November is National Novel Writing Month

Contest: write a 50,000 word novel (about 175 pages) between November 1 and November 30. More details here. Here's a summary:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from your novel at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: Writing begins November 1, 2003. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

We'll give it our best shot!

The French, they are so cynical, no?

Template tinkering

Ghost Town Orange should be more ORANGE .

Molly Ivins

Molly Ivins appeared on NPR's Morning Edition today. Here's a page with links to audio of her appearance and to the rest of her interview with Bob Edwards.

I think she over-estimates Bush's intelligence.

Here's a book on W's wishlist

NATION-BUILDING for Dummies

Orange things

Uzbekistan: Let's support another dictator

We are happy to support Islam Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan. Read George Monbiot's column in the Guardian for more about Uzbekistan's human rights' record and how the US and UK support the horrible government there. Remember:

All the principal enemies of the US today were fostered by the US or its allies in the past: the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Wahhabi zealots in Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussein and his people in Iraq. Dictators do not have friends, only sources of power. They will shift their allegiances as their requirement for power demands. The US supported Islamist extremists in Afghanistan in order to undermine the Soviet Union, and created a monster. Now it is supporting a Soviet-era leader to undermine Islamist extremists, and building up another one.

Head's Up

Check out the BBC Book of the Week: John Mortimer's Where There's a Will. Follow the link to the left, then click on the days you want to listen to. (Monday's and Tuesday's episodes are ready to listen to.)

In Monday's episode, Mortimer describes a conversation in which his friend Graham Greene almost convinces him of the truth of Christianity. He quotes from Robert Browning's poem Bishop Blougram's Apology. Green and Mortimer share the attitudes of the two characters in the poem--the bishop and his dinner guest, with their parallel belief and unbelief.
I've put the parts quoted by Mortimer in bold in this piece of Browning's much longer poem:

    And now what are we? unbelievers both,

Calm and complete, determinately fixed

To-day, to-morrow and for ever, pray?

You’ll guarantee me that? Not so, I think!

In no wise! all we’ve gained is, that belief,

As unbelief before, shakes us by fits,

Confounds us like its predecessor. Where’s

The gain? how can we guard our unbelief,

Make it bear fruit to us?—the problem here.

Just when we are safest, there’s a sunset-touch,

A fancy from a flower-bell, some one’s death,

A chorus-ending from Euripides,—

And that’s enough for fifty hopes and fears

As old and new at once as nature’s self,

To rap and knock and enter in our soul,

Take hands and dance there, a fantastic ring,

Round the ancient idol, on his base again,—

The grand Perhaps! We look on helplessly.

There the old misgivings, crooked questions are—

This good God,—what he could do, if he would,

Would, if he could—then must have done long since:

If so, when, where and how? some way must be,—

Once feel about, and soon or late you hit

Some sense, in which it might be, after all.

Why not, “The Way, the Truth, the Life?”

                                                        —That way

Over the mountain, which who stands upon

Is apt to doubt if it be meant for a road;

While, if he views it from the waste itself,

Up goes the line there, plain from base to brow,

Not vague, mistakeable! what’s a break or two

Seen from the unbroken desert either side?

And then (to bring in fresh philosophy)

What if the breaks themselves should prove at last

The most consummate of contrivances

To train a man’s eye, teach him what is faith?

And so we stumble at truth’s very test!

All we have gained then by our unbelief

Is a life of doubt diversified by faith,

For one of faith diversified by doubt:

We called the chess-board white,—we call it black.

    “Well,” you rejoin, “the end’s no worse, at least;

We’ve reason for both colours on the board:

Why not confess then, where I drop the faith

And you the doubt, that I’m as right as you?”

Stamp Collecting Sites

I may add these to the side bar.

AskPhil Resource Library--check out the
Washington-Franklin Series Stamp Identifier

The American Stamp Dealers Association They have a neat beginner's album you can download for free (Adobe pdf file, 16kb)

Iraq options (from Mennonite Central Committee)

From:
Picking up the pieces: the messy dilemmas in reconstructing Iraq
by J. Daryl Byler

(with a few comments by me)

Many, MCC included, opposed the U.S.-led war with Iraq earlier this year. But, now that the United States has overthrown the Iraqi government and has occupied Iraq, what should be the advocacy focus for those committed to nonviolent peacemaking?

To hear what Iraqis think about this question, a small MCC delegation traveled to Iraq, September 24-29, to meet with Iraqi church, community and political leaders.

Almost everyone we spoke with was glad that Saddam Hussein no longer rules their country. But almost everyone also expressed concerns about security and the way the United States is occupying Iraq -- specifically, the lack of transparency, the reluctance to transfer authority to Iraqis, the excessive use of force and cultural insensitivities.
So what are the options for advocates who wish to promote the development of a stable and peaceful Iraq? I've been thinking about three possibilities since returning from Iraq.

1. Say and do nothing. One could argue that the United States created a volatile situation in Iraq by acting brashly and unilaterally. Now, the United States must be responsible to "clean up the mess." Indeed, under the Geneva Conventions, the United States, as an occupying power, has a legal duty to do so. If church groups and others help pick up the pieces, it will only make it easier for the United States to carry out similar attacks against other countries like Syria and Iran.

But this approach -- presumably intended to "punish" the U.S. government -- will likely also end up punishing the Iraqi people by ignoring their best interests.

This just isn't right--sez me.

Continuing with option 2:

2. Call for an immediate and complete withdrawal of the U.S. troops. One could argue that Iraq will never become stable as long as it is an occupied country. Indeed, the U.S. military presence seems only to stir up the resentments of the resistance groups operating in Iraq.

United for Peace and International ANSWER are taking this approach. They are joining forces, October 25, for a mass rally in Washington, D.C., to call for bringing home the U.S. troops now and ending the occupation.

In many ways, this seems like the pacifist option. But many of the Iraqis we spoke with in late September expressed concern that, if the United States simply pulls out before a legitimate Iraqi government is in place, things could spin out of control and a civil war could ensue. One community leader reminded us that, as a result of the U.S.-led war, "the Iraqi state is collapsed."

This just isn't right--sez me.

Now for option 3, which is the hardest to actually accomplish:

3. Call for the occupying power to make dramatic changes. While not without its problems, this is the option that the Iraqis we spoke with seemed to advocate most often. They want to see significant changes in how the occupying power – the Coalition Provisional Authority or CPA – goes about its work. Specifically, Iraqis we spoke with want:

• the CPA to be more transparent by offering more information and clarifying its goals and timetables. The fact that the CPA has a web site was little consolation to the vast majority of Iraqis without Internet access. And many complained that few CPA officials speak Arabic.

• a more rapid and significant transfer of authority to Iraqis -- at least to those Iraqi-appointed officials in government ministries, if not to the Interim Governing Council itself. Iraqis resent the fact that the CPA retains veto authority over many decisions. In short, they would like the United States to play a much more humble, behind-the-scenes, empowering role. Some would like to see the United Nations play a larger role in the nation-building process.

• the occupying U.S. forces to be much more discreet and restrained in their use of force. U.S. raids on suspected hideouts frequently put Iraqi civilians at great risk, as our delegation found out firsthand one evening on a main street in Baghdad. U.S. troops conducted a raid while hundreds of civilians were milling around in harms way. Furthermore, the CPA needs to be much more proactive in investigating and compiling Iraqi civilian casualties.

The current unrest in Iraq is yet another reminder that war does not create the conditions for creating peace. At this point, there are no quick or simple answers for rebuilding Iraq. But there are steps that can help move things in the right direction.

But a mass infusion of dollars, without parallel U.S. steps to pay greater attention to the concerns Iraqis are raising, will be like throwing the good money of reconstruction after the bad money of war.

But asking the United States to take a more humble role--that will be a tall order for us--sez me.

Mummy goes home

The dinosaur brain tumor story led us to this story about the return of a mummy to Egypt.

Dinosaur Brain Tumor

Here is a story that attracted Tim's attention this morning that we found while we were looking for news about the fires in Southern California.

(Be safe--)

Sunday's Readings

Two services today for Reformation Sunday.
Jeremiah 31:31-34

"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Romans 3:19-28

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

John 8:31-36

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

More on the Rumsfeld Memo "Leak"

Read about it here, from Is That Legal?

World Series interrupts

Yeah, last night I watched baseball instead of maintaining my blog and keeping up on the news. Here's some more from the Guardian on the story about the Bush White House blowing the cover of Valerie Plame (which Republicans seem to think isn't even a problem.)

For those that think that the "War on Terror" is making us safer from the threat from "Weapons of Mass Destruction," check out this story from the wacky conservative Washington Times. Even if the story isn't true, Pakistan is a people-power coup (like Bolivia) away from having Islamist extremists with a stockpile of nuclear weapons. I wonder what pre-emptive action the US government has planned when that happens? A better question: what can be done now to insure that Islamic extremists don't gain control in Pakistan?
And here are a trio of items on the "War on Terror:"

From USA Today--Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's recent memo on progress in the war is not too rosy.

The memo.

From the Guardian--British foreign aid money is being cut from other areas of the world to divert to Iraq.

NPR has been reporting about the increased restrictions placed on the media trying to report from Iraq. Remember most of the dignitaries that visit Iraq and proclaim how good things are going do not even stay in Iraq--they overnight in Kuwait--while they keep jacking our soldiers around and keep them posted in Iraq with no end in sight.

At least we do not have coverage of the endless parade of coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.

The Economist

Letter to The Economist:

SIR – Why the question mark on your “Wielders of mass deception?” cover when you state that “Mr Bush and Mr Blair did not play straight with their people.”
William Hayes
Seattle

Also read the letter by Michael Alvear of Atlanta on the same page.
One reader comments:

I guess the thing I hate most about The Economist (which I read every week) isn't its editorial bias towards fiscal conservatism. It's more the bias towards sneering, insufferable condescension that grates.

Evidence Of Waste Of US Taxpayers Dollars In Iraq Contracts

Read Rep. Henry Waxman's letter to Joshua Bolten, director of Office of Management and Budget, September 26, 2003:

A picture is now beginning to emerge of waste and gold-plating that is enriching Halliburton and Bechtel while costing the US taxpayer millions and imperiling the goal of Iraqi reconstruction. The problem is this: too much money appears to be going to Halliburton and Bechtel for too little work and too few opportunities for Iraqis. Already, these two companies have contracts worth $3.14bn from the conflict in Iraq and the reconstruction efforts.

Click here to find out one way you can help the people of Iraq, not Halliburton and Bechtel.

Today's translation

Die Geschichte wird von den Siegern geschrieben .
--Christoph A.

History is written by the winners.
--Christoph A. (who is this?)

Psy-Ops target us

Here's an article explaining how we are being manipulated by false stories about Iraq. From US News website (pdf file, 4767Kb). Be patient--it takes a while to download.
Truth from These Podia
Summary of a Study of Strategic Influence, Perception Management, Strategic Information Warfare and Strategic Psychological Operations in Gulf II
Sam Gardiner
Colonel, USAF (Retired)
"The author has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, Air War College and Naval War College. He was recently a visiting scholar at the Swedish Defence College. During Gulf II he was a regular on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer as well as on BBC radio and television, and National Public Radio.
The study was not funded by any organization, and the author’s arguments are not meant to represent those of any organization."

Summary
• Clearly, the assumption of some in the government is the people
of the United States and the United Kingdom will come to a
wrong decision if they are the given truth.
• We probably have taken “Information Warfare” too far.
• We allowed strategic psychological operations to.
become part of public affairs.
• We failed to make adequate distinction between strategic
influence stuff and intelligence.
• Message became more important than performance.

Vacuum Cleaner Sucks Up Budgie!

How did I miss this story? Bears kill, eat activists. Hey, people--bears are dangerous--admire them from a safe distance! These people are candidates for a Darwin Award. We should thank them for removing themselves from the gene pool.

Swiss lurch to right

Switzerland's People's party (SVP) prevailed in the general election held over the weekend. Here's more from the (U.K.) Guardian.
Apparently they deny being anti-immigrant:

In the run-up to the polls, the SVP put up election posters of a black face accompanied by the slogan: 'The Swiss are becoming Negroes.' They also ran posters showing mugshots of criminals next to the words 'Our Dear Foreigners'. . .

Here's more press reaction, as reported in the Guardian. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung claims that high voter turnout (45.6%) helped the SVP. (How is that "high voter turnout?" And shouldn't higher voter turnout help parties of the left more?)

News flash: conservatives are led by greedy liars

An honest conservative has been found in Oregon: read her review of Al Franken's 'Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them' Here is a choice sample:

The other day on talk radio, I heard a guy tell an incredulous Lars Larson that he wouldn't believe Rush Limbaugh was a drug addict involved in a drug ring even if Limbaugh himself admitted it. If you're that guy, don't bother reading Franken's book. You will really just drive yourself even more crazy.

The leaders we conservatives have trusted have taken advantage of our trust to line the pockets of the wealthy and powerful, and it's time we rose up and drove out these greedy liars. They've hijacked and distorted our belief system for their own gain, and in doing so are destroying our credibility.

Today's Texts

Have nothing to do with today's sermon, which was about 90% phony stuff about Columbus (how everyone [except Columbus] thought the world was flat, Columbus and his men were pious Christians, etc.)

Numbers 11:4-29

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!
[The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.]
Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin."
The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. [I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone."
"Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days. But for a whole month--until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it--because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'
But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month! Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?
The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD'S arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.]
So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.
However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"
But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD'S people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"

James 4:7-12

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?

Mark 9:38-50

"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. For whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. Where

'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.

Everyone will be salted with fire.
"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Price Controls

A HARARE bakery is challenging the constitutionality of price controls. Read more at The Zimbabwe Independent. Why can't people understand that price controls drive producers out of the market?

German paraphrase

This time, a Stoic aphorism of Seneca:

Nicht wer wenig hat, sondern wer viel wünscht, ist arm.
--Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Not one who has little, but one who wishes much, is poor.
--Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Tinkering

I've been goofing with the template. See the left side of the page for the new additions:
You will be greeted with the salutation appropriate to the hour of the day.
You can check a box to have links open in new windows. (Code borrowed from Atrios, who credits randomwalks.com. I notice that they are featuring the bull-doze Iraqi fruit-trees story too.
What an outrage that we are responsible for this. Like imperial Rome dumping salt in Carthage's fields--we will reap what we sow.

More Bolivia

More protests; more government repression as more protesters are killed and injured by government troops. Today's El Diario reports that government agents were confiscating copies of yesterday's newspapers. (not a persistent link)

Limbaugh broadcasts from treatment facility

Listen here (Harry Shearer , KCRW's le Show)

Bolivia

According to Oil & Gas Journal, opposition to plans to export Liquified Natural Gas threaten to topple the government of President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. The Miami Herald reports that Bolivians are angry that the exports will go through Chile, "the country's hated southern neighbor." Here's more from the Associated Press. And here's El Diario (note: this is not a persistent link to the story, just to the paper's site), which reports that Bolivians believe that when the president has an approval rating of 9%, the people should be able to remove him from office: "Eso fue lo que los republicanos demandaron del ex gobernador de California. . ."

Mini-vacation

School is out Thursday and Friday.
On Friday we plan on visiting the Cheyenne Cultural Center in Clinton (which has an exhibit entitled "Frontier Army/Indian Wars 1860-1890") and the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site near Cheyenne.
I see they have a New Junior Ranger Program. We enjoyed becoming Junior Rangers at Scott's Bluff National Monument last year. (A lot of work for a vacation!)

UPDATE

We will probably go camping Friday night at one of three campgrounds at the Black Kettle National Grassland (named after the great Cheyenne peace chief Black Kettle.) There are no campgrounds at the Washita Battleground. Or one of Joyce's friends lives in the area: we might pitch our tents there. It is getting cold at night these days: into the 40s F!

Homework schedule

For next Tuesday (yes, after the mini fall break)
Final draft of Eng comp essay 2 is due: no sweat (I need to address opposing argument a little better--admittedly a weak point in my writing. I know I'm right, right?
Test 2 in US History pre-1865. A dozen or so essay topics to prepare for (and I prepare for them all!) and a tough battery of multiple choice questions (a test of how much I remember of my reading plus some interpretation.)
German: practice using various prepositions with the proper cases--this bends the mind because we don't do much of this in English. (This is where Russian gets real tricky too.)
US History after 1865: We're up to the 1920s: review fundamentalism (Scopes Trial); photocopy articles for essays at end of month and beginning of November.

News about our tax money at work in Iraq

Our military forces specialize in winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. For example, "US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops." (from The Independent [U.K.])
President Bush has started a propaganda campaign about how good things are going in Iraq--if it is going so well, why are we doing this?

More German paraphrases

Die wahren Abenteuer finden im Kopf statt.
--Unbekannt

True adventures take place in the head.
--Unknown

Wenn Weihnachten näher kommt, dann wird es heller in unserem Leben, und die weihnachtliche Erwartung, sie ist wie schöne Musik.
--Rainer Kaune

As Christmas gets closer, it becomes brighter in our life, and the anticipation of Christmas is like beautiful music.
--Rainer Kaune

Booker prize

DBC Pierre won the 2003 Man Booker prize. The Booker prize is for the best original fiction by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or Ireland (writers from the United States aren't eligible.)
After reading the first chapter I think I won't bother with the rest. The Booker website describes the book:

Vernon God Little tells the story of a fifteen year old boy, who stands accused of a high school massacre. An unforgettable innocent, Vernon is surrounded by a cast of grotesque adults, all of whom are determined to see him as a scapegoat for their own failings. DBC Pierre's unique novel has been described as like Flannery O'Connor on an overdose of amphetamines and cable television.'

No thanks.

Back to the blog

Here's some more about blogging:

a survey

about people who blog and

a quiz

for people who blog.

Here are my results for the quiz:

12.5 %

My weblog owns 12.5 % of me.


I'm not very typical: most bloggers are very young and female. About one fourth of all blogs are created and never updated (why bother to create one in the first place?) Many are abandoned after only a few months. The quiz results seem to indicate that I'll be likely to abandon my blog. But they don't know my commitment* to keeping this "news diary."
Only 50,000 blogs are updated daily. (I have missed a day or two since I've started.) I am still goofing with html tags html tagshtml tags!!! What happens if I do that?

I notice that some of the links have migrated to the bottom of the page. The Columbus stamp picture must be too wide? Perhaps they will correct themselves when Columbus scrolls down? I don't want to mess with the template today.

*My commitment is strong if I can continue to do this for free!

Columbus Day

Let's remember what Christopher Columbus was really like:

On his second voyage, at Hispaniola (the large island that is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) Columbus and his men devised a system to extract gold from the native population:

Every man and woman, every boy or girl of fourteen or older, in the province of Cibao (of the imaginary gold fields) had to collect gold for the Spaniards. As their measure, the Spaniards used those same miserable hawk's bells, the little trinkets they had given away so freely when they first came 'as if from Heaven.' Every 3 months, every Indian had to bring to one of the forts a hawk's bell filled with gold dust. The chiefs had to bring in about ten times that amount. In the other provinces of Hispaniola, twenty-five pounds of spun cotton took the place of gold.

Copper tokens were manufactured, and when an Indian had brought his or her tribute to an armed post, he or she received such a token, stamped with the month, to be hung around the neck. With that they were safe for another three months while collecting more gold.

Whoever was caught without a token was killed by having his or her hands cut off. There are old Dutch prints (I saw them in the collection of Bishop Voegeli of Haiti) that show this being done: the Indians stumble away, staring with surprise at their arm stumps pulsing out blood.

There were no gold fields, and thus, once the Indians had handed in whatever they still had in gold ornaments, their only hope was to work all day in the streams, washing out gold dust from the pebbles. It was an impossible task, but those Indians who tried to flee into the mountains were systematically hunted down with dogs and killed, to set an example for the others to keep trying.

Resistance was futile: "It was at this time that the mass suicides began: the Arawaks killed themselves with cassava poison." --from Columbus: his Enterprise; Exploding the Myth by Hans Koning, based on the reports by Bartolome de las Casas.

Perhaps you think we should not judge Columbus by the standards of today--surely in the light of the 15th century he was a great and noble hero!

Apparently there were plenty of men of that distant and benighted age that criticized Columbus and the Spanish misbehavior in the Americas; among them are Bartolome de las Casas, Antonio de Montesino, Fray Buil, Pedro Margarit, and the Dutch etcher DeBry. So do not believe the lie that plundering, raping and massacring people was somehow considered acceptable behavior in the past. It wasn't.

Even Samuel Eliot Morison, in Christopher Columbus, Mariner an otherwise quite positive portrayal of the hero Columbus admits that "the cruel policy initiated by Columbus and pursued by his successors resulted in complete genocide."

I have recently been reading A View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution; in Thirteen Discourses, Preached in North America between the Years 1763 and 1775: with an historical preface by Jonathan Boucher, apparently an Anglican minister that returned to England after the outbreak of the American Revolution. The first sermon, "On the Peace in 1763" includes this reminder of what true greatness is:

True greatness deserves all the honour that the world can pay to it: but, fields dyed with blood are not the scenes in which true greatness is most likely to be found. He who simplifies a mechanical process, who supplies us with a new convenience or comfort, or even he who contrives an elegant superfluity, is, in every proper sense of the phrase, a more useful man than any of those masters in the art of destruction, who, to the shame of the world, have hitherto monopolized almost all its honours.

Amen.

Phony propaganda letters

Soldiers in Iraq are apparently writing to their hometown newspapers about what a good job we are doing. Only trouble is, the letters are identical; and at least some of the letters were sent without the soldier's knowledge. Read more here and here. (from Atrios: click on Eschaton for more from one of the best bloggers.) Isn't it nice that psy-ops guys target us?

Columbus Day Soon

Watch for my Columbus Day Special!

A plee for singular they and against plural they

jjoan ttaber altieri (whoever that is) has written about "the dilemma created by the fact that English doesn't have a 'grammatically acceptable' gender-free third-person singular pronoun to reference a person."

native speakers of English automatically rely on singular they (their, them) as the pronoun of choice; for example:

I don't care what everyone else is doing; they're not me.

If someone calls, tell them I'm out.

. . .

. . .strict grammarians -- especially those who control the citadels of formal education and publishing -- dictate that the epicene pronoun they reference plural, not singular, antecedents.

But singular they has a long history of usage. See the bottom of altieri's article and Henry Churchyard's page on singular they/their for more examples.

On a related note: here is a satirical post criticizing the use of plural they. Let's go back to the good old days when the proper plural third-person pronoun was hi­e.

Jeremiah 11:18-20

Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, "Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more. But, O LORD Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

James 3:16-4:6

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely. But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Mark 9:30-37

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were. Because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise. But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road? But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Gabriel García Márquez (1 of 3)

The Guardian has the first of three excerpts from Living to Tell the Tale, Gabriel García Márquez's autobiography, translated by Edith Grossman.

What concerned him [Gustavo Ibarra Merlano] most about me when we first met was my dangerous contempt for the Greek and Latin classics, which seemed boring and useless to me, except for The Odyssey, which I had read and reread in bits and pieces several times at the liceo . And so before we said goodbye that first time, he chose a leather-bound book from the library and handed it to me with a certain solemnity. "You may become a good writer," he said, "but you'll never become very good if you don't have a good knowledge of the Greek classics." The book was the complete works of Sophocles. From that moment on Gustavo was one of the decisive beings in my life, for Oedipus Rex revealed itself to me on first reading as the perfect work.

Plus adventures in the red-light district of Barranquilla, Colombia:

Oscar de la Espriella, who was a sterling carouser, agreed with William Faulkner that a brothel is the best residence for a writer, because the mornings are quiet, there is a party every night, and you are on good terms with the police.

After one harrowing experience, he "repented of having believed in Faulkner's illusions." (Read the Guardian's excerpt to find out what happened.)

Today's paraphrase

Weihnachten ist der Höhepunkt des Christenjahres, denn an Weihnachten hat der Heiland den Einzelhandel gerettet.
--Dieter Nuhr

Christmas is the high point of the Christian year, because at Christmas comes the Saviour of the retail trade.
--Dieter Nuhr

Florida--largest orange crop in state history

From the Miami Herald.

FCC OKs F-word

Another sign that the Republicans that run things in Washington use "family values" as a fig leaf for an evil agenda. Wake up, people!

Pat Robertson is a fool

Here's a news story about Robertson's insane comments about the US State Department.

Autumn

The leaves are starting to change colors here: some nice reds and yellows. Scissor-tailed flycatchers are still around. (They will be heading for Central America soon.) We aren't seeing very many Monarch butterflies this year on their flight to Mexico--although we have zinnias blooming for them. Every foggy day, I spot more wild turkeys on the drive to class. There were at least a dozen by the side of the road today. What a thrilling sight! Pray that I don't drive off the road watching birds.

Today's Paraphrase

Das Beste, was Eltern ihren Kindern mit auf den Lebensweg geben können, ist, ihnen täglich ein paar Minuten ihrer Zeit zu widmen.
--O. A. Battista

The best thing, which parents can give to their children during life, is to daily dedicate a few minutes of their time to them.
--O. A. Battista

Alphabet animations

Here's something I ran across yesterday: animations showing the evolution of alphabets. Check them out here.

Dodgers sold

Yay! Now that Fox no longer owns the Dodgers, I may start paying attention to them again. But if the Red Sox and the Cubs go to the World Series, it probably means that the end of the world is at hand, and there will be no baseball season next year.

Limbaugh update

Well, a little honesty from Rush with a little spinning towards the end.

Archaeology

"The archeological site represents one of the most recognizable, largest, richest and most visible 17th-century archeological sites in British North America." says Canada's National Post. Where is it?
The Colony of Avalon in Newfoundland.

One of Dr. Tuck's favourite sources is the privy. "It is an archeologist's heaven because when something is dropped into a toilet, no one is going after it. We have found silk and satin (the gentry's toilet paper), a shoe -- all sorts of artifacts."

There's more here.

Today's Paraphrase

Nur wer liebt, vermag einen Einblick zu bekommen in die Ewigkeit.
Doch im buche unserer Tage ist "Liebe" eine Werbung und wir die Verkäufer.

-- by anna k?

Only one who loves, is able to get to eternity. But in today's book, "love" is an advertisement and we the salesmen.

Congratulations California: you have elected a corrupt governor

This just in: It's Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion"(Greg Palast report) Sad if true.
Mr. Schwarzenegger will not be able to keep his promises. Watch him fail. How anyone thinks he is qualified to govern California is beyond me.

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?


-- William Butler Yeats

An Orange in California

California Governor Gray Davis having fun with "an old campaign ritual: rolling an orange down the aisle toward a paper bag during takeoff. The orange rocketed backward as the plane ascended, and shot straight into the bag."

Cleverly Titled Confession of Faith

Here's a link to the Presbyterian Church USA's Confession of 1967.

Sunday

We went to First Presbyterian Church for World Communion Sunday. Here are the readings:
Psalm 26

Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have led a blameless life:
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Test me, O Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.
I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
I love the house where you live, O Lord,
the place where your glory dwells.
Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
But I lead a blameless life;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
My feet stand on level ground;
in the great assembly I will praise the Lord

(Remember the double way to read many psalms: identify yourself as one of the wicked sinners that deserve to die, and also with the righteous narrator, righteous because of God's mercy.)

Mark 10:2-16

Some Pharisees came and tested [Jesus] by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
What did Moses command you?" he replied.
They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."
"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered,"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Limbaugh UPDATE

Rush on Hillbilly Heroin:

Based on some things that I have read, things that people have written - and I understand it, what people have said - let me try one more time, ladies and gentlemen, on the story about me and drug use. When I said Friday that I didn't yet know what I was dealing with and that when I did I would tell you everything, I meant exactly that. Some people are interpreting that to mean, well, in fact, let me just be blunt. People are saying that I'm being Clintonesque, that I'm waiting until I know everything I have to deal with so that I can figure out what I have to lie about. That's what I said that Bill Clinton always did when we were waiting for him to come forth.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's not what is going on here at all. I am waiting to find out just exactly what I am facing legally. And until I know that, I'm not going to say anything, I can't. But as I said Friday, I asked you to trust me, and I'm asking you again to trust me now and today. When such time comes, fear not; what there is to be known will be known, and I will tell you. But until it is permissible and makes sense for me to tell you that, I can't, and I won't. But I'm not holding anything back, and I'm not determining what it is that down the road I'm going to have to lie about. Believe me, I don't even have any desire to do that, and I haven't. So this is simply a matter of waiting until it is permissible. And when - as I say - until I know what I'm dealing with, I mean exactly that.

What a liar!

Novak defends self

Bob Novak's weasly defense of role in Plame affair.

First, I did not receive a planned leak. Second, the CIA never warned me that the disclosure of Wilson's wife working at the agency would endanger her or anybody else. Third, it was not much of a secret.

First, it wasn't a planned leak--so it must be right to publish the name of an undercover CIA agent. Second, the CIA never warned him that the disclosure would endanger her or anybody else, so it must be right to publish her name. Thirdly, it wasn't much of a secret, so revealing it was harmless. Later on, Novak reveals his real reason: he suspects Wilson is a partisan liberal anti-Bush hack:

Wilson had become a vocal opponent of President Bush's policies in Iraq after contributing to Al Gore in the last election cycle and John Kerry in this one.

Mr. No Facts does not mention Wilson's contributions to the George W. Bush campaign.

Glassine

A recent post included the word "glassine." I am familiar with the glassine envelopes used in stamp collecting--envelopes made of a glossy transparent paper. I have never seen the word glassine used in any other way. Here is the sentence from Rick Bass's story: "That there is still something beneath the surface: that our souls and spirits are still of more worth, more value, than the glassine, latticed ice-structures visible only now at the surface of things." It appears glassine is being used as a synonym for glassy. Why not just say glassy?
Here are the citations of glassine's usage from the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary:

1916 W. W. Young Story of Cigarette vi. 98

Each carton is wrapped by hand in moisture-proof and germ-proof glassine paper and firmly sealed.

1925 Pulp & Paper Mag. 6 Aug 881

The manufacture of glassine paper requires great care, exceptionally clean raw materials, experienced labor, and specially designed machinery... Glassine is a paper which is made from very clean pulp, and which must be highly transparent.

1931 F. Hurst Back St. lviii. 507

Her dry mouth open, with a bubble, as if of glassine paper, spanning it.

1957 P. Mansfield Final Exposure xvi.

Enclosed in a glassine sheath, there lay a negative.

Ibid.244

The negative had been carefully released from the glassine envelope.

1970 S. Ellin Man from Nowhere xxxii. 155

He had stored Thoren's envelope and scrap paper in glassine packets.

Not a single stamp collecting reference in the lot.

Inspiration

Index of daily devotionals (only active to the 2nd of October?) October 2nd's devotion introduces Elsie Isensee, who worked her way through Bible college and becoming a pastor and missionary in Peru and Mexico. (She had an unhappy childhood; her mother abused and rejected her.)

Some think that Elsie is a classic example of someone pulling herself up by her own bootstraps. “Nothing could be farther from the truth,” she says. “It took divine intervention.”
To others who have been denied acceptance and affection, she says, “Come to Christ. He will supply those basic needs in richer quantity and quality than any human parent. That’s the miracle of God’s grace.”

Good Riddance (and I don't even watch football)

ESPN.com: GEN - Limbaugh resigns from ESPN
If only he'd quit yakking on his horrid show. I haven't listened recently: what does he do without Clinton in office? He probably still blames everything on Clinton, who isn't even really all that "liberal."

UPDATE

Limbaugh's non-statement on his alleged drug problem from Friday's show.

The story in Florida is - it really is an emerging situation. I watch what's being reported on television and it changes from morning to morning, hour to hour, day to day. I don't know yet what I'm dealing with there, folks.

I really don't know the full scope of what I am dealing with. And when I get all the facts, when I get all the details of this, rest assured that I will discuss this with you and tell you how it is, tell you everything there is, maybe more than you want to know about this. You can believe me and trust me on that. I don't want to answer any questions about it now, as I say, until I know exactly what I'm dealing with, and at that point I will fill you all in.

And when I get all the facts, when I get all the details of this, I will know what lies I can tell you, my legions of ditto-head fans. (How Clintonesque! Mr. Limbaugh is an excellent student of the former President.)

New Banner

Background tiles from Citrus Moon.
Let's hope VillagePhotos is reliable, or my banner will disappear occasionally. Now all my posts are centered: not what I intended.

UPDATE

I fixed the centering problem--missed a closing tag.

Ages of our inner children

Joyce took the quiz first:

My inner child is sixteen years old!

Life's not fair! It's never been fair, but while
adults might just accept that, I know
something's gotta change. And it's gonna
change, just as soon as I become an adult and
get some power of my own.

Then John took it:

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.

Then Joe had his turn:

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.

Then Tim:

My inner child is six years old!

Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Daddy and my
three best friends with me, of course.


Then the boys figured out how the quiz works.
Joe simulating adulthood:

My inner child is forty-five years old!

I've never really liked children, not even when I
was one. I want things neat, ordered, and
adult--fine wine instead of french fries, pina
coladas by the pool instead of beach sand
between my toes. Now if only my fellow adults
would stop acting like such, well, children!

Tim imitating infancy:

My inner child is one year old!

Everything is new to me. I like watching the world
go by around me, and I don't sweat the small
stuff--or the large stuff, either. Just so long
as I stay warm and safe and dry, life's pretty
good.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

Staying up way too late

I found an image host that will store 25 images for free. I have tinkered with the template a little bit to see how I can put a picture there. And now I'll try it by adding a picture to this post:

Let's see how it looks.

UPDATE

Now I will need to design a Ghost Town Orange Banner!

Kuwait foils smuggling of chemicals from Iraq

Propaganda from Kuwait, or did they find something? Source: Hindustan Times, quoting a Kuwaiti newspaper, quoting an unnamed security source.

Wrong impressions helped support Iraq war

Most supporters of the war are misinformed by the so-called news media. Read about which news sources create the most uninformed viewers: FoxNews, fair and balanced BS, is the worst, of course. [I refuse to believe that only stupid people watch Fox and CBS, but that is a possibility.] Don't accept government propaganda, people.

'Slime and Defend'

This Paul Krugman column is right on the mark. Brilliant.

Big Cats: Headed for Extinction

The Guardian has a sad article on the decline of the big cats and extinction of large species in general.

Spice with Abandon

Last night, while Joyce attended her photography class, the boys helped me prepare dinner--a combination of stir-fry vegetables with pasta and tomato sauce. "Spaghetti plus" (but we used spirally noodles instead.)

The thing that impressed me is how eager the boys are to try different spices and how carefree they are with the amounts they add: dumping absurd amounts of turmeric, allspice, and sesame seeds into the wok. In the end, it tastes good!

I try to remember not to demand immediate obedience; I am not here to be a slave-driver. The boys accomplish more when there is a sense of fun, of playing games; not the urgency of "get it done now!" Last night, I wanted Tim to do something, and he said "Not now, I'm taking a picture of the sunset." I had to admit that that couldn't wait. He ended taking pictures of some mushroom or fungus while he was at it. (I haven't seen the pictures yet.)

Schedule

We will be traveling to a memorial service Friday, so will be away from Ghost Town Orange this evening.

Future posts I am working on:
"Glassine"
Language police vs singular "they" and even plural "they"
Creative Commons
Bob Novak's weasly defense of role in Plame affair.
Advertising is aimed at demographic groups--soon
BBC Radio 4 "The Long View"
Columbus Day special--October 12

Rick Bass on Grace

Yesterday, a Friend-of-the-Library find: The Best American Short Stories 1999, edited by Amy Tan. The Hermit's Story by Rick Bass is the first in the book; originally published in The Paris Review.

Here is the key paragraph in the story:

It would be curious to tally how many times any or all of us reject, or fail to observe, moments of grace. Another way in which Susan and I differ from most of the anarchists and militia members up here is that we believe there is still green fire in the hearts of our citizens, beneath this long snowy winter--beneath the chitin of the insipid. That there is still something beneath the surface: that our souls and spirits are still of more worth, more value, than the glassine, latticed ice-structures visible only now at the surface of things. We still believe there's something down there beneath us, as a country. Not that we're better than other countries, by any means, but that we're luckier. That ribbons of grace are still passing through and around us--even now, and for whatever reasons, certainly unbeknownst to us, and certainly undeserved, unearned.

We stumble along, thinking we have earned our privileged position, that we deserve it. We were born on third base, and think we hit a triple. Lord, may we wake up.