Spitzer - Devil Incarnate

I don't know much about Eliot Spitzer. I recall seeing him in the news in relation to some high profile cases, and him promising to clean up the Wall Street. In the recent days, he's become a household name due to his scandalous exposure as "Client number 9" of a high-end "gentlemen's club", and the subsequent resignation of his governorship. These events were accompanied by an unusually high degree of schadenfreude and hand-wringing over Spitzer's immorality, lack of character, disregard for the law, etc., etc.

Clearly, he broke the law; a governor and a former prosecutor – more is expected out of him, and he's certainly supposed to know better. Should he have resigned? – Personally, I don't think so, but it's debatable. What pissed me off in this whole thing (I should probably rename this blog something like "occasional ramblings of an angry man") is the fervor with which the right has attacked not only him personally, but also took this opportunity to trash his entire public career. Eliot Spitzer went after corrupt businessmen, and investigated (be it rather vigorously) the stalwarts of American business. He didn't preach morality, nor was he known for advocating family values. Reading Sowell's op-ed in the National Review, I was informed not only that what Spitzer did is completely "in character for someone with the hubris that comes with the ability to misuse his power" (which I would argue is everyone with any power), but that it was not unlike Vick's involvement with illegal dog fighting or Leona Helmsley's tax evasion. How the fuck is it anywhere remotely similar?! Again, hiring a hooker – dog fighting – tax evasion. Prostitution IS a victimless crime, regardless of what the pundits say about its impact on the fabric of society or the family. It is, was, and will always be present in all societies. Outlawing it as stupid and ineffective as outlawing alcohol or trying to prevent masturbation by adolescent boys. Dog fighting? – in the very least it's cruel, and there are obvious victims. Tax evasion? – stealing from the people of the U.S.

With all due respect to Mr. Sowell, cruelty and dishonesty is nowhere near common horniness on the scale of morality (at least not on mine). You wanna say that he broke the law and should resign – fair enough. But don't make him into a vengeful monster whose entire career was driven by a god complex. If weren't able to show how he "ruined innocent lives" before he hired a hooker, please spare the charade now, it insults my intelligence.

"Having children alters the brain"

Damn it! They never tell you this shit BEFORE!..

…when young mouse pups are separated from their mothers, they start making high-pitched noises at around 65 kilohertz…

Behavioural studies have found that mother mice show twice as much interest in these distress calls than in a simple 20 kHz tone when these sounds are played through different speakers.

Male mice that had fathered multiple litters also displayed a similar interest in the youngster's distress calls.

Really? Are you sure they don't broadcast football on the same frequency?

In contrast, virgin females paid equal attention to both types of sounds, while bachelor males paid no attention to either noise.

I could've told you that.

The brain recordings revealed that nerve activity peaked fastest in the maternal mice… Furthermore, the auditory cells fired off more coordinated nerve signals in mother mice than in virgins.

I gotta let my wife know about this upside.

by Roxanne Khamsi
NewScientist.com

The International Tracing Service (WWII) archive

This is one of a few reasons why I remain unapologetically pro-Israeli.

Let cancer put the fear of God in them!

From NewScientist.com:

US conservatives block cancer vaccine for girls

Plans to vaccinate young girls against the sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer have been blocked in several US states by conservative groups, who say that doing so would encourage promiscuity.

Advocates of the vaccine point out that the jabs work against human papillomavirus (HPV) - which causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer - and are safe.

The latest data from a large clinical trial of Merck's cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, found it offered 100% protection against cervical, vulval and vaginal diseases, caused by HPV (types 6, 11, 16 and 18) and 98% protection against advanced pre-cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18 (New England Journal of Medicine: vol 356, p1915).

After around three years of the four-year trial, almost all girls who received the vaccine before being exposed to HPV 16 or 18 appear to be protected...One word - wow! They'd rather see their daughters die than allow for a possibility of suggestion about premarital sex. Just how screwed up must one be?

One word - wow! They'd rather see their daughters die than allow for a possibility of suggestion about premarital sex. Just how screwed up must one be?

Reg. Sharpton vs. Romney

What to make of the reverend's remarks?.. I have two points. One (and I believe I said something similar in regard to the Pope's remarks about Islam), why is anyone surprised? That's what really surprises me. Sharpton is an evangelical, a born-again, a fundamentalist, well, you get the picture. By definition, he takes Bible literally, and believes that only those who are born again (in the way that evangelicals interpret it) go to heaven. Romney is a Mormon. Whatever Mormonism is, one thing is certain, it's not an evangelical denomination, nor is it a part of "main stream" Christianity. Why, why is anyone surprised that Sharpton doesn't accept it as simply "yet another path to the mountain top"? If he did, he'd be out of a job. It's literally against his religion.

Regarding Romney… It's an interesting situation. Yes, I think that anyone should be free to practice his religion and not be afraid of being persecuted or discriminated against. That much is true; true in most instances, anyway. But let me give you an example: my wife has a very, very distant relative, who holds a few quaint beliefs: there are tiny people living in some underground cities on Earth; ground coffee is poisoned by the government to keep the U.S. population in check; and I'm sure he has some other gems. He certainly has a right to these beliefs. And as long as he's not applying for a job at Starbucks or the city sanitation department, he doesn't have anything to worry about. However, if you were a coffee house manager, would you hire him? – Not likely, and rightly so. The point is, not all beliefs were created equal. In my opinion, Mormonism is more or less on par with the tiny men living underground. Yes, yes, it's his right to practice his faith. However, it's my right, nay – responsibility, not to suspend my judgment regarding his ability to think critically. And anyone who's even remotely familiar with the basic tenets of Mormonism (with the notable exception of Mormons themselves) would agree that they read like a fun medley of Greek mythology and science fiction (with emphasis on fiction).

Romney is right in his statement that "we elect a person to lead the nation not based on what church they go to, but based on their values and their vision.", but incomplete. That person's ability to think critically without suspending his judgment when it conflicts with reality is a key quality that most would seek in a presidential candidate. And Mormonism just doesn't pass this test (I'll admit that as far as I'm concerned, no orthodoxy does).

Of cats & meat

Periodically, I come across posts that attempt to shed some light or whitewash (since I’ve never read the Koran I really don’t know which one it is) Koran’s attitude toward women. The beautiful, the poetic, the condescending, the argumentative, all of them seem to agree on one thing: Koran’s view of women is loving, progressive, and respectful. Men?.. I guess it’s a given that the Allah is cool with them, since I’ve never heard a man touting the delights afforded to him by Koran (except for the 70 virgins, who might turn out to be raisins). My view of Islam is shaped entirely by what its holy men preach and practice. The stories from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Islamic states about women being condemned to stoning for being raped are, sadly, commonplace. This voice of feminism comes to us from Australia (The Sydney Morning Herald), hardly an Islamic stronghold:
Sheik al Hilaly's remarks were made during a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney last month. …
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat," the sheik asked.
"The uncovered meat is the problem."
"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (Muslim headscarf), no problem would have occurred."In this colorful simile, the uncovered meat represents “scantily dressed women”, and carnivorous cats are featured as men. "Who is this man, so utterly ignorant of the humanistic ideal that is real Islam?" you ask. “[Sheik Hilaly is] regarded by much of the Islamic community as the mufti [a Muslim scholar who interprets the sharia] of Australia.” Surely, Muslims of a civilized western nation wouldn’t stand for such vitiating umbrage? Wrong again. They asked the sheik to abstain from preaching for several months, and… nope, nothing else.
Loving, progressive, respectful.

Poor people to poor neighborhoods!

Poor people die sooner when living in higher-income neighborhoods than in poorer ones, a new report concludes. Researchers analyzed 17 years' worth of data on thousands of people from four mid-size northern California cities to determine the death rates among different socioeconomic groups residing in the same neighborhoods.

In neighborhoods with a top median income of $47,000, 19 of every 1,000 poor women had died after 17 years, compared with 11 per 1,000 in neighborhoods that had a top median income of $38,600; men fared similarly. Both groups tended to die from the same chronic diseases, and the pattern remained even after accounting for age, obesity, blood pressure and smoking status, the group reports in a paper to be published in the December American Journal of Public Health.
ScientificAmerican.com, Oct. 31, 2006

In a related story, the Republican leadership has proudly announced that they have heard and heeded the criticism from their liberal colleagues on such topics as healthcare, housing, quality of life for the low-income individuals, and the issue of social fairness in our society. In an attempt to extend the longevity of life for the more vulnerable segment of the population, the proposed legislature will enable landlords not only to refuse housing to applicants attempting to move to better neighborhoods, but also to evict the current tenants if the landlord feels that the tenants are “bringing the place down.” Other causes for refusal include the following:

• funny (or not funny enough) accents
  
• oversized jewelry and/or neon trimming on the automobile
  
• lack of a trust fund
  
• consumption of wine-coolers
  
• possession of a Men’s Warehouse suit
  
• income level lower than the landlord’s cat allowance
  
• scurvy
  
• a discount card from Family Dollar stores

In a closed press conference with the Homeless Herald, and the Newark Times, a spokesman for the White House has said that this community-focused piece of legislature also underscores the administration’s commitment to the scientific theory, which served as an impetus for this groundbreaking social policy.

A curtsy before barbarians

This episode reminded me of the inhabitants of Leningrad during the 900 day blockade in WWII. Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony was written and performed there. After long days of backbreaking work of erecting the barricades or double shifts at the factories, in the besieged and bombarded city, in unfathomable conditions, literally fainting from starvation, the citizens came to the symphony. In that, they preserved their hope, their humanity, and their pride. It was also a way to send their fecund "Fuck you!" to the enemy.
Compare that to Miss Harms' choice.

Why Bush won't ask Rummy to resign

The wisest elder was dying in a remote Armenian village. Other elders have gathered around his deathbed, and seeing how the end is near, decided to ask him for his final advice to them, “What will you leave us with?” The wise man drew his last breath, said, “Protect the Jews!”, and died. The elders were bewildered by his statement. They sat around trying to decipher what that meant and why he said it, but couldn’t find any meaningful explanation. Finally, they decided to seek counsel of another very old and wise Armenian, who lived far from them. They made their arduous journey to the wise man, and asked him to explain, “Tell, oh wise elder, why did our elder told us to, ‘Protect the Jews!’?” – “Oh, he was wise indeed”, said the elder. “For when they’ll finish with the Jews, they’ll start with us.

Those Wacky Hungarians

In an unsuccessful interview with "Fictitious Daily News" Mr. Gyurcsany, the current president of Hungary, said that he's preparing for a long and prosperous career in politics. "Honesty is the best policy!.. On top of it, do you know of any other president with balls as big as mine?!" At that point he pulled down his zipper and exposed a duplex of enormous testicles. According to our special correspondent, they looked healthy but somewhat unnatural. Just at that moment, a crowd of rioters had broken into his palace, and attempted to enter the room. Panicking, Mr. Gyurcsany had jammed the zipper, and had caught his prized possession on a rusty nail in an unfortunate attempt to flee his residence.

Meat of the Matter

My first reaction to this was to write some acrid remark and remind the rabbi that there are still Darfur, Sudan, and world poverty out there. Hand wringing and agonizing over geese seems misguided at best. Then I got curious about the rabbi and the synagogue. I've actually met the guy, and have been to that shul a few times a number of years ago. Not for me (then again, no shul is). Turns out the rabbi didn't just rally for the rights of overfed geese. They collect funds for Darfur, Sudan, Chad and some other places that I never heard of.

I'm an unapologetic carnivore. Just yesterday I chowed down on some beef tar-tar - one doesn't get more carnivorous than that. I like goose and duck liver. I like sweet breads, kidneys, beef tongue, pig's feet, and other "yucky" things. I grew up in a culture where vegetarians were about as common and normal as nudists. My background and habits don't predispose me to questioning meat consumption (not to mention that my wife would divorce me and my children would never speak to me again if I turned vegetarian). However, those who have ever looked into the general process of meat production, or foie gras in particular, will likely be put off meat products for at least a day. The undeniable truth is - animals suffer (the extent is debatable), and are killed to accommodate our dietary preferences. The site of it is far from appetizing. And while I doubt I'll ever become a vegetarian, I cannot simply dismiss those who urge us to abstain from meat based on their moral convictions either. In the end, I guess it's just another thing swept under the proverbial, and much treaded upon rug.

(I can't believe I just wrote this)

Beware of the Presbyterians!

And another one from WaPo:

However, the group [Council on American-Islamic Relations] said some post-Sept. 11 policy initiatives -- including the "infamous" Patriot Act, as the group described the law in announcing the report on its Web site -- have unfairly focused on Muslims. "Muslims take the brunt of it…"

I wholeheartedly agree! It’s high time we did something about Zoroastrians and Presbyterians. How long will we continue to ignore their explosive violence, and militant aspirations?!

The Great Literator

Our illustrious leader was at a literacy conference in NYC (reported by Washington Post):
"…the goals of this country are to help those who feel hopeless; the goals of this country are to spread liberty; the goals of this country is to enhance prosperity and peace."
"…One way to defeat hopelessness is through literacy, is to giving people the fantastic hope that comes by being able to read and realize dreams."

The president concluded the conference by saying that he too, intends to master the "subject-verb agreement" part of his native tongue, as well as to share with us the techniques he uses to achieve his Zen-like clarity of mind.

From Bad to Worse

And so it goes from bad to worse. Frankly, I didn't think much of the Pope's remarks regarding Islam for a couple of reasons. One, he happened to be right this time. Two, since when does anyone expect tolerance and pluralistic acceptance from the Catholic Pope? No, really, tell me, when was that a hallmark of the Catholic Church? That's right - never. This however, is one of the few issues that can be extended by generalizations without being compromised by inevitable exceptions. This is a religious head talking!.. Talking about another religion! Um… on what acid trip does anyone expect him to be anything but critical? The best one can hope for is "diplomatic". And he wasn't. So? At least it was ballsy. Not too many folks these days dare to speak the truth about Islam and majority of it followers. By sheer lucky accident, the usual religious bigotry yielded two unexpected and fine smelling fruits: truth, and courage. But no, they had to go and squash them in an obsequious (and completely false! - common, everyone knows it) nod to the religious tolerance.

9/11 Reflection and Rage by Dyre

Dyre Portents: 9/11 Reflection and Rage

Well said, Dyre42!
Tip my hat to you.

It's the parents' fault!

The 7-year-old girl died at Lincolnwood's Todd Hall School because the teachers were umm... busy?

They're, of course, only teachers, not doctors; how could they possibly know there was anything wrong with her?

Multiple times that April morning she told teachers she felt bad -- and signs of her illness were glaring, according to a negligence lawsuit her family filed Tuesday.

She couldn't stand up. She was having trouble breathing, suffering chest and stomach pain, and had urinated on herself.

She was shuttled from gym class to her classroom to the office, handed off from teacher to teacher, repeatedly sent down hallways unescorted... left alone in an office bathroom, where she remained for up to 15 minutes, until school officials found she'd collapsed...
Paramedics were then called, but Katina was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Here's the full article.

I've always said that I can't understand this kind of things. I can't understand the teachers who allow their students to graduate from HS without being able to read; and I sure as hell don't understand not giving a flying fuck about the 1st grader on the verge of death! The 1st grader! What the fuck?! I have a few friends whose wives are teachers in Chicago, and they keep telling me, "There's nothing we can do... It's all about the atmosphere at home,.. It's all about the environment..." I have a feeling I'll be enlightened as to how this is not the school's fault either.

I'm no specialist on the early ed (or any ed for that matter), but I remember that when I was in school, and a student felt sick, the teacher would take that student by the hand, and take him to the school nurse, who would call the ambulance if she found it was necessary. My teachers cared, though. Frequently, it seemed that they cared more than the students' parents. Why? They were probably raised that way. You see, it's all about the atmosphere at home.

Regarding the eeeveel, eeeveel oil companies

The Q&A:

Q: Why are the prices so f*cking high?
A: The oil companies don't set the prices that you're seeing at the pump, nor do they set the prices of crude oil. The prices are set by the market, which is not controlled by anyone, just like the rest of the FREE MARKETS aren't.

The factors contributing to such high prices include increased demand (China & India) with limited capacity for production and refining, lack of spare capacity (the reason why even Venezuela and Iran can level threats against the US), unstable Middle East, taxes and government regulations, and perhaps the heaviest of all - speculation. Paper trading accounts for as much as the third of the crude's price these days. So much so, that the usual chain of physical commodity driving the paper trading has been turned upside down, and with companies like Goldman Sachs, Merill Lynch, and other financial giants doing most of the paper trading, the prices on crude oil rise in response to heavy speculation on paper derivatives by these players, and not due to the inherent lack of supply.

Q: You're saying that the oil companies aren't deserving of the blame, but they're the ones responsible for building the refineries, increasing the capacity, and they're the ones posting record profits! Explain that!
A: Yep, they ARE the ones responsible for building the refineries. Here's a question for you: did you leave a tip for Exxon or BP eight years ago, when the price of crude was less than $20/barrel? No? Hm… How odd. I'm sure the news did, mention that they were loosing money in refining and production. Was the $.70 / gallon gasoline acceptable then? Well, guess what, refining wasn't profitable, and they didn't invest in a failing enterprise. Would you have stopped at Exxon's gas station to pay $1.50 if they explained that their gas is more expensive because they're investing in refining, which is loosing money for them at the moment, but it might pay off in the future, while Shell, across the street was selling same exact gas for half the price? No again?!. - Most perplexing.

And regarding the profits - yep, they are making good money now. In case it did not occur to you earlier, they are actually in business in order to make money (no, they're not altruists). So when the return on their investments (let me repeat that - THEIR INVESTMENTS) was negative, that was alright by you, but when the profits have started to roll in, that's not cool anymore; is that right?

Well, look at it this way, for now, building refineries and looking for more oil is a very profitable business. So more likely than not, if the prices remain reasonably high, we'll see more refining capacity and more new accessible oil fields. In time, the prices will level off. And if not, being the entrepreneurial creatures that we are, we'll find other, cheaper sources of energy (All of a sudden, the R&D for alternative fuels has become a good investment too. Then again, you might be disappointed to find out that this research, too, is done by the eeeveel, eeeveel oil companies.)

If you have other questions, objections or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.

Brits brought it on themselves!

"Yo, Brits, maybe if you considered converting to Islam, following Sharia, enshrining Quran, wearing burkas, breaking it off with the Yankees, and the Jews; who knows, maybe you'd be safer!.. Then again, maybe not. Most of you can't seem to grow decent beards."
The fucking gall! Why the West won't round up these "peacemakers" and airdrop them in Iran is completely beyond me.

Ka-Boom! and no more Basayev

I'll admit, I took some guilt-free pleasure in this news. Alas, it appears that he did not suffer – a pity. Now, if only we could do the same with a few (hundred) more of these fuckers, I'd be elated.

However, for now, let’s be “cautiously optimistic”, and wait for the confirmation from the genetics lab; apparently he was “killed” a few times before

Best, but far from ideal

OK, clearly, I'm not disciplined enough to keep a blog of full-fledged stories going. Then again, I do, have a fulltime job (that requires way more than 40 hours a week), and a family (to which I'm grateful for continuing to put up with my bullshit).
So, I've decided to flog some of my random thoughts (as I originally intended) out there, and see what develops.

Here's one that has been stewing on the backburner (now brace yourself, as you'll undoubtedly recognize the decaying smell of heresy): the unbridled capitalism, much like the lofty ideal of communism, or any other "pure" political system doesn't work. It doesn't work for the same reasons, too. It's the people who are the clogs of this beautifully conceived (and in fairness, best-executed) system. And people tend to fall short of the ideal. Even the best among us. Rand however, makes no provisions for such developments. Her heroes never stumble, her villains are barely human, and the weather forecasters are always right. Her heroes' austere adherence to The Ideal is inspiring alright. But it's the inspiration, whose ugly cousin used to move a son to betray his father in pursuit of the collectivist ideal. Surely, not what she had in mind.

Specifically, Rand assumes that it is the unadulterated pursuit of his/her creative expression that moves the Capitalist. And those who're hounding the money without realizing its essence will fall away on their own, taken care by the inevitably just hand of the free commerce. The reality however, can be seen on the daily news. The nauseating, Kozlowski-style excesses, Lay / Skillings claimed ignorance while bloating fat with money siphoned away from the consumers, and the list goes on and on. "The fact that the list goes on and on, is the proof that the system works! They lied, stole, cheated, pledged allegiance to Marx's ghost, and they got what they deserved!" a true Randian would say. But that's as naïve as to say that there are no crooks in the society. All the crooks are behind the bars. No, the truth of it is - a good number, perhaps even the majority of those who propel our society on its rightful pursuit of wealth, and "self-making" are not seeking the nirvana of self-realization, but a much more prosaic goal - the security and freedom that only large amounts of money can afford. Not all! Luckily, and thankfully, not all.
---

This is a somewhat uncharacteristic thought for me, since I'm generally a very enthusiastic supporter of Rand. But as I think of a society that would be based strictly on Rand's principles of laissez-fair capitalism and Natural Law, I don't see a place that would be much more desirable than the quagmire of communism or the tyranny of a benevolent dictator.

Tell me how I'm (hopefully) wrong.