The Right-Wing Nutjobs Take on the Liberal Wieners
I'm gonna be busy during the next three days, so I won't be commenting on the RNC. However, I recommend going to
Just Bein' Frank for a blogger's coverage of the events.
Goodbye imaginary visitors, see you in a couple of days!
Back At Penn
This is so exciting!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
I can't wait to see everybody!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
...
It's my senior year!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Sometimes
Sometimes
The very sky seems to come crashing down,
And rain and thunder subdue the world.
Sometimes
Treason sneaks behind the high walls,
And leaves a vast fortress defenseless.
Sometimes
The greedy river grows great with anger,
And claims for himself the dreams of the poor.
But sometimes
The gray sky is of your making,
And you have betrayed the King,
And you have opened the floodgates.
Sometimes
Your face just hides behind your hands as you look down,
And you quietly say:
Fuck.
(But only sometimes!)
A Humanitarian Exchange? Think again.
Throughout the past decade, a guerrilla group known as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) has been trying to kidnap my country. They haven't quite achieved it yet, and they never will, but it certainly hasn't been for lack of trying. During the last few years, they've decided to heighten the political stakes by adding prominent political figures and members of the military (including a former presidential candidate and a well-known senator) to the their yearly thousands-long list of kidnapees. The government does not wish to bargain with terrorists over the lives of these people, but there has been growing pressure to allow for an inadequately called "humanitarian exchange" in which kidnap victims will be traded for guerrilla prisoners in Colombian jails. I can understand that families wish to see those who are being held captive return home, but to me it seems unlikely that such an agreement would not simply encourage guerrilla groups to intensify their kidnapping campaigns.
However, since some sort of solution is ultimately necessary, the government has been secretly making contact with these groups for a couple of years and trying to come to an agreement about the issue. Last week, these quiet negotiations were revealed to the public eye after the government openly made a formal proposition regarding such an exchange. The government's offer was to free 50 guerrilla members who have been convicted on charges of rebellion, and who should either leave the country or submit to a social "re-insertion" program, in exchange for all "politically-motivated" kidnapped victims. Unsurprisingly, however, the FARC apparently consider that this offer is not generous enough and continue seeking greater benefits in exchange for the lives and liberty of innocent people. But what else could we expect of them?
In any case, feel free to read the following article in
El Pais, regarding US criticism of the exchange. There is also a more in depth article at the
Revista Semana website.
If you don't speak Spanish, then learn. Or Bablefish-it or something.
Still, for those of you who are losers, here is a somewhat outdated article from
The Economist.
Better Late Than Never
These days, everyone seems to have something fresh and exciting to write about. For hungry bloggers throughout the world, every sunrise appears to bring with it a free buffet of new events and topics, about which they may rant or comment on websites nobody even bothers to visit. And though ertandberni
is indeed a hungry blogger, since he had no time for breakfast today, in keeping with its never ending quest to break all norms of timeliness and redefine the meaning of beating a dead horse, Tremendous Trifles has decided to revisit the controversial subject of Mel Gibson's "The Passion." Specifically, ertandberni wishes to expose a fallacy that was tremendously prevalent in debate about the movie and which needs to be put to rest once and for all.
Before beginning, however, ertandberni would like to notify the reader that he believes referring to himself in the third person is a little weird, and that concequently, he has decided to stop doing it immediately.
Now, this fallacy that I consider needs to be exposed does not exactly concern the movie itself. Rather, my post concerns a theological mistake that arose from popular critics and (regrettably) seemed to be widely accepted by the public. Please do not worry, although I
did use a scary word like "theological," this post should actually be rather straight forward.
The mistake I'm talking about is simply this idea that was getting drilled into our heads by critics, throughout the whole controversy, about how the movie was flawed because what was really important about Jesus was what he came to teach and not that he had suffered and died. Now, I realize this sounds fair-minded and sensible at first, but that is actually not the case. In fact, by saying such a thing, these critics are actually missing the whole point, and turning the mission of Jesus on its head.
It is true that Jesus had a lot of good, challenging and even startling things to say; but it should be clear to anyone who has spent more than two minutes thinking about it that if indeed he was who he claimed, this could not possibly be the core of his mission. After all, Socrates, Aristotle, Confusious, Lao Tzu, Buddha, and who knows how many others, had also a lot of good, challenging, startling and even similar things to say. No, this simply can
not be the reason why God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, would choose to become flesh and live among men. If he merely wanted to deliver a message, he would have sent another profet. The "Philosopher-Christ" persceptive just doesn't cut it. God would not become human without a purpose; and that purpose, simply stated, was to die.
However, to realize the correctness of this position, it is not even necessary to believe in the divinity of Christ. It is clear from the whole story of his life, even if seen as simply human, that mere teaching was not the goal towards which his actions were driving at. But I won't bother wasting words with what others have said better than I ever could. Here is some of what Chesterton had to say about this point in
The Everlasting Man:
We often hear of Jesus of Nazareth as a wandering teacher, and there is a vital truth in that view in so far as it emphasises an attitude towards luxury and convention which most respectable people would still regard as that of a vagabond. (...) It is assuredly well to remember that he would quite certainly have been moved on by the police and almost certainly arrested by the police for having no visible means of subsistence. For our law has in it a turn of humour or touch of fancy which Nero and Herod never happened to think of, that of actually punishing homeless people for not sleeping at home.
But in another sense the word 'wandering' as applied to his life is a little misleading. As a matter of fact, a great many of the pagan sages and not a few of the pagan sophists might truly be described as wandering teachers. In some of them their rambling journeys were not altogether without a parallel in their rambling remarks. Apollonius of Tyana, who figured in some fashionable cults as a sort of ideal philosopher, is represented as rambling as far as the Ganges and Ethiopia, more or less talking all the time. There was actually a school of philosophers called the Peripatetics; and most even of the great philosophers give us a vague impression of having very little to do except to walk and talk. The great conversations which give us our glimpses of the great minds of Socrates or Buddha or even Confucius often seem to be parts of a never-ending picnic; and especially, which is the important point, to have neither beginning nor end. Socrates did indeed find the conversation interrupted by the incident of his execution. But it is the whole point and the whole particular merit, of the position of Socrates that death was only an interruption and an incident. We miss the real moral importance of the great philosopher if we miss that point; that he stares at the executioner with an innocent surprise, and almost an innocent annoyance, at finding anyone so unreasonable as to cut short a little conversation for the elucidation of truth. He is looking for truth and not looking for death. Death is but a stone in the road which can trip him up. His work in life is to wander on the roads of the world and talk about truth for ever. Buddha, on the other hand, did arrest attention by one gesture; it was the gesture of renunciation, and therefore in a sense of denial. But by one dramatic negation he passed into a world of negation that was not dramatic; which he would have been the first to insist was not dramatic. Here again we miss the particular moral importance of the great mystic if we do not see the distinction; that it was his whole point that he had done with drama, which consists of desire and struggle and generally of defeat and disappointment. He passes into peace and lives to instruct others how to pass into it. Henceforth his life is that of the ideal philosopher; certainly a far more really ideal philosopher than Apollonius of Tyana; but still a philosopher in the sense that it is not his business to do anything but rather to explain everything (...).
Now compared to these wanderers the life of Jesus went as swift and straight as a thunderbolt. It was above all things dramatic; it did above all things consist in doing something that had to be done. It emphatically would not have been done, if Jesus had walked about the world for ever doing nothing except tell the truth. And even the external movement of it must not be described as a wandering in the sense of forgetting that it was a journey. This is where it was a fulfilment of the myths rather than of the philosophies; it is a journey with a goal and an object, like Jason going to find the Golden Fleece, or Hercules the golden apples of the Hesperides. The gold that he was seeking was death. The primary thing that he was going to do was to die. He was going to do other things equally definite and objective; we might almost say equally external and material. But from first to last the most definite fact is that he is going to die. No two things could possibly be more different than the death of Socrates and the death of Christ. We are meant to feel that the death of Socrates was, from the point of view of his friends at least, a stupid muddle and miscarriage of justice interfering with the flow of a humane and lucid, I had almost said a light philosophy. We are meant to feel that Death was the bride of Christ as Poverty was the bride of St. Francis. We are meant to feel that his life was in that sense a sort of love-affair with death, a romance of the pursuit of the ultimate sacrifice. From the moment when the star goes up like a birthday rocket to the moment when the sun is extinguished like a funeral torch, the whole story moves on wings with the speed and direction of a drama, ending in an act beyond words.
Therefore the story of Christ is the story of a journey, almost in the manner of a military march; certainly in the manner of the quest of a hero moving to his achievement or his doom. It is a story that begins in the paradise of Galilee, (...)and gradually climbs the rising country into the mountains that are nearer to the storm-clouds and the stars, as to a Mountain of Purgatory. He may be met as if straying in strange places, or stopped on the way for discussion or dispute; but his face is set towards the mountain city. That is the meaning of that great culmination when he crested the ridge and stood at the turning of the road and suddenly cried aloud, lamenting over Jerusalem. Some light touch of that lament is in every patriotic poem; or if it is absent, the patriotism stinks with vulgarity. That is the meaning the stirring and startling incident at the gates of the Temple, when the tables were hurled like lumber down the steps, and the rich merchants driven forth with bodily blows; the incident that must be at least as much of a puzzle to the pacifists as any paradox about non resistance can be to any of the militarists. I have compared the quest to the journey of Jason, but we must never forget that in a deeper sense it is rather to be compared to the journey of Ulysses. It was not only a romance of travel but a romance of return; and of the end of a usurpation. (...) The point, here however, is that all these incidents have in them a character of mounting crisis. In other words. these incidents are not incidental. When Apollonius the ideal philosopher is brought before the judgement-seat of Domitian and vanishes by magic, the miracle is entirely incidental. It might have occurred at any time in the wandering life of the Tyanean; indeed, I believe it is doubtful in date as well as in substance. The ideal philosopher merely vanished, and resumed his ideal existence somewhere else for an indefinite period. It is characteristic of the contrast perhaps that Apollonius was supposed to have lived to an almost miraculous old age. Jesus of Nazareth was less prudent in his miracles. When Jesus was brought before the judgement-seat of Pontius Pilate, he did not vanish. It was the crisis and the goal; it was the hour and the power of darkness. It was the supremely supernatural act, of all his miraculous life, that he did not vanish.
Heard about Darfur?
Hopefully you have, but in case you haven't, here is a short version of what was said at a briefing that I had to go to today. Sorry for not posting something more lively, but it is all I had time to write today. Oh, and I'm leaving out people's names in order to drive you mad with curiosity.
CSIS-USCCB Briefing on Sudan
Panel presentation on the humanitarian situation in Darfur, western Sudan, as perceived by officials from USCCB and Catholic Relief Services
Summary: In collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a briefing on the current humanitarian situation developing in Darfur, western Sudan. This event featured X, Y and Z, all of whom recently returned from Sudan. These officials stated that their visit has led them to believe that the Sudanese government is untrustworthy, that humanitarian assistance has not yet reached adequate levels and that sustained and intense international pressure is necessary to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
The Humanitarian Situation: During the briefing, panelists addressed several aspects of the complex humanitarian situation developing in western Sudan. X began by stating that during their visit to two refugee camps, it was evident that humanitarian assistance was still inadequate. He stated that food and health supplies as well as security were gravely deficient, and that rain made living conditions for refugees and displaced people nearly unbearable. Following these remarks, Z explained that despite these difficult circumstances, the humanitarian situation has improved during the past month, as work permits have become more easily available and the government has improved accessibility to the area for humanitarian agencies. However, Z stated that if political conditions changed, the situation could easily deteriorate again, especially given the fact that the Janjaweed militia is still visible in the area. Y then added that Sudanese officials seemed to be perplexed at the international community’s heightened attention to events in Darfur, given that in their opinion, the situation is not unusual within the context of violent conflict in Sudan.
Assessment of the Sudanese Government: During their visit to Sudan, the speakers were able to meet with Sudanese government officials, but were not impressed with the prevalent attitude of denial that they were met with. Indeed, the conclusion drawn by X from his conversations with several government members, including the Foreign Minister, was that that clearly “they were not telling you the truth.” He stated that officials would insist in denying the existence of any significant humanitarian issues in the Darfur region despite obvious evidence to the contrary. Z then added that the Foreign Minister considered that the government was simply responding to aggression by rebel groups in the Darfur region in a legitimated way. Finally, Y stated that local officials were confused and upset about the change from a 90- to a 30-day deadline regarding a visible amelioration of the humanitarian situation that was imposed by the UN on the Sudanese government. He added that although international pressure was indeed tremendously necessary, the international community should be careful to avoid debilitating and destabilizing the government.
Some recommendations: The speakers concluded by making several recommendations about the type of actions that may help to finally resolve this humanitarian dilemma. The main policies that were suggested were applying intense, sustained and credible international pressure on the government; aiding the African Union to expand its presence in the region up to about 3,000 troops; urging the US government to name Special Envoy focused on Sudan that will help to bring about a permanent political solution to the dilemma; inviting more humanitarian agencies into the region; and taking exceptional care to resolve the Darfur situation without undermining the peace process in the south.
Discussion Session: After the speakers had concluded their briefing, there was a time for discussion and questions during which certain noteworthy points were raised. It was mentioned, for example, that open disagreement between Western nations regarding possible solutions to the Darfur crisis tended to undermine the credibility of threats in the eyes of the Sudanese government. In addition, it was pointed out that international pressure must not only be directed at the government but also to the rebel groups in the area, who should be held accountable for the population’s wellbeing, as well. Finally, several attendees stressed the point that the peace process in the south should not undermined by policies and events developing in Darfur.
In Case You Wanted Something Random
So it turns out that I'm suffering from a bad case of writer's block. I've been searching around my brains and the internet all morning and I haven't been able to muster even what could be considered a minimally acceptable degree of inspiration. However, since I have to keep up with my commitment of updating this blog on a somewhat regular basis, here is what I'm going to do:
First, I'll look in the website with Chesterton's works on the web and find out what is the fifth word in the, let's say, eighteenth line of
Manalive...
Abruptly.
Then, I will go to Google and after doing a search for this word, I will go to the seventh link that appears...
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/mercurynews/business/6547524.htm (an article about a mortgage lender that shut down).
Following this, I will start counting links from top to bottom until I reach the tenth, and when I do, I will click on it. Finally, by the mysterious powers of the Internet, this link will open like an uncharted passageway to an unknown dimension, and I, the blocked yet heroic "writer," will daringly follow were it leads. My purpose: to write a masterful opinion piece about whatever this mystifying location in cyberspace may contain.
And the winner is... (drumroll)...
CARS!!! A page for buying and selling cars! How great is that?
Now, I shall proceed to the creation of my masterpiece. However, any readers with the very least amount of respect for their own time are advised to stop reading IMMEDIATELY in order to save themselves from the literary disaster that is to follow. Really, I'm not kidding. Only the lowest sort of dull, pathetic, idiot would persevere in thinking that this post is actually going somewhere. If you respect yourself or anything else that is good over the face of this earth, then please, leave now. You have been warned.
Well, continuing with my little "experiment," I have been playing around with this car selling website for a bit, and I must tell you, it's pretty impressive. This magnificent tool, that can be accessed for free on the internet, comes complete with all sorts of wild options for enhancing your car-buying experience. You can search for used cars or new cars, you can search for cars sold near or far away, you can choose the maker, you can choose the model, you can choose the range of prices and the mileage! With such a range of options, I wouldn't be surprised if they let you take your future car out to bar before having to "tie the knot." That is, if drinking and driving wasn't illegal.
In any case, you have to admire such a wonder. Gone are the days when a man would have to take his wife and all the kids along on a never-ending quest from dealer to dealer. This new invention has moved ordinary man another link up the Great Chain of Being. It is the culmination of millennia of human effort, toil, suffering and ingenuity. Now that Cars.com is here, man has finally conquered the car salesman.
On the downside, however, I should mention that this website lacks an adequate interactive interface for making the most of the online relationship between you and a prospective car. I think many users would find a real-time virtual driving tool to be helpful in getting to know the car better before actually setting up a date in the real world. Nevertheless, this website still does a tremendously good job at connecting people all across the nation with cars that they would possibly like to meet.
As a final note, it must be said that with such varied and remarkable features for car buyers, it is surprising that the website's most innovative tool is actually aimed at those working within the field of psychology. Indeed, the website serves as a thoroughly effective tool for identifying people that suffer from low self-esteem and related personality disorders, since only those who self-identify as "the lowest sort of dull, pathetic, idiot" (see above) will consent to reading an opinion piece about Cars.com.
Here at Tremendous Trifles, we would like to cooperate with this noble Cars.com campaign by suggesting the following websites were you may seek help for your condition:
Banish Low Self-esteem Through Handwriting
Self-Confidence
Why Low Self-esteem Makes You Even Dumber
And please remember the wise words of
Stuart Smalley: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"
Here's a Toast to Dear Old Penn!
US News has come out with its new
college rankings, and as much as they can be controversial, I am glad to say that the University of Pennsylvania is now located (alone) as the number 4 school in the nation. So feel free to join me in singing "The Red and The Blue" if you feel so inclined:
Come all ye loyal classmen now
In hall and campus through,
Lift up your hearts and voices
For the Royal Red and Blue
Fair Harvard has her crimson
Old Yale her colors too,
But for dear Pennsylvania
We wear the Red and Blue.
Refrain: Hurrah, hurrah Pennsylvania!
Hurrah for the Red and the Blue!
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,
Hurrah for the Red and Blue!
Did you know?
You may not, so listen up:
Refugees in the United States that have entered the country without a valid visa are kept in detention centers while their cases are decided in court. This means that they are jailed for indefinite periods of time (up to several years) without actually being charged for any crime. Since they are not US citizens, they also do not have the right to a state sponsored attorney, so unless they have the money for one (which they very rarely do), they are left alone to fend for themselves in a completely unknown legal system. The worst part of all this is that the US is actually one of the countries that is "friendliest" to refugees.
In any case, since the
UNHCR provides legal aid to detained refugees in the United States, today when I was answering the phones I actually got to talk for a bit with one of these people. I'll tell you, it was pretty deppressing. The caller had a really nice-guy-sounding voice. He was from Honduras and could not speak English, and was looking for legal aid to help rectify the human rights abuses that had been committed against him within the detention system. He told me he doesn't even care if he's deported anymore, he just wants someone that will seek to make justice for the fact that he was phisically abused and raped in prison. And he hasn't even committed a crime.
I listened to his story and tried to be as nice as possible, but it was rather frustrating because at the end, all I could tell him was that our Spanish-speaking legal assistant wasn't in today, and that he would have to call back Monday from 2:00 to 5:00.
To learn about refugees please check out:
UNHCR
USCCB - Office of Migration and Refugee Services (check out their resettlement programs, you could even help!)
US Committee for Refugees
Magic Mirror
I rise up to the heights
And look at all below,
Who sink away from all those lights
That in the darkness glow.
The magic mirror stares at me with wistful admiration:
“Oh, what a grateful son is this that comes into our nation!”
“Great knowledge is his shield,
And wit the sword he bears;
And no defeat upon the field,
Will sour his affairs!”
The magic mirror sings to me and stupidly I slumber,
For it is clear that strength like this could never come asunder.
And yet inside the walls
My enemies abound.
They’ve cooked a feast inside my halls
And soiled the holy ground.
The magic mirror speaks to me with its arguments of straw,
But to the foes I’ve sold my will, telling virtue to withdraw.
I look up at the heights
Where recently I tread,
And sink away from all those lights,
And feel my heart go dead.
And now I see that on those heights my face was never sighted,
For crude delusion was the ground on which my feet alighted.
But heights, they do exist!
A quiet voice now tells.
“Begin your journey and persist,
And heed alarms and bells!”
“Forget your strength, it’s worthless here, and lose foolish defenses,
Just faithful weakness, hard as steel, will break your false pretenses.”
So restless now I pray,
For all the fools have died,
That Grace in me will swiftly slay
That folly that is Pride.
Note: I hope that wasn't too painful. It's just something I had to write, though I realize I'm not at all good as a poet. I'm not putting it up because I think it's good; believe me, I have better taste. Rather, I can't think of a better way of improving my writing that putting it up on a public website for heartless people to rip apart. So go ahead, do your worse!
Back in my corner
Hello people! Did you miss me? Did you spend a week of sleepless nights and nightmarish days waiting for me to return? Did you come to realize how meaningless your life is without my posts?
No? Too bad, maybe someday.
In any case, I have returned from Hudson pumped and ready to post. Or, come to think of it, maybe pumped but not ready post, as I have no clear idea of what I'm going to be saying in the next few lines. That sounds exciting though; it could be anything.
Will it be an epic tale of high adventure full of great heroes and dangers, signifying the battle life must be? Will it be a poem of such beauty that it will awaken our hearts to that strange longing inside, which we know must somehow be connected to the meaning of Creation? Will it be a scathing essay that will shatter modern myths and bring forth forgotten truths?
No? Too bad, maybe someday.
But I
am working on something. I promise. In the meanwhile, though, I would like to say that it SUCKS that Chavez did not get recalled in Venezuela and that if you do not know anything about this autocratic ruler and demagogue, then its time you find out. I am not Venezuelan, but in Colombia we dislike him tremendously for tacitly approving of the guerrilla organizations that have hurt our country so much. However, even leaving that aside, you should know that during his term in office, Chavez has orchestrated a new constitution to increase his own power, has brought further ruin on the Venezuelan economy despite increases in international oil prices, and has polarized the country to seriously dangerous levels. Chavez claims to be a champion of the poor and has indeed initiated certain welfare initiatives and stepped on powerful toes, but it is hard to see how his policies can be sustainable in the long run.
I am not sure what is in store for Venezuela during the next decade now that 58% of the people decided to keep the President in office, but I think there are good reasons to be worried. Those in the opposition, which are a very significant proportion of the population, do not seem ready to cooperate with a Chavez government that could extend itself until 2012, while those who support the President remain resilient behind their leader despite strikes, protests, a referendum and even a military coup. The country, in that respect, seems rather ungovernable, and if the executive does not become more inclusive and willing to compromise, there is likely to be great social unrest in the future. All I can say is that Venezuelans are playing with fire, and I worry that mere social and political instability may eventually transform into violence such as that we have experienced in Colombia. Happily, though, things will probably never reach that point.
If you had already heard about all this, then I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I figured that most of those reading this blog might not know about what has been going on down there. For more info on last weekend's events you can visit the following websites:
-
Revista Semana (if you speak Spanish)
-
The Washington Post (if you are deprived of the best language around)
Also, I will try to get my Venezuelan friend to give us an insider's perspective on what awaits his country after the referendum, so stay posted.
P.S. I realized last night that I forgot to mention something in this post in order to be truly fair to the situation, and that is that if a guy like Chavez is in power, this is largely because the Venezuelan political elite, like most elites in Latin America, has been very negligent of the poor. However, I stand firm by my contention that Chavez is taking Venezuela down the wrong path.
It's Morning in Hudson, Ohio
As is generally the case when I write one of these posts, I am presently sitting on an office-type chair before a computer. The chair is made of leather, it is comfortable, and it tries to look old-fashioned; it makes me feel a little like a CEO, or rather it would if I wasn't wearing my pijamas.
In any case, there would be nothing too particular about this scene if it wasn't for the fact that outside my window I can now see the green trees and well kept lawns of Hudson, Ohio. Now, normally, I write from the little corner I was assigned at the office, so there is not even a window to look out from. If there
was a window, however, I only would be looking down at the K Street traffic in Washington, DC. So in other words, I'm not at work and I'm not in DC. I'm in Hudson, Ohio, visiting a very pretty girl, and actually having a life for the next few days.
So yeah, don't expect me to be writing much this week.
Freedom
...is just around the corner for you,
but with truth so far off, what good will it do?
-Bob Dylan,
Jokerman
London Tap Water and the Fountain of Joy
It's pathetic, I'm addicted to my own blog. I have no doubt that I'm its most assidious visitor. The day before yesterday I viewed it around 70 times (70 times!) in the irrational hope that some new comment would show up or some new quote would inexplicably appear. I'm beginning to understand the downside of keeping one of these. At least I realize my problem though, so hopefully I will be able to understand that these things don't update themselves and that no one really views what I post here.
In any case, there's a few things on the news today that deserve mention. The first of these is a short article on "Express" (which is distrubuted for free in the D.C. Metro and which is printed by The Washington Post) titled Prozac Nation. This article states that
'The British consume so much Prozac that traces of the drug can now be found in the country's drinking water, the government's environmental agency revealed this past week. The anti-depressant is apparently entering the river system and groundwater through treated sewage, health officials said.'
Did you guys get that or do I need to repeat it? OK, I'll repeat it. THE BRITISH TAKE SO MANY ANTI-DEPRESSANTS THAT NOW YOU CAN GET THEM WITH YOUR TAP WATER IN LONDON. What does that mean? Well, for one, it means that if the amount of Prozac that gets into the water system is enough to leave traces, I cannot even imagine how much they put into their bodies. More importantly, though, it is reflective of the pathetic state our CULTURE OF DEATH has reached. How long are we going to drug ourselves with mindless television, electronic gadgets, fashion, high-and-mighty career goals, superficial relationships, plastic surgery, and, well, drugs? Our culture is becoming emptier by the minute and we just keep urging it on, hoping that tomorrow's improved numbing mechanism will save us from the sense of meaninglessness that forever rears its ugly head whenever we forget to take our "hit." It is not going to happen people. Not going to happen. That's just not the way we work, it's obvious. Depression rates in today's world are FIVE to SIX times greater than at the beginning of the 20th century, and yet we are much more comfortable than before. It's pretty clear to me what's happening here. Our culture has forgotten about meaning. It has forgotten to help us understand what all our progress is ultimately for. Its kept on asking the 'hows,' but forgotten about the 'whys,' and only now we're beginning to begin to understand the tragedy of all this.
And no, I'm
not saying that all of these modern distractions are inherently bad, Prozac has helped a lot of people. But they should be just that, distractions. Things to help us relax or heighten the enjoyment of something that already fills us with joy. If you buy a convertible, do it hoping for a day when the sun shines bright upon untraveled roads and the woman you love sits next to you; her flowing hair dancing in the wind. Don't do it so you can get a trophy wife who will sit next to you with her fake boobs hogging all the view and her dyed hair stepping all over the wind's toes. Don't make material things into idols, or risk looking as dumb as a person kneeling before a golden calf. Choose one of the two.
Well, I think there was something else of importance in the news, but somehow I've forgotten.
Made to Order
There was absolutely nothing to do today at the office since the internet was down. Don't worry people, I'm OK, I survived, but I must say it was still pretty boring. In any case, since I lacked the wonderful world wide web to let my precious minutes drift away, I decided to do something I had been wanting to try in recent days: a bit of introspective, random, stream-of-consciousness writing. You know, the kind in which the author gives you a close up of the way in which his mind works and keeps whining about whatever troubles him and how he's so misunderstood or something. I tell you, its a great image to build for yourself.
So in any case, I indulged. I did it. But you know what? Although it might be helpful for my own writing, I don't think I'm going to show any of it to you. And you know why? Because although I started writing this for myself, by the end it was painfully obvious that I was writing it for you guys. I made the type of self-conscious, random, and self-conscious about being random, piece of writing that all you blog addicts adore. And I was going to post it. But then I realized that all that sort of thing feels to me like a lot of mental exhibitionism/voyeurism. What's up with that? Don't you guys have something better to do? Don't I have something better to do? I'm sure I do, plus it makes me feel ridiculous to go on pointless rants and then post them up for people to see. This blog is
not a reality show! Go see 'Amish in the City' or some other crap like that if that's what you like, but don't come here to stare at my mind like it's some sort of freak show! That is not what this blog is about.
Oops.
Big Brother is watching...
You guys have to check
this out. Amazing stuff. I found a link to it in another guy's blog. Type in any address in the US and you'll get a picture of it. Stalking will never be the same!
No Post Today
Now, as much as the title may be a blatant lie, it is true that there is no new post today in the sense of something that was originally written by ertandberni. But since you're not here to read what I have to say, but rather to waste your time, then here's a link to a
detective story that should keep you busy for a bit.
However, if you're feeling more like dominating something, then check out
this chicken that will do whatever you tell it to.
Finally, if you want to find out about what grad school is really like, you can go
here.
Enjoy!
End-of-the-summer Reading
The summer is winding down to a close, but while some jerk stands behind me in the office (sorry Patrick), I will attempt to put together a decent Top 10 list of books to read for pleasure before you have to go back to your trusty textbooks. This is not a list of new books, just good ones. Good books need more publicity these days.
10)
Le Petit Nicolas et les copains, by Gocinny - for those of you learning French, this is a children's book that you'll love if any youthful joy still clings on to your embittered soul. Gocinny is the author of the Asterix comics.
9)
El Amor en Tiempos del Cólera (
Love in the Time of Cholera), by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - A novel that is romantic and yet gritty, full of reality and magic in this author's awesome style.
8)
The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton - A smart allegorical work full of wit and good style about a lone undercover policeman set against the forces of anarchy.
7)
The Oddysey, by Homer (Robert Fangles' translation) - If you haven't read it, please do so. This translation is delicious to read.
6)
A Refutation of Moral Relativism by Peter Kreeft - An great book that deals harshly with a fallacious, detrimental, and popular point of view. It is written in a very approachable way (really!), despite its heavy title.
5)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Everybody has read this, but it is still freakin' good. If you haven't, get on with it.
4)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Not a quick read, but worth every bit. The way Tolstoy creates his characters is just amazing. There is probably no one in this book I couldn't relate to at some point. It also has some good points about love and the human heart.
3)
Harry Potter (any of them), by J.K. Rowling - This is perfect summer reading. If you haven't read them already, now's a good time to start. Remember that they are, and will always be, children's books, but they are full of creativity and exitement.
2)
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis - Lewis points out through the letters of a 'senior' devil to a tempter 'in-training,' how silly many of the things we do with our lives really are. You'll find yourself thinking all the time: 'How could I not have thought of that before?!'
1)
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is simply my favorite book. You need to read it. Tolkien's use of language is gorgeous, and his ability to create worlds is simply astonishing. I can't describe it as anything more than beautiful (as in FULL OF BEAUTY). Its genius, simply pure genius... And yes, I know, I'm a geek.
Some Thoughts about Thoughts
Even within the context of religion, understanding free will and our ability to have our own thoughts and choose our own actions accordingly can be a difficult thing. However, after reading a set of discussions between some friends of a friend a few weeks ago, I started thinking about how our free will and our thought could fit in within a merely naturalist universe (basically an atheistic one in which everything ends up boiling down to physics). After discussing it with a philosopher/law professor I was recently introduced to, I've pretty much concluded that naturalistic atheism does not allow for any sort of freedom of choice that could be meaningful. At least nothing that can relate to our own real experience on this earth. Here's a bit of what we talked about in a couple of emails:
Ertandberni:
Basically, wouldn't it be the case that if naturalism is true, there would
really be no space for free will? What I mean by this is that since everything must have a cause, if naturalism is true and it all boils down to physics then we should theoretically be able to trace every single one of our present thoughts (or the physical states underlying those mental states) down an unimaginably long line of causes all the way to some sort of ridiculously complex "primordial equation" from which everything spurng. Isn't this true? And if that is the case, doesn't that mean that a hypothetical "super mathematician" at the beginning of time could have been able to tell us everything that was ever going to happen, much in the way one could supposedly know the exact trajectory that a series of marbles hitting each other would all have, even before the first two collided, if one could take into account all the existing information?
Philosopher Guy:
This is an easy one. Your analysis is correct: if something like naturalism is true, then, yes, the entire course of the universe from the big bang to the final big freeze (or whatever it may be), is entirely determined, and someone in possession of the appropriate information and enough computing power could indeed determine the entire history, past and future, of the whole universe. BTW, this is non-controversial. Philosophers across the ideological spectrum agree on this.
Whether or not this conclusion is compatible with human free will, however, is not so simple a question. In this regard, people talk about "hard determinism" and "soft determinism." Hard determinism says that the universe is deterministic, and this indeed means that there is no free will. Soft determinism holds that, although the universe is deterministic, this is compatible with there being free will (this view is also called compatibilism). The locus classicus for compatibilism is Hume, Treatise on Human Nature, II.III.1-2. The question is a real one because the terms "necessity" and "free" admit of a lot of interpretation. Hume's own account, for example, turns very much on his own (now clearly seen to be inadequate) understanding of the key terms necessity, cause, liberty, etc. The third major position is some form of voluntarism, the idea that the universe (or at least human behavior) is not deterministic.
So, long story short, yes, you're right that if naturalism is true, the universe is deterministic, but as for what this says about human free will, the issue is controversial.
Me Again:
I need to look into this soft-determinism thing, but it seems a little too much like wanting to have it both ways.
So for now, it appears to me that if atheism is true, then no one ever really chose (or will choose) what to believe. Even the atheists.
P.S.: And you never really chose to discard or accept my opinion either.
This Just In
In an exclusive interview with
Tremendous Trifles, authorities have revealed that Frank, author of a
failing blog, is too incompetent to know how to adequately post comments (see under the "Welcome" entry).
In additional news, the infamous Ertandberni humiliated Frank's deductive capacities by poiting out:
"Yes Frank, the fact that
Anonymous thinks I'm "hott and sexy" (notice the double "t"s) probably does mean that this person is telling the truth (at least in terms of what their real opinion is). People in general are more likely to express truthful opinions when their identity is kept secret; that is precisely the rationale behind polling methods. Now you can go home (or stay there) and cry."
A Short Story
I had forgotten to mention that this is a bilingual (at least, if not more) website, so here's something for those of you who know Spanish. This is a short story I wrote last year. And no, I won't kill you if you criticize (although I reserve the right to use other means of retribution).
La Broma Pesada
Por: B.A.G.
Al contemplar el cuarto a su alrededor, el hombre de mirada tranquila se percató sorprendido del elegante lujo que lo envolvía. Un escritorio de madera maciza y finos acabados se recostaba contra una ventana de cortinas grises, mientras que millares de libros envolvían las paredes como un enjambre furioso. En frente suyo, la única pared descubierta lucía una gran chimenea sin utilizar, sobre esta un oscuro cuadro con figuras extrañas, y a la derecha una puerta antigua y aparentemente pesada. El único mueble distinto al escritorio era un imponente sofá de cojines gruesos que miraba hacia este muro antagónicamente. Sin embargo, la peculiaridad principal de aquella habitación, que al comienzo no había sido muy aparente, no era su gran cantidad de libros, ni su lujo, ni su tamaño, si no que todo lo que allí se encontraba era completamente gris.
Esto probablemente no hubiera parecido extraño si el cuatro se encontrara en la lobreguez de la noche, pero en aquel estudio había más que suficiente luz para leer un libro sin dificultades, y sin embargo, en este lugar pareciera que el color jamás hubiera existido. Cabe decir que no todo era oscuro, en muchos casos el gris era de un tono tan claro que casi se confundía con el blanco, pero todo permanecía borroso, indefinido.
Extrañado frente a esta rara situación, el hombre caminó hacia una de las inmensas estanterías y tomó un libro en sus manos, el cual hojeó rápidamente y luego dejó a un lado al descubrir que estaba escrito en una lengua extranjera y que al igual que todo lo demás, estaba compuesto por letárgicos tonos de gris. Repasó de nuevo el cuarto con la mirada, buscando algo más que llamara su interés, pero en aquel mundo de ceniza todo parecía igualmente monótono y aterrador. Fue entonces que decidió atravesar la pesada puerta para descubrir el resto de aquel extraño apartamento, y sin gran sorpresa encontró que allí también el color pareciera haber dejado de existir.
El resto del apartamento mantenía el mismo estilo lujoso del gran estudio, con imponentes cuadros plomizos colgando sobre sombrías paredes y decorando enormes habitaciones mustias repletas de cómodos muebles cenicientos. Entrando por una puerta doble, se encontró de repente en lo que parecía ser el cuarto principal, donde una gran cama antigua yacía destendida, triste y vacía. Tocó las sabanas, y para sorpresa suya descubrió que aun se hallaban calidas y con el aroma dulce de una hermosa mujer sobre ellas. En ese momento creyó recordar algo dentro de sí que dejó su mente silenciosa: unas esferas azules brillando como el cielo en un día de verano. Después, esperanzado de que alguien más pudiera estar allí, dejó escapar un “hola” tímido, pero fuerte y claro. No hubo respuesta, sin embargo, pues en ese cuarto solo estaban él y aquel gris indefinible, y comprendiendo esto se preguntó si aquella clara penumbra no sería por fin la realidad que un sueño de colores vivos jamás hubiera podido mostrarle.
Acostumbrándose a su nuevo entorno, salió del cuarto en dirección a la sala principal, donde varios sofás y asientos rodeaban una pequeña mesa rectangular. Al otro lado del corredor, se encontraba la mesa larga de un comedor imponente, y un poco más al fondo, una apertura en la pared dejaba ver una pálida nevera y una fina estantería de cocina hecha de madera tallada. Fue entonces que recordó la necesidad de comer, y se dirigió de inmediato hacia en inmenso refrigerador. Por su boca comenzaron a pasar sabores salados, dulces y amargos, y en su mente creyó ver por un instante la jugosa textura roja de una carne recién asada, el rico café brillante de un pastel de caramelo, la pura y suave blancura de un vaso de leche.
Pero al abrir la puerta no encontró nada. Las grises estanterías estaban allí completamente desiertas, excepto por dos botellas de plástico vacías y un panal solitario donde ya no quedaba ningún ex-pollo en potencia. Molesto, cerró la nevera para buscar reservas en la alacena contigua, pero allí se encontró sin sorpresa con la misma situación. Era evidente: en este lugar, no había nada que comer.
Con un sentimiento de fracaso conformista se dirigió de nuevo hacia la sala sin preocuparse demasiado. ¿Después de todo, que sentido tendría alimentarse en un mundo de grises? Se percató de que era posible que allí la comida no fuera necesaria, o que esta ni siquiera existiera, y dado esto, que su propia existencia podría no ser más que un efímero capricho de su imaginación. Resignado a esto, se hundió en uno de los lujosos muebles y observo que sobre la mesa se encontraba una botella de licor claro junto a las cenizas amargas de un cigarrillo sin filtro. Consideró emborracharse con el licor o fumarse los restos del cigarrillo, pero dándose cuenta que aquello no tendría ningún objeto, desistió. Sin embargo, esto lo hizo contemplar la mesa más de cerca y observó que entre las cenizas del cigarrillo se encontraban también los restos de lo que parecía ser una foto carbonizada. Entonces pensó con dolor que sobre aquel carcomido papel de color gris oscuro, alguna vez se habían posado las formas claras y vivas de una verdadera experiencia humana. En ese momento sintió mucho frío, y decidió volver al incoloro estudio para encerrarse allí, quizás para siempre.
Al entrar al inmenso cuarto, en hombre de mirada perdida contemplo el oscuro sofá, y se preparó a tomar una siesta irreal. Pero como el frío se volvía intensamente preponderante, miró hacia la chimenea y encontró para su sorpresa, que junto a unos pocos pedazos de madera gris se encontraba un pequeño pedernal, con el cual sería posible encender la leña. Se acercó a la chimenea y cuando estiró su mano para recoger la piedra se encontró frente a frente con una realidad tan real, que parecía inverosímil.
Por unos momentos se quedo completamente atónito, pero finalmente no pudo hacer más que aceptar la verdad que se encontraba frente a sus ojos; sus manos, trigueñas, vivas y con un alegre tinte de rosa lo miraban como desde otro mundo. Fue entonces que se percato de si mismo y vio que su cuerpo, el mismo de siempre, se presentaba frente a este mundo indefinido como una imagen deslumbrante. Entonces tomo la piedra y prendió un fuego que bailando anaranjado, se burlaba del aposento gris y borroso, devolviéndole de repente la fe poderosa de la sensatez y la realidad. Iluminada su mente levantó el tapete bajo sus pies, encontrándose entonces con un piso brillante de madera amarilla y marrón. Tomo entonces unos libros incomprensibles, y echándolos a un lado golpeó la pared tras la estantería con la punta filuda de una espada que decoraba el estudio. El rojo terrestre de un ladrillo salio a saludarlo tras una delgada capa de pintura gris y mentirosa.
Y fue así que se percató de nuevo de la cortina sombría tras la que parecía esconderse una ventana amplia. Con paso firme pero temeroso caminó hasta ella y la tomó con sus manos de nuevo vacilantes, haciéndola a un lado de repente con un solo tirón. Frente a él estaba el mundo, verde, vivo y brillante, el mismo que había estado allí desde el comienzo. Entonces mirando hacia el interior del cuarto, sonrió con perspicacia y rió alegremente.
Some Recommendations
To start us off, let's try something not too controversial. Here are a few suggestions of bands you may have not heard of before (you can find them online easily enough):
1) ATERCIOPELADOS; a Colombian Rock en Español band that has evolved from a very grungy sound to a truly unique style. They have been nominated for several Grammys and have were considered by Newsweek to be one of the best bands in the world.
2)FLOREZ; a bunch of college-age kids who are actually really really good. Check them out at
www.florezmusic.com.
Welcome!
This is the first entry of my second attempt at keeping a weblog. I am currently at work so I will be short. What I intend to do with this page is simple:
-First, I want to use it as a way to voice my opinions regarding a few topics that interest me such as religion, philosophy, art, politics and, of course, Colombia;
-Second, I want to get feedback;
-Third, I want you to get addicted;
-Fourth, I want to make a mockery of Frank's pathetic blog, which no one should ever visit (at
www.justbeinfrank.blogspot.com). You should also try to avoid Xangalicious (at
www.xanga.com/peachratk8).
Enjoy!
