Gaza Stripped.

Rockets, tanks, helicopters and a threat of ground incursion... all to strip 320 Square KM of all terrorist elements?!?

How much time and what kind of nuclear arsenal does it it take to conquer this tiny hamlet? How many lives is it going to cost - both military and civilian? And last but not least does it make sense?

Check it out. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip

Some lyrics leave me speechless... here is an example.

J'accuse - Michel Sardou

J'accuse les hommes un par un et en groupe

J'accuse les hommes de cracher dans leur soupe

D'assassiner la poule aux oeufs d'argent

De ne prévoir que le bout de leur temps

J'accuse les hommes de salir les torrents

D'empoisonner le sable des enfants

De névroser l'âme des pauvres gens

De nécroser le fond des océans

 

J'accuse les hommes de violer les étoiles

Pour faire bander le Cap Canaveral

De se repaître de sexe et de sang

Pour oublier qu'ils sont des impuissants

De rassembler les génies du néant

De pétroler l'aile des goélands

D'atomiser le peu d'air qu'ils respirent

De s'enfumer pour moins se voir mourir

 

J'accuse

 

J'accuse les hommes de crimes sans pardon

Au nom d'un homme ou d'une religion

J'accuse les hommes de croire des hypocrites

Moitié pédés moitié hermaphrodites

Qui jouent les durs pour enfoncer du beurre

Et s'agenouillent aussitôt qu'ils ont peur

J'accuse les hommes de se croire des surhommes

Alors qu'ils sont bêtes à croquer la pomme

 

J'accuse les hommes je veux qu'on les condamne

Au maximum qu'on arrache leur âme

Et qu'on la jette aux rats et aux cochons

Pour voir comment eux ils s'en serviront

J'accuse les hommes en un mot comme en cent

J'accuse les hommes d'être bête et méchants

Bêtes à marcher au pas des régiments

De n'être pas des hommes tout simplement

Astrology and such ...

Tell me if this describes you... 

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

This describes every human being on the planet. 

Check it out here... http://www.skepdic.com/forer.html

This is nothing official but...

IF the world could vote for the US president... the term "Blue Planet" would have a whole new meaning. 

http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

Bruce said the Truth...

"Let me tell you the truth. The truth is... what is.  And what should be is a fantasy, a terrible, terrible lie that someone gave the people long ago." - Lenny Bruce. 

And that is the Truth. 

That's all I have to say today. 

You say God, I say Derren Brown.

Look at what the brain can do or make you do... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f29kF1vZ62o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My67277vaGk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMsngNWMfH4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZohpDS2aMc&feature=related

and last but not least... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOEKdaXIEHc&feature=related

So it's all in our heads. 

I found it, the most under-rated virtue is...

Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska put it beautifully... 

In Praise of Self-Deprecation

The Buzzard has nothing to fault himself with. 

Scruples are alien to the black panther. 

Piranhas do not doubt the rightness of their actions.

The rattlesnake approves of himself without reservations. 

The self-critical jackal does not exist. 

The locust, alligator, trichina, horsefly

live as they live and are glad of it. 

The killer-whale's heart weighs one hundred kilos

but in other respects it is light.

There is nothing more animal-like

than a clear conscience

on the third planet of the Sun. 

This poem caused a paradigm shift in my life and when I reread the poem just now it re-emphasized the importance of poetry - and it all was 'a posteriori' thinking. 

Predicting a Hit

All I have to say is watch out for these guys ... this Brit band is going to be BIG! 

Why? It's just a gut feeling, better yet listen to the following and let me know what your gut feeling is. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B6kLH5aK-8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teOQS_Tzfyo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W1zNEfnO5U&feature=related

Cheers. 

Sarah Pale-in...?

It's pretty offensive to hear someone - especially an educated woman, living in the 21st century, in the US of A - spew forth such a medieval world view "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that," 

Mrs Palin should check the new list of MORTAL SINS (and pollution is one of them) I mean is it so hard to keep up with the "constant" forced updates and revisions to keep the church (ir)relevant? 

Gotta brush up on your Dogma Mrs. Palin. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

Alexander Solzhenitsyn 1918-2008 puts down the pen.

Far from being a long-winded post-mortem eulogy that inevitably overlooks the humanity in the deceased... remembering that he/she (the deceased) was human makes his/her accomplishments even greater. 

I especially liked this one.

http://www.slate.com/id/2196606/

I miss YOU

I miss you a lot... it's an everyday thing. 

I love you a lot... it's an everyday thing. 

I am trying to deal with it ... it's an everyday thing. 

Getting over losing you... it's an everyday thing. 

Loss is an everyday thing.

It's a life thing.  

No Comment Days

George Carlin Dies at 71...

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/06/comedian-george.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7468681.stm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25322638/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080623/us_nm/carlin_dc

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/06/23/carlin.obit/index.html

The Sultan of Reason

I find Wafa Sultan to be a force unto herself.

She speaks logic, reason and science.

She speaks of the Truth (note the capital "T")... the ONLY Truth that is out there. 

I am glad she speaks... 

Here is a highlight: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLoasfOLpQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Negt6IzxPTo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYB4pG3kHIY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZXj2shOzkY&feature=related 

(Check out also Shaker Al-Nabulsi - on the third link.).

Are there more Wafa Sultans out there?

Wafa Sultan's "rants" can be taken in two ways... they can either be viewed as an attack (Islam being the means) or they can be viewed as a defense of reason... 

Agenda or no agenda, that's what it all boils down to. 

patRIOTism

Patriotism Shmay-triotism... 

Being Lebanese and living in a volatile and irrational part of the world ... Patriotism fascinates me ... I have yet to understand what makes a patriot a good patriot? 

Granted it depends on which side of the fence you are standing ... in this global village we are living today shouldn't patriotism be undying devotion to this pale blue dot we call Earth? 

In my quest to understand patriotism I came across a few quotes which I have included for you cogitate (that's a word I do not hear often) over... 

“Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.” – Oscar Wilde

 

“Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” – Samuel Johnson

 

“Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.” – George Bernard Shaw - Love that one...

 

“Patriots always talk of dying for their country, and never of killing for their country.” – Bertrand Russell - and this one ... 

 

”Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism – how passionately I hate them!” – Albert Einstein

 

“Patriotism is the religion of hell” – James Branch Cabell - ADORE this one

 

“Patriotism varies, from a noble devotion to moral lunacy” – W.R. Inge - interesting.

 

“One of the great attraction of patriotism it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.” – Aldous Huxley

“Ask not what you can do for your country, for they are liable to tell you.” – Mark Steinbeck

“Some people’s idea of patriotism is hating other countries” – Andy Rooney

I guess patriotism is the most overrated quality in humans and common sense the most underrated. 

... and that worries me. 

 

SIns Revisited...

Seriously, The Catholic church has just issued a new series of modern day sins... I guess god just did not have the foresight to predict future human behavior that could be sinful... 

This is the most monumental event since the release of New Coke ... and just as life altering. 

Think of it... the "Classic Sins" ... 

Greed, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy and Pride... 

The "New Sins" (a clear indication of the divine origins of the "Good Book") lists the following: 

Pollution, drugs and genetic manipulation (yes stem cell research is included). 

Did the Catholic church really have to tell the meek that pollution is a sin! Kids learn to recycle before they even learn to read!   

Enlightened to say the LEAST and a sad, sad attempt on behalf of religion to stay relevant in a world lit by reason and science. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL109602320080310?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

That's Me!

This is a monologue by George Carlin... 

I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. 
Digital and smoke free. 
A diversified, multicultural postmodern deconstructionist 
Politically, anatomically and ecologically incorrect. 
I’ve been uplinked and downloaded. 
I’ve been inputed and outsourced. 
I know the upside of downsizing; I know the downside of upgrading. 
I’m a high tech lowlife; a cutting edge state of the art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond. 
I’m new wave but I’m old school. 
And my inner child is outward bound. 
I’m a hotwired, heat seeking, warmhearted, cool customer, voice activated and biodegradable. 
I interface with my database and my database is in cyber space. 
So I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive. 
Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave, dodging the bullet. Pushing the envelope. 
I’m on point, on task, on message and off drugs. 
I got no need for coke and speed. 
I got no urge to binge and purge. 
I’m in the moment, on the edge, over the top… but under the radar. 
A high concept, low profile, medium range ballistic missionary. 
A street wise, smart bomb. 
A top gun, bottom feeder. 
I wear power ties. 
I tell power lies. 
I take power naps. 
I run victory laps. 
I’m a totally ongoing, Bigfoot, slam-dunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. 
A raging workaholic, a working rageholic. 
Out of rehab and in denial. 
I got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. 
You can’t shut me up, you can’t dumb me down, cause I’m tireless and I’m wireless. 
I’m an alpha male on beta-blockers. 
I’m a nonbeliever and an overachiever. 
Laid back but fashion forward. 
Upfront, down-home, low rent, high maintenance. 
Super size, long-lasting, high definition, fast acting, oven ready and built to last. 
I’m a hands on, footloose, knee jerk headcase, prematurely posttraumatic and I have a love child who sends me hate mail. 
But I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing… a supportive, bonding, nurturing primary caregiver. 
My output is down but my income is up. 
I take the short position on the long bond. 
And my revenue stream has it’s own cash flow. 
I read junk mail. 
I eat junk food. 
I buy junk bonds. 
I watch trash sports. 
I’m gender specific, capital intensive, user friendly and lactose intolerant. 
I like rough sex, 
I like tough love. 
I use the F-word in my email. 
And the software on my hard drive is hardcore, no soft porn. 
I bought a microwave at a mini-mall. 
I bought a minivan at a mega store. 
I eat fast food in the slow lane. 
I’m toll-free, bite size, ready to wear and I come in all sizes. 
A fully equipped, factory authorized, hospital tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle. 
I’ve been pre-washed, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved, pre-packaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double-wrapped, vacuum packed and I have an unlimited broadband capacity. 
I’m a rude dude, but I’m the real deal… 
Lean and mean. 
Cocked, locked and ready to rock. 
Rough, tough and hard to bluff. 
I take it slow, I go with the flow. 
I ride with the tide. 
I got glide in my stride. 
Driving and moving. 
Sailing and spinning. 
Jiving and grooving. 
Wailing and winning. 
I don’t snooze so I don’t loose. 
I keep the pedal to the metal. 
And the rubber on the road. 
I party hardy and lunchtime is crunch time. 
I’m hanging in… there ain’t no doubt. 
And I’m hanging tough, over and out!' - George Carlin (A.K.A God)

God - An Autobiography

Which book influenced me the most? 

All of them, but the "one" book that got me thinking was "The Life of God (as Told by Himself)" by Franco Ferrucci 

Check the link for a preview: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/244954.html

It REALLY got me thinking...

Happiness Is In Your Head

Here is Dan Gilbert's talk at TED (Technology Entertainment Design) about happiness and our ability to synthesize it (happiness that is) - even in cases where we do not get what we aimed for. 

I'll let you discover this VERY inspirational talk. 

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/97

Common Sense

"Common sense is that sense which is least common." 

Whoever articulated this statement is pure genius.

Here is a man who is all common sense... enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

and 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCz0-HY1TLU

I have nothing to add to George Carlin's wisdom. 

The End Of Faith

I finished reading Sam Harris' "The End Of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason" while onboard a sea safari on the Red Sea [more on that soon]... 

To say it was a religious experience would be trivializing it... and the reason why it was such an enlightening experience was precisely due to the wonders of the world that this book allowed me to observe - OUTSIDE of religion.

Here is the link to read the first 10 pages ... might just whet your appetite for some more. 

http://www.samharris.org/site/full_text/chapter-one/

A Thought on Mental Health

My thought is there are people in the world operating at an extremely low level of mental health ... 

Here are few examples:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=1b5bd6e3e034d00b4f73

Even more troubling is this one:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e84f060b7b565135e236

Makes the skin crawl... 

But there is hope in logical and rational behavior - enter the Four Horsemen... 

Part 1: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-869630813464694890

Part 2: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-225595257312538919

Idiotsyncrasies

This is it... my first blog.

Updated erratically, I will post inanities, insanities and idiotsyncrasies.

This is my blog.

This is my diary. 

This is my archive. 

A book. 

A thought. Or two. Or three. 

Musings.

Moral outrage. 

Works. 

Brewing Projects.

In short, my life.