Kurt Godel realized that there were limits to Mathematics (as shown by his Incompleteness Theorem) and he was wiling in part to accept these. However at the same time a part of him hoped that he could access intuitive knowledge through logic. His quest to do so eventually caused his life to spiral out of control ending in the unfortunate circumstances of his death. A genius he stretched the limits of rationality but could not access with the same conviction what lay beyond it.
Georg Cantor took Mathematics into regions nobody has dared to venture. However he found a world that surpassed the limits of human logic and like a sailor drawn by the songs of a siren was adversely eventually engulfed by its illusiveness.
All of this makes me wonder: Are there certain truths that we are just not supposed to know?
Monday, August 20, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
A praise for the intellectual journey
I have spent a substantial part of my life trying to make sense of the universe. A cynic would claim that such a task is futile, fraught with obstacles and ultimately a bridge to disappoint. Perhaps this is true, but I would not renege on the journey, its path may be convoluted but the serendipity that it invites is overwhelmingly rewarding.
While I have shifted back and forth between worldviews, I have discovered much that has made me a better human being. They say that there is a certain power associated with knowledge, but its not really power that excites me but the gradual unveiling of a complexity to reveal its essence.
While I have shifted back and forth between worldviews, I have discovered much that has made me a better human being. They say that there is a certain power associated with knowledge, but its not really power that excites me but the gradual unveiling of a complexity to reveal its essence.
A Quick Thought
As a teacher, one must always be prepared to come to terms with our limitations and inadequacies. These are numerous and become more apparent as we reach out to others, only to discover that the worlds that the students inhabit are seemingly so inconsistent with ours.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
A Religious Struggle
I have struggled for most of my life to qualify my religious belief. I was born and remain proud of my Jewish identity, celebrate many aspects of the culture and relish in the study of its history. Indeed I continue as always to be a strong and passionate supporter of Israel and Jewish Nationalism. While at times I have flirted with benign forms of atheism and deism such indulgence has never held me for too long as the reasonable arguments of theism have been too persuasive. Although I place much credence in science I reject the view espoused by Dawkins, Harris, Russell, Hitchens et al that belief in religion and logic is ultimately inconsistent with faith in a higher power. In fact I have had no problem entertaining both frameworks in my personal psyche.
My struggle though is at a deeper level and involves the step of consolidating my theistic belief with that of Judaism as a revealed religion. My attempts so far have not yielded the progress that I would have liked. Ultimately it seems I cannot accept the idea of revealed religion having any grounding at all. I am not convinced that many of the events described in the Torah (including the critical revelation at Sinai) even occurred and as a person of science I cannot give credence to miracles passed on from ancient times that seem to defy the established well documented Laws of Nature. I realize that there have been numerous arguments made through the ages to substantiate these miracles including a deference to a bygone ‘Age of Miracles’ but such reasoning seems to carry a ‘magic quality suffused with superstition ’ that is more akin to a primitive tribalism than to post-enlightenment reasoning. It is this hurdle that ultimately caused me to reject Orthodox Judaism and its emphasis on the 613 Commandments despite the fact that I have great respect for such organizations as Aish Hatorah and the various Lubavitch groups.
In short I don’t believe that their overall worldview, with its strict emphasis on both the written and Oral Torah as direct instruments from G-d, can be bought into the mix of the science-soft theism maxim that makes sense to me. A part of me wishes that it would as this seems to simplify life but I cannot lie to myself and believe what at the very end I cannot justify.
My struggle though is at a deeper level and involves the step of consolidating my theistic belief with that of Judaism as a revealed religion. My attempts so far have not yielded the progress that I would have liked. Ultimately it seems I cannot accept the idea of revealed religion having any grounding at all. I am not convinced that many of the events described in the Torah (including the critical revelation at Sinai) even occurred and as a person of science I cannot give credence to miracles passed on from ancient times that seem to defy the established well documented Laws of Nature. I realize that there have been numerous arguments made through the ages to substantiate these miracles including a deference to a bygone ‘Age of Miracles’ but such reasoning seems to carry a ‘magic quality suffused with superstition ’ that is more akin to a primitive tribalism than to post-enlightenment reasoning. It is this hurdle that ultimately caused me to reject Orthodox Judaism and its emphasis on the 613 Commandments despite the fact that I have great respect for such organizations as Aish Hatorah and the various Lubavitch groups.
In short I don’t believe that their overall worldview, with its strict emphasis on both the written and Oral Torah as direct instruments from G-d, can be bought into the mix of the science-soft theism maxim that makes sense to me. A part of me wishes that it would as this seems to simplify life but I cannot lie to myself and believe what at the very end I cannot justify.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Olympic Games - Some Observations
The Olympic Games are over and only the most die-hard naysayer would admit that they were unsuccessful. What follows is a list of eight personal observations and my respective opinions for most of them.
1. The Jamaican 100m and 200m running select are the best ever. Usain Bolt is the undisputed king of the sprint and Yohan Blake is clearly one for the future (expect him to regularly pip Bolt in the next 2-3 years) and take over the athletic mantle at Rio. The Americans performed admirably but will have to wait for this tide of Jamaican runners to wash through before they can exert themselves as the primary sprinting power. Both Justin Gaitlin and Tyson Gay are currently grabbing at straws in these events.
2. The US can console themselves with an excellent Olympic performance. The American medal haul of 46 Gold, 29 Silver and 29 Bronze meant that they finished first in all three categories. They won the Lion’s Share of the medals in Athletics (29) and Swimming (31) and continued to show strength across the board (taking medals in Judo, Shooting, Soccer, Volleyball, Water Polo, Rowing, Basketball and Tennis etc). One area of weakness though is boxing where the Americans (who once dominated this sport) are now at the periphery of the discipline. I suspect that the rise of MMA (which seems to have come at the expense of boxing) may have something to do with this outcome.
3. Brazil needs to up their performance if they want to duplicate the British success when they host in 2016 in Rio. Both the Men’s Soccer and Volleyball Teams literally blew Gold Medal opportunities that should have been theirs for the taking. Kudos to the Brazilian Women’s Volleyball for salvaging some pride by taking Gold in their final.
4. Olympic Soccer showed once again why it is a poor relative to both the World Cup and the European Championships. The Asian teams excelled in the Mens tourney and the Mexicans ground their way to the finals defeating a Brazilian team that lacked heart. The Women’s competition was far more enjoyable with Canada being robbed by some awful officiating from a rightful place in the final that might have led to a Gold Medal for my country. In any event the American team should be congratulated for successfully tilting the balance of power in Female Soccer in their favour.
5. The Biggest Winners of this tournament was team GB who put behind them a series of historically inept British Olympic performances to take home 29 Gold and 65 medals altogether. The Brits finished 3rd in the first category and 4th in the secondary well ahead of the Germans and French. Performances in Cycling and Rowing were especially noteworthy but like the US and China for that matter the Brits showed much promise in spreading their medal haul across a variety of disciplines. A special mention must be made of the success of Track and Field Stars Jessica Ennis and Mo Farrah as well as cyclists Victoria Pendelton and Chris Hoy. I doubt whether the British medal success will continue in Rio but its certainly something to aim for.
6. The Kenyans had disappointing running results. The East Africans were hoping for seven or so Gold medals in London 2012 but had to settle for two instead. Nevertheless the 800mk world record set by David Rudisha (somebody finally cracked the 1 minute 41 second mark) was one of the game’s highlights. It was also neat to see a Botswana athlete pick up a silver in this event.
7. Other nations who disappointed in this Olympics included: Turkey (5 Medals), Canada (17 Medals but only 1 Gold), Morocco (1 Bronze), Greece (2 Bronze medals – didn’t they invent the Olympics? Cheez….), Portugal (1 Medal), Egypt (2 Medals), India (6 Medals for 1.2 + billion people – none of the medals were Gold), Indonesia (2 medals for 200 + million people), Belgium (3 medals – none Gold), Bulgaria (2 medals – none Gold – weren’t they once a Weightlifting powerhouse?), Argentina (4 Medals – only 1 Gold), Venezuela (1 Gold), Pakistan and Israel (no medals).
8. Some of countries that performed at a very high level included: South Korea (13 Gold and 28 Medals overall – the South Koreans finished fifth on the Gold Medal count ahead of Germany, France, Italy and most importantly for them – Japan), New Zealand (6 Gold Medals – 13 Medals altogether), Jamaica (12 Medals – four Gold all in the prestigious sprint events), Kazakhstan (13 medals of which 7 were Gold – they tied Japan for Gold) and North Korea (4 Gold).
1. The Jamaican 100m and 200m running select are the best ever. Usain Bolt is the undisputed king of the sprint and Yohan Blake is clearly one for the future (expect him to regularly pip Bolt in the next 2-3 years) and take over the athletic mantle at Rio. The Americans performed admirably but will have to wait for this tide of Jamaican runners to wash through before they can exert themselves as the primary sprinting power. Both Justin Gaitlin and Tyson Gay are currently grabbing at straws in these events.
2. The US can console themselves with an excellent Olympic performance. The American medal haul of 46 Gold, 29 Silver and 29 Bronze meant that they finished first in all three categories. They won the Lion’s Share of the medals in Athletics (29) and Swimming (31) and continued to show strength across the board (taking medals in Judo, Shooting, Soccer, Volleyball, Water Polo, Rowing, Basketball and Tennis etc). One area of weakness though is boxing where the Americans (who once dominated this sport) are now at the periphery of the discipline. I suspect that the rise of MMA (which seems to have come at the expense of boxing) may have something to do with this outcome.
3. Brazil needs to up their performance if they want to duplicate the British success when they host in 2016 in Rio. Both the Men’s Soccer and Volleyball Teams literally blew Gold Medal opportunities that should have been theirs for the taking. Kudos to the Brazilian Women’s Volleyball for salvaging some pride by taking Gold in their final.
4. Olympic Soccer showed once again why it is a poor relative to both the World Cup and the European Championships. The Asian teams excelled in the Mens tourney and the Mexicans ground their way to the finals defeating a Brazilian team that lacked heart. The Women’s competition was far more enjoyable with Canada being robbed by some awful officiating from a rightful place in the final that might have led to a Gold Medal for my country. In any event the American team should be congratulated for successfully tilting the balance of power in Female Soccer in their favour.
5. The Biggest Winners of this tournament was team GB who put behind them a series of historically inept British Olympic performances to take home 29 Gold and 65 medals altogether. The Brits finished 3rd in the first category and 4th in the secondary well ahead of the Germans and French. Performances in Cycling and Rowing were especially noteworthy but like the US and China for that matter the Brits showed much promise in spreading their medal haul across a variety of disciplines. A special mention must be made of the success of Track and Field Stars Jessica Ennis and Mo Farrah as well as cyclists Victoria Pendelton and Chris Hoy. I doubt whether the British medal success will continue in Rio but its certainly something to aim for.
6. The Kenyans had disappointing running results. The East Africans were hoping for seven or so Gold medals in London 2012 but had to settle for two instead. Nevertheless the 800mk world record set by David Rudisha (somebody finally cracked the 1 minute 41 second mark) was one of the game’s highlights. It was also neat to see a Botswana athlete pick up a silver in this event.
7. Other nations who disappointed in this Olympics included: Turkey (5 Medals), Canada (17 Medals but only 1 Gold), Morocco (1 Bronze), Greece (2 Bronze medals – didn’t they invent the Olympics? Cheez….), Portugal (1 Medal), Egypt (2 Medals), India (6 Medals for 1.2 + billion people – none of the medals were Gold), Indonesia (2 medals for 200 + million people), Belgium (3 medals – none Gold), Bulgaria (2 medals – none Gold – weren’t they once a Weightlifting powerhouse?), Argentina (4 Medals – only 1 Gold), Venezuela (1 Gold), Pakistan and Israel (no medals).
8. Some of countries that performed at a very high level included: South Korea (13 Gold and 28 Medals overall – the South Koreans finished fifth on the Gold Medal count ahead of Germany, France, Italy and most importantly for them – Japan), New Zealand (6 Gold Medals – 13 Medals altogether), Jamaica (12 Medals – four Gold all in the prestigious sprint events), Kazakhstan (13 medals of which 7 were Gold – they tied Japan for Gold) and North Korea (4 Gold).
The US Civil War
The US Civil War was a terrible but fascinating time in American History. Here are some important facts concerning the war.
1. It was the bloodiest war in American history. 620,000 people died or 2% of the population.
2. Eleven states withdrew from the Union to form the confederacy. They were:
South Carolina (first to secede), Mississipi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas - first round - followed by Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.
3. First Battle of the War - Attack on Fort Sumter (April 1861)
4. Strength of the Union forces: 2.1 million. Strength of the Confederacy troops: 1.1 milion.
5. Number of Union dead: 360,000. Number of Confederacy dead: 260,000. On both sides about a third of these deaths were a direct result of KIA (Killed in Action).
6. Key Union Generals: Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, George Meade, Winfield Scott, Joseph Hooker, George McClellan, John Pope, William Rosecrans and Ambrose Burnside.
7. Length of the War - Almost 4 Years - April 12, 1861 - April 9, 1865.
8. Last battle - Battle of Palmito Ranch was actually fought after the war ended in May 1865.
9. States loyal to the Union: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachussets, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Nevada and West Virginia also joined the Union.
10. Territories on the Union side included: Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mesxico, Utah and Washington.
11. Major Confederate Battle Wins: Chickamauga, Chancellorsville, First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), Fredericksburg, Second Battle of Bull Run (Virginia).
12. Inconclusive Battles: Spotsylvania, Antietam and Wilderness.
13. Major Union Battle Wins: Gettysburg, Stones River, Shiloh, Vicksburg and Fort Donelson.
14. Three Battles with the biggest number of casulaties: Gettysburg (51,112), Chickamauga (34,624) and Chancellorsville(30,099).
15. State where the most number of battles were fought: Virginia
16. Place where the South surrended (under Robert E. Lee) - Appomattox Courthouse (1865)
17. Key Generals of the Confederacy: Robert E.Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Braxton Bragg. James Longstreet, John Hood, John Pemberton and Pierre Beauregard.
18. At the Battle of Shiloh - more Americans fell than in all previous wars combined.
19. Over 3500 Native Americans fought in the war for the Union. Just less than a third were killed.
20. Disease killed twice as many men as did actually battle wounds.
21. The US Congress issued the first ever paper currency - Greenbacks.
22. African Americans made up 1% of the northern population but supplied 10% of the Union's troops
1. It was the bloodiest war in American history. 620,000 people died or 2% of the population.
2. Eleven states withdrew from the Union to form the confederacy. They were:
South Carolina (first to secede), Mississipi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas - first round - followed by Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.
3. First Battle of the War - Attack on Fort Sumter (April 1861)
4. Strength of the Union forces: 2.1 million. Strength of the Confederacy troops: 1.1 milion.
5. Number of Union dead: 360,000. Number of Confederacy dead: 260,000. On both sides about a third of these deaths were a direct result of KIA (Killed in Action).
6. Key Union Generals: Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, George Meade, Winfield Scott, Joseph Hooker, George McClellan, John Pope, William Rosecrans and Ambrose Burnside.
7. Length of the War - Almost 4 Years - April 12, 1861 - April 9, 1865.
8. Last battle - Battle of Palmito Ranch was actually fought after the war ended in May 1865.
9. States loyal to the Union: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachussets, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Nevada and West Virginia also joined the Union.
10. Territories on the Union side included: Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mesxico, Utah and Washington.
11. Major Confederate Battle Wins: Chickamauga, Chancellorsville, First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), Fredericksburg, Second Battle of Bull Run (Virginia).
12. Inconclusive Battles: Spotsylvania, Antietam and Wilderness.
13. Major Union Battle Wins: Gettysburg, Stones River, Shiloh, Vicksburg and Fort Donelson.
14. Three Battles with the biggest number of casulaties: Gettysburg (51,112), Chickamauga (34,624) and Chancellorsville(30,099).
15. State where the most number of battles were fought: Virginia
16. Place where the South surrended (under Robert E. Lee) - Appomattox Courthouse (1865)
17. Key Generals of the Confederacy: Robert E.Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Braxton Bragg. James Longstreet, John Hood, John Pemberton and Pierre Beauregard.
18. At the Battle of Shiloh - more Americans fell than in all previous wars combined.
19. Over 3500 Native Americans fought in the war for the Union. Just less than a third were killed.
20. Disease killed twice as many men as did actually battle wounds.
21. The US Congress issued the first ever paper currency - Greenbacks.
22. African Americans made up 1% of the northern population but supplied 10% of the Union's troops
Monday, August 13, 2012
In the News LXIX
Romney picks a Running Mate
Paul Ryan is young, vibrant and conservative (paricularly on the Fiscal side of the equation). He is not the more ethnic candidate that Jonah Goldberg was hoping for but he is streets above Sarah Palin and will more than give the former Massachussets governor a boost amongst the core Republican constituency. Needless to say the usual suspects will be out to break the new VP candidate. Meanwhile in taking a leaf from George Bush Senior Obama gets creative with his criticism of the Republican ticket.
Final Curtain for 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Olympics, which in my opinion were the best ever with respect to overall atmosphere, opening and closing ceremonies, doping problems and athlete performance, ended yesterday. Again Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt wooed the crowd but the highlight of the competition were the performances of team GB and the recapture of the #1 medal spot by the USA. This is a wonderful boost for the English speaking nations.
Boris Johnson shines again
As a fan of Boris Johnson I am delighted that the Olympics have helped his rising star. If he can reduce the gaffe count its possible that he may emerge as a future British PM. Only time will tell.as far as Londoners are concerned those he is at least an order of magnitude better than uber-leftist and radical Islam appeaser Ken Livingstone.
Gore Vidal and Alexander Cockburn are both dead
I can't say that I am upset by the passing of these two anti-Israel zealots. I never liked Vidal's vitriol (which bordered on the anti-semitic) and his disdain for the great American institutions was loathsome.As a writer he was overrated. Cockburn was less of a name but equally as quick to tarnish the American brand (the country that adopted him - talk about biting the hand that feeds you). He was unapologetic in his support for leftist terror and like Chomsky, Pilger and Cole did much to put a positive spin on the Islamist threat to the West.
A real tragedy - Earthquake in Iran
Evil incarnate Mohammed Ahmadinejad and his gang of thugs that run the exceutive n Iran were criticized for their poor handling of the Iranian earthquake disaster. Maybe if he focused less attention on the Jews (his obvious obsession) Ahmadinejad could actually do something productive like care for the well being of his people.
US Economy still in the doldrums four years later despite the message from liberal spin doctors
Having come close to virtually bankrupting the Treasury Department and saddling futuire generations with the greatest debt in economic history, Barack Obama and his 'brain' trust will have to work overtime to sell the American public on the sucess of his clearly flawed Neo-Keynesian Economics policies. However with a compliant mainstream media, taking cues from the New York Times and such windbags as Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz he may just pull it off. So much for facts. Romney really needs to go for the jugular here.Some indications are that he already has.
Yes I know that both Stiglitz and Krugman are Nobel Prize winners in Economics but lets face it Economics is not a real science and together with Literature and Peace the contrived Economics Prize is an overhyped award that is most ofteb driven by politics than merit.
The real Nobel Prizes are Physics, Chemistry and Medicine (Biology).
Paul Ryan is young, vibrant and conservative (paricularly on the Fiscal side of the equation). He is not the more ethnic candidate that Jonah Goldberg was hoping for but he is streets above Sarah Palin and will more than give the former Massachussets governor a boost amongst the core Republican constituency. Needless to say the usual suspects will be out to break the new VP candidate. Meanwhile in taking a leaf from George Bush Senior Obama gets creative with his criticism of the Republican ticket.
Final Curtain for 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Olympics, which in my opinion were the best ever with respect to overall atmosphere, opening and closing ceremonies, doping problems and athlete performance, ended yesterday. Again Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt wooed the crowd but the highlight of the competition were the performances of team GB and the recapture of the #1 medal spot by the USA. This is a wonderful boost for the English speaking nations.
Boris Johnson shines again
As a fan of Boris Johnson I am delighted that the Olympics have helped his rising star. If he can reduce the gaffe count its possible that he may emerge as a future British PM. Only time will tell.as far as Londoners are concerned those he is at least an order of magnitude better than uber-leftist and radical Islam appeaser Ken Livingstone.
Gore Vidal and Alexander Cockburn are both dead
I can't say that I am upset by the passing of these two anti-Israel zealots. I never liked Vidal's vitriol (which bordered on the anti-semitic) and his disdain for the great American institutions was loathsome.As a writer he was overrated. Cockburn was less of a name but equally as quick to tarnish the American brand (the country that adopted him - talk about biting the hand that feeds you). He was unapologetic in his support for leftist terror and like Chomsky, Pilger and Cole did much to put a positive spin on the Islamist threat to the West.
A real tragedy - Earthquake in Iran
Evil incarnate Mohammed Ahmadinejad and his gang of thugs that run the exceutive n Iran were criticized for their poor handling of the Iranian earthquake disaster. Maybe if he focused less attention on the Jews (his obvious obsession) Ahmadinejad could actually do something productive like care for the well being of his people.
US Economy still in the doldrums four years later despite the message from liberal spin doctors
Having come close to virtually bankrupting the Treasury Department and saddling futuire generations with the greatest debt in economic history, Barack Obama and his 'brain' trust will have to work overtime to sell the American public on the sucess of his clearly flawed Neo-Keynesian Economics policies. However with a compliant mainstream media, taking cues from the New York Times and such windbags as Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz he may just pull it off. So much for facts. Romney really needs to go for the jugular here.Some indications are that he already has.
Yes I know that both Stiglitz and Krugman are Nobel Prize winners in Economics but lets face it Economics is not a real science and together with Literature and Peace the contrived Economics Prize is an overhyped award that is most ofteb driven by politics than merit.
The real Nobel Prizes are Physics, Chemistry and Medicine (Biology).
Friday, August 10, 2012
Two Books I have just read
I have just finished two books (at any point in time I am always reading three or four books – I can’t stand the tedium of one book unless it is unusually exceptional – which they rarely are).
Jewcentricity by Adam Garfinkle is a worthwhile read as it attempts to answer the question – Why does it appear as those the Jews (for better or for worse) are at the centre of everything? Or to put it another way: Why is the world so obsessed with Jews? He looks at both the antisemitic and philosemitic trends throughout history and provides some useful insight especially into the latter (using a historical chronology that I am always partial to). I found the first part of the book refreshing but the second portion dealing with Jewish centric issues in the US and the Islamic World has been better handled by others. Dennis Prager, Alan Dershowitz and George Jonas to name but three.
Garfinkle is too forgiving of the anti-Judaism of George Soros and says virtually nothing about the way Jewcentricity in the most negative sense has infiltrated the campus dialogue. He also downplays the role of the Jewish gift of ethical monotheism (arguably one of the most critical developments in philosophy) and its tremendous impact on Western Civilization while virtually sidelining the vast Jewish role in the sciences (and academics as a whole) to a cynical and childish swipe at those Jews who too often bring this up. His arrogance (as an armchair intellectual) is both unnecessary and uncalled for.
Jews have a right to be proud of their achievements as they have batted way above average on many fronts – science, education, philosophy and ethics - and we as Jews should not have to apologize for it nor should we forget it. The world is a far better place because of Judaism and the Jewish contribution to the historical narrative. Jews have every right to feel proud of such a success. Garfinkle's tragedy is that he has allowed his internationalism to forget that. One cannot help but notice that his argument (which I don't believe was his intention) is closely linked to the same relativistic cods wobble (and post-modern nihilism) that Obama and co. follow when conveniently dissing American exceptionalism. Garfinkle should have explored in depth the interrelationship between Jewish philosophy and achievement before commenting on this issue. He did not, and clearly leaves the reader disappointed and devoid of a more thoughtful discussion.
While Garfinkle’s conclusion that both Jews and non-Jews need to ‘relax’ and lessen their focus on Jewish importance in the global sphere is appealing it also sparks of a simplicity and indeed a luxury that belies the safe and secure position that Garfinkle enjoys as a very fortunate American Jew. In short Garfinkle fails to emerge from his localized milieu and his book reflects this. While I would urge a read there are clearly far better works on the subject.
Ranking: 6.5/10
Thinking with your Soul by Richard Wolman deals with the fascinating topic of spiritual intelligence (something that has been on radar very much as of late). Wolman has created a test to identify seven aspects of spirituality (Psychomatrix Spirituality Inventory - PSI). The aspects are described below on his website:
· Mindfulness - attention to bodily processes such as conscious eating, regular meditation, and exercises such as Yoga or Tai Chi.
· Intellectuality - a commitment to reading and discussing spiritual material and sacred texts.
· Divinity - a sense of divine source of energy, Higher Being or awesome wonder of natural phenomena.
· Childhood Spirituality - explores the spiritual experiences of youth, including attendance at religious services or being read to by parents from sacred texts.
· Extra Sensory Phenomenon - experiences that pertain to "sixth sense" or the paranormal.
· Community - social activities including PTO or work of a charitable nature.
· Trauma - crisis oriented stimulus to spirituality such as illness in self or others or the death of a loved one.
Source: http://www.psychomatrix.com/inventory.php
I personally scored well above average on six of these seven psychometrics (which I expected as spirituality is central to my life however on mindfulness I was only average..so much for more scientific scepticism). Wolman’s breakdown has much promise. I am particularly interested in the nexus around Divinity, Childhood Spirituality and Intellectuality but his follow through when further analyzing how each of these attributes can be more rigorously quantified lacks real rigour. Wolman is full of apologies and seems to realize this truism but does not provide a plan as to how he will attempt to deal with this shortfall. Part of his problem is that Wolman is too wedded to the appealing but empirically poor model of multi-intelligence that Howard Gardiner advocates (the model is more an exercise in feel good psychology than anything else). He needs to step up and become his own man, unafraid of the niceties of political correctness and solid in his own defence as his ideas are to valuable to be compromised by the wishy-washy anything goes mantra that his book quickly devolves into.
Ranking: 6/10
Jewcentricity by Adam Garfinkle is a worthwhile read as it attempts to answer the question – Why does it appear as those the Jews (for better or for worse) are at the centre of everything? Or to put it another way: Why is the world so obsessed with Jews? He looks at both the antisemitic and philosemitic trends throughout history and provides some useful insight especially into the latter (using a historical chronology that I am always partial to). I found the first part of the book refreshing but the second portion dealing with Jewish centric issues in the US and the Islamic World has been better handled by others. Dennis Prager, Alan Dershowitz and George Jonas to name but three.
Garfinkle is too forgiving of the anti-Judaism of George Soros and says virtually nothing about the way Jewcentricity in the most negative sense has infiltrated the campus dialogue. He also downplays the role of the Jewish gift of ethical monotheism (arguably one of the most critical developments in philosophy) and its tremendous impact on Western Civilization while virtually sidelining the vast Jewish role in the sciences (and academics as a whole) to a cynical and childish swipe at those Jews who too often bring this up. His arrogance (as an armchair intellectual) is both unnecessary and uncalled for.
Jews have a right to be proud of their achievements as they have batted way above average on many fronts – science, education, philosophy and ethics - and we as Jews should not have to apologize for it nor should we forget it. The world is a far better place because of Judaism and the Jewish contribution to the historical narrative. Jews have every right to feel proud of such a success. Garfinkle's tragedy is that he has allowed his internationalism to forget that. One cannot help but notice that his argument (which I don't believe was his intention) is closely linked to the same relativistic cods wobble (and post-modern nihilism) that Obama and co. follow when conveniently dissing American exceptionalism. Garfinkle should have explored in depth the interrelationship between Jewish philosophy and achievement before commenting on this issue. He did not, and clearly leaves the reader disappointed and devoid of a more thoughtful discussion.
While Garfinkle’s conclusion that both Jews and non-Jews need to ‘relax’ and lessen their focus on Jewish importance in the global sphere is appealing it also sparks of a simplicity and indeed a luxury that belies the safe and secure position that Garfinkle enjoys as a very fortunate American Jew. In short Garfinkle fails to emerge from his localized milieu and his book reflects this. While I would urge a read there are clearly far better works on the subject.
Ranking: 6.5/10
Thinking with your Soul by Richard Wolman deals with the fascinating topic of spiritual intelligence (something that has been on radar very much as of late). Wolman has created a test to identify seven aspects of spirituality (Psychomatrix Spirituality Inventory - PSI). The aspects are described below on his website:
· Mindfulness - attention to bodily processes such as conscious eating, regular meditation, and exercises such as Yoga or Tai Chi.
· Intellectuality - a commitment to reading and discussing spiritual material and sacred texts.
· Divinity - a sense of divine source of energy, Higher Being or awesome wonder of natural phenomena.
· Childhood Spirituality - explores the spiritual experiences of youth, including attendance at religious services or being read to by parents from sacred texts.
· Extra Sensory Phenomenon - experiences that pertain to "sixth sense" or the paranormal.
· Community - social activities including PTO or work of a charitable nature.
· Trauma - crisis oriented stimulus to spirituality such as illness in self or others or the death of a loved one.
Source: http://www.psychomatrix.com/inventory.php
I personally scored well above average on six of these seven psychometrics (which I expected as spirituality is central to my life however on mindfulness I was only average..so much for more scientific scepticism). Wolman’s breakdown has much promise. I am particularly interested in the nexus around Divinity, Childhood Spirituality and Intellectuality but his follow through when further analyzing how each of these attributes can be more rigorously quantified lacks real rigour. Wolman is full of apologies and seems to realize this truism but does not provide a plan as to how he will attempt to deal with this shortfall. Part of his problem is that Wolman is too wedded to the appealing but empirically poor model of multi-intelligence that Howard Gardiner advocates (the model is more an exercise in feel good psychology than anything else). He needs to step up and become his own man, unafraid of the niceties of political correctness and solid in his own defence as his ideas are to valuable to be compromised by the wishy-washy anything goes mantra that his book quickly devolves into.
Ranking: 6/10
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Olympic Medals - A Realistic Approach
Ever since I began following the Olympic Games in earnest – the boycotted 1980 Moscow Spectacle – I have always wondered why the games have not adapted a more realistic evaluation criteria to compare the medal performances for the different countries. Comparison by the number of medals won makes no sense as Gold is clearly a higher achievement than silver which of course is greater than Gold. Listing by Gold medals won distorts the table and virtually negates all other medal accomplishments. Clearly a better system is needed. One that is simple apply but at the same time yields data that is worthy of comparison. So here it is: The Worldoreason Medal Analysis
Criteria – 3 Points for a Gold - 2 Points for a Silver - 1 Point for a Bronze
Based on these parameters here are the scores for the top 10 countries as of August 6th 2012.
1. China – 145 (kudos to the Chinese for continuing their Beijing trend)
2. US – 136 (need to up their haul in Track and Field - and diversify a bit more)
3. GBR – 87 (the true stars of the games...incredible)
4. Russia - 73 (how the mighty have fallen)
5. France – 51 (about where they should be..)
6. S. Korea – 49 (excellent...must love the fact that they are ahead of Japan)
7. Japan - 44 (need more Golds. Strong in silver and bronze)
8. Germany – 42 (Disappointing if you consider historical performances)
9. Australia – 38 (Have crashed down to Earth...Population game has caught up with Aussies)
10. Italy – 37 (Could up it a bit..but are on target)
Where does my home country of Canada fit on this list.- Answer 20th - behind Kazakhstan, Hungary, Belarus and Denmark.
Criteria – 3 Points for a Gold - 2 Points for a Silver - 1 Point for a Bronze
Based on these parameters here are the scores for the top 10 countries as of August 6th 2012.
1. China – 145 (kudos to the Chinese for continuing their Beijing trend)
2. US – 136 (need to up their haul in Track and Field - and diversify a bit more)
3. GBR – 87 (the true stars of the games...incredible)
4. Russia - 73 (how the mighty have fallen)
5. France – 51 (about where they should be..)
6. S. Korea – 49 (excellent...must love the fact that they are ahead of Japan)
7. Japan - 44 (need more Golds. Strong in silver and bronze)
8. Germany – 42 (Disappointing if you consider historical performances)
9. Australia – 38 (Have crashed down to Earth...Population game has caught up with Aussies)
10. Italy – 37 (Could up it a bit..but are on target)
Where does my home country of Canada fit on this list.- Answer 20th - behind Kazakhstan, Hungary, Belarus and Denmark.
Monday, August 06, 2012
Early thoughts on a political evolution
I have always been a political junkie. Some would say it’s a passion others a misfortune. In retrospect is a combination of many streams that have defined my life so far. However at the very core I believe that it is ultimately an extension of my true intellectual disposition toward history, as politics is in a sense the footprint of history played out in the present.
My early childhood was spent in the South African city of Pretoria – the executive capital of South Africa. Pretoria is a fairly attractive locale that is nestled in a valley. The city is known for its jacaranda trees, its attractive residential areas, parks and laser straight main streets that offer urban area a sense of order that sees it as the Jekyll to the ‘Hyde’like status of Johannesburg (the sister city that resides less than fifty kilometres to the south). Pretoria is also South Africa’s executive capital (the Government offices are located in the Union Buildings) and was during the apartheid years the brain trust for these hideous policies. Today it serves, virtually in the same offices, the ruling elite of the governing African National Congress (ANC).
Not a business city, port or vacationing hot spot (those accolades go to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town respectively), Pretoria by its very nature has been at the centrality of South African politics. Growing up in the city it was not uncommon to run into diplomats and their families and in my schooling I did so on many occasions. This gave Pretoria a slightly international and highly welcoming flavour that contrasted sharply with the provincial numbness of is bureaucracy that continues to rubber stamp in drone like fashion the agenda of the ‘apparatchiks’ of the relevant statism.
It was in this contrast that I believe my political consciousness was born. I welcomed the internationalism but in doing so invariably grew to detest the bureaucracy, which seemed to loom as a joy kill over all that was human with Kafkaesque intent. One could argue that my early appreciation for small government emerged from this reality.
My early childhood was spent in the South African city of Pretoria – the executive capital of South Africa. Pretoria is a fairly attractive locale that is nestled in a valley. The city is known for its jacaranda trees, its attractive residential areas, parks and laser straight main streets that offer urban area a sense of order that sees it as the Jekyll to the ‘Hyde’like status of Johannesburg (the sister city that resides less than fifty kilometres to the south). Pretoria is also South Africa’s executive capital (the Government offices are located in the Union Buildings) and was during the apartheid years the brain trust for these hideous policies. Today it serves, virtually in the same offices, the ruling elite of the governing African National Congress (ANC).
Not a business city, port or vacationing hot spot (those accolades go to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town respectively), Pretoria by its very nature has been at the centrality of South African politics. Growing up in the city it was not uncommon to run into diplomats and their families and in my schooling I did so on many occasions. This gave Pretoria a slightly international and highly welcoming flavour that contrasted sharply with the provincial numbness of is bureaucracy that continues to rubber stamp in drone like fashion the agenda of the ‘apparatchiks’ of the relevant statism.
It was in this contrast that I believe my political consciousness was born. I welcomed the internationalism but in doing so invariably grew to detest the bureaucracy, which seemed to loom as a joy kill over all that was human with Kafkaesque intent. One could argue that my early appreciation for small government emerged from this reality.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Ranking of Secretary of States (US)
Source: http://www.rankopedia.com/ZoneID=3/22713/Step1/4978.htm
(In brackets is the President they served under)
I have some reservations about this list but its worth looking at:
1. William Seward(Lincoln)
2. George Marshall(Truman)
3. Thomas Jefferson(Washington)
4. John Q Adams(Monroe)
5. Henry Kissinger(Nixon,Ford)
6. Colin Powell(George W Bush) - seems too high
7. Condi Rice (George W Bush) - way too high
8. James Madison(Jefferson)
9. James Monroe (Madison)
10. Madelaine Albright(Clinton) - too high
11. Daniel Webster(Harrison,Tyler, Filmore)
12. George Shultz(Reagan) - too low
13. Henry Clay (John Q Adams)
14. James Baker (Bush I)
15. John Hay (T Roosevelt)
16. Dean Rusk(Kennedy)
17. John Foster Dulles(Eisenhower)
18. Dean Acheson(Truman)
19. Cordell Hull(FDR)
20. Hilary Clinton (Obama) - yeah right
(In brackets is the President they served under)
I have some reservations about this list but its worth looking at:
1. William Seward(Lincoln)
2. George Marshall(Truman)
3. Thomas Jefferson(Washington)
4. John Q Adams(Monroe)
5. Henry Kissinger(Nixon,Ford)
6. Colin Powell(George W Bush) - seems too high
7. Condi Rice (George W Bush) - way too high
8. James Madison(Jefferson)
9. James Monroe (Madison)
10. Madelaine Albright(Clinton) - too high
11. Daniel Webster(Harrison,Tyler, Filmore)
12. George Shultz(Reagan) - too low
13. Henry Clay (John Q Adams)
14. James Baker (Bush I)
15. John Hay (T Roosevelt)
16. Dean Rusk(Kennedy)
17. John Foster Dulles(Eisenhower)
18. Dean Acheson(Truman)
19. Cordell Hull(FDR)
20. Hilary Clinton (Obama) - yeah right
Great Rivals in History
Joseph Cummins wrote an incredible book on some of the Great Rivalries in History. The work is detailed and easy to read and is available at Amazon. (isn't everything).
Rivalries documented are:
Alexander the Great and Darius III
Hannibal vs Scipio Africanus
Juilius Caesar vs Pompeius
King Henry II vs Thomas Becket
Richard I vs John
Pope Boniface VIII vs Philip IV
Pizarro vs De Almagro (Conquistadors)
Elizabeth I vs Mary Queen of Scots
Charles XII vs Peter the Great
Benedict Arnold vs Horatio Gates
Aaron Burr vs Alexander Hamilton
Napoleon vs Wellington
Earol of Lucan vs Earl of Cardigan (Crimean War)
Disraeli vs Gladstone
Pancho Villa vs Emiliano Zapata (Mexico)
Hitler vs Rohm
Stalin vs Trotsky
Chiang Kai-Shek vs Mao
Chuikov vs Paulus (Battle of Stalingrad)
Patton vs Montgomery
Truman vs Macarthur
Giap vs De Casteries (Battle of Dien Bien Phu)
Kennedy vs Nixon
Rivalries documented are:
Alexander the Great and Darius III
Hannibal vs Scipio Africanus
Juilius Caesar vs Pompeius
King Henry II vs Thomas Becket
Richard I vs John
Pope Boniface VIII vs Philip IV
Pizarro vs De Almagro (Conquistadors)
Elizabeth I vs Mary Queen of Scots
Charles XII vs Peter the Great
Benedict Arnold vs Horatio Gates
Aaron Burr vs Alexander Hamilton
Napoleon vs Wellington
Earol of Lucan vs Earl of Cardigan (Crimean War)
Disraeli vs Gladstone
Pancho Villa vs Emiliano Zapata (Mexico)
Hitler vs Rohm
Stalin vs Trotsky
Chiang Kai-Shek vs Mao
Chuikov vs Paulus (Battle of Stalingrad)
Patton vs Montgomery
Truman vs Macarthur
Giap vs De Casteries (Battle of Dien Bien Phu)
Kennedy vs Nixon
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Mantra of a Classical Liberal
I have over the course of my life studied the role of history and its impact on the human condition. What I present in point like form are some of my insights and realizations. My challenge has always been one of finding clarity and in this regards .
1. I am best described as a classical liberal in that I champion democracy, human rights, private ownership of property, investigative science, free enterprise, meritocracy, high levels of education, the rule of law and a complete openness to discussion and debate within society.
2. I believe that Western Civilization, while not a pinnacle of all that there is, represents an advanced state of the human condition. I will make no apologies for this position as to do so generally invokes the odious philosophy of cultural relativism.
3. I appreciate religion as a system of ethics but believe that it should be divorced from the functioning of the state.
4. It is critical that the leadership of the great Western nations guard themselves against the forces of barbarism that threatens it.
5. While Western Civilization represents an advanced state in the history of our species it is still incumbent on the civilization’s institutions to learn from the other great cultures viz. Sino-Japanese, Latin American, Slavic, Hindu etc.
In summary: When a society loses the essence of what makes it special it loses the essence of what makes it great.
1. I am best described as a classical liberal in that I champion democracy, human rights, private ownership of property, investigative science, free enterprise, meritocracy, high levels of education, the rule of law and a complete openness to discussion and debate within society.
2. I believe that Western Civilization, while not a pinnacle of all that there is, represents an advanced state of the human condition. I will make no apologies for this position as to do so generally invokes the odious philosophy of cultural relativism.
3. I appreciate religion as a system of ethics but believe that it should be divorced from the functioning of the state.
4. It is critical that the leadership of the great Western nations guard themselves against the forces of barbarism that threatens it.
5. While Western Civilization represents an advanced state in the history of our species it is still incumbent on the civilization’s institutions to learn from the other great cultures viz. Sino-Japanese, Latin American, Slavic, Hindu etc.
In summary: When a society loses the essence of what makes it special it loses the essence of what makes it great.
Challenges to Western Civilization
The march toward human betterment in Western Civilization has been opposed by various force-dynamics or barbarisms. Some of these force-dynamics have been products of the outside world others were creations from within. The following is a list of such force-dynamics. (All are problematic, some have been overcome but others remain as an epidemic that future generations will have to deal with.)
· Feudalism – Ended by the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, early urbanization and the birth of the modern economy;
· The Domination of the Totalitarian Church – Eventually Eclipsed by the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the Rise of Reason and Science;
· Powers of the Aristocracy – Ended by both the violent and non-violent bourgeoisie revolution, liberalism and nationalism;
· Fascism – Defeated by the Western Democracies in World War II;
· Communism – Defeated by the Economic Machine of the United States;
· Islamism – A struggle that still continues;
· Post Modernism – A challenge in progress – a consequence of intellectual nihilism and misguided cynicism;
· Greed Capitalism – A dangerous but age old phenomenon that still survives.
· Feudalism – Ended by the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, early urbanization and the birth of the modern economy;
· The Domination of the Totalitarian Church – Eventually Eclipsed by the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the Rise of Reason and Science;
· Powers of the Aristocracy – Ended by both the violent and non-violent bourgeoisie revolution, liberalism and nationalism;
· Fascism – Defeated by the Western Democracies in World War II;
· Communism – Defeated by the Economic Machine of the United States;
· Islamism – A struggle that still continues;
· Post Modernism – A challenge in progress – a consequence of intellectual nihilism and misguided cynicism;
· Greed Capitalism – A dangerous but age old phenomenon that still survives.
On Good Science
Good Science is the pursuit of knowledge derived from questioning. It is science that looks at a phenomenon and attempts to elucidate its workings through rational thought and empirical investigation. It strives to be as objective as possible in its process. Conclusions are eventually drawn following the thorough analysis of evidence but the conclusions must not extend beyond the assumptions that so defined the research.
There is no single scientific method but there are broad procedures that extend from the initial observation, through hypothesis to the investigation, analysis and the subsequent conclusion(s) for any inquiry.
Scientists are not guardians of truth, but agents of clarification that peel away the fog of noise in an attempt to model more accurately the workings of the world. They are of course free to philosophize and speculate about the significance of their findings (something I call the extended objective) but these speculations should not overwrite (or even overextend) the mandate of their original research.
Scientists must understand the limits of their findings which ultimately calls for an appreciation of the boundaries of their respective disciplines. Science is not a religion, nor should it be vaunted a such, however it is the best tool that we humans have of understanding the material world. It is indeed very powerful but it is ultimately confined to the milieu of matter/energy.
There is no single scientific method but there are broad procedures that extend from the initial observation, through hypothesis to the investigation, analysis and the subsequent conclusion(s) for any inquiry.
Scientists are not guardians of truth, but agents of clarification that peel away the fog of noise in an attempt to model more accurately the workings of the world. They are of course free to philosophize and speculate about the significance of their findings (something I call the extended objective) but these speculations should not overwrite (or even overextend) the mandate of their original research.
Scientists must understand the limits of their findings which ultimately calls for an appreciation of the boundaries of their respective disciplines. Science is not a religion, nor should it be vaunted a such, however it is the best tool that we humans have of understanding the material world. It is indeed very powerful but it is ultimately confined to the milieu of matter/energy.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Norman Finkelstein Lashes out at BDS
Norman Finkelstein is still a detestable anti-zionist who has done his best to drag the Jewish state through the mud. His regular scholarship is poor but at least in this video he rightly calls out the anti-semitic BDS campaign for what they are - a Cult of Fools.
See http://vimeo.com/36854424
See http://vimeo.com/36854424
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Eight Reasons Why the US Should Quit Afghanistan
1. It’s a war that cannot be won. The mountainous terrain is perfect for guerrilla warfare and the porous border with Pakistan allows the Taliban to seek refuge beyond the grasp of the American forces.
2. Local Allies cannot be trusted. American soldiers have come under fire from Afghan troops (who are supposed to be on the Allied Side), while the Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth (he even suggested at one point that he would team up with the Taliban).
3. American lives are being lost for very little gain in propping up an intolerant Afghan government that still itself does not believe in religious freedom.
4. The War has further destabilized Pakistan. Its time that Pakistan dealt themselves with issues in their backyard.
5. The Afghan population is too tribal in its profile. Bringing Western style democracy to a country that has not gone through a religious reformation and intellectual renaissance – let alone an enlightenment – is ridiculous. If the US wishes to support interventionist nation building, which it really shouldn’t, it ought to make sure that there is a nation to build. Afghanistan fails this litmus test.
6. The cost on the US Treasury (and ultimately the taxpayer) is severe. The money is better spent elsewhere at home.
7. The big winners in this war are the enemies of the US, who can profit by selling weapons to the Taliban, who in turn fund their purchases with the sale of drugs. Once again the evil multiplies.
8. The Canadians have left, the French are on their way out and the British will be quitting soon. American left isolated in a foreign war, miles away from home, with no clear agenda, can only serve to further dampen troop morale and increase losses.
2. Local Allies cannot be trusted. American soldiers have come under fire from Afghan troops (who are supposed to be on the Allied Side), while the Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth (he even suggested at one point that he would team up with the Taliban).
3. American lives are being lost for very little gain in propping up an intolerant Afghan government that still itself does not believe in religious freedom.
4. The War has further destabilized Pakistan. Its time that Pakistan dealt themselves with issues in their backyard.
5. The Afghan population is too tribal in its profile. Bringing Western style democracy to a country that has not gone through a religious reformation and intellectual renaissance – let alone an enlightenment – is ridiculous. If the US wishes to support interventionist nation building, which it really shouldn’t, it ought to make sure that there is a nation to build. Afghanistan fails this litmus test.
6. The cost on the US Treasury (and ultimately the taxpayer) is severe. The money is better spent elsewhere at home.
7. The big winners in this war are the enemies of the US, who can profit by selling weapons to the Taliban, who in turn fund their purchases with the sale of drugs. Once again the evil multiplies.
8. The Canadians have left, the French are on their way out and the British will be quitting soon. American left isolated in a foreign war, miles away from home, with no clear agenda, can only serve to further dampen troop morale and increase losses.
40 Things I would do if I were President of the US
1. Cancel all future corporation bailouts from the Federal Government. Unsuccessful businesses should be allowed to fail.
2. Reduce tax rates on the Middle Class.
3. Decrease the size of the Federal government by 30%.
4. Remove all Affirmative Action Programs in the Federal government.
5. Remove government guarantees for student loans – I believe that this will drop the price of university tuition.
6. Withdraw American forces from Afghanistan
7. Allow the Keystone Pipeline to pass from Alberta through the Central US.
8. Introduce legislation to ban late term abortion (unless the mother’s life is in danger).
9. Increase tariffs on select foreign goods that cannot be manufactured in the US.
10. Place high tariffs on cheap import direct-to-retail products from the Far East
11. Introduce a balance budget amendment.
12. Maintain guarantees for Stem Cell Research.
13. Introduce legislation that universities remove speech codes on the grounds that they contradict the First Amendment.
14. Support an aggressive program for School Vouchers that allow parents a greater choice in school selection.
15. End the War on Drugs. Legalize many of the narcotics but tax them heavily.
16. Build a fence between the US and Mexico to prevent illegal aliens reaching the US.
17. Draft legislation to declare English the only official language of the Republic.
18. Enforce the extradition of illegal aliens currently residing in the US.
19. Reinvigorate the Space Race. Increase Funding for NASA. Encourage Private Enterprise in the Space Arena.
20. Increase vigilance on foreign student visa programs. Reduce Visa approvals for students coming to the US from countries that are ‘soft’ on terrorism.
21. Grant Independence to Puerto Rica.
22. Limit the number of times a convicted felon can appeal a death sentence.
23. Close as many tax loopholes as possible but allow tax rebates for investment in the healthcare sector.
24. Establish a League of Democracies as a counterbalance to the UN.
25. Make foreign aid to various nations contingent on these countries meeting human rights quotas.
26. Re-allocate wasted funding for ‘Fuzzy’ Climate Change research to real funding for the National Parks and Endangered Species Programs.
27. Remove the US from all carbon credit trading agreements.
28. Set aside tax rebate money that individuals have to use to purchase healthcare.
29. Set aside savings in reduction of federal government size for funding of extended Medicare and Medicaid.
30. Introduce stronger regulations for both the Derivatives and Futures Markets.
31. Promote tax rebates for companies investing in poor areas.
32. Close down US bases in Europe. Let the Europeans defend themselves.
33. Place stronger sanctions on Iran. Promote a sporting and cultural ban for Iran (similar to the one faced by South Africa during the Apartheid Era). Give Iran an ultimatum to cease its development of a nuclear bomb or face the consequences.
34. Cut off all aid to Pakistan until it comes clean in its position in the fight against Islamism.
35. Stop funding projects in the Gaza Strip that ultimately produce a windfall for the terror affiliated Hamas administration.
36. Resume relations with Cuba and lift boycott contingent on free elections in the country.
37. Boycott Venezuelan and Saudi oil in favour of Non-OPEC Ethical Oil sources.
38. Consolidate the intelligent gathering agencies NIS, Military Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, CIA into one single unit.
39. Fight to amend the constitution to limit the time that judges can sit on the US Supreme Court.
40. Promote Apprenticeship programs as and alternative to the highly overrated College Degrees.
2. Reduce tax rates on the Middle Class.
3. Decrease the size of the Federal government by 30%.
4. Remove all Affirmative Action Programs in the Federal government.
5. Remove government guarantees for student loans – I believe that this will drop the price of university tuition.
6. Withdraw American forces from Afghanistan
7. Allow the Keystone Pipeline to pass from Alberta through the Central US.
8. Introduce legislation to ban late term abortion (unless the mother’s life is in danger).
9. Increase tariffs on select foreign goods that cannot be manufactured in the US.
10. Place high tariffs on cheap import direct-to-retail products from the Far East
11. Introduce a balance budget amendment.
12. Maintain guarantees for Stem Cell Research.
13. Introduce legislation that universities remove speech codes on the grounds that they contradict the First Amendment.
14. Support an aggressive program for School Vouchers that allow parents a greater choice in school selection.
15. End the War on Drugs. Legalize many of the narcotics but tax them heavily.
16. Build a fence between the US and Mexico to prevent illegal aliens reaching the US.
17. Draft legislation to declare English the only official language of the Republic.
18. Enforce the extradition of illegal aliens currently residing in the US.
19. Reinvigorate the Space Race. Increase Funding for NASA. Encourage Private Enterprise in the Space Arena.
20. Increase vigilance on foreign student visa programs. Reduce Visa approvals for students coming to the US from countries that are ‘soft’ on terrorism.
21. Grant Independence to Puerto Rica.
22. Limit the number of times a convicted felon can appeal a death sentence.
23. Close as many tax loopholes as possible but allow tax rebates for investment in the healthcare sector.
24. Establish a League of Democracies as a counterbalance to the UN.
25. Make foreign aid to various nations contingent on these countries meeting human rights quotas.
26. Re-allocate wasted funding for ‘Fuzzy’ Climate Change research to real funding for the National Parks and Endangered Species Programs.
27. Remove the US from all carbon credit trading agreements.
28. Set aside tax rebate money that individuals have to use to purchase healthcare.
29. Set aside savings in reduction of federal government size for funding of extended Medicare and Medicaid.
30. Introduce stronger regulations for both the Derivatives and Futures Markets.
31. Promote tax rebates for companies investing in poor areas.
32. Close down US bases in Europe. Let the Europeans defend themselves.
33. Place stronger sanctions on Iran. Promote a sporting and cultural ban for Iran (similar to the one faced by South Africa during the Apartheid Era). Give Iran an ultimatum to cease its development of a nuclear bomb or face the consequences.
34. Cut off all aid to Pakistan until it comes clean in its position in the fight against Islamism.
35. Stop funding projects in the Gaza Strip that ultimately produce a windfall for the terror affiliated Hamas administration.
36. Resume relations with Cuba and lift boycott contingent on free elections in the country.
37. Boycott Venezuelan and Saudi oil in favour of Non-OPEC Ethical Oil sources.
38. Consolidate the intelligent gathering agencies NIS, Military Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, CIA into one single unit.
39. Fight to amend the constitution to limit the time that judges can sit on the US Supreme Court.
40. Promote Apprenticeship programs as and alternative to the highly overrated College Degrees.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Ron Paul - A Poor Choice for President
1. He is overly radical in his championing of the free market and seems likely to slash and burn key social programs in the name of a balanced budget (which is a necessity but thebudget must be balanced with care). I myself tend toward the monetarist approach in the great economic debate but I believe and support key Keynesian initiatives in moderation. I do not believe that Paul’s bias allows him to take the same approach. He is too dogmatic in his economics. Libertarianism at its extreme is inherently flawed, in that it defers to the simplistic, as does in all irony its Marxist antithesis.
2. He would follow an isolationist foreign policy, which at a time when the West needs strong leadership in the fight against Islamism would spell disaster. One need not look further than the inter war years and the growth of Fascism and Stalinism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s to see what happens when Good Nations do nothing against an evil.
3. He is weak on illegal immigration an issue which will become more and more pertinent in defining the national character in the 2010s.
4. He often makes historical errors when discussing foreign policy question indicating that his grasp of history is suspect.
5. Paul is supported by some of the most loathsome kooks in American Politics: Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Conspiracy theorists etc. He has not sufficiently distanced himself from these extremists which is disturbing as such members will no doubt gain more influence within the Paulista realm.
6. Paul is no fan of the US Military and his policies could jeopardize US Security initiatives world wide by a following through with a spate of base closing. America’s enemies will certainly see this as a sign of weakness in the decay of the nation.
2. He would follow an isolationist foreign policy, which at a time when the West needs strong leadership in the fight against Islamism would spell disaster. One need not look further than the inter war years and the growth of Fascism and Stalinism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s to see what happens when Good Nations do nothing against an evil.
3. He is weak on illegal immigration an issue which will become more and more pertinent in defining the national character in the 2010s.
4. He often makes historical errors when discussing foreign policy question indicating that his grasp of history is suspect.
5. Paul is supported by some of the most loathsome kooks in American Politics: Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Conspiracy theorists etc. He has not sufficiently distanced himself from these extremists which is disturbing as such members will no doubt gain more influence within the Paulista realm.
6. Paul is no fan of the US Military and his policies could jeopardize US Security initiatives world wide by a following through with a spate of base closing. America’s enemies will certainly see this as a sign of weakness in the decay of the nation.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Mitt Romney - Possible Dragon Slayer
As it stands right now I am reluctantly endorsing Mitt Romney for President. While the former Massachusetts governor is far cry from the likes of Truman and Reagan he is significantly better than Obama and clearly ahead of Perry, Bachman, Huntsman, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul in both electibility and practicality of policy. As a center-right conservative with East Coast appeal Romney can shake Obama's voter base in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and New Jersey and with an added West Coast draw will likely challenge in California as well. The Dems must be worried about his recent upsurge, as they were clearly licking their chops at facing the lesser choices already named.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Obama - Three Years of Pathos
There is no doubt whatsoever that Barack Hussein Obama has been a D-Level president. In fact in almost all categories he falls short of the litmus test for marginal competency.
On the economic front, the Obama stimulus packages have failed miserably to ignite the economy (as any monetarist could have told him) and instead has entangled the US with the greatest debt in the history of the republic. This ‘legacy’ that future generations will have to account for is a noxious burden made worse by the fact that so much of it is held by China – a country destined to overthrow the US as the leading superpower both economically and strategically. Furthermore Obama and his intellectual posse have advocated a cultural of financial dependency by ensuring that 47% of Americans will be benefiting but not contributing to the nation’s tax base. Confidence in the economy is low and as manufacturing potential deteriorates the spiral of American decline is further exemplified by a shrinking private sector and the growth of the big government monolith. Critics will argue that Obama inherited many of these problems from the previous administration, a charge that carries a semblance of truth (although the Democrat controlled Congress shoulders much blame as well), but the fact that he has made a bad situation exponentially worse and now owns much of the current problem is a more potent truism.
However if the lights are all but out on Obama’s economic policy, his Foreign Policy initiatives deserve equal ridicule. Particularly galling is his failure to apply common sense to the ever present cauldron of middle east politics. Starting with appeasement and self flagellation at his infamous Cairo Speech, Obama has carried on the disastrous Carter initiatives of undermining American allies (in this case Israel and Mubarak’s Egypt) and empowering Islamic Fundamentalism in some misguided attempt to appear even handed. Just as Carter helped bring into power the Mullahs in Iran, Obama - through his free pass to the Islamists and rejection of Mubarak - must take credit for the pending and very likely takeover of Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood- a fate that seems ever likely as the Arab Spring turns ever more sour (as if there was an alternative for a region that has still not moved into the enlightenment era). Couple that with his ill-fated Libyan venture, the growth of religious fundamentalism in Tunisia and Turkey, instability in Bahrain, Yemen and the growing nuclear menace of Iran and one would be hard pressed to find a life jacket in this sea of insanity.
But wait wasn’t Obama supposed to be the ethics president who was ushered in as a voice of change. True but who said change had to positive? Especially when it comes from a man who lacked the moral fortitude to back the people protests in Iran over the rigged election in his early tenure, and who constantly calls on Israel two making dangerous one sided compromises for the sake of an imaginary peace with a vengeful genocide driven enemy. Compare this to Ronald Reagan’s voice in calling out the Soviet Union's Evil Empire in the 1980s for what it really was (a human rights violator and tyranny) and the contrast in leadership is striking.
However Obama will persist, bolstered by his own sense of grandeur. He will take solace in the implementation of Obamacare, for which liberal historians will lionize him (as they did for Lyndon Johnson’s over hyped Great Society or Roosevelt’s New deal which in reality prolonged the Depression of the 1930s), even if the economics of paying for such a medical system will further increase the role of intrusive government, weaken the economy by augmenting debt accumulation, and in all probability downgrade the quality of health care available in the US, as is evident with the tortured history of socialized medicine in Western Europe and elsewhere.
What astounds me though is with all these shortcomings he still maintains a messiah-was at the forefront of great technology charge during the Cold War into an adjunct arm that seems almost wholly focussed in drumming up data to appease the mania associated with the global warming cult. Even a post modernist couldn’t have predicted such obvious deterioration in an organization synonymous with the American triumph. American Science will be rescued by private initiatives as it always has but this will of no thanks to the Obamabots.
Which brings me to the root of the Obama menace. Yes he is a third rate leader, but more to the point he is dangerous. The West needs strength especially in the light of the Islamist barbarism, cultural degradation, economic disaster and the entropy of decay that challenges any civilization. The US, following the abdication of Europe, is the natural leader in such regards but in order to lead it must believe with a full-heart in itself and have at its head a President who is comfortable with its exceptionalism. The fact that Obama is apparently devoid of this outlook is frightening and of comfort only to those who rejoice in the American decline. I pity the US should he be re-elected in 2012.
On the economic front, the Obama stimulus packages have failed miserably to ignite the economy (as any monetarist could have told him) and instead has entangled the US with the greatest debt in the history of the republic. This ‘legacy’ that future generations will have to account for is a noxious burden made worse by the fact that so much of it is held by China – a country destined to overthrow the US as the leading superpower both economically and strategically. Furthermore Obama and his intellectual posse have advocated a cultural of financial dependency by ensuring that 47% of Americans will be benefiting but not contributing to the nation’s tax base. Confidence in the economy is low and as manufacturing potential deteriorates the spiral of American decline is further exemplified by a shrinking private sector and the growth of the big government monolith. Critics will argue that Obama inherited many of these problems from the previous administration, a charge that carries a semblance of truth (although the Democrat controlled Congress shoulders much blame as well), but the fact that he has made a bad situation exponentially worse and now owns much of the current problem is a more potent truism.
However if the lights are all but out on Obama’s economic policy, his Foreign Policy initiatives deserve equal ridicule. Particularly galling is his failure to apply common sense to the ever present cauldron of middle east politics. Starting with appeasement and self flagellation at his infamous Cairo Speech, Obama has carried on the disastrous Carter initiatives of undermining American allies (in this case Israel and Mubarak’s Egypt) and empowering Islamic Fundamentalism in some misguided attempt to appear even handed. Just as Carter helped bring into power the Mullahs in Iran, Obama - through his free pass to the Islamists and rejection of Mubarak - must take credit for the pending and very likely takeover of Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood- a fate that seems ever likely as the Arab Spring turns ever more sour (as if there was an alternative for a region that has still not moved into the enlightenment era). Couple that with his ill-fated Libyan venture, the growth of religious fundamentalism in Tunisia and Turkey, instability in Bahrain, Yemen and the growing nuclear menace of Iran and one would be hard pressed to find a life jacket in this sea of insanity.
But wait wasn’t Obama supposed to be the ethics president who was ushered in as a voice of change. True but who said change had to positive? Especially when it comes from a man who lacked the moral fortitude to back the people protests in Iran over the rigged election in his early tenure, and who constantly calls on Israel two making dangerous one sided compromises for the sake of an imaginary peace with a vengeful genocide driven enemy. Compare this to Ronald Reagan’s voice in calling out the Soviet Union's Evil Empire in the 1980s for what it really was (a human rights violator and tyranny) and the contrast in leadership is striking.
However Obama will persist, bolstered by his own sense of grandeur. He will take solace in the implementation of Obamacare, for which liberal historians will lionize him (as they did for Lyndon Johnson’s over hyped Great Society or Roosevelt’s New deal which in reality prolonged the Depression of the 1930s), even if the economics of paying for such a medical system will further increase the role of intrusive government, weaken the economy by augmenting debt accumulation, and in all probability downgrade the quality of health care available in the US, as is evident with the tortured history of socialized medicine in Western Europe and elsewhere.
What astounds me though is with all these shortcomings he still maintains a messiah-was at the forefront of great technology charge during the Cold War into an adjunct arm that seems almost wholly focussed in drumming up data to appease the mania associated with the global warming cult. Even a post modernist couldn’t have predicted such obvious deterioration in an organization synonymous with the American triumph. American Science will be rescued by private initiatives as it always has but this will of no thanks to the Obamabots.
Which brings me to the root of the Obama menace. Yes he is a third rate leader, but more to the point he is dangerous. The West needs strength especially in the light of the Islamist barbarism, cultural degradation, economic disaster and the entropy of decay that challenges any civilization. The US, following the abdication of Europe, is the natural leader in such regards but in order to lead it must believe with a full-heart in itself and have at its head a President who is comfortable with its exceptionalism. The fact that Obama is apparently devoid of this outlook is frightening and of comfort only to those who rejoice in the American decline. I pity the US should he be re-elected in 2012.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Documenting attitude toward Israel
Here is a scale from -10 to +7 that I have developed to categorize opinion toward Israel. I am a +2.
-10: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Primary: Hate the Jews and everything to do with the Jews. Would be extremely satisfied to see the Jews disappear off the face of the Earth.
Examples: Nazis, Hamas, Iranian Mullahs, KKK, Neo-Nazis, Stormfront, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad..
-9: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Secondary: While not as extreme as the Primary in Action – are certainly equivalent in feeling.
Examples: David Duke, Ernst Zundel, Author of Jew Watch (although he may have to close down his site), Keegstra, Wendy Campbell, Louis Farrakhan, DFLP, PFLP.
-8: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Tertiary: While not necessarily supporting the extinction of Jews a such, certainly advocate the extinction of Jewish Nationalism. Tend to despise much of Jewish culture. Territory of Self Hating Jews.
Examples: Gilad Atzmon, Israel Shahak, Norman Finkelstein, Justin Raimondo, Trotskyites, Hardline Marxists, Israel Shamir, Lyndon La Rouche.
-7: Marginally Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist: However they don’t support the extinction of Judaism. Nevertheless the rhetoric borders on Anti-Semitism.
Examples: Many Paleo-Conservatives (Pat Buchanan etc), Fatah (reality), More main stream Communists, ISM, Neturei Karta.
-6: One-Staters in heart and head: Will not be satisfied until there is one-State (or no state) that exists in Israel/Palestine with full Palestinian right of Return. Do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Anti-Zionist.
Examples: The Nation, Counterpunch, ZMag, Edward Said, Ilan Pappe, Noam Chomsky, Michael Neumann, Bishop Tutu, Nelson Mandela, George Galloway, Tony Greenstein, Samtar Hassids,
-5: One State in heart. Two State in head. Ideally would like to see a One-State but as of now are content on giving support to the Two State solution.
Examples: Fatah (in the Western Media), Hadash, George Soros, The Roses, Sid Ryan, UN faithful, The Guardian, Jesse Jackson.
-4: Support Two State: Limited Palestinian Right of Return. Jerusalem – two state capital
Examples: Meretz Left, Woody Allen, Canadian NDP, Michael Moore, EU position, BBC.
-3: 1967 with security. Two state solution back to pre-67 boundaries + Shared Jerusalem.
eg. Meretz Right, Labour Left, Canadian Liberal- Left, Yossi Beillin, CBC.
-2: Labour Mainstream: Two station solution + pre-67 boundaries + few necessary settlements. No Palestinian Right of Return.
Eg. Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, Bill Clinton, Democratic Party Mainstream, Canadian Liberals Mainstream, George Bush, Amos Oz.,CNN faithful, Most of ABC, CBS, NBC.
-1: Two State Unilateral – Velvet Glove. Settler withdrawal from West Bank to follow. Security Focused.
Eg. Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Alan Dershowitz, New Republic Magazine.
0: Two State Unilateral – Scaling down on Settler growth in West Bank. Possible closeres. Security Focused.
Eg. Kadima Central, Olmert, Livni
+1 Two State Unilateral – Differ from 1 in being less supportive of West Bank Settlement closing. Security Focused.
Eg. Kadima Right, Sharon, Moderate Likud, National Review.
+2 Two State Truncated Very strong security focus.
Likud Core, Commentary, Front Page Magazine.
Eg. Netanyahu.
+3. Likud Right. Strong security focus. No further hand backs, still support aggressive settlement growth in West Bank.
Eg. Yitzhak Shamir
+4-6: Settler Blocks.
Eg. The Block of the Faithful, Israel National Radio.
+ 7: Kach Party. JDL.
Eg. Followers of Rabbi Kahana. Masada 2000.
-10: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Primary: Hate the Jews and everything to do with the Jews. Would be extremely satisfied to see the Jews disappear off the face of the Earth.
Examples: Nazis, Hamas, Iranian Mullahs, KKK, Neo-Nazis, Stormfront, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad..
-9: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Secondary: While not as extreme as the Primary in Action – are certainly equivalent in feeling.
Examples: David Duke, Ernst Zundel, Author of Jew Watch (although he may have to close down his site), Keegstra, Wendy Campbell, Louis Farrakhan, DFLP, PFLP.
-8: Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist Tertiary: While not necessarily supporting the extinction of Jews a such, certainly advocate the extinction of Jewish Nationalism. Tend to despise much of Jewish culture. Territory of Self Hating Jews.
Examples: Gilad Atzmon, Israel Shahak, Norman Finkelstein, Justin Raimondo, Trotskyites, Hardline Marxists, Israel Shamir, Lyndon La Rouche.
-7: Marginally Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist: However they don’t support the extinction of Judaism. Nevertheless the rhetoric borders on Anti-Semitism.
Examples: Many Paleo-Conservatives (Pat Buchanan etc), Fatah (reality), More main stream Communists, ISM, Neturei Karta.
-6: One-Staters in heart and head: Will not be satisfied until there is one-State (or no state) that exists in Israel/Palestine with full Palestinian right of Return. Do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Anti-Zionist.
Examples: The Nation, Counterpunch, ZMag, Edward Said, Ilan Pappe, Noam Chomsky, Michael Neumann, Bishop Tutu, Nelson Mandela, George Galloway, Tony Greenstein, Samtar Hassids,
-5: One State in heart. Two State in head. Ideally would like to see a One-State but as of now are content on giving support to the Two State solution.
Examples: Fatah (in the Western Media), Hadash, George Soros, The Roses, Sid Ryan, UN faithful, The Guardian, Jesse Jackson.
-4: Support Two State: Limited Palestinian Right of Return. Jerusalem – two state capital
Examples: Meretz Left, Woody Allen, Canadian NDP, Michael Moore, EU position, BBC.
-3: 1967 with security. Two state solution back to pre-67 boundaries + Shared Jerusalem.
eg. Meretz Right, Labour Left, Canadian Liberal- Left, Yossi Beillin, CBC.
-2: Labour Mainstream: Two station solution + pre-67 boundaries + few necessary settlements. No Palestinian Right of Return.
Eg. Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, Bill Clinton, Democratic Party Mainstream, Canadian Liberals Mainstream, George Bush, Amos Oz.,CNN faithful, Most of ABC, CBS, NBC.
-1: Two State Unilateral – Velvet Glove. Settler withdrawal from West Bank to follow. Security Focused.
Eg. Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Alan Dershowitz, New Republic Magazine.
0: Two State Unilateral – Scaling down on Settler growth in West Bank. Possible closeres. Security Focused.
Eg. Kadima Central, Olmert, Livni
+1 Two State Unilateral – Differ from 1 in being less supportive of West Bank Settlement closing. Security Focused.
Eg. Kadima Right, Sharon, Moderate Likud, National Review.
+2 Two State Truncated Very strong security focus.
Likud Core, Commentary, Front Page Magazine.
Eg. Netanyahu.
+3. Likud Right. Strong security focus. No further hand backs, still support aggressive settlement growth in West Bank.
Eg. Yitzhak Shamir
+4-6: Settler Blocks.
Eg. The Block of the Faithful, Israel National Radio.
+ 7: Kach Party. JDL.
Eg. Followers of Rabbi Kahana. Masada 2000.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Philosophical Meanderings Part II
21. Education schools are for the most part nesting grounds for second grade intellectuals.
22. Capitalism and Free Enterprise systems are not synonymous. The former rejoices in oligarchy. The latter detests it.
23. It is important to be a skeptic but at the same time never intolerant toward contradictory evidence.
24. I don’t pay much attention to political opinions originating from Hollywood. Anyone who does is engaging in mindless time wasting.
25. What the world needs is more intelligent generalists. What it has in abundance is a cacophony of half-witted specialists.
26. Canada for the most part is a nation of marginal significance its luxury though is that it can afford to be so.
27. String Theory is the fly in the ointment of modern physics…..Cleaning up its overriding presence will be the great task of 21st century thinkers in the Queen of All Sciences.
28. I endeavour to constantly challenge my beliefs…Not a day goes by when I don’t drag my assumptions through the ringer. This is both a curse and a blessing.
29. I am a complex person. Sometimes this complexity paralyzes me.
30. It is not my intention to sound arrogant in my writing but it definitely ill affords me to be insincere and to censor myself as well.
31. Classical and Romantic poetry tantalizes me. I have written some poetry myself but looking back at it now these are most streams of consciousness than anything else. A lack of cadence negates the poetic volume. The ideas and richness of thought are however very much present.
32. Humanity is not a great species. Our folly as thinkers is that too often we choose to ignore this truism.
33. Ten Individuals from history that I most admire (not in order are): Winston Churchill, Maimonides, Blaise Pascal, Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, saac Newton (despite the fact that he was not a likeable person), Marie Curie, Joseph Lister, Abraham Lincoln and Menachem Begin.
34. I was born and spent all of my childhood in South Africa (I immigrated to Canada in 1987 at age 18). Africa as a continent has a special place in my heart and I have a strong inclination towards understanding its politics, people, successes and failures. Sub-Sahara’s five most successful countries are:
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique (in the last fifteen years) and Kenya. Its ten most dismal failures are: Sierre Leone, Liberia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe (under Mugabe), Sudan, Congo (formerly Zaire), Angola (under orthodox Marxist Rule) and Uganda (under Obote and Amin).
35. Asia’s (not including the Middle East) nine greatest success stories are: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India (in the last ten to fifteen years), Thailand, Malaysia and China (economically but definitely not politically). Asia’s list of failed states include: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, Cambodia, Myanmar, Phillippines (for much of its history), Sri Lanka, Laos and North Korea.
36. I am an intellectual snob…I will not deny it. I prefer the company of the more swift to their less proficient counterparts. I also enjoy teaching more cognitively proficient students. This is not to say that I don’t give of my best when my student body is significantly weaker in such a capacity.
37. Above anything else I value my role as a father.
38. Modern Leftism and the anti-intellectualism that suffuses its being nauseates me. Unfortunately all too many in Canada and Western Europe have bought into the false dreams that Leftism alludes to. In doing so they often tend to short circuit reasoning at the expense of ill-thought out idealism.
39. If I was an American I would have voted for: Truman (48), Eisenhower (52), Stevenson (56), Kennedy (60), Johnson (64), Nixon (68 and 72), Ford (76), Reagan (80 and 84), Bush Snr (88), Clinton (92 and 96), Gore (00) and Dubya (04). Having said that of all the candidates listed the only three that I truly admire are: Truman, Kennedy (even if he is a bit overrated) and Reagan.
40. In Canadian politics I have voted once for the Liberals (Jean Chretien in 93 – my first election vote in Canada). All other times I have backed either the Progressive Conservatives or their later incarnation the Conservative Party of Canada. I regret voting for Chretien and consider him to be one of the worst Prime Ministers in Canadian history. Despite my opinion on this issue I am no fan of Brian Mulroney either but would have voted for him as the ‘greater’ of a bunch of lessers in 84 and 88.
41. I have diverse movie tastes that span the continuum from foreign films to black comedy to political intrigue to biography. I have even been known to enjoy the occasional ‘chick flick’ or two. A trip to the video store often results in an unpredictable array of movies. On average 30% are gems, 40% mediocrities and the remainder duds. My wife seems this as being part of the crapshoot of marriage with me.
42. Britain’s three best prime ministers of the 20th century were Churchill, Lloyd George and Thatcher in that very order. Atlee, Baldwin, Blair, MacDonald, Macmillan, Campbell-Bannerman, Asquith and Wilson were average while Chamberlain, Callaghan, Major, Heath, Eden were sub-par. The rest – Hume, Balfour, and Bonar Law (who was Canadian-born) weren’t in power long enough to register an impact on the political Richter Scale.
43. I can think of only two French politicians in the 20th century whom I believe to be admirable. These were Georges Clemenceau and Leon Blum. De Gaulle was malicious and arrogant, Mitterand and D’Estaing inconsistent, Daladier ineffectual and Chirac both useless and dangerous. Pompidou was a competent president but nothing special. I will not waste my time analyzing the leaders of the Failed Fourth Republic. I am hoping that Sarkozy brings a fresh outlook to French Policy (a movement away from short-sighted Anti-Americanism would be a start) but the jury is very much out on this one.
44. I am a very spiritual person who continuously thrives for a stronger relationship with G-d. I do not believe that this is at all inconsistent with my devotion to reason and logic. The dichotomy actually strengthens me.
45. I live in Toronto and see myself as Canadian but my Jewish identity is probably what defines me the most from a cultural perspective. My childhood was spent living in South Africa so that my influences are varied in source.
46. My favorite political columnists are: Dennis Prager, Charles Krauthammer, Victor Davis Hanson, Theodore Dalrymple, Alan Dershowitz, Oliver Kamm, Nick Cohen, David Horowitz, Peter Hitchens, Melanie Philips, Mark Steyn, David Frum, Steven Plaut, Daniel Pipes and Bill Buckley. Yes I am a political neo-conservative/Classic Liberal/Truman Democrat….and proud of it.
47. Canadian Political writers that I enjoy reading are: Marcus Gee, Robert Fulford, Michael Coren, Claire Hoy, Alan Fotheringham, Margaret Wente, Conrad Black, Salim Mansur, Ezra Levant and George Jonas.
22. Capitalism and Free Enterprise systems are not synonymous. The former rejoices in oligarchy. The latter detests it.
23. It is important to be a skeptic but at the same time never intolerant toward contradictory evidence.
24. I don’t pay much attention to political opinions originating from Hollywood. Anyone who does is engaging in mindless time wasting.
25. What the world needs is more intelligent generalists. What it has in abundance is a cacophony of half-witted specialists.
26. Canada for the most part is a nation of marginal significance its luxury though is that it can afford to be so.
27. String Theory is the fly in the ointment of modern physics…..Cleaning up its overriding presence will be the great task of 21st century thinkers in the Queen of All Sciences.
28. I endeavour to constantly challenge my beliefs…Not a day goes by when I don’t drag my assumptions through the ringer. This is both a curse and a blessing.
29. I am a complex person. Sometimes this complexity paralyzes me.
30. It is not my intention to sound arrogant in my writing but it definitely ill affords me to be insincere and to censor myself as well.
31. Classical and Romantic poetry tantalizes me. I have written some poetry myself but looking back at it now these are most streams of consciousness than anything else. A lack of cadence negates the poetic volume. The ideas and richness of thought are however very much present.
32. Humanity is not a great species. Our folly as thinkers is that too often we choose to ignore this truism.
33. Ten Individuals from history that I most admire (not in order are): Winston Churchill, Maimonides, Blaise Pascal, Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, saac Newton (despite the fact that he was not a likeable person), Marie Curie, Joseph Lister, Abraham Lincoln and Menachem Begin.
34. I was born and spent all of my childhood in South Africa (I immigrated to Canada in 1987 at age 18). Africa as a continent has a special place in my heart and I have a strong inclination towards understanding its politics, people, successes and failures. Sub-Sahara’s five most successful countries are:
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique (in the last fifteen years) and Kenya. Its ten most dismal failures are: Sierre Leone, Liberia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe (under Mugabe), Sudan, Congo (formerly Zaire), Angola (under orthodox Marxist Rule) and Uganda (under Obote and Amin).
35. Asia’s (not including the Middle East) nine greatest success stories are: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India (in the last ten to fifteen years), Thailand, Malaysia and China (economically but definitely not politically). Asia’s list of failed states include: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, Cambodia, Myanmar, Phillippines (for much of its history), Sri Lanka, Laos and North Korea.
36. I am an intellectual snob…I will not deny it. I prefer the company of the more swift to their less proficient counterparts. I also enjoy teaching more cognitively proficient students. This is not to say that I don’t give of my best when my student body is significantly weaker in such a capacity.
37. Above anything else I value my role as a father.
38. Modern Leftism and the anti-intellectualism that suffuses its being nauseates me. Unfortunately all too many in Canada and Western Europe have bought into the false dreams that Leftism alludes to. In doing so they often tend to short circuit reasoning at the expense of ill-thought out idealism.
39. If I was an American I would have voted for: Truman (48), Eisenhower (52), Stevenson (56), Kennedy (60), Johnson (64), Nixon (68 and 72), Ford (76), Reagan (80 and 84), Bush Snr (88), Clinton (92 and 96), Gore (00) and Dubya (04). Having said that of all the candidates listed the only three that I truly admire are: Truman, Kennedy (even if he is a bit overrated) and Reagan.
40. In Canadian politics I have voted once for the Liberals (Jean Chretien in 93 – my first election vote in Canada). All other times I have backed either the Progressive Conservatives or their later incarnation the Conservative Party of Canada. I regret voting for Chretien and consider him to be one of the worst Prime Ministers in Canadian history. Despite my opinion on this issue I am no fan of Brian Mulroney either but would have voted for him as the ‘greater’ of a bunch of lessers in 84 and 88.
41. I have diverse movie tastes that span the continuum from foreign films to black comedy to political intrigue to biography. I have even been known to enjoy the occasional ‘chick flick’ or two. A trip to the video store often results in an unpredictable array of movies. On average 30% are gems, 40% mediocrities and the remainder duds. My wife seems this as being part of the crapshoot of marriage with me.
42. Britain’s three best prime ministers of the 20th century were Churchill, Lloyd George and Thatcher in that very order. Atlee, Baldwin, Blair, MacDonald, Macmillan, Campbell-Bannerman, Asquith and Wilson were average while Chamberlain, Callaghan, Major, Heath, Eden were sub-par. The rest – Hume, Balfour, and Bonar Law (who was Canadian-born) weren’t in power long enough to register an impact on the political Richter Scale.
43. I can think of only two French politicians in the 20th century whom I believe to be admirable. These were Georges Clemenceau and Leon Blum. De Gaulle was malicious and arrogant, Mitterand and D’Estaing inconsistent, Daladier ineffectual and Chirac both useless and dangerous. Pompidou was a competent president but nothing special. I will not waste my time analyzing the leaders of the Failed Fourth Republic. I am hoping that Sarkozy brings a fresh outlook to French Policy (a movement away from short-sighted Anti-Americanism would be a start) but the jury is very much out on this one.
44. I am a very spiritual person who continuously thrives for a stronger relationship with G-d. I do not believe that this is at all inconsistent with my devotion to reason and logic. The dichotomy actually strengthens me.
45. I live in Toronto and see myself as Canadian but my Jewish identity is probably what defines me the most from a cultural perspective. My childhood was spent living in South Africa so that my influences are varied in source.
46. My favorite political columnists are: Dennis Prager, Charles Krauthammer, Victor Davis Hanson, Theodore Dalrymple, Alan Dershowitz, Oliver Kamm, Nick Cohen, David Horowitz, Peter Hitchens, Melanie Philips, Mark Steyn, David Frum, Steven Plaut, Daniel Pipes and Bill Buckley. Yes I am a political neo-conservative/Classic Liberal/Truman Democrat….and proud of it.
47. Canadian Political writers that I enjoy reading are: Marcus Gee, Robert Fulford, Michael Coren, Claire Hoy, Alan Fotheringham, Margaret Wente, Conrad Black, Salim Mansur, Ezra Levant and George Jonas.
Philosophical Meanderings Part I
Meanderings of the Mind
There is no order to these realizations…which is exactly how I want it for now….. if one must call it a stream of consciousness
1. I am a compassionate person but not a bleeding heart. Bleeding hearts sicken me.
2. I become bored very easily. Challenge me or else I drift off.
3. The five areas of science that interest me the most are: Modern Physics, Psychometrics, Mechanics, Evolutionary Theory and Kinesiology.
4. Arrogant and close-minded people annoy me… and I mean really annoy me.
5. I have a very strong general knowledge of Science, History, Geography, Philosophy and World Sports. I am significantly less proficient in Entertainment, Pop Culture, Business, North American Sports and the Domestic Sciences.
6. I enjoy following politics – especially analyzing election results and proposed policy.
7. I am a strong opponent of Islamo-Fascism, Communism, Marxism, Fascism, Leftism and the various incarnations of radicalism. I champion the conservation of the Western Tradition of excellent and believe that the gains of the enlightenment must be guarded at all costs.
8. I support a women’s right to choose. However I am opposed to late term Partial Birth Abortions. I believe that after three month the fetus is a defined life.
9. I take much pride in the Jewish gifts to humanity. These include the vast and disproportionate (with respect to population size) contributions to:
Physics, Chemistry, Music, Art, Medicine, Mathematics, Philosophy, Theology, Economics, Social Sciences etc.
10. I have written Two Books: The History of the Future and Take the History Challenge. The former is a brainstorming exercise that examines the next five hundred years of human history examining some of the multidisciplinary topics mentioned in 12 above. The later contains 4500 Questions on the History of Everything. Both are published through Print on Demand Outlets in the States.
11. I believe in G-d but I also believe that G-d is not definable and is essentially unknowable (the Kabbalistic concept of Ein Sof makes much sense). I do see G-d as omnipotent. I reject deism as I believe that it is more logical to believe that G-d continues to influence the universe. In short I am a scientific theist.
12. I reject intelligent design and see it as an instrument of selective scientific cherry picking.
13. Global warming appears to be a real phenomenon however I am skeptical with respect to the notion that humanity is the chief driver of the trend. Nevertheless I still believe that it is imperative that humanity reduce its Carbon footprint. I am opposed to Kyoto as I see it as an economic sell out to China and India that will make environmental conditions worse. I consider myself a realistic environmentalism and I am not at all supportive of the Green Movement hysteria that has engulfed so many in the West.
14. I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel but have accepted the fact that it is only a matter of time before a Palestinian State will exist in the West Bank. Only time will tell if the West Bank State will be viable. I am moderately pessimistic as I have little faith in the Arab political mindset.
15. I support the death penalty for special cases – serial killers for example. The execution should be carried out by firing squad as I believe it to be the most humane alternative.
16. I would classify myself economically as a Classic Liberal/Conservative – I support Free Enterprise, private ownership of property and low taxes. I do however see the ever important need for government regulation of some industries especially health, utilities, mass transportation etc. I therefore am not a libertarian although I can relate with earnest to what they have to say. As a conservative though I oppose deficit spending and tax cuts (as well as spending increases) that are fiscally irresponsible and add to ongoing debt.
17. I am an opponent of dogma although I am fully aware of the danger of my own views becoming a personal dogma.
18. Mathematics is a useful tool in understanding the universe (or modeling it rather). It is ultimately limited in that it is not verifiable in and of itself. All practioners of mathematics including physicists, economists, engineers, ecologists and chemist must constantly remind themselves of this inherent bias. Having said this, I do not believe that any other tool other than rigorous empiricism is more suited to advancing human knowledge.
19. I am extremely passionate about teaching but realistic nevertheless. I have very little patience for students who do not wish to learn, are loathe to think and consistently choose the path of least resistance in their studies.
20. The Cult of Self-Esteem and its twin sister ‘the-blame-others’ mentality has probably done more harm for education than any other movement in the history of pedagogy.
There is no order to these realizations…which is exactly how I want it for now….. if one must call it a stream of consciousness
1. I am a compassionate person but not a bleeding heart. Bleeding hearts sicken me.
2. I become bored very easily. Challenge me or else I drift off.
3. The five areas of science that interest me the most are: Modern Physics, Psychometrics, Mechanics, Evolutionary Theory and Kinesiology.
4. Arrogant and close-minded people annoy me… and I mean really annoy me.
5. I have a very strong general knowledge of Science, History, Geography, Philosophy and World Sports. I am significantly less proficient in Entertainment, Pop Culture, Business, North American Sports and the Domestic Sciences.
6. I enjoy following politics – especially analyzing election results and proposed policy.
7. I am a strong opponent of Islamo-Fascism, Communism, Marxism, Fascism, Leftism and the various incarnations of radicalism. I champion the conservation of the Western Tradition of excellent and believe that the gains of the enlightenment must be guarded at all costs.
8. I support a women’s right to choose. However I am opposed to late term Partial Birth Abortions. I believe that after three month the fetus is a defined life.
9. I take much pride in the Jewish gifts to humanity. These include the vast and disproportionate (with respect to population size) contributions to:
Physics, Chemistry, Music, Art, Medicine, Mathematics, Philosophy, Theology, Economics, Social Sciences etc.
10. I have written Two Books: The History of the Future and Take the History Challenge. The former is a brainstorming exercise that examines the next five hundred years of human history examining some of the multidisciplinary topics mentioned in 12 above. The later contains 4500 Questions on the History of Everything. Both are published through Print on Demand Outlets in the States.
11. I believe in G-d but I also believe that G-d is not definable and is essentially unknowable (the Kabbalistic concept of Ein Sof makes much sense). I do see G-d as omnipotent. I reject deism as I believe that it is more logical to believe that G-d continues to influence the universe. In short I am a scientific theist.
12. I reject intelligent design and see it as an instrument of selective scientific cherry picking.
13. Global warming appears to be a real phenomenon however I am skeptical with respect to the notion that humanity is the chief driver of the trend. Nevertheless I still believe that it is imperative that humanity reduce its Carbon footprint. I am opposed to Kyoto as I see it as an economic sell out to China and India that will make environmental conditions worse. I consider myself a realistic environmentalism and I am not at all supportive of the Green Movement hysteria that has engulfed so many in the West.
14. I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel but have accepted the fact that it is only a matter of time before a Palestinian State will exist in the West Bank. Only time will tell if the West Bank State will be viable. I am moderately pessimistic as I have little faith in the Arab political mindset.
15. I support the death penalty for special cases – serial killers for example. The execution should be carried out by firing squad as I believe it to be the most humane alternative.
16. I would classify myself economically as a Classic Liberal/Conservative – I support Free Enterprise, private ownership of property and low taxes. I do however see the ever important need for government regulation of some industries especially health, utilities, mass transportation etc. I therefore am not a libertarian although I can relate with earnest to what they have to say. As a conservative though I oppose deficit spending and tax cuts (as well as spending increases) that are fiscally irresponsible and add to ongoing debt.
17. I am an opponent of dogma although I am fully aware of the danger of my own views becoming a personal dogma.
18. Mathematics is a useful tool in understanding the universe (or modeling it rather). It is ultimately limited in that it is not verifiable in and of itself. All practioners of mathematics including physicists, economists, engineers, ecologists and chemist must constantly remind themselves of this inherent bias. Having said this, I do not believe that any other tool other than rigorous empiricism is more suited to advancing human knowledge.
19. I am extremely passionate about teaching but realistic nevertheless. I have very little patience for students who do not wish to learn, are loathe to think and consistently choose the path of least resistance in their studies.
20. The Cult of Self-Esteem and its twin sister ‘the-blame-others’ mentality has probably done more harm for education than any other movement in the history of pedagogy.
The Henry Jackson Society
The values and aspirations of the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) are the closest to my own within a foreign policy context although I tend to be more cautious on the interventionist than they are.
The following are the HJS principles as articulated at their website
http://www.henryjacksonsociety.org/
1. Believes that modern liberal democracies set an example to which the rest of the world should aspire.
2. Supports a ‘forward strategy’ – involving diplomatic, economic, cultural, and/or political means -- to assist those countries that are not yet liberal and democratic to become so.
3. Supports the maintenance of a strong military, by the United States, the countries of the European Union and other democratic powers, armed with expeditionary capabilities with a global reach, that can protect our homelands from strategic threats, forestall terrorist attacks, and prevent genocide or massive ethnic cleansing.
4. Supports the necessary furtherance of European military modernisation and integration under British leadership, preferably within NATO.
5. Stresses the importance of unity between the world’s great democracies, represented by institutions such as NATO, the European Union and the OECD, amongst many others.
6. Believes that only modern liberal democratic states are truly legitimate, and that the political or human rights pronouncements of any international or regional organisation which admits undemocratic states lack the legitimacy to which they would be entitled if all their members were democracies.
7. Gives two cheers for capitalism. There are limits to the market, which needs to serve the Democratic Community and should be reconciled to the environment.
8. Accepts that we have to set priorities and that sometimes we have to compromise, but insists that we should never lose sight of our fundamental values. This means that alliances with repressive regimes can only be temporary. It also means a strong commitment to individual and civil liberties in democratic states, even and especially when we are under attack.
The following are the HJS principles as articulated at their website
http://www.henryjacksonsociety.org/
1. Believes that modern liberal democracies set an example to which the rest of the world should aspire.
2. Supports a ‘forward strategy’ – involving diplomatic, economic, cultural, and/or political means -- to assist those countries that are not yet liberal and democratic to become so.
3. Supports the maintenance of a strong military, by the United States, the countries of the European Union and other democratic powers, armed with expeditionary capabilities with a global reach, that can protect our homelands from strategic threats, forestall terrorist attacks, and prevent genocide or massive ethnic cleansing.
4. Supports the necessary furtherance of European military modernisation and integration under British leadership, preferably within NATO.
5. Stresses the importance of unity between the world’s great democracies, represented by institutions such as NATO, the European Union and the OECD, amongst many others.
6. Believes that only modern liberal democratic states are truly legitimate, and that the political or human rights pronouncements of any international or regional organisation which admits undemocratic states lack the legitimacy to which they would be entitled if all their members were democracies.
7. Gives two cheers for capitalism. There are limits to the market, which needs to serve the Democratic Community and should be reconciled to the environment.
8. Accepts that we have to set priorities and that sometimes we have to compromise, but insists that we should never lose sight of our fundamental values. This means that alliances with repressive regimes can only be temporary. It also means a strong commitment to individual and civil liberties in democratic states, even and especially when we are under attack.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Islamism
The struggle against the ideology of Islamism is one of the biggest challenges facing Western Civilization in the post Cold War Era. It was Islamism that was behind the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks and it is Islamism, driven by its violent actions and by the fellow travellers that define the stealth Jihad that has wreaked havoc in the Philipines, Somalia, Spain, France, Algeria, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Egypt, Argentina, the Netherlands. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, China, Russia, Israel, Yemen, Kenya, Tanzania, to name just a ‘few.
However the Islamists have been assisted consciously in their struggle to spread their barbarism by the action of several water carrier groups in the West. The following is a list of several of these groups/individuals (in no particular order).
1. CAIR
2. ISNA
3. International ANSWER
4. Code Pink
5. RESPECT (UK)
6. ISM
7. The Soros Foundation
8. Grover Norquist and co.
9. Free Gaza Campaign
10. International Socialists
11. Think Progress
12. Southern Poverty League
13. Counterpunch Magazine
14. Mother Jones
15. The Nation
16. New York Times Editorial Board
17. Wikileaks
18. The American Conservative Magazine
19. Michael Moore
20. Naomi Klein
21. Richard Falk
22. Noam Chomsky
23. Robert Fisk
24. Glenn Greenwald
25. The Truther Movement
26. Ron Paul
27. Dennis Kucinich
28. Stormfront
29. Arabists in the State Department
30. The Inept CIA
31. A host of so-called American Pseudo-Academics that include Norman Finkelstein, Nicholas de Genova, Ward Churchill, Juan Cole etc.
32. Silly Hollywood celebs like Sean Penn, Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Rosie O'Donnell
33. The Daily Kos
34. The Guardian Editorial Board
35. ACLU
36. Tariq Ali
37. The Politically Correct Homeland Security Department
38. Jimmy Carter
39. Samantha Power
40. The corrupt and failed UNO.
However the Islamists have been assisted consciously in their struggle to spread their barbarism by the action of several water carrier groups in the West. The following is a list of several of these groups/individuals (in no particular order).
1. CAIR
2. ISNA
3. International ANSWER
4. Code Pink
5. RESPECT (UK)
6. ISM
7. The Soros Foundation
8. Grover Norquist and co.
9. Free Gaza Campaign
10. International Socialists
11. Think Progress
12. Southern Poverty League
13. Counterpunch Magazine
14. Mother Jones
15. The Nation
16. New York Times Editorial Board
17. Wikileaks
18. The American Conservative Magazine
19. Michael Moore
20. Naomi Klein
21. Richard Falk
22. Noam Chomsky
23. Robert Fisk
24. Glenn Greenwald
25. The Truther Movement
26. Ron Paul
27. Dennis Kucinich
28. Stormfront
29. Arabists in the State Department
30. The Inept CIA
31. A host of so-called American Pseudo-Academics that include Norman Finkelstein, Nicholas de Genova, Ward Churchill, Juan Cole etc.
32. Silly Hollywood celebs like Sean Penn, Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Rosie O'Donnell
33. The Daily Kos
34. The Guardian Editorial Board
35. ACLU
36. Tariq Ali
37. The Politically Correct Homeland Security Department
38. Jimmy Carter
39. Samantha Power
40. The corrupt and failed UNO.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
On the Intellect.........
12 Topics of Personal Intellectual Fascination
1. Underastanding G-d
2. Modern Physics
3. Classical Mechanics
4. The Middle East Conflict
5. The Future: Both Near and Far
6. French Revolution/Napoleon
7. Political Philosophy: Conservatism and Leftism dichotomy
8. World War II and its origins
9. Jewish History
10. The Beautiful Game
11. The Cultural Wars
12. Philosophy of Science
1. Underastanding G-d
2. Modern Physics
3. Classical Mechanics
4. The Middle East Conflict
5. The Future: Both Near and Far
6. French Revolution/Napoleon
7. Political Philosophy: Conservatism and Leftism dichotomy
8. World War II and its origins
9. Jewish History
10. The Beautiful Game
11. The Cultural Wars
12. Philosophy of Science
What if the South won the Civil War?
Its all speculation...
Confederacy forms alliance with the United Kingdom
Mexico attacks the Confederacy in an attempt to win back territory in the South Western United states.
Mexicans are driven backward and defeated.
US and Confederacy clash in the 1880's in a Second War. Conflict ends in stalemate. The War is fought over Expansion rights in the Western Half of North America.
Politics in the Confederacy is dominated by two groups: The Industrialists, who feel that the Confederates should focus on growing an industrial base to rival the North and the agriculturists, who still view the South as an agrarian society. The Industrialists will eventually succeed and as a result of necessity the Confederacy will become more industrialized than it did in Plane-zero USA.
The North (or the US) will continue to grow industrially fueled of course by the influx of European immigrants in the 19th century.
US and Confederacy agree to divide the Western states amongst each other. The Northwestern States and California will fall under US Domination. The southwestern and several mid-western states will join the Confederacy.
Slavery will eventually be abolished in the Confederacy but only in the 1920s after several devastating slave rebellions bring chaos to the Southern States. International pressure and a changing political scene will force the Confederacy to drop its pro-slavery stance.
Texas will break away from the Confederacy in the 1910s and form a new nation the Republic of Texas.
Without a dominant power in North America, the European countries will become more involved in South America. Major players will include Britain, France and Germany.
The Confederacy will enter the First World War at an earlier stage than the US did in reality.
The reason for this early entry by the Confederacy is motivated by a need to assist the British Empire, the South's most significant trading partner.
Confederacy forms alliance with the United Kingdom
Mexico attacks the Confederacy in an attempt to win back territory in the South Western United states.
Mexicans are driven backward and defeated.
US and Confederacy clash in the 1880's in a Second War. Conflict ends in stalemate. The War is fought over Expansion rights in the Western Half of North America.
Politics in the Confederacy is dominated by two groups: The Industrialists, who feel that the Confederates should focus on growing an industrial base to rival the North and the agriculturists, who still view the South as an agrarian society. The Industrialists will eventually succeed and as a result of necessity the Confederacy will become more industrialized than it did in Plane-zero USA.
The North (or the US) will continue to grow industrially fueled of course by the influx of European immigrants in the 19th century.
US and Confederacy agree to divide the Western states amongst each other. The Northwestern States and California will fall under US Domination. The southwestern and several mid-western states will join the Confederacy.
Slavery will eventually be abolished in the Confederacy but only in the 1920s after several devastating slave rebellions bring chaos to the Southern States. International pressure and a changing political scene will force the Confederacy to drop its pro-slavery stance.
Texas will break away from the Confederacy in the 1910s and form a new nation the Republic of Texas.
Without a dominant power in North America, the European countries will become more involved in South America. Major players will include Britain, France and Germany.
The Confederacy will enter the First World War at an earlier stage than the US did in reality.
The reason for this early entry by the Confederacy is motivated by a need to assist the British Empire, the South's most significant trading partner.
Every Dog has its day
Some Football teams (Soccer to you Yanks) have been prominent on an International level for brief periods of time (the Golden Age), only to disappear into the aether soon afterwards. Here are a few nations and the period in which they elevated themselves above the usual norm.
1. Hungary (1950s and 1960s)
2. Belgium (1980s)
3. Scotland (late 60’s early 70’s)
4. Ireland (late 80’s early 90’s)
5. Poland (early 70’s to mid 80’s)
6. Turkey (early 2000’s)
7. Greece (mid 2000’s)
8. Soviet Union (60’s)
9. Czech Republic (mid 2000’s)
10. Norway (90’s)
11. Denmark (late 80’s early 90’s)
12. Bulgaria (mid 90s)
13. Romania (90s)
14. Morocco (late 80s and early 90s)
15. Croatia (late 90s)
16. Northern Ireland (early 80s)
17. Austria (Mid 70’s to Early 80’s)
18. Columbia (mid 90s)
19. Chile (early 60s)
20. Nigeria (90s)
1. Hungary (1950s and 1960s)
2. Belgium (1980s)
3. Scotland (late 60’s early 70’s)
4. Ireland (late 80’s early 90’s)
5. Poland (early 70’s to mid 80’s)
6. Turkey (early 2000’s)
7. Greece (mid 2000’s)
8. Soviet Union (60’s)
9. Czech Republic (mid 2000’s)
10. Norway (90’s)
11. Denmark (late 80’s early 90’s)
12. Bulgaria (mid 90s)
13. Romania (90s)
14. Morocco (late 80s and early 90s)
15. Croatia (late 90s)
16. Northern Ireland (early 80s)
17. Austria (Mid 70’s to Early 80’s)
18. Columbia (mid 90s)
19. Chile (early 60s)
20. Nigeria (90s)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
My latest thoughts on faith
V: Do you believe in G-d?
G: Yes I do but it is a belief that I have had to work on for most of my life. It’s a struggle. A frustrating one at times but certainly a necessary initiative.
V: In what way?
G: I am by nature a scientific rationalist and consequently seek proof for my beliefs and avoid as much as possible any leaps of faith. However I am also aware that science is bound to the material world and consequently has a limited realm through which it can access knowledge. I have dedicated much of my life to science but I am consciously aware of its constraints. Having said this though, I will exhaust all scientific explanations before deferring to an extra-material analysis in grasping the phenomenology of events. I owe this to myself. In a sense I am a skeptic, not a logical positivist, but a realist armed with Occam’s Razor but cognizant at the same time of the extra-material universe. My belief is similar to that of the scholar Martin Gardiner. I could be described as a soft theist but even this label falls short of what I believe I am. In short I ‘feel’ G-d’s presence – as a magnificent spark - but I am loathe to let it override my rationalism unless I have an excellent reason to do so.
V: What is your opinion on Judaism?
G: I consider myself Jewish in the cultural and historical sense and celebrate many of its traditions. I see Judaism, as Mordechai Kaplan did, in being indicative of a civilization. Religion is one facet of the civilization, but does not comprise its entirety.
I cannot take seriously the revealed nature argument for the religion (including of course the revelation at Sinai) as it does not stand up to rational scrutiny. However the richness of the biblical tradition, the emphasis on ethics and justice, as epitomized in the Tanakh and the Talmud, provide valuable insight into the human condition.
V: Have you always held this position?
G: No. I haven’t. Indeed I have fluctuated at times from strong theism to agnostic theism/deism. I have rejected non-interventionist deism as it does not seem rational that a creator would completely divorce himself from its creation. I am not an atheist as I have yet to see a convincing argument as to why something exists as opposed to nothing (despite the trials and tribulations of Victor Stenger). This something-nothing standoff is the kink in natural philosophy which of course underpins the argument of rational atheism.
V: What do you think G-d is?
G: This is a tough one which no human is truly qualified to answer. However we are all able to speculate. The definition of G-d that makes sense to me is that of the Kabbalistic Ein Sof which I have written at length on this board. In a way it is similar to the Uppanishad definition of the Infinite Soul - Brahman. I am actually very much taken by the Hindu understanding of our individual soul, - the Athman - being in its essence a derivative of the Brahman. I believe we can approach the Ein Sof/Brahman by performing meaningful acts of goodness which I take as the Spark of G-d referred to earlier.
V: You are critical of organized religion. Why is this?
G: Organized religion is generally driven by supernatural revelation which by its very nature counteracts science in emphasizing the concept of ‘miracles’. I don’t believe G-d acts this way. I believe that we all have within ourselves an ability to understand G-d and nobody is privileged in this regard. Strict revelation argues for the privileged position. Furthermore I believe that belief in G-d is a private initiative and should not be dominated by ritual which is very much a feature of organized religion.
V: Yet you still believe G-d can if he wants to perform miracles.
G: Yes I do but he doesn’t have to. There is enough reason to believe in G-d without him having to resort to this device. Also its very clear that he has structured the physicality to make miracles unnecessary.
V: How does one leverage the spark?
G: Meaningful acts are tantamount to acts of kindness – an extension of one’s sense of self to include the other. Marin Buber wrote about this in the I and Thou. These bring one closer to G-d and allow us to appreciate his magnificence. Life also has to be lived with purpose. In doing so we discover the G-d Spark.
V: Is prayer important?
G: Yes it is. However it must come from the heart. I prefer to produce my own prayer words that are of a personal nature. I realize others prefer pre-written templates or established prayer. It is their choice as long as the lines of communication are maintained with G-d.
V: Do you believe in Angels?
G: No I don’t these are manifestations of the ancient mythology (largely Babylonian).
G-d is all powerful and does not need a messenger system.
V: What other aspects are important with your belief?
G: Questioning G-d. Reflecting on the G-d presence and always using critical thought and reason where possible to evaluate a situation.
V: But is not Belief or Faith inconsistent with reason?
G: All systems of reason and logic are built on the a priori. Everyone takes a leap of faith at some point otherwise logic systems would not get off the ground. Godel showed this with his incompleteness theorem in Mathematics for example. I have yet to see a convincing proof that shows how our logical framework breaks down as a result of the G-d assumption that I have outlined.
V: But if it did break down. Would you be forced to reconsider the G-d assumption?
G: Definitely. It would be intellectually dishonest not to. However I very much doubt that it would.
G: Yes I do but it is a belief that I have had to work on for most of my life. It’s a struggle. A frustrating one at times but certainly a necessary initiative.
V: In what way?
G: I am by nature a scientific rationalist and consequently seek proof for my beliefs and avoid as much as possible any leaps of faith. However I am also aware that science is bound to the material world and consequently has a limited realm through which it can access knowledge. I have dedicated much of my life to science but I am consciously aware of its constraints. Having said this though, I will exhaust all scientific explanations before deferring to an extra-material analysis in grasping the phenomenology of events. I owe this to myself. In a sense I am a skeptic, not a logical positivist, but a realist armed with Occam’s Razor but cognizant at the same time of the extra-material universe. My belief is similar to that of the scholar Martin Gardiner. I could be described as a soft theist but even this label falls short of what I believe I am. In short I ‘feel’ G-d’s presence – as a magnificent spark - but I am loathe to let it override my rationalism unless I have an excellent reason to do so.
V: What is your opinion on Judaism?
G: I consider myself Jewish in the cultural and historical sense and celebrate many of its traditions. I see Judaism, as Mordechai Kaplan did, in being indicative of a civilization. Religion is one facet of the civilization, but does not comprise its entirety.
I cannot take seriously the revealed nature argument for the religion (including of course the revelation at Sinai) as it does not stand up to rational scrutiny. However the richness of the biblical tradition, the emphasis on ethics and justice, as epitomized in the Tanakh and the Talmud, provide valuable insight into the human condition.
V: Have you always held this position?
G: No. I haven’t. Indeed I have fluctuated at times from strong theism to agnostic theism/deism. I have rejected non-interventionist deism as it does not seem rational that a creator would completely divorce himself from its creation. I am not an atheist as I have yet to see a convincing argument as to why something exists as opposed to nothing (despite the trials and tribulations of Victor Stenger). This something-nothing standoff is the kink in natural philosophy which of course underpins the argument of rational atheism.
V: What do you think G-d is?
G: This is a tough one which no human is truly qualified to answer. However we are all able to speculate. The definition of G-d that makes sense to me is that of the Kabbalistic Ein Sof which I have written at length on this board. In a way it is similar to the Uppanishad definition of the Infinite Soul - Brahman. I am actually very much taken by the Hindu understanding of our individual soul, - the Athman - being in its essence a derivative of the Brahman. I believe we can approach the Ein Sof/Brahman by performing meaningful acts of goodness which I take as the Spark of G-d referred to earlier.
V: You are critical of organized religion. Why is this?
G: Organized religion is generally driven by supernatural revelation which by its very nature counteracts science in emphasizing the concept of ‘miracles’. I don’t believe G-d acts this way. I believe that we all have within ourselves an ability to understand G-d and nobody is privileged in this regard. Strict revelation argues for the privileged position. Furthermore I believe that belief in G-d is a private initiative and should not be dominated by ritual which is very much a feature of organized religion.
V: Yet you still believe G-d can if he wants to perform miracles.
G: Yes I do but he doesn’t have to. There is enough reason to believe in G-d without him having to resort to this device. Also its very clear that he has structured the physicality to make miracles unnecessary.
V: How does one leverage the spark?
G: Meaningful acts are tantamount to acts of kindness – an extension of one’s sense of self to include the other. Marin Buber wrote about this in the I and Thou. These bring one closer to G-d and allow us to appreciate his magnificence. Life also has to be lived with purpose. In doing so we discover the G-d Spark.
V: Is prayer important?
G: Yes it is. However it must come from the heart. I prefer to produce my own prayer words that are of a personal nature. I realize others prefer pre-written templates or established prayer. It is their choice as long as the lines of communication are maintained with G-d.
V: Do you believe in Angels?
G: No I don’t these are manifestations of the ancient mythology (largely Babylonian).
G-d is all powerful and does not need a messenger system.
V: What other aspects are important with your belief?
G: Questioning G-d. Reflecting on the G-d presence and always using critical thought and reason where possible to evaluate a situation.
V: But is not Belief or Faith inconsistent with reason?
G: All systems of reason and logic are built on the a priori. Everyone takes a leap of faith at some point otherwise logic systems would not get off the ground. Godel showed this with his incompleteness theorem in Mathematics for example. I have yet to see a convincing proof that shows how our logical framework breaks down as a result of the G-d assumption that I have outlined.
V: But if it did break down. Would you be forced to reconsider the G-d assumption?
G: Definitely. It would be intellectually dishonest not to. However I very much doubt that it would.
The One Hundred Greatest Sportsmen of All-Time
Here is my latest attempt at this list:
1. Jim Thorpe
2. Pele
3. Michael Jordan
4. Muhammad Ali
5. Michael Phelps
6. Lance Armstrong
7. Jack Nicklaus
8. Paarvo Nurmi
9. Joe Louis
10. Jesse Owens
11. Roger Federer
12. Donald Bradman
13. Babe Ruth
14. Michael Schumacher
15. Tiger Woods
16. Jim Brown
17. Diego Maradonna
18. Mark Spitz
19. Usain Bolt
20. Magic Johnson
21. Sachin Tendulker
22. Carl Lewis
23. Sugar Ray Leonard
24. Wilt Chaimberlain
25. Lionel Messi
26. Rocky Marciano
27. Pete Sampras
28. Hank Aaron
29. Johan Cruyff
30. Jahangir Khan
31. Jean Claude Killy
32. Bjorn Borg
33. Alfredo di Stefano
34. Joe Montana
35. Steve Redgrave
36. Rafael Nadal
37. Tom Watson
38. Matt Biondi
39. Ronaldo
40. Garfield Sobers
41. Gary Player
42. Kobie Bryant
43. Jerry Rice
44. Ferenc Puskas
45. Jimmy Connors
46. Julio Cesar Chavez
47. Miguel Indurain
48. Walter Johnson
49. Willie Mays
50. Barry Sanders
51. Bobby Jones
52. Franz Beckenbauer
53. Warren Spahn
54. Eddy Choong
55. Lester Piggott
56. Muttiah Muralitharan
57. Aryton Senna
58. Eddie Merckx
59. Bill Shoemaker
60. Ed Moses
61. Jansher Khan
62. Alain Prost
63. Ferenc Puskas
64. Viv Richards
65. Bill Tilden
66. Arnold Palmer
67. Eusebio
68. Emil Zatopek
69. Johnny Weismuller
70. Al Oerter
71. Bernard Hinault
72. Shane Warne
73. Nikki Lauda
74. Jackie Robinson
75. Said Aouita
76. Joe DiMaggio
77. Ivan Lendl
78. Geoff Hunt
79. Hicham El Guerrouj
80. George Best
81. Ted Williams
82. Henry Rono
83. Nolan Ryan
84. Nick Faldo
85. Henry Armstrong
86. Pete Rose
87. Haile Gebrselaissie
88. Jan Zelezny
89. Ian Thorpe
90. Viktor Barna
91. Satchel Paige
92. Gerd Muller
93. Jacques Anquetil
94. Sandy Koufax
95. Michael Johnson
96. Eddie Arcaro
97. Sebastian Coe
98. Larry Bird
99. Lasse Viren
100. Sergei Bubka
1. Jim Thorpe
2. Pele
3. Michael Jordan
4. Muhammad Ali
5. Michael Phelps
6. Lance Armstrong
7. Jack Nicklaus
8. Paarvo Nurmi
9. Joe Louis
10. Jesse Owens
11. Roger Federer
12. Donald Bradman
13. Babe Ruth
14. Michael Schumacher
15. Tiger Woods
16. Jim Brown
17. Diego Maradonna
18. Mark Spitz
19. Usain Bolt
20. Magic Johnson
21. Sachin Tendulker
22. Carl Lewis
23. Sugar Ray Leonard
24. Wilt Chaimberlain
25. Lionel Messi
26. Rocky Marciano
27. Pete Sampras
28. Hank Aaron
29. Johan Cruyff
30. Jahangir Khan
31. Jean Claude Killy
32. Bjorn Borg
33. Alfredo di Stefano
34. Joe Montana
35. Steve Redgrave
36. Rafael Nadal
37. Tom Watson
38. Matt Biondi
39. Ronaldo
40. Garfield Sobers
41. Gary Player
42. Kobie Bryant
43. Jerry Rice
44. Ferenc Puskas
45. Jimmy Connors
46. Julio Cesar Chavez
47. Miguel Indurain
48. Walter Johnson
49. Willie Mays
50. Barry Sanders
51. Bobby Jones
52. Franz Beckenbauer
53. Warren Spahn
54. Eddy Choong
55. Lester Piggott
56. Muttiah Muralitharan
57. Aryton Senna
58. Eddie Merckx
59. Bill Shoemaker
60. Ed Moses
61. Jansher Khan
62. Alain Prost
63. Ferenc Puskas
64. Viv Richards
65. Bill Tilden
66. Arnold Palmer
67. Eusebio
68. Emil Zatopek
69. Johnny Weismuller
70. Al Oerter
71. Bernard Hinault
72. Shane Warne
73. Nikki Lauda
74. Jackie Robinson
75. Said Aouita
76. Joe DiMaggio
77. Ivan Lendl
78. Geoff Hunt
79. Hicham El Guerrouj
80. George Best
81. Ted Williams
82. Henry Rono
83. Nolan Ryan
84. Nick Faldo
85. Henry Armstrong
86. Pete Rose
87. Haile Gebrselaissie
88. Jan Zelezny
89. Ian Thorpe
90. Viktor Barna
91. Satchel Paige
92. Gerd Muller
93. Jacques Anquetil
94. Sandy Koufax
95. Michael Johnson
96. Eddie Arcaro
97. Sebastian Coe
98. Larry Bird
99. Lasse Viren
100. Sergei Bubka
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Some Important Hindu Wisdom
I am not Hindu but I find much of their philosophy to be incredibly fascinating. The following is such an example:
That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite proceeds from infinite. If you subtract the infinite from the infinite, the infinite remains alone.
Taken from the Uppanishad.
That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite proceeds from infinite. If you subtract the infinite from the infinite, the infinite remains alone.
Taken from the Uppanishad.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Canadian Election 2011
Like many observers of the Canadian Federal election I am still not sure what to make about the surge of the NDP in the polls. While its true that most of the orange swell appears to be disaffected Liberal and Bloc Quebecois voters there is still an argument to be made that these numbers may not show up at the booth where the real decision is made. Third Parties often hit above their true strength in polls (look at the Liberal-Democrats in last year’s British elections) only to come crashing to earth on the day of reckoning. I believe that this will be the case with the NDP although I am still willing to argue that they will put together their best showing yet and pip the Grits for the Status of Official Opposition.
What is of greater importance is whether the Conservatives can profit from this fracture in the left-of-center vote (normally 55-60% of the total electorate at the best of times). I would like to believe that this can happen but still cannot see the Conservatives reaching the critical number levels to make a majority government possible. Not as long as their vote percentage in the People's Republic of Quebec remains in a mediocre third – the Mendoza line of political polling.
Is this a good thing? Apparently so according to many of my colleagues who have been saturated by CBC-Toronto Star bias to believe that a Harper majority is equivalent to coming of the anti-Christ. I of course beg to differ.
So in short it will be - 'as you were' (well almost) - with the Conservatives winning the most seats but not a majority and the Liberals switching second spots with their social democrat adversaries. The real fun and games will occur later on in the week with Ignatieff (assuming he survives politically - which he really ought not to) playing the unusual role of kingmaker as both Harper and Layton scramble to form a government. If Harper comes out on top (the likely outcome) one can expect political stability (with no flash...admittedly) for at least three years. A red-orange coalition will be lucky to survive a year but thats more than enough time to derail the economy with tax-and-spend dogma.
What is of greater importance is whether the Conservatives can profit from this fracture in the left-of-center vote (normally 55-60% of the total electorate at the best of times). I would like to believe that this can happen but still cannot see the Conservatives reaching the critical number levels to make a majority government possible. Not as long as their vote percentage in the People's Republic of Quebec remains in a mediocre third – the Mendoza line of political polling.
Is this a good thing? Apparently so according to many of my colleagues who have been saturated by CBC-Toronto Star bias to believe that a Harper majority is equivalent to coming of the anti-Christ. I of course beg to differ.
So in short it will be - 'as you were' (well almost) - with the Conservatives winning the most seats but not a majority and the Liberals switching second spots with their social democrat adversaries. The real fun and games will occur later on in the week with Ignatieff (assuming he survives politically - which he really ought not to) playing the unusual role of kingmaker as both Harper and Layton scramble to form a government. If Harper comes out on top (the likely outcome) one can expect political stability (with no flash...admittedly) for at least three years. A red-orange coalition will be lucky to survive a year but thats more than enough time to derail the economy with tax-and-spend dogma.
Monday, April 25, 2011
World News
The Republicans backed a toothless budget that failed to cut funding to the uber-leftist NPR and makes only a minor dent in deficit reduction. I have always believed that John Boehner was the wrong man for the job and this budget provides further evidence. Although the Republicans control the House they are still a party in disarray who lack the where-with-all to make a challenge in 2012. I am hoping that someone of the like of Chris Christie will come to the forefront but at the moment Obama and co. are in a strong position to retain the White House.Unfortunately.
Arch relativist - Jimmy Carter - is in North Korea sucking lip with yet another dictator. This time its Kim il-Jung, the meglomaniac, mid-life crisis, one man wrecking operation who has succesfully impoverished his nation of less than twenty million people. Carter is joined in his mission by fellow appeasers Gro Harlem Brundtland, Mary Robinson and Nelson Mandela.
There is an upsurge in NDP support in Quebec which has the do-nothing 'Lie'brals quaking in their boots before the May 2011 Canadian federal election. If polls are to be believed the 70's style high tax socialists may emerge as official opposition replacing the 90's defined middle-of-the road fence sitters in the commons. Still looking to come with a campaign platform that will take them from inept to insipid this may be the worst elections that the Grits are facing since their thumping by pseudo-conservative Brian Mulroney in the 80s.
Arch relativist - Jimmy Carter - is in North Korea sucking lip with yet another dictator. This time its Kim il-Jung, the meglomaniac, mid-life crisis, one man wrecking operation who has succesfully impoverished his nation of less than twenty million people. Carter is joined in his mission by fellow appeasers Gro Harlem Brundtland, Mary Robinson and Nelson Mandela.
There is an upsurge in NDP support in Quebec which has the do-nothing 'Lie'brals quaking in their boots before the May 2011 Canadian federal election. If polls are to be believed the 70's style high tax socialists may emerge as official opposition replacing the 90's defined middle-of-the road fence sitters in the commons. Still looking to come with a campaign platform that will take them from inept to insipid this may be the worst elections that the Grits are facing since their thumping by pseudo-conservative Brian Mulroney in the 80s.
Footer Update
Liverpool's season has been on the up and up since I last wrote with victories against Manchester City (3-0) and Birmingham (5-0) as well as a gritty draw (1-1) with Arsenal at the Emirates. I stand by my earlier suggestion that the season is a stinker but if the stars align it may be possible for the Reds to pip Spurs for fifth and earn a place in the Europa Cup.
The real excitement is in Spain. I am hoping that Barca will win the Spanish League (which they should) but they may come up short against Mourinho's squad in the Champion's League who seem to have found their stride. In the other clash Manchester United should come through against Schalke but I doubt that the Devils have enough in the tank to take care of either of the Spanish giants.
The real excitement is in Spain. I am hoping that Barca will win the Spanish League (which they should) but they may come up short against Mourinho's squad in the Champion's League who seem to have found their stride. In the other clash Manchester United should come through against Schalke but I doubt that the Devils have enough in the tank to take care of either of the Spanish giants.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
What a stinker of a season
The English football season has been disappointing and I never thought that I would say this but a part of me wishes that it were over. Yes over......Man U,the kings of the comeback (but really the force of three seasons ago), are winning the title by default as both Chelsea and Arsenal spiral into mediocrity. Man City are doing enough to stay in the top four but are hardly setting the world on fire (as their expense book would indicate) while Spurs have clearly set their sights on taking the Champions League at Wembley and seem content with a Europa League place next year.
However the performance of all of the above dwarfs my team, Liverpool, who except for the handful of performances (against Chelsea and Man U at Anfield), have been downright awful. Pathetic is a better word perhaps.
The Reds are in six spot courtesy of the insipidness of the rest of the league rather than their own stealth. The loss count has ballooned to 12 games (the same as bottom placed Wigan) and the likes of West Ham, West Brom, Blackpool (twice), Blackburn and Wolves can all gloat, having at one time or another, taken the three points from Liverpool.
If this were not bad enough Liverpool can add to their failures an inglorious exit from the Europa League at the hands of minnows Sporting Braga, whose 'world class defense' (once guilty of being at the receiving end of a 6-0 Arsenal thrashing) completely shut out the not-so-big red machine 'attack' over two legs. Couple this with first effort losses against Northampton and Man U in the Cups and the case for shutting the door on this season is made ever more clearer.
Fortunately there is always next year (the beauty of sports) but until then I will bury my head, watch reruns of the glory years and hope against all evidence that the Reds can recover from the malaise that has been the story of 2010-2011. Good luck guys.
However the performance of all of the above dwarfs my team, Liverpool, who except for the handful of performances (against Chelsea and Man U at Anfield), have been downright awful. Pathetic is a better word perhaps.
The Reds are in six spot courtesy of the insipidness of the rest of the league rather than their own stealth. The loss count has ballooned to 12 games (the same as bottom placed Wigan) and the likes of West Ham, West Brom, Blackpool (twice), Blackburn and Wolves can all gloat, having at one time or another, taken the three points from Liverpool.
If this were not bad enough Liverpool can add to their failures an inglorious exit from the Europa League at the hands of minnows Sporting Braga, whose 'world class defense' (once guilty of being at the receiving end of a 6-0 Arsenal thrashing) completely shut out the not-so-big red machine 'attack' over two legs. Couple this with first effort losses against Northampton and Man U in the Cups and the case for shutting the door on this season is made ever more clearer.
Fortunately there is always next year (the beauty of sports) but until then I will bury my head, watch reruns of the glory years and hope against all evidence that the Reds can recover from the malaise that has been the story of 2010-2011. Good luck guys.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Ein Sof
The Ein Sof is a kabbalistic term that attempts to clarify (as much as possible)the elusive nature of G-d. It literally means 'there is no end'.
Here are my thoughts on the Ein Sof and how it fits into my worldview.
1. All power ultimately resides with the Ein Sof. The Ein Sof cannot be defined, reduced or even truly conceptualized however its presence is ubiquitous.
2. We are individual souls derived from the Ein Sof. Our abstraction from the Ein Sof does not in anyway reduce the Ein Sof.
3. The Ein Sof transcends all matter and energy and is synonymous with all that there really is.
4. The Ein Sof interacts with our defined universe via the matter world of the physicality.
5. The laws of physics do not limit the Ein Sof as all its constraints and realities are a product of the Ein Sof.
6. The Ein Sof is consequently the cause of why something as opposed to nothing exists.
7. As Ein Sof Derived Souls (known hence forth as ESDS) we can interact with the Ein Sof by following the path of goodness.
8. This involves the extension of our sense of self and a concerted focus on the positive growth of our being.
9. Several world religions have addressed this dynamic but have unfortunately allowed themselves to lose focus in the vortex of cultural noise.
10. Meaningful belief has to extend beyond this ‘noise’ to reclaim the connection with the Ein Sof
11. This brings us the greatest joy.
12. The most direct approach toward the goodness involves the elucidation of perspective. This substantiates itself in a prioritization of goals, daily events and thoughts. Perspective is a triage for the mind, it places our challenges in context so that we never lose sight of the goodness of the Ein Sof.
13. We must be thankful for what we have. I call this a consolidation of reality.
14. Once such a step has been undertaken the mind framework towards the goodness is rooted. This catalyzes the drive.
Here are my thoughts on the Ein Sof and how it fits into my worldview.
1. All power ultimately resides with the Ein Sof. The Ein Sof cannot be defined, reduced or even truly conceptualized however its presence is ubiquitous.
2. We are individual souls derived from the Ein Sof. Our abstraction from the Ein Sof does not in anyway reduce the Ein Sof.
3. The Ein Sof transcends all matter and energy and is synonymous with all that there really is.
4. The Ein Sof interacts with our defined universe via the matter world of the physicality.
5. The laws of physics do not limit the Ein Sof as all its constraints and realities are a product of the Ein Sof.
6. The Ein Sof is consequently the cause of why something as opposed to nothing exists.
7. As Ein Sof Derived Souls (known hence forth as ESDS) we can interact with the Ein Sof by following the path of goodness.
8. This involves the extension of our sense of self and a concerted focus on the positive growth of our being.
9. Several world religions have addressed this dynamic but have unfortunately allowed themselves to lose focus in the vortex of cultural noise.
10. Meaningful belief has to extend beyond this ‘noise’ to reclaim the connection with the Ein Sof
11. This brings us the greatest joy.
12. The most direct approach toward the goodness involves the elucidation of perspective. This substantiates itself in a prioritization of goals, daily events and thoughts. Perspective is a triage for the mind, it places our challenges in context so that we never lose sight of the goodness of the Ein Sof.
13. We must be thankful for what we have. I call this a consolidation of reality.
14. Once such a step has been undertaken the mind framework towards the goodness is rooted. This catalyzes the drive.
On Libya
I am still lukewarm about outside involvement in the Libyan civil war. While I have no sympathy for the detestable Gaddafi I am not sure whether the rebel forces that are fighting to seize power will be that much better if they should seize power. Its difficult to pin down their makeup but there is no doubt that fundamentalist elements exist within its ranks (possibly with ties to al-Qaeda or Iran) and by shifting our hand toward the rebels we may be galvanizing Islamism further. Still by remaining on the sidelines we run the risk of ignoring the flagrant human rights abuses that have characterized Gaddafi’s counterinsurgency so there is truism in the argument that we have a moral obligation to act. The decision by the UN to champion a no-fly zone policy seems a reasonable compromise (and will certainly even the odds that are currently stacked against the rebels) but I would be loathe, like the US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, to see Western ground troop involvement in this arena. We will have to wait and see.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Five Areas I regularly study
1. Astronomy/Cosmology – The universe fascinates me. It is large beyond all perspective but is governed by the same laws of physics that influence us in our seemingly localized milieu.
2. Modern World History (1789- present) – I started reading history books as a kid (thanks to my father and grandfather) and have been hooked ever since. In fact I wrote a history quiz book that one can find and buy on:
http://www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk/bookstore/author.aspx?authorid=6210
History was my first passion and we have been locked in an embrace ever since. I particular enjoy the modern period as it provides the immediate framework from which today’s world has evolved.
3. Political Philosophy – I enjoy struggling with ideas and relish dissecting the arguments from all sides that define the political spectrum. Part of this is a consequence of a personal investigation into World History but I prefer to see it as a richer to understand the human spirit.
4. Geography – My fascination with the world has bought me a greater understanding of geography. My mind loves organizing facts and stats into useful patterns and geography provides an excellent vehicle for such a recourse.
5. International Sports – What can I say I am a bit of a junky. Football (soccer) Tennis, Boxing, Cricket, Track and Field and rugby all appeal to me. I don’t watch as much as I used to (the responsibility of parenthood) but I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of past winners and key events.
2. Modern World History (1789- present) – I started reading history books as a kid (thanks to my father and grandfather) and have been hooked ever since. In fact I wrote a history quiz book that one can find and buy on:
http://www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk/bookstore/author.aspx?authorid=6210
History was my first passion and we have been locked in an embrace ever since. I particular enjoy the modern period as it provides the immediate framework from which today’s world has evolved.
3. Political Philosophy – I enjoy struggling with ideas and relish dissecting the arguments from all sides that define the political spectrum. Part of this is a consequence of a personal investigation into World History but I prefer to see it as a richer to understand the human spirit.
4. Geography – My fascination with the world has bought me a greater understanding of geography. My mind loves organizing facts and stats into useful patterns and geography provides an excellent vehicle for such a recourse.
5. International Sports – What can I say I am a bit of a junky. Football (soccer) Tennis, Boxing, Cricket, Track and Field and rugby all appeal to me. I don’t watch as much as I used to (the responsibility of parenthood) but I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of past winners and key events.
Methods I have used to acquire knowledge
1. Listening to others. As a teacher I have found that I have learnt a lot from my students and the questions that they ask. Such questions force me to dig deeper and in doing so I have acquired a more thorough understanding of the subject
2. I was sick a lot as a child and therefore spent much time by myself…reading and learning. Having supportive parents helped as well.
3. Rising to the challenge – I love teaching new courses which force me to broaden my horizons and increase my knowledge base.
4. Magazines…… New Scientist, The Economist, BBC History Magazine, National Geographic, Time, World Football, Military History, Scientific American, Omni plus as a child Look and Learn and World of Knowledge
5. Watching Documentaries – You Tube is a great source for this.
6. Reading Reference Books – Guinness Book of Records, World Almanac, Pears Encyclopedia, Chronicle Series, World Book as a kid.
7. Reading Books in general – I normally have on the go 3-4 books that I read at a time.
8. The Internet …Its amazing how much knowledge is at your finger tips if you know where to find it.
9. Completing Quiz Books - The Isaac Asimov Super Quiz Series was great as was the British series Mastermind.
10. Schooling – Completing two science degrees plus an education degree has helped but it has not served to provide me with the bulk of my knowledge.
11. Experience…The Greatest teacher… this has no doubt served me well in both my engineering and teaching capacity. The key though is to reflect meaningfully on the experience.
2. I was sick a lot as a child and therefore spent much time by myself…reading and learning. Having supportive parents helped as well.
3. Rising to the challenge – I love teaching new courses which force me to broaden my horizons and increase my knowledge base.
4. Magazines…… New Scientist, The Economist, BBC History Magazine, National Geographic, Time, World Football, Military History, Scientific American, Omni plus as a child Look and Learn and World of Knowledge
5. Watching Documentaries – You Tube is a great source for this.
6. Reading Reference Books – Guinness Book of Records, World Almanac, Pears Encyclopedia, Chronicle Series, World Book as a kid.
7. Reading Books in general – I normally have on the go 3-4 books that I read at a time.
8. The Internet …Its amazing how much knowledge is at your finger tips if you know where to find it.
9. Completing Quiz Books - The Isaac Asimov Super Quiz Series was great as was the British series Mastermind.
10. Schooling – Completing two science degrees plus an education degree has helped but it has not served to provide me with the bulk of my knowledge.
11. Experience…The Greatest teacher… this has no doubt served me well in both my engineering and teaching capacity. The key though is to reflect meaningfully on the experience.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Itamar Massacre
The Japanese Earthquake and the Itamar massacres have greatly disturbed me. I can understand the former (gut wrenching as it is ) as an act of nature but the latter sickens me in that it was perpetrated by human beings...baby killers who thought nothing about decapitating the head of an infant slitting her throat, while murdering both her parents and two of her siblings in cold blood. There is absolutely no excuse for such barbarism other than the understanding of its manifestation as an obvious outcome from a collective psyche schooled in the art of blood lust, hate and violence.
The victimizers have their champions, candy was handed out to passing drivers in Gaza by the terror proponents of Hamas, to commemorate such an 'achievement' and its only a matter of time before the killers have schools named after. Meanwhile western leftists carry out spin control to minimize the evil, with the typical litany of rationalizations that they would never accept if the situation were reversed. Has the world gone insane? I believe it did some time ago and as a Jew who sees how cheaply Jewish life has again become the pain is lingering. Once again the Jews are alone in their struggle against base evil. However base evil in a modern framework knows no limit, and if good is not free to counter it then the slippery slope to universal barbarism lies not to far from the horizon.
The victimizers have their champions, candy was handed out to passing drivers in Gaza by the terror proponents of Hamas, to commemorate such an 'achievement' and its only a matter of time before the killers have schools named after. Meanwhile western leftists carry out spin control to minimize the evil, with the typical litany of rationalizations that they would never accept if the situation were reversed. Has the world gone insane? I believe it did some time ago and as a Jew who sees how cheaply Jewish life has again become the pain is lingering. Once again the Jews are alone in their struggle against base evil. However base evil in a modern framework knows no limit, and if good is not free to counter it then the slippery slope to universal barbarism lies not to far from the horizon.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
This Blog is still alive
I have resurrected Worldoreason. Be on the lookout for some more entries.
Gavin
Gavin
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Pinball Design - Physics
Grade 12 Practical Physics Project
Pinball Machine Design
Objective: Design a Pinball machine using springs, metal, plastic or wooden barriers and various cushioning devices. A scoring apparatus is needed. The game board should be no larger than 1m by 1m in size (can have adjuncts for scoring and a base that are not included in the board size). Outline all the physics principles involved in the game, provide a schematic for the structure of the game board, illustrate and describe all regions of significant energy transfer and design the game so that it has visual appeal.
Significant Due Dates:
2nd Monday in October: Provide a rough schematic of the design to the teacher.
3rd Monday in October: Sign up for group discussions with teacher
3rd Monday in November: Provide teacher with two page progress report.
7th January 2011: Game Testing Day and Submission of Report Documents.
Final Report Document must include:
Work Log (who did, what, when)
Description of Physics Principles Involved
Neat drawing of game schematic (preferably AUTOCAD)
Outline of all regions of energy loss. Must include one sample calculation based on reasonable assumptions.
Group Size:
No more than three people per group. No singlet groups.
Marks:
The project will count for 10% of your final grades. Even though the students will work as a team – each student will be evaluated individually (therefore it is critical that the work log reflect accurately the levels of effort).
Sample Sites to look at:
http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/design-your-own-pinball-machine-919500/
Marking Checklist
Game
Movability of Barriers……………………. /5
Smoothness of Impacts…………………… /3
Effectiveness of Cushioning……………….../2
Spring Release Method…………………….../2
Number of Barriers…………………………. /5
(less than 1=1, 2=3, 3=4, 5 or more = 5)
Sound Effects………………………………../3
Light Effects…………………………………/4
Scoring Mechanism Accuracy………………./5
Originality and Creativity of Design…………/6
Total: /35
Documentation:
Lead Abstract…………………………………….../2
Quality of Worklog………………………………../5
Visual Schematic…………………………………. /3
Sample Energy Calculation………………………. /3
Outline of all Physics Principles Involved
Factors to consider……………………………….. /7
Individual Reflections…………………………….../2
Overall Report (Language, grammar etc)…………../2
Bibliography………………………………………../1
Total: /25
For #4 – Please be concise. Any physics principles missed will result in mark deduction from the 8.
TOTAL MARKS: 35 + 25 = 60
Pinball Machine Design
Objective: Design a Pinball machine using springs, metal, plastic or wooden barriers and various cushioning devices. A scoring apparatus is needed. The game board should be no larger than 1m by 1m in size (can have adjuncts for scoring and a base that are not included in the board size). Outline all the physics principles involved in the game, provide a schematic for the structure of the game board, illustrate and describe all regions of significant energy transfer and design the game so that it has visual appeal.
Significant Due Dates:
2nd Monday in October: Provide a rough schematic of the design to the teacher.
3rd Monday in October: Sign up for group discussions with teacher
3rd Monday in November: Provide teacher with two page progress report.
7th January 2011: Game Testing Day and Submission of Report Documents.
Final Report Document must include:
Work Log (who did, what, when)
Description of Physics Principles Involved
Neat drawing of game schematic (preferably AUTOCAD)
Outline of all regions of energy loss. Must include one sample calculation based on reasonable assumptions.
Group Size:
No more than three people per group. No singlet groups.
Marks:
The project will count for 10% of your final grades. Even though the students will work as a team – each student will be evaluated individually (therefore it is critical that the work log reflect accurately the levels of effort).
Sample Sites to look at:
http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/design-your-own-pinball-machine-919500/
Marking Checklist
Game
Movability of Barriers……………………. /5
Smoothness of Impacts…………………… /3
Effectiveness of Cushioning……………….../2
Spring Release Method…………………….../2
Number of Barriers…………………………. /5
(less than 1=1, 2=3, 3=4, 5 or more = 5)
Sound Effects………………………………../3
Light Effects…………………………………/4
Scoring Mechanism Accuracy………………./5
Originality and Creativity of Design…………/6
Total: /35
Documentation:
Lead Abstract…………………………………….../2
Quality of Worklog………………………………../5
Visual Schematic…………………………………. /3
Sample Energy Calculation………………………. /3
Outline of all Physics Principles Involved
Factors to consider……………………………….. /7
Individual Reflections…………………………….../2
Overall Report (Language, grammar etc)…………../2
Bibliography………………………………………../1
Total: /25
For #4 – Please be concise. Any physics principles missed will result in mark deduction from the 8.
TOTAL MARKS: 35 + 25 = 60
Teaching Physics - A Philosophy
Its been a while since I last blogged (I seem to be saying this more often than not) so I thought I would bounce back with a few quick update. The school year is underway and I am more focused than ever in honing my teaching skills. I have three great classes this semester (all in Physics), in what can only be described as a dream timetable. However all great opportunities come with great responsibility (a twist on the Spiderman theme). My self accepted mission is to work on my student’s cognitive skills and critical thinking attributes. I wish to hone for them a deeper understanding of the physics. Physics is a philosophy but too often it is taught as a type of Applied Mathematics. Many students can’t see beyond the mathematics (which is vital tool but by no means the defining entity of the discipline) which is a shame. Fortunately there are several pedagogical instruments that can assist a teacher in this realm. These include
Building Projects – Over the years my students have built mousetraps, balloon cars, egg drop protection devices, rollercoasters, robots, Rube Goldberg machines. This year I plan to have them build either pinball machines or safe lock devices. Each of these projects has been selected for their adherence to principles of physics – conservation of energy, momentum, Newton’s laws of motion, electric fields etc. A detailed report submitted in accordance with the physical build will further expound on the physics learnt.
Self Design Labs – These are open ended labs based on student directed procedure that are undertaken to discover the relationship between a series of entities, optimize a system or study the ramifications of cause and effect
Physics Essays – Yes one can write and speculate in physics with the same enthusiasm as that shown in the humanities. The discussion of the Big Ideas especially as it relates to the historical evolution of the subject or the topics of modern physics
Building Projects – Over the years my students have built mousetraps, balloon cars, egg drop protection devices, rollercoasters, robots, Rube Goldberg machines. This year I plan to have them build either pinball machines or safe lock devices. Each of these projects has been selected for their adherence to principles of physics – conservation of energy, momentum, Newton’s laws of motion, electric fields etc. A detailed report submitted in accordance with the physical build will further expound on the physics learnt.
Self Design Labs – These are open ended labs based on student directed procedure that are undertaken to discover the relationship between a series of entities, optimize a system or study the ramifications of cause and effect
Physics Essays – Yes one can write and speculate in physics with the same enthusiasm as that shown in the humanities. The discussion of the Big Ideas especially as it relates to the historical evolution of the subject or the topics of modern physics
Friday, September 03, 2010
Some good advice.....
These are some oldies but they hold me in good stead
1. Treat others as you would want them to treat you.
2. Look for the positives before the negatives
3. Try not to take things personally
4. Act with conviction
5. Perform with best capacity
6. Expand one's sense of self
7. Appreciate the challenge
8. Don't sell yourself short
9. Think before speaking
10. Be on the alert for meaning
1. Treat others as you would want them to treat you.
2. Look for the positives before the negatives
3. Try not to take things personally
4. Act with conviction
5. Perform with best capacity
6. Expand one's sense of self
7. Appreciate the challenge
8. Don't sell yourself short
9. Think before speaking
10. Be on the alert for meaning
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