Mexico and Leftists

28Feb06

A grim reminder of what it still is, in this world, to be a [real] leftist.
BBC NEWS | Mexico ‘dirty war’ crimes alleged
The Mexican government and military committed “crimes against humanity” in the so-called “dirty war” against left-wing rebels, a leaked report says.
The report was prepared for current President Vicente Fox but has not been [...]

Filed under: Human Rights, News   |  1 Comment

Matrix Pong

28Feb06

Matrix Pong
[Thanks to Adam]
I don’t usually forward this stuff, but this one is just way too funny to miss.

Filed under: Humour   |  1 Comment

Histrionics over Hysteria

24Feb06

An amusing bit from the Guardian about the Dubai ports controversy. Doesn’t really state anything we don’t know but check it out anyway: its funny.
Guardian Unlimited | Calm down, it’s only a commercial deal
Bush has peddled hysteria as a way of governance, so it’s hysterical to see him trying to play down the Dubai Ports [...]

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Machismo takes another reality bite

22Feb06

Rigour is often confused with toughness and it is only a short leap from there to machismo. We are urged to accept various theories not on the basis of rigourous proof or reasoned argument, but through what is the equivalent of “deal with it”. The left, forever afraid of being seen wussy, is often first [...]

Filed under: Arrogance, Biology, Reductionism, Science   |  Leave a Comment

David Sloan Wilson on niceness and religion

21Feb06

My previous entry was about the thoughts of a particular philosophical/biological group (neo-darwinism, darwinian fundamentalism, evo psychology, etc) on religion. Below is an essay on David Wilson, a biologist with a different approach and attitude. Edward Wilson too has suggested that religion (what others have called the religion meme) evolves due to its fitness [...]

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In which Dennett receives a well deserved whupping…

21Feb06

There is a certain vulnerability, of over-reaching, in acts of triumphalism that robs the agent of his well-deserved preening (we saw some of that in the fall of Bush (at least in popularity) in short order after proclamations of a ‘mandate’). There was a time when Selfish Gene theorists and other reductionists were somewhat of [...]

Filed under: Arrogance, Biology, Books, Evo Psychology, Reductionism, Science   |  5 Comments

Bush Tracker Update

13Feb06

More tidings from the frontiers of the Bush revolution:

Corruption

Ohio GOP coin scandal charges

Guantanamo

Film: Road to Guantanamo
U.N. Report Criticizes U.S. for Gitmo

Afghan War

Pakistanis killed in US strike

Afghan blast kills four US troops

Economy

U.S. Trade Deficit Hits All-Time High

Abramoff

Three More Lawmakers Linked to Abramoff
WH says: Oh, you meant that photo?

Katrina

US government ‘failed’ on Katrina

Iraq

C&L video of UK [...]

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Speaking of Kos (again)…

13Feb06

Recently, I posted about Max being dropped by dKos and a bit earlier about Kos opinion on peace marches. At that time, I had no problem with Kos in general but found some aspects of his approach (and his rhetoric) disturbing. More on his attitude has emerged (follow the Bitch|Lab blog link quoted below [...]

Filed under: Leftisms, Liberalism, Solidarity   |  4 Comments

Stanley Fish on the Cartoon Bruhaha

11Feb06

As always, Fish (now at Florida International University) doesn’t fail to give an interestingly different analysis. But perhaps I find it interesting only because of my liberalism (my feeble attempt at a joke — read Fish to see why its possibly funny). This is Fish on the cartoon controversy, in an Op-Ed piece in the [...]

Filed under: East vs West, Liberalism   |  Leave a Comment

Bush Tracker Update

10Feb06

I have decided to create an entire new category: Bush Tracker, sort of a “Where are they today?” section on the ever-growing set of BushCo acts of obscenity and where they stand currently. In fact there are so many (stealing elections to Katrina to illegal wiretapping) that at some point I may have to create [...]

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