If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather than the interests of trans-national corporations. I disagree with this statement. There never has been, and never will be, any consensus on what is in the best interests of humanity as a whole. So we're left with the interests of individuals, and the fundamental principle that each individual should be free to pursue happiness in their own way. Since some individuals will want to pursue happiness by ...

So I thought it might be interesting and fun to put forward the following two questions for discussion: Is morality the same in all times and places, or does it vary from time to time and place to place? And Is your moral code the one true moral code, and all others are wrong; or is your moral code one of many, all more or less equally true? To get the ball rolling, here's my answers: Morality is the same in all times and all places. It does not vary. There is one t...

So gasoline prices have been going down in my city over the last couple of weeks. Quite a bit, too. And people say that Bush never solves any problems!

Looks like John Mark Karr won't be standing trial for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey after all. The linked article is mostly about a different crime he's being tried for, in a different state altogether, but it does give a brief explanation for why he isn't being tried for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey: The decision to extradite Karr [to Sonoma County] was made after authorities in Boulder, Colo., informed Passalacqua on Monday that they would not be proceeding with murder charges agai...

I used to watch TV. Of course, I couldn't watch regular broadcast TV, because the reception is bad. So I had to get Cable. Now, Cable TV is interesting. With broadcast TV, the shampoo manufacturers pay for your TV programs, you pay for the shampoo, and you get shampoo commercials on TV. For premium cable, you pay for the shampoo, and you pay for the programs, but you don't get shampoo commercials. And with regular cable, you pay for shampoo, you pay for programs, and you still get...

From the point of view of the Grunt and the Civilian: "Frikkin' frackin' Uncle Sam can't figure out if he's coming or going, left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Situation normal, all fucked up. Maybe I can catch a few Zs before they send me nowhere at high speed again, just so I can do nothing when I get there." From the point of view of the Junior Officer: SENIOR OFFICER: Get there, and get there now! JUNIOR OFFICER: And then what? SENIOR OFFICER: I don...

I've recently revised my thoughts on surviving the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland (PAW). I'm convinced the key to not just surviving, but thriving in the PAW, will be resource management. I figure, there will be four key resources in the PAW: 1. Food 2. Fuel 3. Manpower 4. Knowledge Of these four resources, I believe that Fuel will be the most critical in the short term. Even though civilization will have collapsed in the PAW, the world will still be full of civilization...

I've recently revised my thoughts on surviving the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland (PAW). I'm convinced the key to not just surviving, but thriving in the PAW, will be resource management. I figure, there will be four key resources in the PAW: 1. Food 2. Fuel Manpower 4. Knowledge Of these four resources, I believe that Fuel will be the most critical in the short term. Even though civilization will have collapsed in the PAW, the world will still be full of civilization's m...

Hypothetically: Is it possible for someone to be convinced that they are, say, a woman trapped in a man's body, and be horribly mistaken? I mean, we know that we don't always have a clear understanding of what's going on in our mind and heart. If we did, we wouldn't need psychotherapists and psychologists. Anyway, discuss.

So S has a fantasy. No, not that kind of fantasy. Well, she has that kind, too. But that's not important right now. What is important is, she gets depressed, sometimes. It's like her kryptonite. We all have our kryptonite: that little radioactive rock we carry around with us. Every so often the shielding slips, and we get a big does of our own greatest weakness. Hers is depression, and when it comes on strong, she escapes into this fantasy. In the fantasy, I wake up one ...

By all means, let us remember the Crusades. Where shall we begin our rememberance? How about with the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, a city holy to the Christian and Jewish faiths? And now let us pause for a minute to contemplate the outcry that would rise up, if Christians or Jews were to conquer Mecca, a Muslim holy city. The world would never hear the end of it. Violent asshats and useful idiots everywhere would perpetrate and justify all kinds of atrocities because of it. But...

There are a lot of things I would do for a million dollars. But pulling the wings off a butterfly isn't one of them... Or is it? There are at least two kinds of people in the world: One kind of person has a million dollars and takes a sick pleasure in manipulating others into pulling the wings off of butterflies. Another kind of person could think of a million dollars' worth of Better Tomorrow they could buy, if only they had the cash. Which kind of person are you? How much wou...

So I had another crazy dream last night. I won't go into all the details. Suffice to say there were dirtbikes, biker gangs, pirates, boats (not at the same time as the pirates), a complicated and life-threatening mission, Lindsay Lohan, and my mom getting on my nerves. It was a very stupid and aggravating dream-montage, and not just because my mom had a cameo. I tried several times to get the dream onto a more pleasant track, or at least a more productive track, but had no luck. It...

Alrighty, JU, here's the deal. I'm stumped. A certain outspoken and intensely focused member of our community has recently made the following comment: "For the average American to be unable to buy as much this year as they did last year with their income is not economic growth. As far as jobs are concerned it depends of how much they pay and what benefits are included. IF A PERSON HAS A JOB(S) THAT DO NOT PROVIDE THE INCOME NEEDED TO LIVE, THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION." I guess I missed t...

Let's agree to disagree about the strategic value of the Iraq war, shall we? Suffice to say that I believe the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term drawbacks, and that while I admit that it is a huge gamble, it is a risk worth taking, for the long-term benefits it will bring if successful (and also because I'm convinced that the consequences of not taking this risk would be worse than the consequences of taking this risk and failing). I know you disagree with me on these points...