OVO

Here are two extracts [1] [2] from Francis Wheen’s new book How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World. And here are two paragraphs from the first extract…

“In September 1784 a Berlin magazine invited Immanuel Kant to answer the question: What is Enlightenment? ‘Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity,’ he replied. ‘Immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding without direction from another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolve and courage to use it without another’s guidance. Dare to know! That is the motto of Enlightenment.’

“The Enlightenment had many critics, but its illuminating influence and achievements were apparent in the history of the next two centuries – the waning of absolutism and superstition, the rise of secular democracy, the understanding of the natural world, the transformation of historical and scientific study, the new political resonance of notions such as “progress”, “rights” and “freedom”. Does that light still shine today? According to the philosopher Roger Scruton, “Reason is now on the retreat, both as an ideal and as a reality.” The leaders of the counter-revolution may seem an incongruous coalition – post-modernists and primitivists, New Age and Old Testament – but they have been remarkably effective over the past quarter-century. Those who lack the courage to use their understanding “without direction from another” are easy prey for self-styled gurus, and the sleep of reason has duly brought forth many such monsters, exploiting and expanding the demand for mumbo-jumbo.”

… a delightful and frightening calling of bullshit where bullshit is in need of a calling.

What does it mean to be ‘African-American?’ Apparently, it doesn’t mean being born in Africa and living in America.

How many ‘terrorists’ are there, according to the United States government? Go on, guess! How about 5 million, or 0.078% of humanity.

“I [Albert Speer] simply cannot stand it any longer and be witness to a government by lunatics. The nation will perish completely if nothing decisive is done about these insane plans for destruction. I have finally come to the decision to end this state of affairs, if necessary by force. However, there is no use removing only one, the most dangerous and closest of his entourage must be removed.” IWM, Speer collection, Box s368, FD 306/49, Fiat Report 254-82, Stahl-Speer, p. 5.

The Washington (End Of) Times by Michelangelo Signorile connects the dots between religionists who want to kill homosexuals and the homosexuals that support them. Weird and creepy.

Robert A. Rogers (USAF – Ret) has done us all proud by writing Bush’s Military Record Reveals Grounding and Absence for Two Full Years. This is a highly detailed expose that demonstrates the President of the United States progressed in the military due to favoritism, that he was absent without leave for two years, and that the evidence suggests he went AWOL to avoid drug tests.

I do not care for the Presidency of George W. Bush.

Decades ago, there was a country that was invaded by Nazi Germany via sea and land. Common people in this country became quiet heroes by hiding Jewish neighbors from soldiers; others now live with the shame of handing over Jews to the Nazis. The SS set up camps in this country where Jewish prisoners were worked to death. What country was this? You might be surprised.

A pleasant last farewell to Bob Keeshan and Helmut Newton.

Falling behind in the latest on Christian child abuse? Here, let me help [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] … and so on. But that’s hardly fair, since all this is only from one source and only from the past three days. What’s going on in the world at large all year long is likely (fill in the blank).

Remember how Pope John XXIII ordered the silencing of reports of children raped by clergy from 1962 onward.? Yeah, most people forgot that too.

Walter E. Williams writes: “Per capita GDP, the population divided into the value of goods and services produced, is one of the methods used to gauge the standard of living. The historical trend, including today, is a rising American standard of living. In fact, our per capita GDP in 1980 was $21,500 and as of 2002 it was $36,000 – a 59 percent increase [...] From various government reports they find that: 46 percent of poor households actually own their homes; seventy-six percent have air conditioning; the typical poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other cities in Europe; nearly 75 percent of poor households own one car and 30 percent own two or more cars; 97 percent have at least one color television; 62 percent have cable or satellite reception and 25 percent have cell phones. While ‘poor’ Americans don’t live in opulence, they are surely not poor either by international or historical standards in our own country. I’m betting if God condemned an unborn spirit to a lifetime of poverty but left him free to choose the country in which to be poor, he’d choose United States.”

If this is how the war on terror is being fought, sign me up.

Rarely seen image taken with Spirit’s pan-cam. Thank you, Nasa Watch!

Looking for some Bertrand Russell? Here you go.

How can this be true?

WiGLE.net (Wireless Geographic Logging Engine): Worldwide database and mapping of 654,117 wireless networks, since September 2001.

One of the good verses in the good book is Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” And in the Book of the SubGenius we read: “Don’t just eat a hamburger, eat the hell out of it.”

That’s what I thought of when I saw this; a person who decided to do something and then did it.

“… there still remains the problem of ascertaining how the existing means of production can be used most effectively to produce these goods in question. In order to solve this problem it is necessary that there should be economic calculation. And economic calculation can only take place by means of money prices established in the market for production goods in a society resting on private property in the means of production.” – Ludwig von Mises, Socialism (1922). [Agree / Disagree]

Bjorn Lomborg’s 2001 book The Skeptical Environmentalist was condemned in 2002 by the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty (DCSD) as being “objectively dishonest” and “clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice.” On December 17th, 2003, the Danish Ministry of Science evaluated the DCSD’s report as “dissatisfactory,” “deserving criticism,” “emotional,” and “completely void of argumentation.” Why? Because the DCSD based their report not on the book, but on two reviews of the book: one in Scientific American magazine, and one in Time magazine.

Leaving aside the journalistic integrity of Time for the moment, let’s look at how objective Scientific American was. They devoted eleven pages to discount the book and gave Lomborg one in reply. When he posted his full reply online [pdf], they threatened to sue him. When the co-founder of Greenpeace posted Lomborg’s reply (with Lomborg’s permission), Scientific American threatened to sue him too.

Unlike the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty, I read the book. A one sentence review might read as follows: “Yes there are problems, no they aren’t as bad as some say they are, here are the facts that even the doom-sayers are using (but misrepresenting).”

I hope that all the press agencies that reported Lomborg’s book was discredited will admit they were deceived.

Thanks for the Memories (requires Flash).

“What can explain [George W. Bush's] popularity? Can that many people be enamored of what he has accomplished in Iraq? Of how he has fortified our constitutional freedoms with the USA Patriot Act? Of how he has bolstered our economy? Of how he has protected our environment? Perhaps they’ve been impressed with the president’s personal integrity and the articulation of his grand vision for America? The answer, I’m afraid, is the factor that dare not speak its name. It’s the factor that no one talks about. The pollsters don’t ask it, the media don’t report it, the voters don’t discuss it. I, however, will blare out its name so that at last people can address the issue and perhaps adopt strategies to overcome it.”