Category: Uncategorized

The Mexican government is publishing an illustrated booklet that advises illegal immigrants how to illegaly enter and reside in the U.S.
…Just another absurdity created by laws that make it illegal for peaceful people to get to their jobs and support their families.

The latest death toll from Dec 24th’s tsunami in Asia is at 150,000 and rising. 400,000 thousand people have become refugees and 94,081 have been confirmed dead in Indonesia alone. (Reuters as of 1/04/05) A tragedy of this magnitude deserves our consideration, especially of two questions: why did so many die, and what can be done to minimize the destruction of such events?

Conventional explanations abound. Environmentalists blame overpopulation, deforestation, and tourist exploitation; Marxists blame the West for the poverty of poor nations; politicians claim that a lack of emergency preparedness, housing regulations, and tax funds are to blame, and that coerced charity is the fix; religionists assure us that man and science are powerless against nature, and if anything, man must now pray and sacrifice his wealth to the suffering because suffering is man’s natural state, appeal to God is the only remedy, and altruism is the moral ideal.

While there is some truth in these answers, they are all fundamentally mistaken about the significance of natural events to man’s condition. They are right in that the tsunami is a powerful natural event that neither government regulations, nor charity, nor prayer, nor even our current technology can make a dent in. They are also right in stating the poverty is the primary factor of the death toll, and that better buildings, warning systems, emergency preparedness systems, and better science can save many lives.
Continue reading Thinking about the Tsunami

The Pakistani dictator has broken a promise to step down by the end of the year because his political opponents are a “threat to democracy.” “This is the voice of the majority and the minority should accept the voice of the majority” said General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power from an elected government in 1993.

I guess I should comment on the recent elections in Ukraine, since I did spend 10 years of my life there. The primary significance of the victory of West-leaning Viktor Yushchenko over Russian-backed incumbent Viktor Yanukovych is that Ukrainians have officially rejected decades of Soviet tyranny and forced cultural indoctrination, including the brutal treatment they received from Stalin.
And yet, I have little motivation to cheer for the revival of Ukrainian culture since it is even more deeply embedded with mysticism, collectivism, and vicious anti-Semitism than Russia’s. The only things I miss about Ukraine are rye bread, beet salad, and cross-country skiing across the countryside.

After a panic over a flu shot shortage, the media is now reporting a flu shot surplus. What else would you expect from socialized medicine?

Great story: Welcome to capitalism, North Korean comrades

In the last few days, I have been encouraged by several media presentations of businessmen as heroes. In particular, the bios of David Oreck and Donald Trump presented productivity, rationality, passion, innovation, and even egoism as virtues. Is it just me, or has there been a change from the usual vilification of CEO’s as egotistical bastards who either inherit their wealth, or cheat it out of others?

Edit: I’ve been informed that Trump cheated way to wealth out. *sigh*

I just finished watching “3,” the new ESPN documentary of Dale Earnhardt . Though I am not a NASCAR fan, I found it to be a great sports movie. Dale Earnhardt is portrayed as uncompromising egoist : racing is his life, and nothing less than perfection is acceptable – on the track, or in his personal life.

Earnhardt’s success is presented not as a matter of luck, but of dedication, innovation in technique and technology, and the highest expectations from his team. “It ain’t about the guy with the fastest car”, he says, “– it’s about the one who refuses to lose.” He’s not out for the fame, and he doesn’t change attitude his even after he achieves greatness – it’s always about the racing, and pursuing one’s passions: “They can’t put it in ya.. and they can’t take it out.”

Another important quality is his attitude towards tragedy on the track: he recognizes the possibility, and takes precautions, but never allows it to assume a metaphysical importance for him, not even after his close friend dies. Nor does the movie allow his untimely death to overshadow his successes, as the final moments of the movie show.

The documentary reminded me of why people find spectator sports so inspiring: by dramatizing the process of goal-achievement, they inspire us to success in our own lives. There are few other arenas in our society where such inspiration can be found.

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, in these times of universal internet access and affordable broadband. But it wasn’t always so, and the Institute of Internet History has undertaken the task of creating a “full and faithful” documentary of the Internet, beginning with its early 19th century steam-powered origins. Millions of American school kids finally have a reliable research source for their research on this modern marvel.

Brilliant idea: Make LOVE not SPAM.
This is a screensaver that will download a few MB from spammer’s sites each day, and thus make spamming a less profitable proposition.