Matt

Ignorant and paranoid is no way to go through life.

as it is called may be rapidly coming to an end for me. Right now, I consider the best shows on Television to be (in no particular order):

Supernatural
Chuck
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Reaper
Lost

I keep watching House for Hugh Laurie, but this season has been sub-par to say the least.

My favorite shows of last year also included Pushing Daisies and Journeyman.

Journeyman was canceled. Pushing Daisies got "the Axe" in the first part of this season. In danger at the moment are Chuck, Reaper and Terminator. Reaper's creators have actually moved on. Supernatural and Lost are each limited to one more season. That would pretty much end my watching of current television shows and allow me to extend my list of "Oh my God they did not just cancel that show it was way better than anything else on TV and it has received awards and award nominations and earned critical acclaim out the ass." This includes Wonderfalls and, of course, Firefly (oh yes, Beckett, Firefly - embrace your inner Brown Coat) as well as Dead Like Me and the aforementioned Pushing Daisies and Journeyman. And likely others I can't think of right now.

What am I supposed to do? Watch the steaming pile that is Heroes? No. It angers me beyond belief that good shows (see above) are being canceled while the pretentious hacks that are the creators, producers and writers of that wretched, wretched little show manage to not only keep their jobs (I'd have fired them long, long ago) but actually suck the talent from other shows. Watch the myriad of new shows they march out with next season so I can get hooked on one, watch it faithfully, email the network when the worry starts, buy a God damn Subway Foot Long, stay up at night worrying about what will happen if the last episode is a cliff hanger? Or if John will go too far forward in the future to be important enough to send his own father back to conceive him in the first place? That seems madness.

And yet, how would I feel right now, with Chuck and SCC hanging in the balance and knowing I could be watching and emailing but I'm not because I can't get hurt like that again? What a vicious cycle. How would I feel, finding the show later, like I found Wonderfalls and Firefly, on DVD, after the fact, after all the struggle was over and all that was left was a sinking feeling that I was part of the problem, rather than the solution.

So, I will probably watch. God help me.

And America... oh, America. Let me explain something to you. Some people savor the nuances of flavor in a dinner of Filet Mignon, Lobster bisque, Perigord truffles, and a bottle of 1787 Chateau d'Yquem. Other people are content to drink the water that collects at the bottom of the dumpster. You have helped shows like American Idol flourish while so many good, worthwhile, scripted television shows dies a slow, painful death. I have pulled a bar stool up to the dumpster. Bon Appétit!!

but for now...

(1) I feel privileged to have witnessed history.

(2) Obama is as aware of the votes he didn't get as those he did.

(3) Seattle is in a state of jubilation!!

(4) Congratulations to all those African-Americans who were around to see the Civil Rights Era. You've earned this.

(5) Congratulations to America - first industrialized country to elect a black man. Truly, this is the American Dream come to life.

This was a triumph
I'm making a note here
HUGE SUCCESS
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction
Aperture Science

we do what we must because we can
for the good of all of us except for the ones who are dead
but there's no sense crying over every mistake
you just keep on trying until you run out of cake
and the science gets done and you make a neat gun
for the people who are still alive

I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
even though you broke my heart and killed me
and torn into pieces
and threw every piece into a fire
as they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data make a beautiful line
and we're out of beta, we're releasing on time
so I'm glad I got burned
Think of all the things we learned for the people who are still alive

go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay inside
maybe you'll find someone else to help you
maybe Black Mesa
that was a joke, haha, fat chance
anyway this cake is great, it's so delicious and moist
look at me still talking, when there's science to do
when I look out there it makes me glad I'm not you
I've experiments to run, there is research to be done
on the people who are still alive

and believe me I am still alive
I'm doing science and I'm still alive
I feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive
While you are dying I'll be still alive
and when you're dead I'll be still alive
STILL ALIVE, still alive!

I don't post much to LJ these days, but when something important enough comes along, I still feel compelled to commemorate it with a post. Such an occasion is today when James Oliver Rigney Jr., or Robert Jordan as he was known to his fans died of a rare blood disease.

I have read the Wheel of Time since I was a sophomore in high school and I know that many have been reading for even longer than that. His characters are like old friends to me and, while Mr. Jordan is gone, I know that I will be able to revisit those friends whenever I open of of the eleven books of the series. That is, perhaps, the silver lining on an otherwise wholly sad event - that his world will continue to be loved and cherished by millions.

Well, things have been pretty busy lately. I haven't posted for a while because I have been preparing for London, then going to school and trying to pay the bills with a 2:1 exchange rate. So, with all that, my LJ time has been cut a bit. It took something like this article nimawae posted to draw me out.

This is an example of the many problems I see with mainstream Christianity. This is a very OT concept. Yet, pre-marital sex isn't even included in the Ten Commandments. Where, oh where do they get this obsession? So much energy is put into issues (like this) that have little emphasis in the Bible. Why is the father the one to take the daughter? Why isn't it some sort of family affair? Why have they made this a date? Why isn't there a similar ritual for men?

Indeed, every culture and most religions place a very high premium on FEMALE sexual purity. Not male purity. These cultures make certain that women are dominated and controlled especially in the area of sex. This has rather brutal repercussions. In Africa, female circumcision keeps women in their place (if women don't enjoy sex they won't be promiscuous, even though it is the males who are the main culprits). In OT times the punishment for raping a woman was to marry her. How sweet. And let's not forget this recent example from Islamic culture. Hindu marriage law (which I have studied to some degree) places a high value on female purity - so much so that it began marrying women off very young (as young as 4 or 5 in many cases) to reduce the chance that invaders would take them as wives. The practice of child marriage persists today in many parts of India because it has proven an effective way of controlling female sexuality. Of course, the men are typically quite a bit older - usually at least in their 20s or 30s and often in their 50s or even 60s. As with Christian culture, it is the women's sexuality we are consumed with, not the mens'.

Which brings me back around. This obsession with female sexual purity isn't really about adhering to the will of God. If it were, there would be an equal obsession with other Biblical commandments. It's part of a universal response to female sexuality. And it's creepy. Really creepy.

Five days until London and my new course of study!

This video game, which centers around feeding the poor and hungry on an imaginary island has reached four million players world wide. Not bad. They are setting up a corresponding blog so that kids (the game is mostly targeted toward children) can post questions to field workers for the United Nations World Food Program. An excellent way for kids to get a handle on the problems facing very poor countries the world over and the challenges inherent in solving those problems.

I celebrate the death of no one. And I wish that the US had arrested Zarqawi as opposed to dropping a couple 500-pound bombs on his head. I think that would have been preferable for many reasons. Nevertheless, Zarqawi was a monster. He targeted innocent civilians - Muslims and Arabs, women and children. Regardless of what one thinks about the US invasion of Iraq, the world is better off because he is dead.

I never really followed the whole Dixie Chicks v. Country Radio saga at the time. I was aware something was going down, but I guess I was too busy to really investigate the details. But, I heard an interview with them yesterday. They talked about the hate mail and death threats they received, mothers telling their children to "screw" the Dixie Chicks, parties in Louisiana where Dixie Chicks' CDs and what not was destroyed, and how they were blacklisted from many a country radio station. So, I didn't know all this. And I thought as I was listening to the radio, as I thought at the time the scandal broke, that they had said something very inflammatory.

Well, not really. They apparently said that they were ashamed that GWB was their President, and ashamed that he was a Texan. They said this in London (I think), because they wanted Europe to know that not all Americans and not all country musicians supported the President's actions. I was pretty amazed at how tame the comment was. I can understand people disagreeing, but the outpouring of hate that resulted kind of shocks me.

Many conservatives will talk about the "politically correctness gone too far." And that even mentioning race risks a backlash. While I think these concerns are vastly overblown, there are cases where that is, no doubt true. Though history does provide a basis for the concerns. But, what happened with the DCs is really concerning. I don't know. I just find it ironic that Americans who claim that we must preemptively invade another country to prevent an unclear threat to freedom from developing would so utterly fail to acknowledge one's right to express an opinion that, to me, is pretty tame.

By the way. A comment on the whole Cuba / secret prison thing. The Soviets? Back in the day? The 'evil empire'? You remember. Most of the folks that were rounded up and detained without legal counsel, without open courts, without due process, etc. They were a legitimate threat to the state. In many cases, willing to use force. Were they evil because they denied their citizens these rights? Or because they treated people so badly?

It now appears that the US Government apparently has secret prisons abroad and contracts out torture. Our own VP and President fought Congress, and a man who actually had the guts to fight in the wars people like them start, for the right to legally torture. There are documented cases in which the US Military has tortured people to death. Maybe you think the situation justifies this behavior. But, you have to admit, it is not the stuff of recruiting posters. Why? Because it is dishonorable.

When the Marine recruit is climbing the rock tower and fighting the demon thing, you just don't see him get to the top where an Iraqi Prisoner is chained and screaming for mercy. The Few, The Proud, Those With Stomachs Strong Enough to Endure the Sounds of Another Human Being Screaming in Agony. Doesn't have the same ring to it, I guess. And now, the administration is talking about tapping the phones of reporters to discover when classified information has been leaked. And prosecute the reporter for leaking it.

This is the most secretive administration of the modern era. It has disregarded safeguards, unnecessarily, for tapping international phone calls. It has collected domestic phone information without obtaining a warrant. And it has done all this secretly, without consulting the American people. It has done so without consulting Congress as a whole. You might say that either of these things isn't that bad. I would disagree, as they were done behind a veil of secrecy. Nevertheless, even if you think these programs are not too much of a threat to our freedoms, we don't know what else is being done. We don't know because we have an administration that won't tell us what they are doing in a war that could last longer than your children's children's life.

I just hope that things are truly shaken up in 2008. This country needs a new direction.

Celebrate Fair Trade Day!

Recently, I was startled by some of the weird memories I have floating around my head. For example, I remember an episode of the Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon. Somehow, they go back in time or something and George Washington is brought into the present day. I forget what all happens, but, George is a little down. He's not sure the Revolution is worth fighting for.

Alvin, who I think has not been doing much in this episode so far (as, I think, the primary trouble has been getting GW back home), tells George the fashion items that are in style and those that are not. He then proceeds to tell George, "that's what you're fighting for." Somehow, inexplicably, George is heartened by this and agrees to go back in time and fight the good fight.

Except that, when they look at a picture of him, he is wearing some twentieth century item of clothing. What the hell kind of drug trip brought this episode into existence and why, why, do I remember it? Of all the episodes?

Also, I remember an episode of the Rambo cartoon. Kids have been taken hostage and Rambo is climbing the wall of a skyscraper to come get them. One of the kids, an animated six-year-old girl, sees animated Sylvester Stallone and exclaims, "Hey!"

Animated Sly then puts a finger to his lips. The little girl then starts to do a little dance. The idiotic terrorist thinks that the animated girl said "Hey!" so that he would watch her dance. He goes back to staring off into space holding his AK-47.

Again, why do I remember this episode? I don't think I even watched animated Rambo more than once or twice. But, it's in there. And for years, Jon and I would say, "Hey!" and then dance. Years.

I think the 8th season of the Simpsons is the best Simpsons season ever.

BBC Photo Journal!

Incredible!

In response to recent discussion I have been having with a person on Xanga, I thought I would post my beliefs about poverty. Obviously, this is an issue I am fairly passionate about, if you know me. My comments are primarily directed toward Africa, though they are also applicable to Latin America and Asia. This is the abbreviated version, but I think it will be enough to explain my position.

A) Why Africa Is Poor

1) Colonialization
There are a lot of reasons for the extreme poverty you see in places like Africa. First, there is colonialization. In the late 1800s, the European powers seized most of Africa in a land grab. They chopped up the continent based on European political lines and without regard to the cultures, languages, tribal divisions, or religions in existence at the time. Europe had a deep and, generally, negative impact on Africa. Resources were exported at discounted prices. Atrocities were committed (Belgian Congo) that have left a scar on the people of Africa. Indeed, we see some of the same acts committed in modern times. Depending on the colonial power, some development occurred in some countries. By and large, however, colonialization was always for the benefit of Europe, and the policies generally carried out that philosophy in practice. Later, Europe withdrew as the cost of occupying these territories was too expensive. Europe's exit was often abrupt and without provision for a peaceful transition to stable rule. Thus, Africa has experienced instability and a culture that gravitates toward rule through force and power.

2) Environment
It is difficult to discuss Africa generally, as it is such a diverse continent. However, some general observations: The mosquitoes found in Africa create a particularly powerful strain of Malaria not present anywhere else in the world. This strain of Malaria is significantly more infectious. Thus, Malaria affects a larger percentage of the population in Africa than in other parts of the world. Africa also has unstable weather conditions. Africa's weather varies more extremely than either the weather of the US or the weather of Europe. This leaves Africa vulnerable to heavy rains and droughts, which destroy crops. Finally, Africa is a continent with a lot of countries that are landlocked. Statistically, countries that lack a navigable port, and therefore, the opportunity to trade, have a lower standard of living than those with port access.

3) Subsidies and Trade Rules
One of my personal favorites. Subsidies, and Western governments give billions more dollars in subsidies than they give in foreign aid, depress the market prices for commodities. Sugar, rice, cotton, corn, beans, etc. With depressed prices, farmers can't sell enough to make a living. We also restrict market access to developing countries by charging tariffs on their goods or using quotas to limit the amount of goods that can be imported. For the past 50 or so years, the West has repeatedly pushed developing countries to open their markets to manufacturing goods, where the West has an advantage. Numerous agreements have been signed. Yet, over the same period of time, only one attempt has been made to open Western markets to agricultural goods from the developing world. That didn't happen until 1994. And most of the goals of that agreement have never been reached. The problem with all this is that, while only about 2-3% of Americans rely on farming for their livelihoods, about 50%-80% of the developing world relies on agriculture for theirs. Limiting trade in this way greatly harms the people of the developing world. It keeps them extremely poor.

4) Other issues
There are a myriad of other reasons for poverty. Those things often picked out by critics of foreign aid: heavy government regulation, corruption, lack of open markets, etc. certainly play a role. Depending on the country, they may play a substantial role. But, they do not prevent development. And, there are many countries where these factors are not much of a problem. Moreover, as I will discuss below, it is in everyone's interest to see the world develop.

B) What We Should Do
So, my solution, simply put, is a mixture of things. Wealth is partly about natural resources, but even more so about human capital. Our collective knowledge and skill. If I were in charge, I would set out a comprehensive program that would eliminate subsidies, quotas, and tariffs over a fixed amount of time, allowing for re-training for Western farmers. I would simultaneously boost Western foreign aid to at least .7 percent of GDP. Personally, I would not give any of this money to governments. Rather, I would require an independent assessment of a country's particular needs. How many schools, teachers, hospitals, doctors, power plants, etc. Then, I would hire firms to do the work directly. Build hospitals, medical schools, primary schools, etc. Build the buildings, train the workers. Overly simplistic? Yes. But, that is the general idea.

But, the money would flow from Western governments to private workers; no money in the hands of any foreign government, no matter how good the government or how low the level of corruption. I would also establish small, low interest loans for anyone in the world who wants one (there would be some obvious disqualifiers). If you want to start a business, lack of capital should not stand in the way. The goal of all this would be to strengthen the developing world, develop the economies of developing countries, and gradually reduce the foreign aid until these countries were entirely self-sufficient.

C) Why We Should Do This
So, why should we spend billions of dollars on foreign aid and open our farmers to increased competition?

1) It is the morally right thing to do. Beating someone in a fair competition in the marketplace is one thing. Beating someone because your government spends billions of dollars to help you is another. It's not fair. It's not right. And it results in death through poverty. Consequently, the morally correct thing to do is to end unfair trade practices. As for foreign aid, a relatively small tax would save thousands of lives in the developing world. A few dollars out of our pockets for their lives. Seems a simple choice to me.

2) It would benefit the West in the long run - especially America. The Marshall Plan was one of America' greatest foreign policy triumphs. At the time we executed the Marshall Plan America was revered and respected by Europe. A similar plan should now be conducted for the developing world. A nation as rich as the US can afford to give so much more than we are giving. And the world knows it. If America really gave to the developing world, you would have a whole generation of people, with increasing clout and influence, who thought America was truly committed to freedom. Secondly, in our "War on Terror" we not only need allies, which we would have more of if we devoted ourselves to foreign aid, but we need to prevent terrorism from spreading to the developing world. Africa has harbored terrorists in recent times. Often, this is because their law enforcement is not strong enough to detect and take on terrorists. Weakened states are breeding grounds for terrorists. States that are stable, and have a strong middle class, are far less likely to foster, promote, or support terrorism. Finally, imagine the developing world, literally billions of people, able to buy our goods and services. Imagine people now subsisting on $1 or $2 a day able to purchase our goods and services. In the long run, this isn't charity at all. It is the best investment we can make. Economists will tell you that the world economy isn't a zero sum game - everyone can share in the wealth. The more people who share in pie, the bigger the pie gets.

Ok, that's it. I admit it is overly-simplified; it is as succinct as I can make it. One more thing. For those who think the developing world is inept. The developing world is growing. It is gaining more affluence. In fact, if you look at the entire history of human development, Africa and the developing world is growing at a very good rate. The question is do we wait for the natural development, or do we step in and use our resources to help expedite the process? My opinion is, clearly, that we should not wait. With great power comes great responsibility. We have great power. Each one of us, as an America citizen, has the power to ask our government to use its great power responsibly.

I know not everyone is as interested in this issue as I am. I understand that. I'm not asking everyone to go get signatures. But, I am asking you, if your compassion is not bounded by political borders; if you think that a world with so much wealth should not have children starving or dying of diseases that could be prevented with a quarter; if you think "All You Need Is Love;" sign the One Campaign. And support the effort to reduce extreme poverty when the opportunity arises.

Peace out.

We're closing in on Bob in KC. Here are 10 songs I'd really like to hear, but probably won't (no particular order):

1) Changing of the Guard
2) Shelter From the Storm
3) Blowing in the Wind
4) Hurricane
5) Sylvio
6) Dignity
7) Hard Rains Gonna Fall
8) When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky
9) Mr. Tambourine Man
10)Simple Twist of Fate
11)Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
12)I Want You

In my house, we obey the laws of Thermodynamics.

I call, now, on every self-respecting nerd and fantasy dork to go see Nightwatch, if you haven't already. You'll thank me. Um...yeah. That's it.

Your results:
You are Will Riker

Will Riker 65% James T. Kirk (Captain) 55% Chekov 50% Deanna Troi 50% Spock 49% Jean-Luc Picard 40% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 40% Data 32% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 30% Geordi LaForge 25% Uhura 20% Beverly Crusher 20% Mr. Scott 15% Worf 15% Mr. Sulu 0%

At times you are self-centered but you have many friends. You love many women, but the right woman could get you to settle down.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz...