Clipmarks | KevinM's clips

Iraq: The Triumph of Ideology Over Reality

Sat, 26 May 2007 03:53:31 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: atheistrevolution.blogspot.com

Iraq: The Triumph of Ideology Over Reality

Labels: politics

Second to atheism, I believe the topic on which I have read the most this year would be that of Iraq - specifically path to and initial management of the war by the Bush administration. I'm currently just over halfway through Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, almost certainly a book I will be able to recommend after I finish it. After reading this and several other lengthy tomes on Bush and Iraq, one conclusion is inescapable: the central theme (and perhaps even the legacy of his administration) is one of ideology winning over reality and the devastating consequences this has wrought.

The single most disturbing aspect of what I have read is the pervasive overreliance on ideology at the expense of reality throughout the Bush administration. This not only led us to war, but it continues to maintain our strategy (or lack thereof).

Posted by vjack

Tags: iraq, war, bush, atheism, politics, liberal

Funny or Racist?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:45:55 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: www.blackpeopleloveus.com

Black People Love Us!

Hi! I'm Sally, and I'm Johnny

We are well-liked by Black people so we're psyched (since lots of Black people don't like lots of White people)!! We thought it'd be cool to honor our exceptional status with a ROCKIN' domain name and a killer website!!

Sally loves to touch my hair! She always asks me how I got my hair to do this. That makes me feel special. Like I have magical powers!

Johnny calls me "da man!" That puts me at ease. It makes me feel comfortable, because I am Black and that's how Black folks talk to one another.

Johnny always plays up his (Italian, Irish, Jewish, etc.) ethnicity to me—as an entree into friendship!

Johnny always says: "I'm not racist; one of my best friends is Black!" I think he might mean me!

Johnny is generous enough to remark upon how "articulate" I am! That makes me feel good!

Sally always says things that make me feel special, like: "You're so cool, you're different, you're not like other Black people!"

Tags: funny, racism

Athiesm, Heresy, and the Tao

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:46:55 GMT

clipped by: KevinM
clipper's remarks: Interesting article. There's much more to it than what I could fit in a clip.

Clip Source: alumnus.caltech.edu

ATHEISM, HERESY, AND THE TAO

by James Flanagan

At SUUSI [Southeastern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute: "Church Camp" for liberals] several years ago I had the good fortune to take two short courses from a fellow named tom kunesh, one course concerning atheism, and another about heresy. tom is very knowledgeable about religious history and a provocative thinker and teacher. If some of you attend SUUSI, I hope that you will have the opportunity to take one or more of his courses.

In addition to the Taoist concept of universal flow, complementarity - symbolized by the yin and yang � is a central theme. Taoism recognizes that for every void there is something to fill that void, even if it is only empty space. Good and evil are complementary, but complements need not be intrinsically either good or bad, black or white. Red and green are complementary colors, just as belief in god and atheism are complementary. I would like to use these two ancient concepts -- complementarity and universal flow -- to illustrate how atheisms and heresies arise naturally and unavoidably in a living, changing world.

TAOISM

Another current atheism is the resurgent Biblical literalist/creationist movement, which is a partially reaction to our increasingly rational, scientific society. Insofar as these people deny the evidence of science and seek to turn back the clock to another era, they deny truth and the Tao, and must ultimately fail in their attempt.

SO WHO IS AN ATHEIST?

When I first heard the term "religious atheist" I was confused. How can one who rejects conventional definitions of the soul, god, and the afterlife be religious? I would have denied being an atheist before taking tom's courses. A sceptic, maybe, but not an atheist. Now I'm not so sure. Atheist with respect to what? Is there a "theism" that cries out for a good atheism?

Tags: religion, daoism, atheism

U.S. Cultivated Islamic Extremism in Afganistan

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:01:58 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: atheistrevolution.blogspot.com

Friday, January 19, 2007

U.S. Cultivated Islamic Extremism in Afganistan

Concerned with promoting American interests against the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, the Reagan administration promoted Islamic extremism in Afghanistan. In The New American Empire, Rodrigue Tremblay describes how the U.S. provided Islamic schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan with free books celebrating Islamic law, praising militant Islam, and encouraging jihad against infidels (i.e., Russian atheists). According to Tremblay, these books "contained not only exhortations to holy war, but also many drawings showing soldiers, guns, bullets, grenades, tanks, missiles and antipersonnel mines" (p. 50).

Tremblay details how this "religious aid" program, which extended into the 1990s, spent over $51 million to develop textbooks for Muslim children which "glorified war and weapons." These textbooks would later be adopted by the Taliban as they rose to power in the mid to late 1990s.

"Observers agree that religious fundamentalism was effectively inexistent (sic) in Afghanistan and Pakistan before the U.S. government decided to finance them and to furnish ideological and military arms to combat the Soviets" (p. 51)

Many prominent neoconservatives believe that America is fighting a war not simply on terrorism but also on Islamofascism. Bush himself has repeatedly referred to "Islamic fascists," and similar terms such as "Islamic extremists" are popular in American culture today. However, I can't help wondering how many Americans realize that their own government had a hand in cultivating "militant Islam," "Islamic extremism," and the like.

Tags: religion, politics, Islam, terrorism, Islamic extremism, religious extremism, America, United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan

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Tags: terrorism, politics, religion

5 Steps to Being More Photogenic

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:24:15 GMT

clipped by: meerkat
clipper's remarks: So useful for professional portraits, or for random pictures with your friends. Ah, vanity.

Clip Source: www.digitalcamerau.com

Step 1

If you are standing - turn slightly and rest your weight on one foot. It may FEEL goofy, but you WILL look better.

If you are sitting – angle to one side or the other.

Step 2

Lean slightly toward the camera – Leaning slightly toward the camera adds interest, dimension, and a natural look to a photo. Think of having a long neck like a gazelle, and tilt your chin down just a bit to avoid the appearance of a double chin and also to prevent the camera from getting a view right up your nostrils.

Step 3

Models are taught to change state by developing a ‘trigger.’ So when they are about to have their picture taken, even if they are in a crummy mood, they can go from level 1 to level 5 in a heart beat. Firing a trigger is a reminder to do the things that make you look good. Believe it or not, THE most successful trigger we found over the years was called the ‘rear cheek squeeze.’ It’s really cool because it’s inconspicuous. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like; you squeeze the cheeks of your rear end together. Don’t make fun of it until you try it. To see it’s effectiveness try this experiment. Ask someone to sit on a chair and then ask them to squeeze their cheeks together. I have not met ONE person who doesn’t immediately smile and say something like, okay, now what?

Step 4

Learn to ¾ smile – People just don’t like pictures of themselves with huge smiles. Smiling too big exposes gums and causes your eyes to turn into slits.

Step 5

Never look directly at the lens – ALWAYS, look slightly ABOVE the lens.

Tags: tips, photo, howto

How To Not Procrastinate

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:02:42 GMT

clipped by: PurityAlighieri
clipper's remarks: I definitely should take this to heart...

Clip Source: wehow.ehow.com

How to Stop Procrastinating

Instructions

STEP 1: If you have 2 weeks to complete a project, start brainstorming the very 1st day.
STEP 2: Write down your ideas and don’t look at them again for 2 days.
STEP 3: Now it’s time to write a complete rough draft, set it aside for a day.
STEP 4: Now write the final version. Don’t stop until it’s complete. The goal is to complete in it’s entirety to avoid having to work on this anymore!
STEP 5: If the project is a presentation, rehearse in the mirror a minimum of 2 days prior to the presentation.
STEP 6: If you work this plan you’ve completed the project a week before it’s due. Your extra time, PRICELESS!

Overall Tips & Warnings

You can apply this process at anytime with anything.
Just do it!

Tags: procrastinating, school, projects

If Operating Systems were Beer

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 04:57:48 GMT

clipped by: coconutshell
clipper's remarks: A few more at the source.

Clip Source: www.tobp.com

Linux Beer

LINUX beer tastes just like Unix beer. Like Unix beer, Linux beer is intended for expert beer drinkers only. It originally had no pop tops or cans because you had to brew it yourself. First you would get a recipe and some yeast from a Unix guru. Then go plow a field, plant your barley and hops. After harvest you would take your Kernels and put them into a barrel full of water, then you just add your yeast close the lid, and let your beer compile. After all this you have what experts claim to be one of the Worlds Best Beers. Linux beers do not normally explode but many brewers have been known to. Linux beer is now available from some Micro Brewerys in handy pop top versions for easy drinking by beginner Unix or Linux beer drinkers. Keep your can openers handy.

DOS Beer

Requires you to use your own can opener, and requires you to read the directions carefully before opening the can. Originally only came in an 8-oz. can, but now comes in a 16-oz. can. However, the can is divided into 8 compartments of 2 oz. each, which have to be accessed separately. Soon to be discontinued, although a lot of people are going to keep drinking it after it's no longer available.

Mac Beer

At first, came only a 16-oz. can, but now comes in a 32-oz. can. Considered by many to be a "light" beer. All the cans look identical. When you take one from the fridge, it opens itself. The ingredients list is not on the can. If you call to ask about the ingredients, you are told that "you don't need to know." A notice on the side reminds you to drag your empties to the trashcan.

Windows 98 Beer

Millions sampled Windows95 beer and noticed that it was often flat, right out of the can. The manufacturer of Windows95 beer decided to re-release it as Windows98 beer and guarantee it's freshness. Most consumers are skeptical of the manufacturer's claims, and will continue to drink flat Windows95 beer because they have acquired the taste for it.

Tags: humour, humor, funny, beer, os, operating systems, computers, technology, windows, mac, linux, unix

Smash My PS3!

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 02:32:59 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: www.smashmyps3.com

PS3 Has Been Destroyed!
Come back in a few hours for the video, or tune to your local media outlet!

Watch the video!

Watch the video!

Tags: ps3, playstation 3, smashmyps3

Easiest job ever: dentist hires 60 temps to wait in PS3 lines

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 01:48:31 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: www.engadget.com

Easiest job ever: dentist hires 60 temps to wait in PS3 lines

Posted Nov 16th 2006 7:45PM by Evan Blass
Filed under: Gaming

If we weren't sure before, then we're definitely positive now: the impending PlayStation 3 release has officially driven people to madness. As if folks quitting their jobs, ditching their fiancés, and perpetrating drive-by shootings weren't enough, we've just gotten word that a dentist in Columbus, Ohio leveraged some of those cavity-filling profits to hire an unbelievable 60 temp workers to stand in line at four area Wal-Marts. Although not a videogame fan himself, Dr. Murry Newlin wanted to spread the Christmas cheer to his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews by picking up 15 of the next-gen consoles -- a feat that would be impossible for one man to accomplish alone, but that would seem rather trivial for an army of temporary employees. Newlin rotated the line-goers every eight hours, and if sour grapes complaints to store managers and the temps' employment agencies hadn't caused him abandon the plan yesterday afternoon, our rough estimate is that the whole deal would have set him back about $23,400 when all was said and done -- or about the cost of two PS3s on eBay. So what did we learn from this whole ordeal? Simple: if you're one of Dr. Newell's grandkids, we hate to break it to you, but scuttling his plan because of a few whiny fanboys means grandpa just doesn't love you very much.

[Via Blogging Ohio]

Tags: ps3, launch

Clear channel sells 25% of stations

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:23:53 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: www.xm411.com

Clear Channel's Board of Directors on Thursday (Nov. 16) accepted a $26.7 billion offer from private equity investors Bain Capital Partners, LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. that will take the massive multimedia company private at $37.60 per share. That’s about a 25% premium on the stock based on a 30 trading days average that ended on Oct. 24, the day before the San Antonio-based company announced that it had hired investment bank Goldman, Sachs and Co. to evaluate its strategic options. Clear Channel said the $26.7 billion offer includes the assumption or repayment of approximately $8.0 billion of net debt.

The merger is subject to the approval of Clear Channel’s shareholders and regulatory authorities and Clear Channel may also consider competing bids through Dec. 7, and may negotiate with parties that submit competing proposals by that time until Jan. 5. An unspecified break up fee would apply, Clear Channel says.

Tags: clear, channel

Linkification!

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:17:28 GMT

clipped by: KevinM

Clip Source: addons.mozilla.org

Linkification

by John Hansen

Converts text links into genuine, clickable links.

To view and set options, you can (1) use the Linkification right-click context menu, (2) right-click the status bar icon and click "Options", or (3) click Tools->Extensions, and double-click the Linkification item.

Install now (54 KB)

Tags: firefox, extensions, links

Pioneer inno

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:09:37 GMT

clipped by: KevinM
clipper's remarks: So cool. So cool.

Clip Source: www.myradiostore.us

Tags: inno, pioneer, xm, satellite, radio, mp3, wma