Archive for 2003
A Photo I Wish I’d Taken
This was taken from a German-made rigid-wing hang glider called the ATOS (one of which sits in my garage at home) and is looking out toward the Dolomites in Italy. Spectacular. Notice the carbon-fiber D-cells making up the leading edge, as well as the ribs. This wing has a 42-ft. wingspan, yet weighs only about 83 lbs and can be transported on top of your EVIL SUV (The one shown here is a flex wing. Rigids are twice as wide, but the same length). A far cry from the lawn darts they used to pioneer this sport in the ’70s. This model of glider has flown cross-country record distances in excess of 400 miles (I did mention that it has no engine?). This photo was reminiscent of a spectacular flying day a few years ago near Dunlap, CA (40 miles or so east of Fresno). Launch was from a ridge at about 4,000 ft MSL. That day, lift was to about 10,000 ft. When topped out, I was virtually looking down on King’s Canyon. Too bad I didn’t have a camera.
Read MoreScience 1; Luddites 0
WorldNetDaily: Stem-cell cloning bill to become law Sunday? Potentially good news for the marginalized few of us who hold science, knowledge, progress, and the mind and inherent goodness of man far above the frightful ignorance, superstition, and hand-wringing that takes place in this “Demon Haunted World” in which we live.
Read More…Actually Thinking? …Priceless
Thinking is a rare privilege, is it not? It’s difficult for me to come to any other conclusion as I observe what goes on in public here and abroad. I mean, it’s just so damned rare to catch a glimpse of what would pass for sincere, independent and rational thought that this faculty must be at least equivalent to the most priceless of treasures we can imagine. Indeed. How else can it be that so many have the apparent incapacity to make the distinction between a common foot soldier, platoon commander, pilot or aircrew and a murderous and despotic former head-of-state? According Saddam Hussein the respect and dignity we accord to a true prisoner of war is absurd. The Geneva Conventions were never intended to apply to this situation. In actuality, the Geneva Conventions exist mostly as a very important component of troop morale, just as does the battlefield principle of leaving no man behind. Troops abhor the thought of physical torture only slightly less than the thought of their remains not finding a proper resting place. Principles don’t exist in a vacuum. They apply to a context of facts and circumstances, and it is the exercise of the mind,…
Read MoreSilence
I’d call my silence over the last, oh, 2 weeks a pretty good indication that I’m not going to be doing much posting or blogging just for the thrill of it. We’ll see.
Read More…Perhaps Not Enough, Yet
I’ve always had a fondness for seeing that “first dollar” framed and posted on the wall behind the cash register in some mom & pop establishment. It symbolizes a lot for me, all good. So, let me get right to framing and hanging my “first dollar” right here in my new Blog. I was quite pleasantly surprised to notice yesterday that Billy Beck became the first in the Blogosphere to link to one of my articles. I couldn’t be happier that it was him. Billy is known to me from way, way back — perhaps as early as 1994 on Usenet. I still being ideologically wet behind the ears, Billy was a primary influence in reinforcing the queer notion that if a philosophy is to be a rational one, then it must, out of every necessity, be a practical one. In other words, it really can, and is supposed to be a tool for everyday living, amongst ordinary human beings, doing ordinary things. Most particularly, he helped me to recognize that a lot of the people I admire most, like the mom & pop with their first dollar, or the guy bent over the fender of his car tinkering with…
Read MoreAre You Ready for the Second Coming?
Ted Jesus Christ GOD has arrived on planet Earth! After 10 years of tooling around on the web, I’ve seen my share of crazy stuff. But I believe this one is simply unequalled in terms of possessing every possible element qualifying it as the most complete and utterly whacked thing I’ve ever seen. If you have some time to burn, you’ll get no end of entertainment reading some of the stuff here. It will make your mind numb, guaranteed. It’s a psychoanalyst’s dream. Perhaps most amazing is how complete this guy’s “matrix” is. It might even make Tolkien blush, though it is nearly totally dis-integrated in terms of organization. Equally surprising is that he’s dead-on serious. Still, like with any religion, there are serious logical inconsistencies. Among the most telling are that every proclamation of what is to come is qualified in really funny ways, like, if someone is to be condemned and destroyed, it will happen “sooner or later.” Not only that, but it might not happen at all if the Devil “outbids the Hosts.” So, there’s enough wiggle room to drive MY Hummer through. According to the website, I am to be blessed if I link to his…
Read MoreHow about you? Want to Live Forever?
It might take a bit of concentration to get through this, but it’s a short read that’s worth it. The societal implications alone are mind boggling. At the outset, I told you that this would not be your normal blog. My interests are across the spectrum, and there’s no way that I can confine myself to something as mundane as the daily political scene. To be sure, there are lots of things to highlight in politics, but I want something more on a daily basis, and I hope my readers appreciate that.
Read MoreAunt Nanny
Americans Demand Increased Governmental Protection From Selves
Read MoreRacist Cookies
Quite a few are being amused by the Affirmative Action Bake Sales springing up on college campuses. Even more amusing are the antics being engaged in to shut them down. P.S. And now go check out this update, where a Seattle Times journalist tears an affirmative-action affirmer limb-from-limb (rhetorically speaking, of course….)
Read MoreHuh, now will you look at THAT
Here.
Read MoreStepping Up
This, right here, is a solution that could actually work. We’ll see.
Read MoreLeaving Politics to Politicians and Medicine to Doctors
Here’s a description of what “Parital Birth Abortion” is and what it is not. What’s most disturbing to someone like me is not that such a law as was signed by President Bush could become law, but that the public seems to have narry a clue as to what is really involved in the procedure and why it is performed.
Read MoreProtest Warriors
These guys got their start a few months back during the anti-war protests in San Francisco. They have since gone national, and their latest muckraking was in at the recent commie lunacy known as “International A.N.S.W.E.R.” (yea, right) and their anti-business, anti-civilization, anti-prosperity, anti-reason rally in DC. A spirited and amusing collection of signs, banners, bumper stickers, and t-shirts. The funniest part is that the “protesters” usually take a while to “get it” once they see the signs and banners.
Read MoreA letter to a friend in Baghdad
presenceofmind.net Greg Swann is a guy I’ve been reading off and on for years. Excellent writer. Like me, he’s bearish on the idea of governments and taxes in general, but I have to agree with the expediency argument in this case.
Read MoreAlien: The Director’s Cut
filmcritic.com Movie Review: Alien: The Director’s Cut It was quite a treat to see it once again on the big screen — after 24 years. Very recommended. DVD just doesn’t do it justice, even on a big screen TV.
Read MoreA Beginning
Well, It’s a start. For several years I have wanted to create a website to serve as the primary outlet for my ideas and commentary. So this is it, a weblog. Will anything really become of it? Don’t know. I’m not setting any goals or making any promises. I’d like to think I will spend some constructive time at this, but I guess we’ll see. I may also archive some of the other stuff I’ve written over the years. Purpose. Well, it’s my outlet, and as such, I don’t think I’ll be opening up any of my posts to comments. I will be frank, as always. I’ll probably use some “naughty words” here and there, too. Good thing I have no plans on running for political office. That’s good in another respect too. One of the things this blog will serve is a way to compile and organize my unconventional philosophic, religious, and political ideas. Now, it’s time to go forth and look around for something to get all worked up about…
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