tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93951242024-03-08T10:03:22.519+09:00Riding SunUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger545125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123426980625340802005-08-08T00:01:00.003+09:002012-02-02T05:27:02.269+09:00The Onion scoops The New York Times<i>The Onion</i>, August 20, 2003:<br />
<blockquote><b>I Have an iPod — <i>In My MIND</i></b><br />
<br />
I'm sure you've seen a lot of tech-savvy people smugly showing off that new hunk of entertainment hardware, the iPod personal stereo. Well, I might not have the scratch to get one, but frankly, I don't want the white-corded wonder. I have my very own iPod — <i>in my mind.</i><br />
<br />
I hear those little things carry up to a month's worth of music. Well, so does <i>my mind</i>. I can call up any song I've ever heard, any time I want. And I never have to load software or charge batteries. There are no firewire cords or docks to mess with. I just put my hands behind my head, lean back, and select a tune from the extensive music-library folder <i>inside my brain</i>.</blockquote><i>The New York Times</i>, July 12, 2005:<br />
<blockquote><b>Neuron Network Goes Awry, and Brain Becomes an IPod</b><br />
<br />
Seven years ago Reginald King was lying in a hospital bed recovering from bypass surgery when he first heard the music.<br />
<br />
It began with a pop tune, and others followed. Mr. King heard everything from cabaret songs to Christmas carols. "I asked the nurses if they could hear the music, and they said no," said Mr. King, a retired sales manager in Cardiff, Wales.<br />
<br />
"I got so frustrated," he said. "They didn't know what I was talking about and said it must be something wrong with my head. And it's been like that ever since."</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123419954157701082005-08-07T23:21:00.000+09:002005-08-07T23:39:59.316+09:00Remembering, and forgetting, HiroshimaYesterday was the 60th anniversary of the day America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, followed by a second one on Nagasaki three days later.<br /><br />There is no denying the bombs had a devastating and horrific impact. There is also no denying that they ended the Pacific war, forcing Japan's surrender. The fear at the time that many more people — American and Japanese — would have died in a land invasion of the Japanese main islands is addressed in <a href="http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson080505.html">this piece</a> by military historian Victor Davis Hanson, and there's little I could presume to add to it.<br /><br />But while it is necessary to remember why America decided to drop the bombs, it is perhaps more interesting to consider what many Japanese think about the bombs today. And the answer is: Not much.<br /><br />Japanese blogger, Internet expert, and venture capitalist Joi Ito has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/opinion/07ito.html?ex=1281067200&en=e6b897762b09f727&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">a fascinating op-ed</a> in the <i>New York Times</i> in which he says the bombs have little significance to Japanese born after the war:<blockquote>When people ask my thoughts on the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I always feel uncomfortable. As a Japanese, I know how I'm supposed to respond: with sadness, regret and perhaps anger. But invariably I try to dodge the issue, or to reply as neutrally as possible.<br /><br />That's because, at bottom, the bombings don't really matter to me or, for that matter, to most Japanese of my generation. My peers and I have little hatred or blame in our hearts for the Americans; the horrors of that war and its nuclear evils feel distant, even foreign. Instead, the bombs are simply the flashpoint marking the discontinuity that characterized the cultural world we grew up in.</blockquote>Joi then describes how the war's end jolted Japanese of that era out of the grip of years of "brainwashing" at the hands of their militarist leaders. In fact, he argues that the bombs served as a cultural "reset button", letting Japan make a clean break with its past.<br /><br />Joi's words reminded me of a young Japanese boy I saw on the beach at Atami this weekend, shown in the photo below:<table align="center"><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://ridingsun.powerblogs.com/files/0508FlagTube.JPG"><img src="http://ridingsun.powerblogs.com/files/0508FlagTubeSmall.JPG"></a></td></tr></table>On the 60th anniversary of the American atomic bombing of his people, this boy happily played with an inner tube decorated with the Stars and Stripes, and emblazoned with an image of the Statue of Liberty.<br /><br />You might reasonably expect that Japanese would hate Americans for bombing their country, but it just didn't work out that way. Ironically, the devastating atomic assault was followed by lasting peace, and even friendship, between America and Japan.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123334995176528102005-08-06T23:36:00.000+09:002005-08-07T00:13:07.583+09:00Lightweight, but underpowered<a href="http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2005/07/30/yamaha-paper-motorcycle-models/">The Kneeslider</a> (who found it on, yes, <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/29/yamaha_adds_rare_ani.html">BoingBoing</a>) points to these insanely detailed paper motorcycle <a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/entertainment/papercraft/realistic/index.html">models</a> from Yamaha. Here's a single-cylinder <a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/entertainment/papercraft/realistic/sr400/index.html">SR400</a>:<table align="center"><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/entertainment/papercraft/realistic/sr400/index.html"><img src="http://ridingsun.powerblogs.com/files/yamaha2a.JPG"></a></td></tr></table>Best of all, the model kits are available free, over the Internet. Just download the parts as pdf files, print them out, and start cutting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123318683392034852005-08-06T17:56:00.000+09:002005-08-06T21:04:44.890+09:00Al-Zawahri says Osama tapes are "Done"PAKISTAN (Rooters) — After months of speculation, it appears that what many fans feared would happen has indeed come to pass: Osama Bin Laden’s series of videotaped threats against America and her allies is finished.<br /><br />Al-Qaeda second-in-command and Bin Laden associate Ayman Al-Zawahri revealed in an interview with Al-Jazeera that the world’s most-wanted criminal is not coming back. <br /><br />"Osama’s tapes are over, man. Done," Al-Zawahri told reporters from the Arabic-language news network. "It took me a long time to be able to say those words, but I can say it pretty easy now because it's the truth."<br /><br />While Islamic terrorists and their sympathizers around the world still hold out hope that more tapes will be made — and Al-Zawahri said that half of a new threat has already been recorded — many of those who swelled with pride upon hearing each new rambling harangue from Osama are facing up to the possibility that they will have to make do with the several tapes he has already released.<br /><br />The next videotaped threat from the reclusive terrorist leader has been on ice since Bin Laden halted production suddenly and went back into hiding somewhere, it is thought, in the forbidding, mountainous terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.<br /><br />"I'm disappointed it ended the way it did, but I'm not angry with anybody — except, of course, the Americans and the Jews," Al-Zawahri said. "Osama’s tapes were like a suicide bomber who gloriously martyrs himself. They came out, they got everybody's attention, but they blew up into itty bitty pieces, and they blew up quick."<br /><br />In another sign that the tapes may be on permanent hiatus, Bin Laden's longtime writing partner and reclusive former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is "no longer involved" in their production, according to an Al-Qaeda spokesperson.<br /><br />Bin Laden allegedly met with Omar several years ago, but the pair have not spoken since — although Omar’s once-powerful gang of fundamentalist Islamic thugs has left the door open for Osama’s return, the spokesperson said.<br /><br />According to Al-Zawahri, Bin Laden denies that the constant pressure of hiding from US and Pakistani forces led him to stop making new tapes, saying he is only living in dank, squalid caves in order to clear his head.<br /><br />"I'm not crazy; I'm not smoking hashish," Bin Laden allegedly told Al-Zawahri. "I'm definitely stressed out. There were things that overwhelmed me, but not in the way that people are saying."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122811562756360732005-08-05T01:09:00.000+09:002005-08-08T11:46:56.970+09:00Indoctrination, not educationThe <i>Japan Times</i> <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050729a3.htm">reported</a> last week that Tokyo has decided to use a controversial new history textbook criticized for whitewashing Japanese atrocities in Asia during World War II:<blockquote>The Tokyo Metropolitan board of education adopted two contentious social studies textbooks Thursday that critics say distort history and gloss over Japan's wartime atrocities.<br /><br />The capital is the second city this year, after Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture, to choose junior high textbooks — one for history and one for civics — compiled by members of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform and published by Fuso Publishing Inc.<br /><br />...Critics say the history text plays down the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and ignores the sexual enslavement of women by Japanese soldiers. They also say it depicts Japanese wartime actions as aimed at liberating other parts of Asia.</blockquote>I've already written several posts about these textbooks (<a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/textbook-example.html">1</a>, <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/japans-past-vs-chinas-present.html">2</a>, <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/whats-in-chinas-own-history-textbooks.html">3</a>, <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/japans-tone-deaf-diplomacy.html">4</a>, <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/turning-tables.html">5</a>, <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/06/china-seizes-japanese-history.html">6</a>), arguing that while their treatment of Japan's conduct during World War II may be superficial and sanitized, China's criticism of them reeks of <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/whats-in-chinas-own-history-textbooks.html">hypocrisy</a>.<br /><br />However, it appears the real harm these books may cause lies not in their portrayal of any particular historical event, but in their overall approach to the teaching of history — and, indeed, in the philosophy of education that they represent.<br /><br />The following English translation (pdf file <a href="http://www.tsukurukai.com/05_rekisi_text/rekishi_English/English.pdf">here</a>) of an excerpt from the new history textbook is from the website of the strongly nationalist <a href="http://www.tsukurukai.com/">Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform</a>, which created it:<blockquote>The history you are about to study is the history of Japan. In other words, you will be familiarizing yourselves with <b>the stories of your ancestors — your blood relatives.</b> Your closest ancestors are your parents, who were preceded by your four grandparents. As you go back further in time, the number of ancestors increases with each generation. Then you realize that the humans who populated the Japanese Archipelago are ancestors you share with the other students in your classroom. In every era, Japanese history was made by <b>ancestors common to all of us.</b><br /><br />...Every nation in the world has a unique history; Japan is no exception. From time immemorial, our land has been the wellspring of civilization and unique traditions. In ancient times, the Japanese studied and appreciated the civilization that arose in China, but they never lost sight of their own traditions. Over the centuries, they built an independent nation. To see <b>our ancestors'</b> accomplishments, you need only visit important cultural and historical sites.<br /><br />In the modern era, the U.S. and Western European nations threatened to engulf East Asia. But Japan sought harmony with Western civilization — a harmony that could be achieved while retaining Japanese traditions. As Japan transformed itself into a modern nation, it made every effort to maintain independence. But those were difficult times, and tension and friction arose between Japan and other nations. <b>We must be grateful to our ancestors</b> for their unceasing efforts, which made Japan a wealthy and safe nation (the safest in the world, in fact).</blockquote>It's often said that the benefit of a liberal arts education is that it teaches you how to think. But as the excerpt above demonstrates, Japan's nationalists don't seem to want to teach schoolchildren <i>how</i> to think. They want to tell them <i>what</i> to think. Statements like "In the modern era, the U.S. and Western European nations threatened to engulf East Asia. But Japan sought harmony with Western civilization" don't encourage students to study the facts and reach their own conclusions. In fact, they don't even suggest that there might <i>be</i> other conclusions.<br /><br />And statments like "Japanese history was made by ancestors common to all of us" not only tell students what to think, they ignore the fact that there are students in Japanese schools whose parents or grandparents immigrated from Korea, China, or elsewhere. What are they to make of this emphasis on a common Japanese ancestry? <br /><br />Even more disturbing is that this focus on common ancestors echoes militarist prewar Japan's emphasis on racial unity. It also calls to mind the widely-discredited <i>nihonjinron</i> ideology of the postwar era, which portayed Japanese as different from (and, frequently, superior to) all other peoples of the world, by virtue of their race, language, and culture. Most nations have tossed theories of racial and cultural exceptionalism on the ash heap of history, but Japan has put them in its schoolbooks.<br /><br />I've been quick to <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/08/beijing-olympics-should-be-interesting.html">criticize</a> China's aggressive new nationalism, particularly in the context of that country's dealings with Japan. But Japanese nationalism presents problems of its own.<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br />White Peril <a href="http://whiteperil.com/posts/1123250121.shtml">points out</a> that teachers in Japan tend to be leftists, not nationalists, and they have ample opportunity to shape and color the presentation of any textbook material in the classroom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122977100627199622005-08-05T00:34:00.000+09:002005-08-05T00:41:34.816+09:00Life imitates Office SpaceWe have an intern in our office for the summer. Nice kid — fresh out of high school, and heading into a top college this fall.<br /><br />Earlier, I overheard one of my colleagues (let's call him Fred) telling the intern how to handle an elaborate data-gathering project. At the end of his explanation, he actually said, "...so, if you could <i>go ahead</i> and do that, that'd be <i>great</i>."<br /><br />"Hey, Fred," I called out from across the floor. "Did you see <i>Office Space</i>?"<br /><br />"Yeah"<br /><br />"You sound like Lumbergh."<br /><br />This set off a round of laughter and five minutes of everybody doing their best <a href="http://www.phydiux.com/bill_lumbergh_soundboard.cfm">Lumbergh impressions</a>.<br /><br />Fred no longer tells the intern to "go ahead" and do anything. Nor does he say that doing it would be "great".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123085936888891842005-08-04T00:55:00.000+09:002005-08-04T01:20:06.593+09:00Is The Onion becoming funny again?I'm of the opinion that the humor quotient of <i>The Onion</i> has been in a tailspin for the past few years, but <a href="http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4131&n=2">this</a> is just brilliant:<blockquote><b>Suicide Bomber Killed En Route By Car Bomb</b><br /><br />BAGHDAD — Terrorist cells in Baghdad are in mourning for suicide bomber Ahmed al-Khalaf, 19, who was killed by a car bomb Monday, 200 yards from an Iraqi police station, his intended target.<br /><br />Sources within the insurgency said al-Khalaf was "on his way to becoming a glorious martyr" when he was struck down by the car-bomb explosion. Twenty-three other civilians were also killed.<br /><br />"What kind of God allows the death of people who are on their way to kill innocent people?" insurgent leader Abdulwahid al-Tomizie said. "On the one hand, I am elated that the car-bomb explosion was successful, but the loss of the suicide bomber is a tragedy, as is the survival of all the innocent people he might have killed."</blockquote>Read the whole thing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1123083761666233712005-08-04T00:30:00.000+09:002005-08-04T00:45:49.053+09:00This is getting out of handFirst <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/counter-culture.html">Apostropher</a> started blogging about weird Japan news.<br /><br />Then <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/boingboing-turning-japanese.html">BoingBoing</a> churned out a bunch of Japan-themed posts.<br /><br />And <a href="http://rftr.blogspot.com/2005/07/scooping-gaijinbiker-it-seems-to-be.html">Running for the Right</a> piled on.<br /><br />Fine.<br /><br />But now even the mighty <a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/024649.php">Instapundit</a> is jumping on the bandwagon, linking to <a href="http://bayosphere.com/node/903">an article</a> on how to eat sushi.<br /><br />Hey, I was blogging about Japan <i>before</i> it was cool.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122977982793225832005-08-03T03:06:00.000+09:002005-08-05T09:19:29.770+09:00The 150th Carnival of the VanitiesWelcome to the 150<sup>th</sup> <a href="http://silflayhraka.com/archives/001460.html">Carnival of the Vanities</a>. This week's Carnival contains over 50 submissions. It should go without saying that the views expressed by contributors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect my own opinions.<br /><br />Next week's edition will appear August 10th at <a href="http://genericconfusion.blogspot.com/">Generic Confusion</a>. And now, on with the show!<br /><br /><b>The Environment</b><br /><br />The Dread Pundit Bluto <a href="http://dreadpundit.blogspot.com/2005/07/was-space-shuttle-columbia-downed-by.html">cites</a> some sources suggesting that NASA's switch to an environmentally-friendly foam may be the reason chunks of it keep shearing off the Space Shuttle's external fuel tank and damaging the main craft.<br /><br />Mister Snitch <a href="http://mistersnitch.blogspot.com/2005/07/politics-and-energy.html">thinks</a> that by the year 2020, we might be importing barrels of Chinese hydrogen along with our barrels of Saudi oil.<br /><br />Do you walk or bike to work? If so, Kiril Kundurazieff <a href="http://www.sneakeasysjoint.com/thecyclingdude/2005/07/success_stories.html">wants</a> to hear from you. (I don't think my 1300cc Honda is the kind of bike Kiril has in mind, though.)<br /><br />Last week's Carnival host Melinama <a href="http://pratie.blogspot.com/2005/07/blueberries-hot-sauce-yoga-and-deep.html">blogs</a> about a failed attempt to start a biodiesel company. Along the way, she discusses blueberry patches, hot sauce, Celtic music, and fried twinkies.<br /><br /><b>Birth Control</b><br /><br />Running for the Right <a href="http://rftr.blogspot.com/2005/07/strictly-irresponsible-journalism-from.html">says</a> that NPR has completely mischaracterized the debate over pharmacist distribution of birth control pills.<br /><br />Nicholas Schweitzer <a href="http://schweitn.blogspot.com/2005/08/politics-of-prescriptions.html">looks at</a> New York Governor George Pataki's plans to veto a bill that would make the "morning after pill", RU-486, available over the counter.<br /><br /><b>Europe</b><br /><br />Greg <a href="http://genericconfusion.blogspot.com/2005/08/european-disunion.html">writes</a>, "While in Europe recently, I saw firsthand that the European Union is doomed. See the pictorial evidence!"<br /><br />Joseph Cutler <a href="http://yankeestation.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_yankeestation_archive.html#112294426397527871">points out</a> an even more important European problem.<br /><br />Guido Fawkes <a href="http://andrewiandodge.com/index.php/archives/2005/07/29/3327/">warns</a> that Tony Blair is "stealthily installing a one-party dictatorship" in Britain.<br /><br /><b>Japan</b><br /><br />Making his Carnival debut, Justin <a href="http://cosmicbuddha.com/blog/archives/001451.html">compares</a> some inspiring and uninspiring examples of foreign language learning.<br /><br />Justin's is the only even vaguely Japan-related entry in the Carnival this week. I recommend checking out <a href="http://www.japundit.com/">Japundit</a> for quirky finds and good reads on all things Japanese, while for a pan-Asian blog roundup, <a href="http://simonworld.mu.nu/">Simon World</a> is excellent (although Simon is currently having guest bloggers fill in for him while he's on vacation).<br /><br /><b>Supporting the Troops</b><br /><br />Is there a Carnival of the Podcasts? There should be. Holly Aho <a href="http://www.sablogs.com/index.php?title=podcast_for_aug_1st_interview_with_patti&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1">interviews</a> Patty Patton-Bader, the founder of Soldier's Angels. (UPDATE: Holly has apparently <a href="http://www.sablogs.com/index.php?title=carnival_of_the_podcasts_entry_informati&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1">just launched</a> a Carnival of the Podcasts.)<br /><br />Kiril Kundurazieff has two blogs, so he submitted two posts. Is that kosher? Anyway, he <a href="http://www.sneakeasysjoint.com/sneakeasy/2005/07/a_grave_mistake.html">shares</a> the sad story of a man who spent years cleaning up the tombstones of almost 200 Union soldiers from the Civil War — only to find that local officials aren't too fond of his work.<br /><br />Buckley F. Williams <a href="http://www.thenoseonyourface.com/the_nose_on_your_face/2005/07/top_9_catherine.html">lists</a> Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll's favorite pastimes <i>besides</i> handing out her business cards at military funerals.<br /><br /><b>Liberals vs. Conservatives</b><br /><br />Mr. Right <a href="http://intherightplace.blogspot.com/2005/08/we-now-join-save-air-america-radio.html">imagines</a> what a telethon to save Air America would be like. Seriously, if no one listens to these guys for free, who's going to tune in when they're asking for money?<br /><br />Charlie Quidnunc has a very well-done <a href="http://ripnread.blogspot.com/2005/07/rip-read-131-2005-07-29.html">podcast</a> that finds House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi unable to back up some serious allegations she makes against the Republicans. Charlie's podcast also covers Air America and moderate Muslims as an added bonus.<br /><br />John Ray <a href="http://dissectleft.blogspot.com/2005_07_31_dissectleft_archive.html#112294145090086788">conducted</a> a <a href="http://jonjayray.netfirms.com/rudin.html">study</a>, published in the Australian Journal of Psychology, which found that left-wing beliefs correlate negatively with intelligence. Maybe that explains why Kerry got lower grades than Bush at Yale?<br /><br />Watcher <a href="http://www.watcherofweasels.com/archives/001681.html">points a finger</a> at bloggers who pointed fingers at Bush's finger.<br /><br /><b>Islam and Islamic Terrorism</b><br /><br />Ferdinand T. Cat <a href="http://www.conservativecat.com/mt/archives/2005/07/imam_yahya_hend.html">notes</a> that Laura Ingraham interviewed Imam Yahya Hendi on her radio show. Hendi is a member of the Fiqh Council of North America, which recently issued a fatwa against terrorism.<br /><br />GM Roper <a href="http://www.gmroper.com/archives/2005/07/the_fools_aroun.htm">says</a> that if we're serious about stopping Islamic terrorists, we should be focusing on people who fit the profile.<br /><br />J. Random American <a href="http://ideasinprogress.blogspot.com/2005/07/panopticon-hill.html">thinks</a> that a surveillance society might actually make us more free — but it all depends on who is under the microscope and who is doing the watching.<br /><br />Rick Moran <a href="http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2005/07/30/islam-guilty-as-charged-not-exactly/">says</a> Islam is overdue for a Martin Luther-style reformation.<br /><br />In a very detailed post, Dan Melson <a href="http://www.searchlightcrusade.com/posts/1121680905.shtml">compares</a> the history of Chrisitianity and Islam, and considers the prospects for reforms in Islam today.<br /><br />Brian J. Noggle <a href="http://stlbrianj.blogspot.com/2005/07/english-quagmire.html">wonders</a> whether the British are sinking into a quagmire. No, not in Iraq. In Britain.<br /><br />Opinionated Bastard <a href="http://www.opinionatedbastard.com/archives/000495.html">notes</a> that the Global War on Terror has become the Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. But he thinks there's another name for it that would be even more accurate.<br /><br />In the aftermath of the London bombings, Dave L. <a href="http://featuringdave.com/logicalmeme/?p=1532">considers</a> why second-generation Pakistanis in Britain often prove more radical than their immigrant parents. He thinks a <i>New York Times</i> article on the same phenomenon left much to be desired.<br /><br />Neal Phenes <a href="http://ettubloge.blogspot.com/2005/08/we-defend-what-is-ours.html">says</a> the locals aren't the problem in Iraq.<br /><br />After calling Islam itself a "terrorist organization", radio talk show host Michael Graham lost his job when the Council on American-Islamic Relations threatened to boycott his station's advertisers. The Maryhunter <a href="http://www.tmhbaconbits.net/2005/08/01/michael-graham-deserves-better/">calls</a> for a boycott until he's hired back.<br /><br /><b>Florida</b><br /><br />Harvey <a href="http://badexample.mu.nu/archives/107751.php">takes a look</a> at the state of Florida, in a post that reminded me of Johnny Carson's famous monologue, <a href="http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/democracy.asp">"What Democracy Means to Me"</a>.<br /><br />On a more serious note, Zendo Deb <a href="http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/2005/07/combating-domestic-violence.html">says</a> Florida is coming to grips with the problem of domestic violence.<br /><br /><b>Sex</b><br /><br />Josh Cohen <a href="http://multiplementality.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2005/07/26/360/">wonders</a> why a quick nude scene earns films the "R" rating, while graphic violence often slides by with a "PG-13". Warning: Readers under the age of 17 will not be admitted to Josh's post unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.<br /><br />Pete <a href="http://worldofpete.blogspot.com/2005/07/sexual-penance-last-message-you-ever.html">reveals</a> "the last message you ever want to hear on your answering machine."<br /><br />In a truly baffling post, BPG <a href="http://www.bigpicturesmalloffice.com/2005/07/gstring.html">imagines</a> the leaders of the G-8 nations as Victoria's Secret models. There is absolutely no reason why any sane person would ever, ever want to do this.<br /><br />Shaggy's Girl <a href="http://shaggyla.blogspot.com/2005/07/theories-theories.html">thinks</a> she's figured out what men really want. How did she know I want a Ducati Multistrada 1000S DS?<br /><br />Sister Toldjah <a href="http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/2005/07/29/ma-birth-certificates-the-slippery-slope-connection/">warns</a> that legalizing gay marriage puts us on a slippery slope.<br /><br /><b>Blogs and the Internet</b><br /><br />Barry Welford <a href="http://blog.cre8asite.net/bwelford/index.php?id=P282">wonders</a> if AskJeeves might actually be able to catch up to the "big three" search engines.<br /><br />Flexo <a href="http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2005/07/30/the_state_of_the_web">looks</a> at the negative impact of commercial forces on blogging, including the problem of spam blogs and the risk that advertisers will turn bloggers into paid shills.<br /><br />If you're trying to figure out how to get more visitors to your website, Wayne Hurlbert <a href="http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/2005/07/visitor-logs-gold-mines-for-you.html">says</a> your referrer logs may hold the answer.<br /><br /><b>Law</b><br /><br />Kevin <a href="http://www.technogypsy.net/July2005.htm#First">says</a> an environmental lawsuit against the makers of Teflon is bogus. I guess he thinks the charges won't stick.<br /><br />Tom Bowler <a href="http://www.libertarianleanings.com/2005/07/property_rights.html">notes</a> a push for a Constitutional amendment to negate the impact of the Supreme Court's <i>Kelo</i> decision.<br /><br />Warren Meyer <a href="http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2005/08/implications_of.html">muses</a> about <i>Roe v. Wade</i> and whether the notion of a Constitutional right to privacy will grow stronger.<br /><br />The Boy Scouts' 2005 National Jamboree was hit not only by a tragic electrical accident that killed four adults, but also by an ACLU lawsuit. Denis Ambrose <a href="http://darthdenis.ragingmonkeys.com/2005/07/well-ive-been-scout-blogging-for-quite.html">has more</a>.<br /><br /><b>Business and Economics</b><br /><br />When I read <a href="http://ashish.typepad.com/ashishs_niti/2005/07/so_whats_wrong_.html">this post</a> by Ashish Hanwadikar about the Laffer Curve, I thought he was rejecting it because it predicts that two different tax rates can yield the same amount of tax revenue. But Ashish wrote to tell me, "I am not disputing Laffer Curve at all. My question, 'So what's wrong with Laffer Curve' is rhetorical." You had me going there, Ashish.<br /><br />Ironman <a href="http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2005/07/doubling-down.html">thinks</a> AFL-CIO boss John J. Sweeney is doubling down on a losing bet.<br /><br />Bruan works in a department store, and <a href="http://bruanham.blogspot.com/2005/07/peculiar-customers.html">lists</a> some of the weird things its customers do.<br /><br /><b>Christianity</b><br /><br />Look, do you want a happy God or a vengeful God? Northstar <a href="http://intellectualize.org/archives/007456.html">wants</a> a happy God, but suspects the members of Rev. Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church do not.<br /><br />Bussorah Merchant has <a href="http://bussorah.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_bussorah_archive.html#112270683620870220">a joke</a> about a couple of golf-playing nuns.<br /><br /><b>Education</b><br /><br />High school history teacher Betsy Newmark <a href="http://betsyspage.blogspot.com/2005/07/david-broder-laments-poor-state-of.html">says</a> that students lose out when history is replaced with "social studies".<br /><br />Chris Hallquist <a href="http://uncrediblehallq.blogspot.com/2005/07/whats-leftist-book.html">thinks</a> that concerns about Ball State University forcing freshmen to read "leftist" books are overblown. He agrees with this comment by Stanley Fish: "As a genuine academic value, intellectual diversity is a nonstarter."<br /><br /><b>Miscellaneous</b><br /><br />From Skippy-san comes <a href="http://fareastcynic.blogspot.com/2005/06/10-stages-of-drunkeness.html">a list</a> of the 10 stages of drunkenness. I'm not sure what stage he was at when he wrote it.<br /><br />Elisson <a href="http://elisson1.blogspot.com/2005/07/unexpected-emotions.html">has</a> a bittersweet post about how the right pop song can trigger powerful emotions and bring back vivid memories.<br /><br />Kevin Pho, M.D., <a href="http://www.straightfromthedoc.com/50226711/dick_cheneys_physical_an_analysis.php">reviews</a> Dick Cheney's latest physical examination in impressive detail.<br /><br />Mark A. Rayner <a href="http://www.markarayner.com/blog/archived/92/">knows</a> how to ward off another NHL lockout: Robot hockey on Mars.<br /><br />In the creepiest post of this week's Carnival, Chris J <a href="http://dubiousprofundity.com/article.php/20050801201049334">says</a> it's better to suffer through the misery of life than to commit suicide. Maybe a more brightly-colored blog template would cheer him up?<br /><br />And if that doesn't work, Steve Pavlina <a href="http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/07/overcoming-negative-emotions-and-boosting-motivation/">has some tips</a> on "Overcoming Negative Emotions and Boosting Motivation." Remember, Chris — you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122952530016745242005-08-02T16:50:00.000+09:002005-08-02T16:54:49.660+09:00Beetle maniaInakaYabanjin <a href="http://inakayabanjin.blogspot.com/2005/08/mushi-king.html">looks at</a> Japan's fascination with giant, fearsome beetles. There are beetle <a href="http://mushiking.com/e/whats/index.html">videogames</a>, beetle <a href="http://www.beetle-farm.com/book/">magazines</a>, and live beetles for sale as <a href="http://www.e-mushi.com/kokusan.htm#mie">pets</a> (sometimes supplied by beetle <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050101a6.htm">smugglers</a>).<br /><br />However, only about <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2298.html">1 percent</a> of Japanese are Christians. So in Japan, at least, beetles are indeed <a href="http://www.newsoftheodd.com/article1012.html">more popular than Jesus</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122963593131188002005-08-02T15:11:00.000+09:002005-08-02T15:19:53.163+09:00Didn't these guys see Die Hard?If there's one thing I learned from watching Bruce Willis in his breakthrough role, it was this: Never go after terrorists without a good pair of shoes.<br /><br />Which makes <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004600000-2005350274,00.html">this</a> item in the <i>Sun</i> (via <a href="http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1600264">Fark</a>) all the more unbelievable:<blockquote>POLICE have been told they must show respect by taking their SHOES OFF before raiding the homes of Muslim terror suspects.<br /><br />It was one of 18 rules laid down in new guidelines for officers in Luton — a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism.</blockquote>Showing respect is nice, but not if it hinders your ability to do your job. I hope none of these shoeless cops have to chase a fleeing suspect outside in their stocking feet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122941238852737202005-08-02T08:47:00.000+09:002005-08-02T09:07:18.863+09:00The teapot is no morePreviously, I <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/muslims-attack-giant-teapot.html">blogged</a> about how <span style="text-decoration:line-through";>Muslims</span> Muslim extremists <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4692039.stm">attacked</a> the giant teapot-shaped shrine of Malaysia's inter-faith Sky Kingdom sect for supposedly luring people away from Islam.<br /><br />Now, via <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16903_Islamic_Police_Smash_Humiliating_Giant_Teapot&only">LGF</a>, Malaysian newspaper <i>The Star</i> <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/1/nation/11646196&sec=nation">reports</a> that sadly, the teapot has been destroyed — even though the sect had obtained a court injunction blocking the demolition of any structure at their commune:<blockquote>The giant teapot and other key structures at the Sky Kingdom commune came tumbling down yesterday after the Besut District Council sent in its demolition squad. <br /><br />More than 30 followers of the sect who watched the demolition did not resist or challenge the authorities. <br /><br />... The followers were taken by surprise when the 40 council workers entered the commune with four excavators and five lorries at 2.30pm. About 50 policemen and officers from the state Islamic Affairs department accompanied them.</blockquote>In a gratuitous bit of extra nastiness, after demolishing the Sky Kingdom's shrine, authorities detained three wives of sect leader Ayah Pin for "being involved in teachings deviant to Islamic beliefs."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122906817802336522005-08-01T23:03:00.000+09:002005-08-02T00:20:29.650+09:00President Barbour?Mississippi Governor and former RNC chairman <a href="http://www.governorbarbour.com/">Haley Barbour</a> gave a speech to <a href="http://www.rajapan.org/">Republicans Abroad Japan</a> at the <a href="http://www.century-court.com/e/index.html">Century Court</a> in Tokyo this evening, while on a tour of Asia designed to attract foreign investment in his state. I stopped by to hear him speak.<br /><br />In his speech, Gov. Barbour focused on the competitiveness, and need for compromise, in American politics today. But he also found time to mention how he managed to virtually <a href="http://www.governorbarbour.com/Responsibility.htm">erase Mississippi's deficit</a> without raising taxes.<br /><br />Then, during the question-and-answer session that followed, when asked who would be the most electable Presidential canditate the Republicans could nominate in 2008, Gov. Barbour seemed to have no clear preference. Ruling out Cheney, and lamenting that Schwarzenegger is not eligible, he acknowledged McCain, Giuliani, and Rice as possible choices. But he also noted that the Democrats have done best in Presidential elections when they nomintated relatively unknown governors of Southern states, like Carter or Clinton — and he suggested that the Republicans might do well to consider adopting a similar strategy.<br /><br />During a cocktail reception after his speech, I asked Gov. Barbour if he had been hinting that he plans to throw his hat in the ring.<br /><br />"Ha!" he laughed. "There are lots of successful governors."<br /><br />Hmm...<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br />It seems <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Haley_Barbour_For_President_2008/">some people</a> are quite keen to see Gov. Barbour run for President. But <a href="http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2005/05/barbour-for-president.asp">Chris Kromm</a> and <a href="http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/03/republican-dems-should-want-in-2008.html">David Sirota</a> think he would be a poor candidate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122865291327893712005-08-01T10:57:00.000+09:002005-08-01T23:02:13.663+09:00The Beijing Olympics should be interestingI've never explicitly posted my thoughts on this subject, but given China's anti-Japan <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/good-riots-and-bad-riots.html">riots</a> this past spring, the recent news items about Chinese <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/no-soup-for-you.html">restaurants</a> and <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/chinese-hospitality.html">hospitals</a> excluding Japanese patrons, and the <a href="http://deseretnews.com/oly/view/0,3949,70000298,00.html">arrogance</a> of Chinese officials at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, I've been wondering whether China is really ready to welcome people from all over the world when Beijing hosts the Olympics in 2008.<br /><br />At Japundit, JP is having similar reservations, <a href="http://japundit.com/archives/2005/08/01/954/">pointing to</a> a China Daily <a href="http://en-1.ce.cn/Life/sports/200507/30/t20050730_4307300.shtml">article</a> about Chinese fans and players attacking the Puerto Rican basketball team during a game last Friday:<blockquote>A Chinese victory at Beijing Capital Gymnasium on Friday was overshadowed by what was arguably Chinese Basketball's most shameful night as the referee abandoned their match against Puerto Rico after a mass brawl broke out on court at the ongoing Stankovic Cup.<br /><br />Fists, plastic cups, water bottles and even a fan's shoe went flying in during the fracas with China's Yi Jianlian, Tang Zhengdong, Mo Ke and Li Nan right in the middle of it.<br /><br />...After several minutes of fighting on and off the court, plastic bottles, drinks, and popcorn rained down on the Puerto Rican players, and with three thousand fans chanting abuse the South Americans made their way to the locker room.</blockquote>If there's a bright side here, it's that China appears to realize that such hostile behavior at the 2008 Olympics would be bad for its international image. Witness the little bits of editorializing sprinkled throughout China Daily's straight-news article:<blockquote>• ...Chinese Basketball's most shameful night...<br /><br />• The melee, which badly hurt the growing reputation of Chinese basketball...<br /><br />• The unreasonable acts also squandered China's sparkling performance...</blockquote>Yet, as JP <a href="http://japundit.com/archives/2005/08/01/954/">notes</a>, last Friday's outburst was not the first time Chinese fans have shown hostility and aggression in response to foreign competitors:<blockquote>There was a riot in Beijing in 1985 when the soccer national team lost a World Cup qualifier to Hong Kong. The Chinese basketball team and its fans were part of another brawl during a game against Lebanon in Shanghai in 2001. In 2004, fans went on a rampage in Beijing after the national soccer team lost to Japan in the Asian Cup final.</blockquote>It seems clear China doesn't want to see this sort of behavior at its Olympics. But the strident nationalism it's been promoting at home, unfortunately, encourages it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122813291896903062005-07-31T21:21:00.000+09:002005-07-31T21:41:33.090+09:00Them Duke boyz n the hoodVia <a href="http://dangerousdan.us/?p=1075">Dangerous Dan</a>, the <i>Detroit News</i> <a href="http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0507/27/C01-260434.htm">notes</a> an ironic shift in the demographics of Dodge Charger owners:<blockquote>The Charger received an early blessing from one of hip-hop's biggest names, 50 Cent, who after seeing the beefy sedan debut at the Detroit auto show requested the first production model. In a January phone message to the publisher of auto-customizing magazine Dub, the chart-topping rapper asked, "What I gotta' do to get that Dodge Charger first? I need that."<br /><br />50 Cent got his wish. This spring, he became the first customer to take delivery of a 2006 Charger.<br /><br />And a wave of interest from other rappers followed.<br /><br />...The new rear-drive sedan is a four-door update of the classic fastback that was born in the early 1960s and was later known for as the Duke boys' creek-jumping General Lee on TV's "The Dukes of Hazzard."</blockquote>That would be the General Lee with a <a href="http://www.hazzardretreat.com/buildageneral.asp#paint">huge Confederate flag</a> painted on the roof.<br /><br />Yee-hah, yo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122716768527739402005-07-30T18:22:00.000+09:002005-08-01T14:28:11.326+09:00Un-American vs. inappropriateVia <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16871_NYT-_Take_Back_the_Memorial_is_Un-American&only">LGF</a>, the <i>New York Times</i> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/29/opinion/29fri3.html?">editorializes</a> that the goals of activist group <a href="http://takebackthememorial.org/">Take Back The Memorial</a> are "un-American".<br /><br />Take Back The Memorial, whose site I've linked to via a small graphic in the right-hand sidebar here for some time now, opposes the construction of facilities at Ground Zero like the International Freedom Center's proposed Freedom Center, and a new outpost of the SoHo-based Drawing Center art gallery. The language in its <a href="http://takebackthememorial.org/?page_id=107">"Campaign America"</a> resolution that drew criticism from the <i>Times</i> reads:<br /><blockquote>RESOLVED, that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation should fulfill its mission by ensuring no facilities that house controversial debate, dialogue, artistic impressions, or exhibits referring to extraneous historical events occupy space on the sacred site at Ground Zero; and that the World Trade Center Memorial must honor the mission of creating a dignified and respectful memorial which focuses exclusively on the victims, heroes and events of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993.</blockquote>Banning controversial speech all together would certainly be un-American, but as I've argued before, that doesn't mean we must build a special shrine to institutionalize such speech at the site of a solemn memorial. Keeping America-bashing away from the gravesite of victims of the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history would be no less appropriate, and no less necessary, than keeping hecklers away from a funeral.<br /><br />The <i>Times</i> titled its editorial "A Sense of Proportion at Ground Zero". Ironically, that's exactly what its snide accusation lacks.<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br /><a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/003315.html">More</a> from Joe Malchow. And Take Back the Memorial <a href="http://takebackthememorial.org/?p=123">responds</a> to the <i>Times</i> editorial.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122621555287255612005-07-29T15:55:00.000+09:002005-07-30T01:25:46.940+09:00A sloppy fatwaResponding to the recent terror attacks in London and Egypt (or, more accurately, to the surge in anti-Islam sentiment that the terror attacks inspired), the Fiqh Council of North America has issued a <a href="http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/2005jul_comments.php?id=934_0_39_30_C">"fatwa against terrorism"</a>:<blockquote>The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam's absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism.<br /><br />Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram — or forbidden — and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not “martyrs.”</blockquote>It goes on in that vein for a while. Here's the bottom line:<blockquote>In the light of the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah we clearly and strongly state:<br /><br />1. All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam.<br /><br />2. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence.<br /><br />3. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians.</blockquote>Item number 1 sounds good, although it won't do anything to end Palestinian suicide bombings of Israelis. Most Palestinians consider those acts to be a form of "legitimate resistance", not "terrorism." And because all Israelis, in general, perform a few years of mandatory service in the military, many Palestinians argue that there's no such thing as an Israeli civilian. So the the Jew killin' is likely to continue.<br /><br />But what really caught my eye was item number 2. It forbids Muslims from cooperating "with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism <i>or violence</i>." Well, the U.S. military is certainly involved in acts of violence in Afghanistan and Iraq right now. Does that mean this fatwah prohibits Muslims from serving in or cooperating with the U.S. military?<br /><br />Before I get too excited about this fatwah, I'd like a little clarification from the Fiqh Council on points 1 and 2.<br /><br />And via <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16856_A_Bogus_Fatwa&only">LGF</a>, Steven Emerson also takes a critical view of the fatwah <a href="http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2005/07/the_american_is.html">here</a>, claiming that members of the Fiqh Council have ties to various terror groups.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122616579884791432005-07-29T14:36:00.000+09:002005-07-29T15:01:52.716+09:00Not likelyThe August 4 issue of London's <i>Private Eye</i> <a href="http://www.private-eye.co.uk/content/showitem.cfm/issue.1137/section.balls">attributes</a> the following news analysis to reporter John Simpson, speaking on Irish public radio:<blockquote>“The fact is that when a suicide bomber strikes once, he or she may strike again.”</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122569597114861972005-07-29T10:16:00.000+09:002005-07-29T10:32:14.526+09:00Sean Hannity, super cyborgNext month, ACC Studios is planning to release the first issue of <a href="http://www.accstudios.com/f/july20b_05.htm">"Liberality For All"</a>, which it claims is the "World's 1st Conservative Comic Book". (You can read a five-page excerpt starting <a href="http://www.accstudios.com/f/comicpreview_page_8.htm">here</a>.)<br /><br />Now, a comic about an Orwellian future in which liberals have taken over and conservative thought is outlawed could be interesting if it were done well. And by "done well", I mean "does not feature Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North as cyborg superheroes":<blockquote>It is 2021, tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. America is under oppression by ultra-liberal extremists that have surrendered governing authority to the United Nations. It is up to an underground group of bio-mechanically enhanced conservatives led by Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North to thwart Ambassador Usama Bin Laden's plans to nuke New York City.</blockquote>And does the artwork have to be so lame? Here's Liddy astride a motorcycle, and Hannity with an eyepatch and a robotic arm:<table align="center"><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.accstudios.com/f/comicpreview_page_covera.htm"><img src="http://ridingsun.powerblogs.com/files/liberalityCoverAcrop.JPG"></a></td></tr></table>I've seen mannikins with more dramatic poses. Sheesh. Shouldn't a conservative comic book make <i>liberals</i> look ridiculous?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122435921169403632005-07-28T00:05:00.000+09:002005-07-28T00:29:32.010+09:00Fighting spam, the Russian wayVia <a href="http://silflayhraka.com/archives/006623.html">Bigwig</a>, Mosnews.com <a href="http://mosnews.com/news/2005/07/25/spammerdead.shtml">reports</a> that Russians seem to have developed a new technique for stopping email spam:<blockquote>Vardan Kushnir, notorious for sending spam to each and every citizen of Russia who appeared to have an e-mail, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Sunday, Interfax reported Monday. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head.</blockquote>Simple, but effective.<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br />More on Russian reaction to Kushnir's death <a href="http://www.mosnews.com/commentary/2005/07/26/spamassassin.shtml">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122445466202107932005-07-27T16:33:00.000+09:002005-07-29T02:49:56.313+09:00Guns and GroksterDaily Kos diarist Radical Russ <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/26/2160/13925">claims</a> to have found an ironic contrast between the ruling in recent Supreme Court case <a href="http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/27jun20051200/www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/04pdf/04-480.pdf"><i>MGM v. Grokster</i></a> (link goes to pdf file), and pending legislation affecting the gun industry.<br /><br />First, Russ displays the relevant part of the Court's decision in <i>Grokster</i>, putting certain parts in boldface:<blockquote><b>"We hold that one who distributes a device</b> with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, <b>is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties,"</b> Justice Souter wrote.</blockquote>Russ then quotes the following Associated Press <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050726/ap_on_go_co/congress_guns;_ylt=AmJrjaMhqQxNr_xTnbBQGnIJCGYD;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-">article</a> about proposed legislation (championed by those sneaky Republicans!) that would shield gun makers from liability for gun crimes. Again, he uses boldface to emphasize certain words:<blockquote>Senate Republicans on Tuesday moved the National Rifle Association's top priority ahead of a $491 billion defense bill, setting up a vote on legislation to shield firearms manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits over gun crimes.<br /><br /><b>"The president believes that the manufacturer of a legal product should not be held liable for the criminal misuse of that product by others,"</b> said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. "We look at it from a standpoint of stopping lawsuit abuse."<br /><br />The bill would <b>prohibit lawsuits against the firearms industry for damages resulting from the unlawful use of a firearm or ammunition.</b><br /><br />[Senator Larry] Craig said such lawsuits are "predatory and aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry," unfairly blaming dealers and manufacturers for the crimes of gun users.</blockquote>Outraged that a software maker can be liable for the misuse of its software, while a gun maker might not be liable for the misuse of its guns, Russ blames sinister corporate special interests for this alleged inconsistency:<blockquote>Got that? If a company makes a product that is inappropriately used to illegally copy a movie, that company is liable. If a company makes a product that is inappropriately used to illegally kill a human, that company is not liable. What's the common logic holding these disparate concepts together? Massive corporate special interest money. Welcome to your government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations...</blockquote>What's wrong with Russ's analysis? Well, first of all, <i>Grokster</i> was, of course, a court case, not a piece of legislation. All the special interest money in the world can't make five Justices rule in your favor.<br /><br />But more importantly, Russ ignores the principle at the very core of the Court's holding in <i>Grokster</i> — that the maker of a file-sharing program or other copying device can be found liable for third-party actions if it distributes the device <b>"with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement."</b> <br /><br />Those boldfaced words are the exact ones Russ <i>didn't</i> put in boldface. It's easy to see why he chose to ignore them: they contradict his argument. The Supreme Court says companies should be free to make software capable of copying and sharing files, so long as they don't promote them for the purpose of violating copyright law. It's entirely consistent with that principle that gun makers, who don't encourage people to use guns for criminal purposes, be held similarly blameless for the acts of third parties using their products.<br /><br />(I found Russ's post cited approvingly on <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/26/shoot_someone_not_sm.html">BoingBoing</a> by Mark Frauenfelder, who is smart enough to know better.)<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br />A BoingBoing reader comments, and Cory Doctorow <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/26/shoot_someone_not_sm.html">replies</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122317923503024602005-07-27T00:54:00.000+09:002005-07-27T01:22:34.053+09:00The Selfish American CafeNext time you're in eastern Setagaya, why not drop in for a bite at the <a href="http://www.selfish-net.com/">Selfish American Country & Cafe</a>:<table align="center"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.selfish-net.com/"><br /><img src="http://ridingsun.powerblogs.com/files/selfish.JPG" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>The owner of this place doesn't think Americans are jerks. He's simply chosen a name for his shop that reads spectacularly poorly in English.<br /><br />"Selfish", or its Japanese equivalent <i>wagamama</i>, as used by young Japanese people, can actually have an ironically positive connotation of independently following one's own whims, in the face of social pressure to conform to the group.<br /><br />As the <i>New York Times Magazine</i> <a href="http://www.farfilm.com/peggy/articles/parasites.htm">explained</a> several years ago in an article about "parasite singles", or Japanese women who live with their parents rather than marry and take on the traditional role of wife and mother:<blockquote>"No one is actually rejecting marriage," Izumi says quickly. "Not even Sumiko. They all think they'll probably get married some day. It's just..." She breaks off and laughs. "Women today are <i>wagamama</i>."<br /><br />Her word choice is significant. <i>Wagamama</i> means selfish, willful; in a culture where personal sacrifice is the highest virtue, the connotation is far harsher, especially for women. Yet, as the parasite trend has emerged, women like Arai have taken on the word <i>wagamama</i>, albeit slightly tongue in cheek, as a term of defiance...transforming its meaning in the process to something closer to "choosy" or even "self-determining."</blockquote>In that context, America is the ultimate <i>wagamama</i> nation: a land where everyone can pursue his own destiny.<br /><br />I've never been so proud to be a selfish American.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122358303249528082005-07-26T18:16:00.000+09:002005-07-27T02:21:57.760+09:00Democrat calls for Muslims to reject terrorVia <a href="http://gindy.blogspot.com/2005/07/senator-dianne-feinstein-on-excusing.html">Gindy</a>, a US Senator has gone on record calling for ostensibly peace-loving Muslims to take a tougher stand against Islamic terrorism. And she's no neocon Republican, either. Agence France-Presse <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050724/pl_afp/usattackspolitics">reports</a>:<blockquote>A top US Senator urged Muslim leaders across the world to issue a slew of religious edicts denouncing terrorism and warned that mosques in "many places" are enabling terrorists.<br /><br />Senator Dianne Feinstein spoke in the wake of Saturday's bombings in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where 88 people were killed, and the July 7 attacks in London, where 52 people and four suicide bombers died. A new attack in London failed Thursday.<br /><br />"I think until the mosques in the Muslim world and the imams in the Muslim world in a major way issue fatwa after fatwa denouncing jihad and denouncing terror that we're not going make any progress," the California Democrat told CNN.<br /><br />"I don't see many, if any, major imams throughout all of the Muslim countries coming together and saying: Enough of this. Stop. This is not Islam. You know, we object to it," she said.</blockquote>Sen. Feinstein makes a good point. Even if mainstream Muslim leaders bear no <i>responsibility</i> for Islamic terrorism, they do have a unique <i>ability</i> to fight it. Their words, at least in theory, carry a weight with other Muslims that the words of non-Muslim politicians do not. If they are truly appalled by the wave of terror being perpetrated around the world in the name of their religion, well, they're in an excellent position to do something about it.<br /><br />Are they? In the same article, Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's incoming US ambassador, says:<blockquote>Many fatwas have come out from Muslim scholars and religious leaders against suicide bombings and against the killings that have taken place, but they're just not getting enough resonance in the public media and the public audiences that should be where these statements are directed.</blockquote>Well, no. Those statements shouldn't be directed toward "the public media", as if the main goal were to polish up Islam's image. They should be directed to Muslims, in mosques, by imams. But either those statements are not being made, or they're not being taken seriously. And how could they be, when so many Muslims, not merely the extremists, reflexively support a Palestinian movement that has made the Islamic suicide bombing of civilians its signature weapon?<br /><br />A denunciation of terrorism that overlooks terrorism against Israel is meaningless. Once you've decided it's okay to attack a bus full of Israelis, it's a lot easier to rationalize attacking a bus full of Londoners, or a hotel full of Egyptians. The sea change that Sen. Feinstein hopes for will not come until Muslim leaders unite to condemn terrorism against all people, without an Israel exception. I'm not holding my breath.<br /><br /><b>FOLLOW-UP:</b><br />I smell a meme brewing... In the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> (via <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=16820_Where_is_the_Million_Muslim_March&only">LGF</a>), Ahmed H. al-Rahim <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB112234212925895732-IFjfYNnlaV4o52uan6IaquJm4,00.html">calls</a> for a "Million Muslim March" against terrorism.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122311345388810532005-07-26T01:46:00.000+09:002005-07-27T13:37:22.026+09:00Cubans flee to dead country<i>NOTE: Welcome, <a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/024486.php">Instapundit readers!</a> And thanks for the link, Prof. Reynolds.</i><br /><br />The <i>New York Times</i> <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/22/MNG0VDS0551.DTL">reports</a> on the group defection of 49 members of a Cuban dance troupe — possibly the largest defection of Cubans in American history:<blockquote>Singers, dancers, musicians and other troupe members received notice this week that they will be allowed to stay in the United States, said Nicole "N.D. " Durr, creator of the "Havana Night Club" revue. (It recently changed its name to the "Havana Night Show.") Two members of the troupe decided to return to Cuba.<br /><br />"A new chapter of their lives has started," Durr said. "Here's something we worked very hard for, we fought for. This is something that will change (their) destiny."<br /><br />Troupe members hope to begin the process of becoming permanent residents and, ultimately, U.S. citizens.<br /><br />"This has been pretty amazing for all of us," said Jose David Alvarez, 24, the host of the stage show. "The United States of America has always been a myth for Cuban young men like me and a lot of my colleagues in the company. It has always meant freedom for us, because in Cuba, it's kind of different."</blockquote>Those poor saps. Don't they know that <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/05/newsweek-america-is-dead.html">America is dead</a>?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1122306547659285792005-07-26T00:36:00.000+09:002005-07-26T00:53:14.660+09:00Chinese hospitalityIn the grand tradition of the Chinese restaurateur who <a href="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/07/no-soup-for-you.html">barred</a> Japanese customers from dining at his establishment unless they first apologized for Japan's actions during WWII, comes <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=344009">this</a> Kyodo News story (found via <a href="http://www.cosmicbuddha.com/blog/archives/001428.html">C. Buddha</a>):<blockquote>A hospital in southern China has hung a sign outside its entrance forbidding Japanese people from entering unless they apologize for the Japanese army's World War II-era use of "comfort women," two of whom were treated there, a local paper reported Thursday.<br /><br />The Hainan Eastern-Western Medicine United Hospital, located in the central district of Haikou, capital of the island province of Hainan, posted the sign in Chinese and Japanese on Wednesday afternoon, according to the South Country Metropolitan News. <br /><br />The sign reads: "Japanese people first apologize, then enter. Japanese people who 'decide not to admit to their crimes' are prohibited from entering."<br /><br />The sign drew a crowd of local people Wednesday, the paper said. The article did not say how often Japanese people visit the hospital.</blockquote>Fortunately, after only one day of their little stunt, hospital managers <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=344472">decided</a> to stop acting like a bunch of three-year-olds:<blockquote>A hospital in southern China that hung up a sign last week forbidding Japanese people from entering unless they apologized for the Japanese military's wartime use of "comfort women" took the notice down after only one day, a hospital staff member said Monday.<br /><br />The Hainan Eastern-Western Medicine United Hospital, located in the central district of Haikou, capital of the island province of Hainan, removed the notice from above its main gate on Thursday. The employee did not say how many Japanese people tried to enter the hospital on Wednesday and Thursday last week. She said the number of Japanese patients is "not a lot but not a few."</blockquote>Whatever the differences between China and Japan may be, penalizing ordinary citizens today for the actions of their nation's former government over 60 years ago is simply ridiculous. I hope no Japanese patients were harmed as a result of this petty, childish bit of grandstanding.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4