget - Which Day Did God Make All The Fossils?
9. The Spanish Inquisition: The Original Faith-based Initiative
8. "When Lip Service to Some Mysterious Deity Permits Bestiality on Wednesday and Absolution on Sundays, Cash Me Out". - Frank Sinatra
7. God Doesn't Kill People. People Who Believe in God Kill People
6. "Worship Me or I Will Torture You Forever. Have a Nice Day."­ - God.
5. There's A REASON Why Atheists Don't Fly Planes Into Buildings
4. God Doesn't Exist. So, I Guess That Means No One Loves You
3. "Intelligent Design" Helping Stupid People Feel Smart Since 1987
2. If God Wanted People to Believe in Him, Then Why Did He Invent Logic?
1. Jesus is Coming? Don't Swallow That.

Anyone wishing to gift me with one of these on a T-shirt goes directly to heaven.

- The 'New Atheism' isn't really new.

- The best blog post title I've encountered in many months; 'Ursula Le Guin and a giant squid battle for the future of Gay Utopia'. Pure genius.

- My new favourite science fiction blog 'i-09' has a terrific article on the rise and fall of cyber-punk (and rise again) in publishing and movies.

- More proof we already live in the future - monkeys can now mind-control robots

- Tired of science fiction movies and novels that all seem strangely the same? Blame the Joseph Campbell Checklist. In that same vein (and also from the excellent i09 blog) comes this; 8 reasons why 'The Hero's Journey' Sucks.

- The future of convenience; The Marijuana ATM.

- From the NY Times; 'Waving Goodbye to Hegemony'

- Finally, a theoretical break through we have all been waiting for; ' the Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory'.

Ho Hum, Another Solar System...

Just because I'm drinking the Kool-Aid doesn't mean I'm not interested in how its made...

How to get to Mercury

Le voyage de Messenger
by lefigaro

Quote of the Day

Gary Kasparov on Bobby Fischer;

"Fischer's relentless energy exhausted everything it touched - the resources of the game itself, his opponents on and off the board, and, sadly, his own mind and body. While we can never entirely separate the deeds from the man, I would prefer to speak of his global achievements instead of his inner tragedies. It is with justice that he spent his final days in Iceland, the site of his greatest triumph. There he has always been loved and seen in the best possible way: as a chessplayer."

Garry Kasparov
Moscow - January 18, 2008

Atheist Superheroes!

(click to enlarge)

From left to right;

Backrow; Yellowjacket (Henry Pym was also Goliath and Ant-man, but definitely is coolest as YJ), Starman, Dreadstar, Booster Gold, The Atheist (go figure)

Front row: Quasar, Blackhawk, Mastodon, Vivisector (in front of Mastodon - also worth noting that Vivisector is openly gay), Mr Terrific, The Savage Dragon, and the Nazarite (who I believe is from a religious comic).

This link (as well as the header) takes you to a table of the different superheroes and their associated religious affiliation.

The picture above was from a site called 'Omni Brain' and omits;

Agnostics (who are still technically atheists); Green Arrow, Y the Last Man, Slaying Mantis, Amok, Kyle XY

Secular humanist; Reed Richards

Communist Atheists (which is a curious designation as 'Communist' isn't a religion); Red Star, Vanguard, Crimson Dynamo, Doctore Volkh, Mikula, Ursa Major, The Collective Man, Colossus

and 'techno-futurist' Iron Man

But most interesting of all, is (my personal favourite) Wolverine;

His designation is 'raised protestant, has practiced Buddhism, sometimes atheist, sceptical seeker' which is something that about covers my perspective too (though my flirtation with Buddhism was for all of 10minutes, and there is nothing 'sometimes' about my atheism).

What kind of atheist are you?

What kind of atheist are you?

You scored as Scientific Atheist These guys rule. I'm not one of them myself, although I play one online. They know the rules of debate, the Laws of Thermodynamics, and can explain evolution in fifty words or less. More concerned with how things ARE than how they should be, these are the people who will bring us into the future. Scientific Atheist 100% Militant Atheist 67% Apathetic Atheist 42% Angry Atheist 33% Spiritual Atheist 33% Agnostic 17% Theist 17%

Feeling ZENN?

Quote of the Day

“I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And thats what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than trying to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.”

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

Allow me to paraphrase; 'Who says we can't be a Christian Theocracy?'

Ezra Vs The Alberta Human Rights Commission

One of my old classmates Ezra Levant has landed himself in a very interesting situation. As publisher of the 'Western Standard' (a conservative magazine of uneven quality based on the old 'Alberta Report' format and subscription list) Ezra took it upon himself to publish the so called 'Danish cartoons' - a set of deliberately provocative and offensive cartoons aimed at the Muslim faith.

Now, the political reasons he had for doing so, are I think, dubious at best. My own suspicion is that he published them in a cynical opportunity to grandstand (and if you know Ezra at all you know that this is certainly a part of his character he has never even attempted to repress), but it should be noted that fomenting anti-Islamic sentiment was not beneath his magazines purview (by publishing the loopy, odious and shrill Mark Steyn for example), and certainly not beneath that of his more reactionary readership.

But whether he published the cartoons for the opportunity to publicly play martyr to the cause, or out of a pathological hatred for Muslims, makes no difference to me (and as I say, knowing Ezra I strongly suspect the former over the latter).

However, it apparently makes a difference to the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Voltaire once said that if God did not exist we would have to invent Him.

If there is a more perfect enemy for Ezra than the AHRC I cannot imagine one. If not for the costliness of defending himself in the process (though I suspect Ezra is doing just fine financially that should be beside the point), I'm sure Ezra might have looked for some way to deliberately pick a fight with them anyway. They represent everything he can't stand; a self-important busy body bureaucracy, unrestrained nanny-statism, a leftist ideology that privileges the complainant over the defendant, a lack of accountability, and a decision making process that is both arcane and hostile.

I'm sure if you raised 100 different political issues Ezra and I would disagree (probably vehemently) over more than 90%. He's the definition of social conservative (once being the communications director for Stockwell Day) and I'm a middle of the road libertarian with no fixed ideology. We are not intellectual bedmates by any stretch, but I can certainly agree that everything about this tribunal he faces is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Ezra as either a publisher or a person simply must have the right to free speech and to freedom of the press. It is not a matter of whether or not we like what he says. It is not a matter of whether we find his perspective offensive, and it is not a matter of whether we think he earned some sort of backlash for insensitivity (or open hostility). The simple facts are that the AHRC is an out of control organization that has morphed far beyond it's dubious initial founding to declare itself an arbiter of what can and cannot be said or published.

"It is procedurally unfair. Unlike real courts, there is no way to apply for a dismissal of nuisance lawsuits. Common law rules of evidence don’t apply. Rules of court don’t apply. It is a system that is part Kafka, and part Stalin. Even this interrogation today – at which I appear under duress – saw the commission tell me who I could or could not bring with me as my counsel and advisors." - Ezra Levant

It's clear to me that the AHRC deserves a smackdown.

The good news is that Ezra is well primed to deliver it to them.

You can see clips of Ezra's interrogation/deposition here.

You can see the cartoons in question posted on his blog here.

And you can read a copy of Ezra's opening remarks to the commission here.

Update: one of my favourite blogs 'Dispatches from the Culture Wars' is also covering the issue.

Update 2: two others I love, Andrew Sullivan (though his isn't long) and Glenn Greewald have also got stuff on Ezra's plight. Congrats Ezra, you've managed to get both the gay American right and left behind you! How often can he say that?

Update 3: Ezra himself has added his commentary on his closing arguments to his blog. Here's an excerpt;

"As the 90-minute interrogation proceeded, it became obvious to me that it would be morally inconsistent to end by asking for an acquittal, or any other "mercy" from the government. The logical conclusion of denying the legitimacy of the commission was to demand its worst. The point of civil disobedience is not to get off scot-free, but to willingly accept the punishments of an unjust system, to shame that system into reform." - Ezra Levant

Like I said, Ezra would have picked this fight if they hadn't picked it with him. Here's a link to a clip of his 'interrogation'.

In truth I strongly suspect Ezra will lose (he's certainly not trying very hard to ingratiate himself - quite the opposite), but Ezra is a creature of attention (at University he sold T-shirts with a caricature of himself along with a phone number - no shrinking violet he, nor does he lack for self regard) and as someone who lives to play for the audience the AHRC is actually playing into his hands.

So what is his end-game? Can he sue the AHRC for violating his freedoms? (the irony is almost toxic) Is there a political solution from his well connected Tory buddies he is angling for? Or has the publicity been it's own reward?

Update 4: Warren Kinsella adds fuel to the charges of hypocrisy here.

"The fraud, in this case, is my friend Ezra Levant. He is full of crap, actually.

When it has suited him in the past – and when the verbal attacks have focused on him, say, and not a non-white family, or a Muslim kid, or a gay man – Ezra has launched a fullisade of legal actions. He has papered the courts with legal actions, and legal threats, which presumably leave the intended targets feeling that their freedom of speech is being limited. When it is his feelings being hurt, watch out; anyone else’s – too bad." Warren Kinsella

Ouch! The thing is I think Kinsella is absolutely right, Ezra is a total hypocrite and if events in the past are any indication he would be the first to fling lawsuits around if the cartoon were about him, and if it were his feelings that were hurt.

But that isn't really the point - the point is that in this case, Ezra happens to be right. The AHRC is out of line. The process is brutal, unfair, and illegitimate, and the ability for the AHRC to strangle free-speech by allowing these frivolous suits is utterly repugnant.

I can understand the schadenfreude of others in the blogosphere regarding Ezra's plight, but the fact is he shouldn't be faced with this type of inquisition at all. Nobody should.

Bill Maher and The Blood of the Space God