31 January 2008

An Open Letter

Warning: Strong language.

And now, an open letter to the guy who stole my Amazon.com package:

Go fuck yourself. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. You're probably a damned neighbor - I doubt the mail man would have stolen an Amazon box. You're a wanker for damaging my very hard earned holiday - holiday time which you're probably too much of a wanker to even put together for yourself - by preventing me from receiving the parcel I'd ordered specifically for watching during all of that time off. As I mentioned previously: go fuck yourself.

On the one hand, you're quite lucky that Amazon is such an awesome company, with awesome customer service that would be willing to either re-send or refund my missing order. What makes you a total wanker? MI-5 Series Five is no longer available. Through Amazon? Only through third parties. I checked with Overstock, Barnes and Noble, and Borders - which is affiliated with Amazon - and no dice. You're such a wanker - a lucky wanker, as I'm unwilling to track you down and smite you over less than $100 worth of merchandise. You're lucky that Best Buy had it on site... After I'd checked at Barnes and Noble.

You're such a wanker.

So it's on now, asshole. This will come back to bite you. As karma? Maybe not - I'm not a believer in karma, at least not in any mystical, spooky way. You'll get yours, though. I'm confident of that.

Semper vigilans,
The Fly

Fly Report: 31st January 2008

Good morning. May the Lord strike down my enemy: the guy who stole my Amazon.com package!

It's 39° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 30° Fahrenheit with wind and morning snow showers.

The average price of oil is $91.96 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,442.83. The exchange rate is $1.99 for £1, or £0.50 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 8. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

We're going back there.

30 January 2008

Keep On Rolling

Hey folks!

Senator McCain won in Florida last night. Mayor Giuliani is expected to drop from the race today and endorse Senator McCain. This makes it likely, though not certain, that McCain will win in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut - states that used to be sure wins for Giuliani. Is Senator McCain officially the Republican front-runner? It's sure starting to look that way.

I need to get ready for work, but stay tuned tomorrow for the return of "Stuff Fly Wants", which was absent in December. In the mean time:



Cheers, mates.

Fly Report: 30th January 2008

Good morning. I'm nerdy in the extreme, whiter than sour cream; I was in A/V club, and glee club, and even the chess team.

It's 39° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 27° Fahrenheit with clouds.

The average price of oil is $92.18 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,480.30. The exchange rate is $1.98 for £1, or £0.50 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 8. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

I will sing, sing a new song.

29 January 2008

Fly Report: 29th January 2008

Good morning. I really, really, really dislike hippies.

It's 41° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 22° Fahrenheit with light snow.

The average price of oil is $91.35 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,383.89. The exchange rate is $1.98 for £1, or £0.50 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 7. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

Maybe your hands aren't free.

Reflections on the State of the Union

Hey folks! I hope everyone's having a great week so far, even though we're only one day into it. For the most part today was good, although my good buddy Police Fan ended up starting a filthy hippy talking about politics, and then kept spurring him on and then getting back to work so that I had to listen to him. It became increasingly obvious that this waste of space had no clue about anything (which is ironic since he was a retired Navy chief - most of them are pretty sharp), and it ended up driving me out of the bar before I could watch the State of the Union Address. Solution? Go low(er)-tech: instead of watching it on television or online, I made the conscious decision to listen on the radio. The radio is greatly underrated in this day and age, and I hope that it continues to reinvent and renew itself. I never want to face a day without radio.

I'm talking to Sarah Canuck as I listen to President Bush. I think the following exchange is worth noting:

Sarah Canuck: I think it's good that you're so into your politics.
The Fly: Yeah, but I don't see it as politics. I realize that politics touches it, but it's purer than that for me.

As I told her: I love my president, but I love my nation so much more. I like to believe, though I may be kidding myself, that my love for this great nation is tempered and mature beyond the feelings of so many others. There are so many people who love America unrealistically, because they know nothing else. There are others who see a flawed country, and proceed from the unrealistic assumption that because we're flawed, we're evil. I've seen enough, both here and abroad, to understand that this nation is so amazing despite our flaws; the fact that we accomplish so much good as a nation in contravention of our shortcomings is the essence of what makes America great.

I'm worried about this great nation; I'm worried about our economy, and our politics, and our society. I think that we as a people have made decisions over the course of the last forty or fifty years that have made the future very problematic. Most of all, I fear for our survival and continued relevance, because I worry that we may possess neither the resolve to defend ourselves, nor the discipline to make the hard decisions and sacrifices necessary to keep this nation as great as it is. Even so, I love this nation so much, and I hope very much that we can resolve the problems that face us.

I apologize, because I had hoped to post my own State of the Union address tonight. The evening snuck up on me, and the work just didn't get done - or even started. I still plan to post something of that sort in the coming days. Until then, I'll merely note that although I don't agree with everything President Bush has done, or everything he said tonight, I respect him greatly. I truly believe, based on my knowledge of history, that he will be remembered as one of our great presidents. I pray that God will continue to bless and protect him, and that God will continue to bless the world by blessing and guiding this greatest nation on God's green Earth.

28 January 2008

Only You Can Improve America's National Discourse!

Note: This is my latest submission for my parallel writing endeavour.

Over the course of the last decade, some alarming trends have developed in discourse not only in the United States, but also abroad. There is no question that America appears more and more polarized in recent years. Although America has been fortunate to have avoided any recent beatings in the United States Senate, the national debate has still degeneratated from the days when distinguished statesmen answered their detractors with carefully crafted oratory, or documents such as The Federalist Papers. Although there are many examples of this phenomenon, a few prominent ones are worth discussing.

One example is the intellectual snobbery waged against those who advocate the theory of intelligent design. This opposition has become so rabid that the venerable Ben Stein will release a film in February entitled Expelled. Stein's premise has less to do with support for intelligent design, although that is part of the premise the film. His primary focus is the refusal of mainstream science to do so much as discuss the possibility that our universe was created in anything other than a random accident. Not unlike the perceived position of the Roman Catholic Church when dealing with Galileo (which, for the record, was actually much more nuanced and reasonable than is commonly known), the scientific establishment in America today essentially brands those scientists (many of them distinguished and respected in fields including biology and physics) to be heretics, marginalizing them and ignoring any and all attempts to explore evidence suggesting a supernatural influence in the creation of the universe and mankind.

Should all Americans demand acceptance of the concept of intelligent design? Of course not; but all Americans should demand that science respect and explore viable courses of inquiry, particularly when American scientific activities are often funded by the tax dollars of citizens who overwhelmingly believe in the influence of a higher power in the creation of the universe.

For another example of this degeneration of American debate, we can look at the issue of global warming or climate change. Distinguished author Michael Crichton made an excellent speech about this topic in his presentation "Aliens Cause Global Warming" in January of 2003. There are several schools of thought on the issue of climate change, but unfortunately, very few prominent figures in the discussion of this issue approach it with much decorum. Most notable among these is former Vice President Al Gore, whose rhetoric surrounding the issue has grown and grown until it has resulted in veritable scare tactics. While scientists agree that the earth has experienced a very slight warming trend over the last century, the data and its interpretation is highly disputed, even among climatologists; and yet, an increasingly militant cadre of climate change activists demonizes anyone who doesn't embrace their agenda. This scathing debate has made its way into global politics and the global economy, and has become more and more heated as the years have passed.

Should all Americans make drastic changes to their lives in a futile effort to stave off the process of global warming? No, particularly since scientists in all camps seem to agree that if humans are impacting the global climate, they are only a fraction of the overall cause. Should all Americans reject the possibility completely, and make every attempt to destroy the planet? Of course not; we should all be able to agree that good stewardship of natural resources makes sense from both environmental and economic viewpoints. The point is that, particularly in light of the amount of dispute over both the data and its interpretation, no justification exists for the demonization of either side. As Crichton notes in his speech, further research and discussion from both proponents and critics is appropriate; demonization and denigration are not.

Where does this issue of the decline in American discourse come into the realm of security? It's simple: the exodus of decorum from the overarching sphere of American rhetoric and discourse has bled its way into the debate about national security and foreign policy. This politicization of American military operations has at times threatened to derail ongoing operations abroad. In most situations, these heated discussions tend to go so far as to completely ignore important facts and events, all the while reducing topics that concern the physical security of American citizens, and the long-term survival of the Republic, to a battle of screaming sound bytes. Those who refer to themselves as "progressives" should hold themselves to a higher standard in the interests of progressing the maturity of American discourse. Those who refer to themselves as "conservatives" should hold themselves to a higher standard in the interests of conserving the great traditions of the American debate. In spite of the fact that conservatives currently have stronger positions on national defense than liberals, the bottom line is that with the exception of those on the political fringes, national security should be a bipartisan issue.

What is the solution to this problem of the degenerate state of discourse in America and abroad? The possibility exists that there may be no solution; after all, these problems are caused by some of the character flaws that have defined the human experience for thousands of years. On the other hand, the increasingly cliche words of Gandhi may be apt in this case: "Be the change you want to see in the world." While this quotation is overused and underpracticed, perhaps it can inspire a grassroots effort to improve the sorry state of American dialogue (while acknowledging that a cure is probably impossible). Perhaps Americans, who are the most innovative people in the world, can decide one by one to reject the viral sound byte culture of the mainstream news media, and instead learn about important issues in a more comprehensive sense by using the astonishing volume of information on the Internet and other media to absorb both facts and opinions, and make an accordingly informed judgment. Perhaps Americans can reject empty slogans and ignorant protesting, and come together for civil, respectful discussions in a variety of open forums that exist throughout the country. The possibility even exists that a groundswell of both progressive and conservative citizens could engage in a massive campaign to inform America's political "talking heads" that the partisan bickering from both sides of the Congressional aisle will no longer be tolerated by the electorate; maybe the citizen body can force elected officials to engage in responsible, informed debate on such important issues as a decisive victory in Iraq or securing America's ports and borders. Perhaps.

Hey, in the late 1960's a massive letter writing campaign saved Star Trek from cancellation. You may be asking yourself, "Why is that relevant?" Simple: it's proof that stranger things can happen.

Fly Report: 28th January 2008

Good morning. It's po-mo. Post modern? Yeah, alright, weird for the sake of weird.

It's 48° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 36° Fahrenheit with wind and snow.

The average price of oil is $89.94 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,207.17. The exchange rate is $1.98 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 6. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

Hold on, and hold on tightly.

25 January 2008

Lava Lamp Fly

Just a couple of quick things today, and then I'll bid you all farewell for the weekend.

First off, for the second time in six months, they're moving me to a different location at work. My boss, who is exceedingly cool (one of the best bosses I can ever remember having, ever), told us we could bring in stuff to make it our own space, as long as it's professional. Given those guidelines, I got her permission to make the purchase I made last night: a lava lamp. That's right, your most excellent blogging host will have a lava lamp at his desk. Sometimes I can't believe how much I rule.

It was announced yesterday that single taxpayers like yours truly will be receiving something on the order of $600 as a tax rebate, probably at some point in May. While I think an actual tax cut, coupled with a real reduction in government spending (maybe the elimination of a few superfluous government departments?) would be a better solution, I won't turn down six hundred dollars of what was really my money being refunded to me. Where that money will go, I'm not yet sure. My carbine? Could very well be.

I don't read conservative blogs nearly as much as I used to, in part because the one that really got me started pretty much self destructed in about 2005. There's one that was peripherally related to it that I still check from time to time. I've said before, and I'll repeat, that we have several great candidates, even though I prefer one over the rest of the pack and have issues with each. The other guy was supporting Senator Thompson, who dropped out several days ago. All of the comments on his post are backing Governor Romney - not because any of them like Romney, but because they all seem to have it out for Senator McCain. I have no clue what this animosity toward Senator McCain is. I don't agree with him on everything, but he's strong and experienced on most issues, and he's actually electable. I could go on and on about this, but the bottom line is that this animosity toward Senator McCain is truly and completely ignorant, and all of the anti-McCain rhetoric is getting really tiresome because the kind of people who are paying attention to the primary, save for a handful of Paulestinians, are not the type who will sit out an election; and it's looking more and more likely, inshallah, that Senator McCain is going to be the nominee - which means that we're all going to have to support him. I just really think it's asinine and childish on their part, and it's something that most conservatives expect of Democrats, not our own party.

My writing plans for this weekend are ambitious. The State of the Union Address will be Monday night, and I intend to write up my own version and post it here that night. Also, I have an article due on Sunday at noon for my parallel writing endeavour, and one of these days I need to address Chazza's response from a week or so ago. Aside from a couple of sojourns the confirm the continued existence of sunlight and human beings, this weekend will be spent hunkered down, tap tap tapping at the keyboard.

And now, continuing with the whole lava theme:



Joy. Okay, folks, have a great weekend.

Fly Report: 25th January 2008

Good morning. There's always a stage and a beautiful babe to squeeze my lime. In my simple way, guess you could say I'm living in the big time.

It's 46° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 33° Fahrenheit with wind and partial clouds.

The average price of oil is $90.12 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,378.61. The exchange rate is $1.97 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is very cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 6. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

Her skin is pale like God's only dove; it screams like an angel for your love.

24 January 2008

Morning Nookie and Monkeys - Heyo!

Ready for a cheap laugh? Well, Law School Goddess has been under the weather for the last few days, and yesterday she greeted me with the following exchange, quite accidentally on her part.

LSG: ---- me its early
The Fly: Okay, but I have to finish quick, I'm getting ready for work.
LSG: har har
The Fly: You said it, not me.

My verdict? Hilarious! Well, something or other came up, and I passed the exchange on to a familiar chum of mine, the good Friar - with humorous results. Observe:

Friar Dave: yyyep.
Friar Dave: gotta be careful with that
Friar Dave:
The Fly: As in, posting it on the blog?
The Fly: Hehehe
Friar Dave: LOL
Friar Dave: no, that's not what i meant at all
Friar Dave: i was thinking more along the lines that people should know better than to give yout that kind of room to work

That kind of room to work with, indeed! What's that? It's funny video time? How about Dane Cook's "Heist Monkey" bit?



A little bit crass (maybe I should have said that earlier), but with Dane Cook it's sort of implied. Whoops?

Just another quick anecdote, and then I have things to do. It's fairly frustrating, and entertaining at the same time, to talk to three different people at once (one of them being Sarah Canuck) to try to get ideas for a plot snag in my spy novel. If you're in the middle of Kirkwall, Orkney at midnight in December or January, and you're on a training mission, and you need a screw to discreetly pop the tire on the vehicle you've been tracking since Aberdeen, where do you find it? You and your partner don't know the layout of the city, so there will be no finding of random hardware stores. There are no random barns that just burned down (thank you, Fletch), leaving screws available for the taking. I'm sure I'll come up with something if I think about it hard enough, but it sure has me tripped up so far.

Okay, that'll do. Happy Thursday, kids.

Fly Report: 24th January 2008

Good morning. Any guy here would love to have a monkey.

It's 37° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 28° Fahrenheit with partial clouds.

The average price of oil is $87.74 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,270.17. The exchange rate is $1.95 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 6. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

I went riding down that old eight lane. I passed by a thousand signs, looking for my own name.

23 January 2008

Apocalypse Now - Right Now!

Okay, let's take a step back and review.

  • Mighty Mo and Longhorn Mike are divorcing
  • Senator Fred Thompson is no longer a presidential candidate
  • Heath Ledger, star of several great flicks (and several stinkers), is dead at age twenty-eight
  • For little discernible reason, the stock market is having an out of body experience

    Okay, I'm not so shocked about Senator Thompson - great candidate, I'd love to see him as Secretary of Something-or-other, but he wasn't going to be president since he came into the race too late and wasn't really trying very hard. But Heath Ledger? Mighty Mo and Longhorn Mike? The stock market? For crying out loud.

    And just to reiterate on the stock market: WTF, mate? Oil prices are down into the high eighties (dollar-wise), American currency is up compared to the pound (which is the most stable standard to compare it to), and there are issues with the market, but there are always issues with the market. According to my financial advisor, Father Time, the sub-prime mortgage market is a minor part of the mortgage market, and the overall mortgage market itself isn't a huge part of the overall market. People are screaming "recession", although the cooler heads interviewed my Medved over the last few days still think that the U.S. will avoid a recession. And for the record, there's a real definition of "recession" that most of the uneducated mouth-breathers who are throwing it around haven't studied up on:

    In macroeconomics, a recession is a decline in a country's gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year.
    - Wiki

    So mainly, this whole thing is just pissing me off because it's a bunch of ignorant stooges, both inside and outside the markets, ignoring how well the world economy is doing overall.

    Your hilarious video for today is Azzam the American's al Qaeda Orientation Video:



    May Azzam al Amriki (AKA Adam Gadahn/Pearlman), Ayman al Zwahiri, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and Osama bin Laden be captured and summarily smacked down. God bless America, and long live the Republic, economic schizophrenia and all!

    In addition to sporadic continuing work on plans for Operation Ulysses (an international sojourn to see the world and develop further skill sets following my current job, whenever that may be), I've also started planning Operation Oasis Realm. Oasis Realm is aimed at maximizing the professional and personal development opportunities that I have while I'm here at Van Dieman's Station. When I have a lot of things on my plate, both literally and figuratively, I like to organize them so that they're more easily managed. This is in direct contravention of the method proposed by Congressman Paul, in which a lot of conflicting goals and promises are thrown together in a massive gaggle and a bunch of self-proclaimed "libertarians" eat it up, to the point of ignoring his historical ties to racism and conspiracy theories. At any rate, I hope to have a working outline (timeline and budget) for Oasis Realm by the end of the weekend, and a working outline for Ulysses by the end of the month. I may or may not post information about these items for your viewing pleasure.

    For now, though, I need to troubleshoot my mp3 player (which, like the stock market, is fluctuating and malfunctioning for no discernible reason) and get ready for work. Carpe diem, friends.
  • Fly Report: 23rd January 2008

    Good morning. I had no clue that I had such power to effortlessly incite paranoia. Sweet.

    It's 45° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 21° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

    The average price of oil is $88.95 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 11,971.19. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 5. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    I went drifting through the capitals of tin, where men can't walk or freely talk, and sons turn their fathers in.

    22 January 2008

    Disturbances in the Mojo

    It's cold. Like, really cold. Like, so cold, I actually dug out another blanket last night because I was frickin' freezing. I'm actually tempted to turn on my heat. Will I hold out like I did last year at Van Dieman's Station? Only the Shadow knows!

    I saw Cloverfield yesterday with Police Fan. Not bad. I'm not usually a fan of monster movies, and I'm certainly not a fan of movies that make me think I'm hungry until I figure out that it's motion sickness, but it was actually pretty good. I've come to a new standard in movie-going over the last few years, wherein I judge a movie less by whether or not it made some sort of nebulous artistic statement, and more by whether it accomplished what it intended and resulted in a fun experience. Cloverfield delivers on the second: it's a good monster movie. There you have it.

    What's that? You want a video? Well, here's one I saw a few months ago, and it's still funny: Magneto's job interview at Starbucks!



    I don't have a cool link for you today. There it is.

    Okay, folks, the Fly has things to do. One question for you before I go: is anyone interested in reading my spy novel, chapter by chapter? I'm considering posting it up here as sort of a "peer review" sort of thing, but if there's no interest I'll just continue sending it to Big Red.

    And just for the record, only one person will know this, but there was a massive disturbance in the Mojo on Sunday. I still think it's messed up, but it's not my place to meddle in the flow of the Mojo... After all, for those who meddle, the Mojo is weak.

    Happy Tuesday, folks!

    Fly Report: 22nd January 2008

    Good morning. If you call, I will answer; and if you fall, I'll pick you up.

    It's ??° Fahrenheit and [unavailable] in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 25° Fahrenheit with afternoon snow.

    The average price of oil is $88.05 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,099.30, which is schizophrenic compared to oil and exchange rate values. The exchange rate is $1.94 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool, but completely unrelated to astronomy. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 3. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    And you give yourself away.

    21 January 2008

    Fly Report: 21st January 2008

    Good morning. This is really messed up.

    It's 41° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 7° Fahrenheit with morning snow.

    The average price of oil is $89.17 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,099.30 - WTF, mate. The exchange rate is $1.95 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 3. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    Tell me, will you dance with me? And turn me around tonight, up through the spiral staircase to the higher ground.

    19 January 2008

    Pictures Forthcoming - and News of the Whore!

    It's been an interesting couple of days. I already posted my remarks about Thursday. Friday was every bit as interesting, and it's continued into Saturday. Highlights? I've got highlights for you.

    I've spent a lot of time on the phone in the last couple of days with my adopted big sister, Mighty Mo. She's having a rough time, but years of living in a dysfunctional family have given her a pretty thick skin, and she's remarkably intelligent and has common sense - something that I can't say about half the people I went to college with. Anyway, she's kept a pretty good head on her shoulders for the most part, and though I know the really hard part is still ahead of her, I have no doubt that she's going to come out on the other side. Nobody wins in situations like this, but Mighty Mo has already shown herself in our conversations to be so extremely cunning as to make Gary Kasparov look like Sean Penn. In the same way that I'm proud of my support for Senator McCain, I'm glad to be on a winning ticket.

    I had lunch yesterday with the youth pastor. I should probably come up with a Fly-esque name for him, and that name will be Hang Ten. (He's a surfer.) Anyway, at my first ever visit to a Chik-Fil-A restaurant, Hang Ten and I spent a solid three and a half hours killing time while his five year old daughter played on the indoor playground. Awesome.

    Once I'd spent some time chatting with Mighty Mo on the phone, part of which occurred during a grocery run, I went back to the house and got ready for a long-awaited reunion dinner with Furious D. He and I moved to the southeast quadrant of Old Dominion at right around the same time, me alone, him with his wife and (now) two munchkins. That's been six months ago. Well, upon plugging his address into Mapquest, I learned that he and I have been living six miles driving distance from each other since July - it's even less as the crow flies! I'm a bit frustrated with this, given that it means we've been living less than five miles from one another for six months and it's taken us that long to scrape together a couple of hours for dinner. It's amazing, though, that purely by coincidence, we both ended up in this area at the same time and within the same basic area. What an outstanding accident! We spent a couple of hours at an outstanding Irish Pub where I'd been with the Crypto King, his wife, and her best friend a couple of times. Furious D and I are both big fans of Scottish and Irish heritage stuff, and Guinness in particular. It was truly brilliant to hang out with him, and we got a picture taken in front of the pub to send to our old commanding officer back in [Hometown].

    One thing that surprised and frustrated me about my meeting with Furious D was finding out that one of the guys in our unit was severely injured in an incident overseas - the information I'm able to find on the web makes it unclear whether the incident was in Afghanistan or Iraq. The desktop of Furious D's computer was a picture of this young man meeting President Bush. I know for a fact that he's in good hands, because I also knew his wife, and she may just be tougher than him. One of the guys who'd left our unit by 2003 was killed in the initial invasion, and I don't know about any other incidents among people I've known. Any attempts to Google his name or find his picture end in me pulling up anti-war diatribe from people who obviously don't understand the kind of commitment that America's warriors make - or why. Honestly, part of the reason I've supported the war from the very beginning, throughout periods in which I had my own doubts, was because I refuse to believe that my shipmate who died in 2003, or this second shipmate who was injured so severely in 2007, died in vain for a good cause that we would just give up on because we got bored with it. Surrendering in Iraq is just that: abandoning a winnable and worthy endeavour out of boredom. That is unacceptable.

    Moving on. Once I got back to the house last night, having realized while I was with Furious D that that memory card wasn't in my digital camera (a problem, I'd add, that you don't get with film), I was fairly upset. Between that and other issues this week (including that incident with my finger on Thursday), this was shaping up to be another failed week. Luckily, two things happened today that are making it truly outstanding. The second thing that happened was that I found the memory card, after looking through my house several times and my car two or three times.

    What was the second thing? I talked to the Whore's sister on AIM and found out that she had to have surgery five weeks ago to remove a lump from one of her ovaries. (I'm not sure why they bothered, it's not as if she's planning on using them, ever.) I'm not a fan of the whore getting cancer or lumps or anything of the sort, partly because I wouldn't wish that kind of challenge on cancer, and partly because I've made it clear that I'd prefer that she get hit by a double-decker bus. So why is this such good news? Observe:

    The Fly: Okay. Is your sister still up in London?
    Mickey: no she is staying wit my mum still she recovers then she is going back
    The Fly: So she's been staying with your mum for five or six weeks now?
    Mickey: yer she is going back next week i think
    The Fly: Wow. Six weeks of that would be better than Big Brother.
    Mickey: yer thats y i havent been round all that much coz i cant stand her telling how to bring up my baby
    The Fly: Haha, don't get me started. If there are three people on the planet who don't need to be giving parenting advice, it's your mother, your sister - and Britney Spears!
    Mickey: lol

    Why is this so damned entertaining to me? Because the Whore can't stand her mother. Many of the horrible choices that the Whore has made over the last several years, including the way she treated me both before and after we broke up, were because she was trying to make a conscious effort to be different than her mother. Instead, she's turned out exactly like her mother, except that where her mother erred in some ways, she's made the same mistakes in exactly the opposite way. The fact that the Whore not only has to deal with her mother for five or six weeks, but simultaneously has to rely on the woman who she essentially made every effort to escape from once she'd turned twenty, is so deliciously ironic as to have put me in a truly outstanding mood. In fact, between that and finding the temporarily absent memory card, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 2008 has shifted from "horrible" to "more than tolerable" for yours truly, the friendly neighborhood Super Fly.

    I don't have the courage to post this video during the course of the week, but on the weekend it's probably safe. I was trolling YouTube today and came across this gem.



    There are other items I could probably conjure up out of thin are, but I'm going to leave on this terribly happy note by once again reiterating that I'm in favor of the Whore being hit by a bus, in God's mercy - after spending six weeks in her mother's house! Ha! Have a great weekend, folks!

    18 January 2008

    A Review of Thursday's Chaos

    It's been an interesting day. First off, I'd like to announce my solidarity with Mighty Mo, who has encountered some unwelcome and undeserved challenges of late. I hadn't expected that they'd make it public, but you can read more here and here. Like I said, solidarity with Mighty Mo.

    At any rate, the day started out with me and Police Fan (I gave him the option and he chose that over Manchild, though he liked both - unfortunately, neither can be explained) eating at Waffle House. I'd never been there before; it's a fascinating place. At any rate, Police Fan and I went to a gun shop, looked for Blackwater with limited success*, hung out at Barnes and Noble for a while, and then went to Panera for lunch. Both of us needed a day off from our respective jobs, so it was a good time.

    Then things went terribly wrong. I've mentioned that I've been attending a church in recent weeks. I'm having lunch with the youth pastor, who's around my age, today. I went to the church to touch base with him. Not only was he not there, but I slammed my right middle finger in the door of my truck. How badly? I had to lift the handle and release the latch to get it out. I immediately went into the church and doused it in the sink with cold water for a couple of minutes. Upon attempting to actually go to the church office and transact my business, I got pretty nauseous and returned to the men's room where I proceeded to lose everything I'd eaten over the course of two meals. I was pretty much fine thereafter, save for how tender my finger is. Save for the initial shock period of five or ten minutes, I still have full range of motion on it, it's not aggravated much by typing, and it's just sort of swollen, so I don't think it's permanently damaged.

    Over the last few weeks, I've mentioned the Facebook marriage hoax that Manda and I perpetrated. Well, it looks as if we weren't the only ones who pulled this, although the other folks did it as more of an experiment than anything else. Observe.



    For the record, even though Manda ended it a couple of weeks ago in order to avoid being considered crazy by co-workers who were starting a work network on Facebook, I've still gotten at least one person who thought it was real. When asked, she hadn't even seen it on Facebook; she'd heard it from someone we'd gone to high school with, although she couldn't remember who that person was. Fascinating. And as if that wasn't enough comedy for you, behold this!



    As I thought I would, I shaved off my beard today, as you can see by the grainy picture above. This leaves me with modest sideburns and a trimmed up goatee. In a way, I miss the whole "Grizzly Adams" vibe that I had for a while, but it feels good to have a smooth face again.

    The other thing that I did yesterday evening was to start writing out a list of goals for the time that I'm at Van Dieman's Station, or if I move somewhere else in the area when my lease is up, Old Dominion in general. I made my list of resolutions for 2008, and although I don't intend to abandon those goals, I feel as if I need to look at my 2008 resolutions as short term goals, develop some feasible medium term goals for the duration of my time in this area, and structure all of them to facilitate my long-term goals. As I begin to solidify all three phases of these plans, I'll post more about this.

    Alright, folks, I have stuff to do. I hope that you all have great success! Chinkui.

    * Thomas Edison never failed; all of his experiments resulted in learning one more way not to make a light bulb. In the same way, yesterday I found several ways not to find Blackwater.

    Fly Report: 18th February 2008

    Good morning. The Red Sox suck.

    It's 41° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 23° Fahrenheit with snow.

    The average price of oil is $90.34 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,159.21 - WTF, mate. The exchange rate is $1.97 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 3. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    We crossed the line. Who pushed who over? It doesn't matter to you; it matters to me.

    17 January 2008

    Fly's Holiday Rampage: Day 2

    It's Thursday, the second day of my first holiday from my current job. Joy.

    So what's on the agenda? Today I'm going to go to a gun shop to see if they carry or can order the FN FAL that I want. Of course, since I'm planning to take that course from Blackwater, I'll probably be in the market for a carbine version of the AR-15 before I come close to buying an FN. Speaking of Blackwater, I'm going to do some land navigation practice today with my trusty Garmin eTrex. Both of these activities, in addition to my first ever visit to a Waffle House (watch me trying to contain my excitement), will be carried out with one of my buddies from out here, whose Fly code name I haven't quite figured out yet. It could be either Manchild or Police Fan. Long story.

    The Hollywood screen writers are still on strike, and as a result, amateur Internet(s/web) videos keep getting better and better. Could the Hollywood screen writers be putting themselves out of business for good? Could be, and I don't think anyone would get very upset. This morning I discovered, quite on accident, a fairly talented comedian whose stuff is worth checking out. He goes by the name of GoRemy, and although I'm posting this video...



    ... but his "Habib" videos are absolutely worth watching. Hilarious.

    Chazza has posted a response to yesterday's post on her own blog. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I'll address her comments either tonight or tomorrow.

    I think I'm minutes away from shaving my beard - not my goatee, but the overall beard. As you can see, I took a picture. It's like a reverse mullet: military in the back, Taliban up front.

    Manchild/Police Fan and I will take some pictures today, and they may end up on the blog. Stay tuned for that. In the mean time, have an awesome Thursday.

    Fly Report: 17th January 2008

    Good morning. I accomplished pretty much nothing yesterday. Shall I go two for two?

    It's 43° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 29° Fahrenheit with snow.

    The average price of oil is $90.93 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,466.16. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 3. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    Last time we met was a low-lit room, we were as close together as a bride and groom.

    16 January 2008

    Answering Chazza's Zealous Comment

    Saith Chazza:

    These "other reasons" are numerous and legitimate. They include the health of the people of the world, particularly those in the third world who bear the brunt of the developed world's overconsumption and subsequent pollution; the continued existence of the animals and plants of this planet, many of which are coming closer and closer to extinction; and the disappearance of the world's natural places to overexploitation and a complete disregard for anything that doesn't come with a profit. Whether you believe that global warming is a scientific truth or not, whether you buy into the cover-ups of the Bush administration and disregard the statements of the most prominent scientists in the world, what's wrong with doing your part to protect all these reasons? Is it really going to hurt to lower your consumption and recognize that you're living on the one world we have?

    Those of us who champion the cause of climate change may come off as radical and against the values of American overconsumption, but at least we give a shit about the planet and the people and animals that live on it.

    Okay, I had the beginnings of a long post written up to address Chazza's statements above. In the interest of brevity (stop laughing, Mo) I'm going to make two very quick points, and flesh them out a bit, and attempt (I swear - stop laughing) to be succinct about it. My two points are as follows.

  • The point that I made in this post is that the level of discourse on disputed subjects such as climate change, intelligent design, and other controversial topics is unacceptable. I'm not impugning the science itself - at least, not here - I'm impugning the fact that one side of the discussion in issues such as these has resorted to bully tactics, ignored legitimate challenges, and summarily dismissed the suggestion of any responsible and fair discourse.
  • Chazza mentioned that the "'other reasons' are numerous and legitimate" when it comes to pushing reforms based on the issue of climate change. My point and question is this: if those issues are so important, what is the benefit of taking focus off of them in order to push for change based on an overarching issue that's based on questionable data? Doesn't that distract from these important issues instead of helping with them?

    Okay, I'll try to be brief. Why are you still laughing?

    On the first point, I think it's very simple. When legitimate scientists, including biologists, express an interest or belief in the concept of intelligent design (vice creationism, which is different), they are maligned and marginalized by the rest of the scientific community - it's the equivalent of the era when the Roman Catholic Church accused people of being heretics and followed through by excommunicating them. The same goes for people who question the hellfire and brimstone declarations of former Vice President Al Gore on climate change. If someone says that they're skeptical about climate change, or that they believe that humans play a miniscule role in the apparent warming trend in recent history, or that there's evidence to suggest that this is just part of a cyclic warming and cooling cycle that has continued throughout the history of the planet, they're looked at as if they're crazy. In the speech by Michael Crichton and the upcoming Ben Stein movie, both men give examples of this phenomenon: people being maligned, slandered, repressed, and marginalized for expressing legitimate questions about these issues.

    That's unacceptable, and it's the same thing that liberals blame the church for (and in at least some cases, rightly so). It's unacceptable from the church, and it should be unacceptable in academia, politics - every part of public life. If legitimate issues are raised on any issue, we as a free and open society are obligated to address and explore those issues and concerns, and not stifle them. "Prominent scientists" and "concensus" should have nothing to do with it, as history has proven time and again that a single scientist with a revolutionary idea can prove the concensus scientific opinion to be completely and utterly incorrect in its established assumptions and interpretations of the data.

    I think the first point is fairly simple as well. Chazza lists the following examples of "other reasons" for supporting reforms based on climate change:

  • the health of the people of the world, particularly those in the third world who bear the brunt of the developed world's overconsumption and subsequent pollution
  • the continued existence of the animals and plants of this planet, many of which are coming closer and closer to extinction
  • and the disappearance of the world's natural places to overexploitation and a complete disregard for anything that doesn't come with a profit

    I support the health of the people of the world, including those in the third world. I support the continued existence of animals and plants. I am against the disappearance of the world's natural places. I'm against overconsumption (and I live that position every day), and while I think that overexploitation is overstated, there is certainly a disparity that ought to be addressed (and has been addressed to some degree). So you may be asking yourself, "where is he going with this?", and I'll tell you. When I hear about issues like these, my normal inclination would be to get concerned. When I hear about issues like these, with the caveat "it's all being caused by climate change", or "climate change is threatening such and such group of animals", or "climate change is threatening such and such group of people", all I do anymore is tune it out because I've read enough to know that the "science" in these cases is based on questionable data, and questionable interpretation of that data. As a result, instead of considering these things to be legitimate problems, associating them with the disputed climate change hysteria delegitimizes them in my mind. If these are such pressing issues, shouldn't they be pressing regardless of whether or not they're being influenced by climate change? It goes further: doesn't the zeal over climate change remove direct scrutiny from these issues, and refocus them on a legitimately disputed tangental issue?

    In my semi-informed (but in no way expert) opinion, there is little or no evidence to suggest climate change, if it's actually happening, is going to lead to a global catastrophe, climatic or otherwise. Gradual warming trends? Maybe. I also think there is even less evidence that human activity is the root cause of the exceptionally modest warming trends we've seen over the course of the last several centuries. I've also seen no evidence - none - that the kinds of reforms that Al Gore and those of his ilk are supporting would make any appreciable difference in the condition of the planet, save for crippling each and every industrialized economy. If there is a major warming trend coming - and two or three degrees over the course of a century or two is not a major warming trend - then we need to adjust to it, not wring our hands and cripple our economies. That will solve nothing. Normally I think that Philip DeFranco is a hilarious simpleton, but I think he's got it right in this video:



    So what about the underlying issues that should be addressed? While climate change is anything but proven, the flipside of the coin is that there's no denying that humans have had an inordinately negative impact overall on the environment over the last century or so. Honestly, I think that the free market has been making overwhelming strides in recent years. What's the evidence for that? Look at the number of recycled and recyclable products that are available lately. Look at what's biodegradable and what isn't anymore. Look at cars: they're making amazing strides in the technological development of alternative fuels and hybrid technologies. Why? Because consumers want products that don't threaten biological diversity, natural places, or jabbering foreigners in other nations who make a living knitting sweaters that are sold at Macy's or jeans that are sold at Old Navy. There are other issues, and other solutions, that ought to be addressed to any number of other problems that the country and the world faces. The point, though, is that hysteria over climate change doesn't help these problems get solve, it hinders efforts to solve these problems by taking attention away from more pressing (and undeniable) issues, as well as eliminating any desire of critics or moderates to support the issue at hand. That's bad for everyone.

    And Mighty Mo is laughing at me for not having been brief, but I'm more satisfied with the brevity of this response than I would have been with the first incarnation of this response. Thoughts? Questions? Anyone should feel free to comment. Why? Because unlike the most ardent, rabid, zealous climate change "activists"/fanatics, I welcome a civil and legitimate discourse. That's how we make progress in this world.

    Thus saith the Fly.
  • Fly Report: 16th January 2008

    Good morning. If Big Red thinks it sounds decent, then it must be decent - or else it's clobbering time!

    It's 41° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 21° Fahrenheit with partial clouds.

    The average price of oil is $90.53 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,501.11. The exchange rate is $1.97 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 3. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    I don't know if I can make it, I'm not easy on my knees.

    15 January 2008

    Tuesday's Theme? Space!

    First thing's first: my heartfelt thanks to all of you regulars who read "2007" on the last several Fly Reports and completely ignored any obligation to give me a head's up in the comments. Awesome!

    I'm writing a spy novel. There it is. I spent pretty much my whole evening last night working on it. I started it at the beginning of December, and right now I'm about thirty-five pages into it. Because I worked on it last night, I have yet to finish the post that will, eventually, address Chazza's objections to my post about why global warming and Darwinian evolution are pseudo-scientific nonsense... Or something hedging around that.

    So, what's the solution? A funny video and a compelling link of the day. The video? One of my favorite movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey (the short version).


    It's extremely funny if you, like me, have both seen the movie and read the book... And probably even funnier if you only saw the movie, or part of the movie, and you were as confused as I was the first time I saw it. Everyone's favorite Internet(s/web) denizen, Father Time, was there at the beginning of the film, and documented all of the monkeys beating the living daylights out of each other with bones. The link is related: Moon Base Clavius. For anyone who's ever believed that the Apollo missions landed on the moon, that site should end all speculation - if it doesn't, you're just a conspiracy theorist tool like [insert redacted political statement here].

    As I've mentioned already, I'm taking most of this week off from work, so rest assured that I'll have some backlogged news articles up, and maybe some thoughts on politics as well. For now, I'll just say: how about that Senator McCain?

    Si vis pacem, para bellum, folks.

    Fly Report: 15th January 2008

    Good morning. When life throws you lemons, write a novel.

    It's 43° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 31° Fahrenheit with light snow and wind.

    The average price of oil is $93.45 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,778.15. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is lame. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 2. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    He says he'll change the world someday.

    14 January 2008

    Fly Report: 14th January 2008

    Good morning. You never call me when you're sober; you only want it 'cause it's over.

    It's 43° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 43° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

    The average price of oil is $92.22 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,606.30. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is lame. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 Kings 1. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    He's falling, he's falling, and outside the buildings are tumbling down.

    11 January 2008

    Freitag al Jamha Vendredi

    It's Friday. Awesome. I have a full weekend planned, including one thing that's totally awesome: after six months of living within ten or fifteen miles of one another, I'm finally having lunch with Furious D. Furious was one of my best friends in college; now he's married with two kids and a lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and I'm... Well, completely single, no kids, and a contractor. I know what you're thinking, and I agree with you wholeheartedly - he's such a sucker! Ha!

    The big news, though, is that I'm doing something next week for the first time since I arrived in Old Dominion: I'm taking time off of work. I've accrued enough worked holiday time to be able to take the equivalent of a six day weekend next week (with the MLK holiday). Most of it will just be spent not being at work, something that I have a hard time forcing myself to do; I also have some other projects I need to do, though, so it should be both relaxing and productive. I also plan to get some writing done. Speaking of which, I'll be writing an article this weekend about Afghanistan, so check in Monday and/or Tuesday for that.

    What's that? You want a video and a funny link to help you numb your mind to the drudgery of work and family? Well, I'll start you off with this video:


    That's right, folks: Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms", performed by a bunch of guys in goofy robes, singing in the style of Benedictine monks chanting. Sweet. And for a funny link, well... Let's just say that our requests aren't that strange. Oh, and just for fun, I'll throw in a satellite coordinate as well: behold, a ferry that has a fifty percent chance of being the one that I rode to Kirkwall in September of 2004.

    The thing I'm really excited about today is that one of my former co-workers in California went to the bar we used to hang out at every now and again, and snapped a picture of this bartender who I had a total jones for. Danke, mein Mütter!

    And I'll close this post by once again reiterating that my ex-girlfriend, the Whore, should be hit by a double-decker bus, in God's mercy. Have a great weekend, folks!

    Fly Report: 11th January 2008

    Good morning. Is anyone interested in joining the International Brotherhood of Door Kickers?

    It's 41° Fahrenheit and rainy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 39° Fahrenheit with light snow.

    The average price of oil is $93.49 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,853.09. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is not new.

    Today's scripture reading is 3 John 1. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    Every time she passes by, wild thoughts escape.

    10 January 2008

    It's No-Topic Thursday! Booyeah!

    Unfortunately, today turned out to be a fairly trying day, particularly early in the morning. As such, I'm not yet willing to say that 2008 has settled out. I attempted to write out a response to Chazza, but it's going to have to wait because I don't give myself more than about half an hour before I'm in bed - Chazza deserves better than a rushed response from yours truly. Thus, here are a few brief things.

    I'm encouraged by the state of the economy. I know everyone's wetting themselves, people (including Goldman Sachs) are predicting a recession in the new year, and I honestly don't see it. Oil's still higher than it ought to be, but the World Bank is predicting a consistent decline in oil prices over the next two years. After months and months, the exchange rate is slowly dropping, and it's currently at its lowest in months and months at $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1 - and that's actually rounding up, the actual numbers are actually solidly £0.511, and $1.956 respectively. Are there issues? Of course, but there are always issues. Our economy, I believe, is showing its versatility and its resilience, and if these trends continue over the coming months (and there's no reason to believe that they won't, hopefully coupled with a stabilization of the correcting and recorrecting of the stock markets), along with continued success in Iraq, then President Bush goes down in history as a successful president. He does. And that's a good thing, and it's something that some of us have been predicting for years now.

    I was going to write up something about YouTube subscriptions, but I'm going to skip it for now. I want to post one news story, though, because it's just too funny. A Polish man found his wife working in a brothel. No, he didn't meet her when they were both working there; no, he went there for sex, to discover that she was working there. Just when you get to thinking, "What's she doing there!", you come back and say, "Wait a second, what's he doing there!" Observe the following conversation I had over E-Mail with a friend:

    The Fly: [link]
    Awkward

    ---

    Sorority_Superstar: What was the man doing in the brothel??

    ---

    The Fly: That's half of what made it awkward.

    ---

    Sorority_Superstar: hahah

    The other news worth reporting? I mentioned in this post that the Marines were looking to retask and refit and go to Afghanistan. Well, it looks as if it's going to happen, and as I said in that first post, I think it's a great idea. The Marine Corps is well suited by doctrine and ethos to engage in the kind of work needed to defeat the Taliban - it's a good fit.

    Check back on Friday, folks - maybe today will start the redemption process for 2008. That's it for today.

    Fly Report: 10th January 2008

    Good morning. Also, if I were to have made a list of top ten restaurants that would feature eclectic music to include reggae, Boston Market would have been at the bottom of that list - yet, there I was.

    It's 37° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 36° Fahrenheit with afternoon snow.

    The average price of oil is $95.29 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,735.31. The exchange rate is $1.96 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is cool. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is new.

    Today's scripture reading is 2 John 1. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    The truth is not the same without the lies he made up.

    09 January 2008

    Quick and Dirty

    No, the title of this post has nothing to do with Paris Hilton.

    Just a couple of quick things. First off, I want to note how overjoyed I am with the results from New Hampshire last night. As I've mentioned before, I've thrown what little weight I have (relatively speaking) behind Senator McCain - who won last night against Governor Romney. I honestly think that Governor Romney's campaign is coming apart at the seams, due almost entirely to the fact that he's the only Republican candidate who's running negative adverts - not only negative adverts, but inaccurate ones. Would I still vote for him over Senators Clinton, Obama, and Edwards? Yes. Would I feel a little icky about it? Yes. Thus, I'm overjoyed that Senator McCain, who I've admired and respected for so long, pulled out the win.

    Why else am I excited about New Hampshire? Because Senator Clinton won among Democrats. Why am I excited about that? Because I'd love to see the Democrats, all of whom I believe to be wrong for this country, stealing as much momentum from one another as possible. I think that a lot of Senator Obama's message is great: hope for the future and uniting Americans again, that's great. Unfortunately, Senator Obama has demonstrated himself to be completely liberal on essentially every policy (which I think is downright dangerous, particularly his demonstrated ignorance of foreign policy), and he has next to no real experience, with only three largely absent years in the Senate (the Illinois State Senate doesn't count as a credible presidential qualification in my book). I think that, had he won in both Iowa and New Hampshire, his momentum would have been formidable - and I think that Senator Clinton, though dangerous, would be easier to defeat in a general election. Thus, her win in New Hampshire gives her enough traction to keep going, and that's traction that she's taken from Senator Obama. That's good news for conservatives.

    As a result of New Hampshire, if today goes well, I'm willing to declare that 2008 is improving.

    Another item of note is my good friend Cheryl/Chazza's response to yesterday's post on intellectual weakness. I don't have time to properly address her points this morning, but I'll try to tap out a response this evening. The bottom line, though, is that I'm not so much questioning the theory of climate change itself - I'm a skeptic, but there's compelling evidence that's worth continued investigation - I'm questioning the overall willingness anymore to use questionable pseudo-science in order to promote policy changes. Many supporters of climate change activism often have motives unrelated to climate change, as Chazza notes in her comment. My position is that if those motives are legitimate in and of themselves (which I think several of her stated positions are, and I'll go into that later), they should be legitimate without what amounts to pseudo-scientific fearmongering. The big issue I was trying to address wasn't climate change itself - it was the nature of the discourse on the issue (or the lack thereof from people like Vice President Gore).

    I went and saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets last night. Very entertaining, probably at least as much so as the first film. Also, Diane Kruger is hot - why she looked so unimpressive in Troy is beyond me.

    I have more to say, but I'll save it for Friday. What? You want an obligatory link or a YouTube video or something? Okay, here's the first episode of Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager.


    I bet that Mighty Mo will enjoy that one. Why? Because it makes fun of nerds. Oh, and speaking of making fun of nerds, one more thing: BAM!

    Ugh. Need tea.

    Fly Report: 09th January 2008

    Good morning. With your magazine of ten rounds, load!

    It's 34° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 35° Fahrenheit with light snow.

    The average price of oil is $96.32 per barrel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,589.07. The exchange rate is $1.97 for £1, or £0.51 for $1.

    Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is lame. The picture at the Orkneyjar Photoblog is new.

    Today's scripture reading is 1 John 5. The Fly is reading the Counterinsurgency Field Manual alone and How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill with a friend.

    All that you fashion, all that you make, all that you build, all that you break, all that you measure, all that you steal, all this you can leave behind.

    08 January 2008

    Wherein the Fly Rants about Intellectual Snobbery, Bigotry, and Laziness

    One thing that frustrates me more and more is the complete and total lack of intelligence and intellectual effort not only in America, but in the world at large. I've encountered several instances of it lately, from partisan statements made by wannabe political pundits to the so-called "science" that's doing everything it can to infect the intellectual discourse of the world. One of the issues, as I see it, is the rise of communications media - the Internet for starters, but more specifically online media like blogs and video sharing websites. That's right: YouTube. I've been saying for months now that YouTube isn't revolutionary, it's just another medium and I'm sticking by that. I honestly believe that YouTube won't have a disproportionate impact on the coming election, for example - as evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of the truly hardcore nerds on YouTube and in other online media are backing Congressman Paul, who has failed to gain serious traction even though he's been raising all kinds of money.

    The instance that really set me off was so bad that I'm not even going to link to it, because it's so viral in its idiocy and ignorance that I feel an obligation not to subject a single individual to its overwhelming stupidity. The video features a guy who's wearing a sand-colored Army undershirt and an ACU boonie cap - obviously a soldier who's determined to use his service in the Army as credibility. He goes on to discuss a "rerun" he'd seen of one of the Republican debates, and describes an exchange between "Senator Huckabee" (for those of you who don't follow politics, Mike Huckabee was the governor of Arkansas, and there is a difference) and "Doctor Ron-Paul" (his inflection treats the name as if it's a single word, like Shaft or Rupaul or something). He puts the clip in question in his video, and then when it's done, he asks Governor Huckabee "Are you kidding me?" He proceeds to rant about the supposed iniquity of paying private contractors exorbitant salaries compared to the relatively low salaries of soldiers (apparently failing to understand that security contractors are paid a salargy commensurate with their experience and skills, both of which far exceed those of the average soldier), he complains about KBR and other contractors making billions of dollars (apparently failing to understand that both companies provide certain services that are available from no other company on the entire planet). He then proceeds to rail against Senator McCain's quote in the post-Thanksgiving debate that the message the troops sent home with him was "Let us win, let us win"; according to the intrepid videographer: "You know, Senator McCain, if you want to know the soldiers' opinion, you should ask 'em." As if Senator McCain made it all up? Anyone who's paid any attention to Senator McCain knows that he has more integrity than that, plus he's the most decorated and accomplished war hero of anyone running.

    The guy goes on to rant, and rant, and rant, continually demonstrating his absolute lack of any discernible knowledge about anything that he talks about. He talks up Ron Paul, obviously ignorant of the fact - the fact - that Congressman Paul has demonstrated a complete and total ignorance of what Paul's foreign policy ideas would mean for the United States and the world. And unfortunately, this young man's entire credibility is based solely on being a soldier. I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but this is nonsense. I give this young man absolute credit, and I've lived my support for the military for nearly two years now every time I've shown up for work. I've known and worked and served with plenty of personnel - all of whom deserve our credit and thanks for their service, but some of whom are absolutely and totally daft. The more I heard words coming out of this young man's mouth, the more I knew that he had a great deal in common with a guy I used to work with who'd spent seven years in the military and deployed to five or six countries without learning anything of value about the world, or even how to pronounce words correctly. And YouTube gave him (the guy in the video, not the guy I used to know) a voice to spread his ignorant blather across the world.

    Note: To anyone who's reading this and thinks that I'm denigrating soldiers and other service personnel, please keep in mind that I served in the Navy myself, and continue to serve my country as a contractor, nearly always working directly alongside military personnel without being accorded the prestige or benefits of actually being on active duty. I live my patriotism every day in the work that I've chosen, and I've made many of the same sacrifices by choice that our brave military members make when ordered to do so. I know I'm basically rambling myself by now, but my overarching point is that for all the respect that those who serve are due, their service alone does not grant them carte blanche credibility when they present opinions, ideas, or information for consumption in the public forum - they still have to make cogent and logical arguments that are based on facts, rather than merely saying "I went to Iraq, so this is how it is and I'm right."

    Another example of this ignorance is being chronicled in an upcoming movie by Ben Stein entitled Expelled. I had immense respect for Stein before, and I have even more respect for him after having watched the "super trailer" for this movie (about nine minutes long, available on the website in Flash format). Stein has put together a film chronicling something that I saw a great deal of when I was in college: intellectual snobbery and outright hostility in academia, aimed at anything that doesn't tow a precise line on the issue of Darwinism. One of the emerging movements in science is the theory of intelligent design, which blends good old fashioned Darwinism with good older fashioned theism. Across the country and across academia, the very mention of intelligent design is being stifled. Ladies and gentlemen, when you stifle new ideas, does that reflect poorly on the people who are trying to present the new ideas for review and discussion? The answer is no: it reflects poorly on those doing the stifling. It makes them look as if there's something to hide. It makes them look as if they're scared. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be limits to discourse, mainly in the interest of decorum and procedure for the sake of orderly discussion. What I am saying is that the stifling of issues like the discussion of intelligent design are symptoms of a larger dysfunction in academia. The truth of the matter is that, more often than not, academics have more at stake than a simple desire to collect and process data, and apply that data to hypotheses. Whether these stakes are political, or theological (or in the case of those critical to the very discussion of anything that could bring religion and philosophy into the discussion, atheological), or economic, the supposed lack of bias in modern academia is a myth.

    Note: An addendum a couple of days after I wrote the original post, to this last case. Another thing I've seen on YouTube in particular, and blogs to a similar degree, is this desire to basically sum up all of religion with catch phrases, eliminate any belief in anything having to do with the supernatural, and give the kind of fancy wisdom that barely lives up to the standards of a Bazooka Joe comic. "All the Bible is is a bunch of stories that help us develop an idea of how to live in harmony with our fellow man, nothing more." Great, how much scholarship did it take you to get to that thrilling and informed conclusion? The minimum amount possible, which is to say, none, huh? Another classic one from a guy I used to work with went something like "I don't necessarily think every religion has it all right, and I don't think every religion necessarily has it all wrong." Once again, a convenient position that allows one to make absolutely no commitment to living or believing a particular way, based on absolutely no study of anything at all, while simultaneously painting anyone who's religious as a misguided simpleton with good intentions. I don't know about all of you out there, but my faith isn't tied to a voodoo woman named Phyllis - it's based on thousands of years of history, and compelling archaeological, literary, and historical evidence by others, which I've been studying myself since 1997. It's something very serious to me, and whether people agree with me or not, I get pretty indignant about being dismissed out of hand by those practicing intellectual laziness and passing it off as progressive snobbery. If you're not into religion, just say so: "I'm not really that interested in religion." Or if you're a total jackass who's too lazy to read about what you're talking about, just say so: "I'm pretty much just a lazy bastard, so I'd better refrain from comment since my opinion isn't based on any facts or scholarship or information of any kind.

    For another example of this, we can look at the issue of global warming. Anyone who questions whether or not climate change is happening is all but directly referred to as a heretic. The evidence is highly suspect, based on computer models (which are programmed by humans, making the programs themselves inherently subjective), extremely limited data about both recent history and the overall history of the world. The entire strength of the case for global warming is consistently cited on the basis of "concensus", despite the fact that there is a growing buzz from scientists who are either skeptical that global warming is happening, skeptical that human activity is playing anything more than a negligible role in it, or skeptical on both points. In spite of all this, anyone who speaks out is denounced and demagogued. With this overwhelmingly weak case for human involvement in global climate change, we're supposed to adopt policy initiatives like Kyoto, cripple international industry, drastically alter the way that we live our lives, and do it all on faith? For more information on this issue in particular, I once again highly recommend this speech by Michael Crichton. The state of this policy-based pseudo-science is absolutely unbelievable.

    Now, I think it's only fair that I admit my own bias on these issues.

    I support the Iraq War, I've supported it from the beginning, I supported it in 2000 when I joined the Navy and everyone was focused on when, not if, we'd be forced to confront the Iraq issue once and for all. I've been a skeptic at times, I've worried that we'd fail (mostly due to a decreasing lack of faith in the resolve of the American people, never through any belief that we weren't capable of accomplishing our mission there), but I've always made a point of educating myself about the history and background of the issue, and making my decisions based upon that. In fact, I even applied for jobs in both Afghanistan and Iraq, in addition to having supported the domestic war effort - I think that this, coupled with my informed and extensive research on the issue, give me some credibility.

    With respect to intelligent design, I'm friendly to the concept - moreso than I was in high school or most of college, when I was fairly committed to a creationist point of view. I've done some study, not a lot (due mainly to the fact that my chosen specialties are history and international security, not biology or cosmology), but enough to know that Darwins theories and those derived from them, while interesting, are relatively weak on their own. Also, the overwhelming complexity and order in the universe make it highly unlikely, at least in my opinion, that there was no divine guidance in the formation of life, the universe, and everything. I'm an unapologetic theist, both due to observation and what I believe to be inspiration, and any concept I have of cosmology without a higher power of some sort, whether sovereign or not, is essentially impossible. Really, though, I think that the issue is largely trivial, as we're unlikely to ever collect enough evidence to say for sure, and even if we were able to prove comprehensively how the universe and life came into being, the actual benefits of having this knowledge would be either next to nil or actually nil, particularly compared to the cost of finding it out in the first place. And even if we found all of that out, it's highly unlikely that it would change my religious or philosophical beliefs - it simply doesn't matter to me in the long run how it all came into being, because here I am.

    And regarding climate change, I think that the evidence that some sort of fundamental, unequivocal, revolutionary change in the Earth's climate is occurring is highly suspect. I think that the hypothesis that these supposed changes are influenced either largely or even partially by human activity is phenomenally weak. I also think that, if it is happening, it's going to be happening whether we all live like we're in the stone age or not. I actually have no issue with making some changes to some of our industrial processes and lifestyles - I think that consumption for the sake of consumption is bad for both mind and spirit, and I believe in the reasonable preservation of natural resources and habitats. However, I think that most the motivations that most folks are espousing with regard to climate change are all wrong - capitalists and conservatives should be the ones calling for better business and industrial practices on the grounds of conserving our planet through good stewardship (both of which are conservative values) and being efficient in industrial and business practices (thus maximizing both consumer trust and profit through reduction of the ratio of costs/waste to end products). The more you listen to liberals (or "progressives" as they like to call themselves) who are passionate about climate change, the more you hear about some of their alternative motivations. Quoth former Vice President Gore:

    And we sometimes emphasize the danger in a crisis without focusing on the opportunities that are there. We should feel a great sense of urgency because it is the most dangerous crisis we have ever faced, by far. But it also provides us with opportunities to do a lot of things we ought to be doing for other reasons anyway.

    For other reasons anyway? Given that Vice President Gore is one of the most leftist politicians in America today, you can probably guess what those "other reasons" are. If we're going to confront possible (but unproven) changes in the Earth's climate, it's going to have to be through adaptation to incoming heat, not some vain attempt to chemically influence a change that we as humans more than likely play little or no part in. (For comedic but accurate allegories of this, look here, here, and here.)

    Easier communications through broadcast media, print media, the Internet, and other outlets is a great thing, but there is a dire need to improve the quality and transparency of nearly all aspects of our national and global discourse. So, what are the first steps in this process? We need to denounce Congressman Paul as a heretic (joking), burn every copy of Darwin's "The Origin of Species" and smash every computer that contains it electronically (kidding), and pass an international law requiring every automobile production plant to start building Hummers and only Hummers, and the same law must require every single driver to drive a Hummer (kidding).

    I feel better, don't you?