two syndicated cartoons that benefit from some modification. in one case addition, in the other, subtraction.
marmadike explained
garfield minus garfield
5/10/08
4/6/08
immortal technique - hysteria
as near as i can figure them, here are the lyrics to my favorite freestyle - hysteria by immortal technique.
honorable mentions: what hip hop is; bangbus emblem.
they used to call us communists for fighting america
now they call us terrorists to spread hysteria
let me just say this, without sounding redundant
who the fuck really gains the most from blowing up london
and who really made bin laden the man he is
the CIA and saudi arabia did
but that's the past and the future is here
iraq was a design so for some people the future is clear
a christmas tree pyramid with a star as an eye
like the satellite in orbit watching me from the sky
every country wants a piece of the american pie
but that means you have to co-sign america's lies
so you can criticize human rights in cuba and china
but not in israel or the philippines and places you find em
that are allies of the country i live in
whose clothes are made by slave labor, women and children
yeah, i know stupid we're all part of that hypocrisy too
but i don't front like it's democracy dude
i don't pretend troops are peacekeepers who don't murder
and they don't create colonies whose governments serve us
moving away our economics like we share a techtonic
plates in your vest are no good, the weapons are sonic
the war on terror evolves like strains of the chronic
from the biologic to the propaganda topics
but remember, the system can never stop when it's been set into motion
like volcanic eruptions on the floor of the ocean
my purpose is to burst to the surface
immersed in the smoldering lava from verses,
surrounded by murder mamis, not bitches that's worthless
i cut chickenheads off, like hexes and curses
weapons i purchased makes homeland security nervous
i run pockets of purses like subway searches
i'm robbing masonic temples disguised as churches
i'm busy, so i'll leave that one for you to interpret
serpents are merchants of military industry murder
the beef is heating up, like the mad cow in your burger
fathom the call of cattle cannibalism
factory farms are like a fucking animal prison
a microcosm of adam smith's capitalism
that's america's real religion, given as the mark of the beast to the christians
THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON, MOTHERFUCKER THAT'S MY MISSION
honorable mentions: what hip hop is; bangbus emblem.
they used to call us communists for fighting america
now they call us terrorists to spread hysteria
let me just say this, without sounding redundant
who the fuck really gains the most from blowing up london
and who really made bin laden the man he is
the CIA and saudi arabia did
but that's the past and the future is here
iraq was a design so for some people the future is clear
a christmas tree pyramid with a star as an eye
like the satellite in orbit watching me from the sky
every country wants a piece of the american pie
but that means you have to co-sign america's lies
so you can criticize human rights in cuba and china
but not in israel or the philippines and places you find em
that are allies of the country i live in
whose clothes are made by slave labor, women and children
yeah, i know stupid we're all part of that hypocrisy too
but i don't front like it's democracy dude
i don't pretend troops are peacekeepers who don't murder
and they don't create colonies whose governments serve us
moving away our economics like we share a techtonic
plates in your vest are no good, the weapons are sonic
the war on terror evolves like strains of the chronic
from the biologic to the propaganda topics
but remember, the system can never stop when it's been set into motion
like volcanic eruptions on the floor of the ocean
my purpose is to burst to the surface
immersed in the smoldering lava from verses,
surrounded by murder mamis, not bitches that's worthless
i cut chickenheads off, like hexes and curses
weapons i purchased makes homeland security nervous
i run pockets of purses like subway searches
i'm robbing masonic temples disguised as churches
i'm busy, so i'll leave that one for you to interpret
serpents are merchants of military industry murder
the beef is heating up, like the mad cow in your burger
fathom the call of cattle cannibalism
factory farms are like a fucking animal prison
a microcosm of adam smith's capitalism
that's america's real religion, given as the mark of the beast to the christians
THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON, MOTHERFUCKER THAT'S MY MISSION
3/16/08
the axioms of evil
i propose to axiomatize evil, the better to understand it and thereby squelch it.
1. axiom of choice: we choose whether or not to do evil.
2. axiom of plenitude: there's plenty of potential evil.
3. axiom of intensionality: no matter how good we are, there is evil within us.
4. axiom of interference: our perceived self-interest interferes with our ability to judge what is evil.
as i have not been able to prove completeness in this theory, it's possible that more axioms will need to be added.
1. axiom of choice: we choose whether or not to do evil.
2. axiom of plenitude: there's plenty of potential evil.
3. axiom of intensionality: no matter how good we are, there is evil within us.
4. axiom of interference: our perceived self-interest interferes with our ability to judge what is evil.
as i have not been able to prove completeness in this theory, it's possible that more axioms will need to be added.
the 5 Ss of stress relief
i figured out something else i can blog about: lists.
here are the 5 Ss of stress relief. it rests on a base of scientifically valid knowledge, but the superstructure is due to me and my roommate.
1. sex.
2. sweat. i.e. exercise.
(2a. sexercise.)
3. smiles. laughter is a stress relievant. think "relievant" is not a word? kiss my butt.
4. spicy food.
5. sleep.
here are the 5 Ss of stress relief. it rests on a base of scientifically valid knowledge, but the superstructure is due to me and my roommate.
1. sex.
2. sweat. i.e. exercise.
(2a. sexercise.)
3. smiles. laughter is a stress relievant. think "relievant" is not a word? kiss my butt.
4. spicy food.
5. sleep.
I'm baaaaaaaack
it's the six month anniversary of my last post. happy aniversary!
i figure i should post at least once every six-month period.
also, happy st. patrick's day!
i figure i should post at least once every six-month period.
also, happy st. patrick's day!
9/16/07
holy fucking shit
it's being reported that the university of st. thomas (the one in st. paul, minnesota) cancelled a talk by archbishop desmond tutu in response to false allegations of anti-semitism. if this is true, it is consistent with an accelerated trend of attacks on the leftist presence in academia and academic fora by the extreme right. here's a recap of some of the latest.
- erwin chemerinsky, one of the leading constitutional scholars in the US, was offered the deanship of the new law school at UC irvine, and accepted about a week before the offer was revoked. the evidence strongly suggests that it was behind-the-scenes campaigning by right-wing lawyers not affiliated with the university that led to the offer being withdrawn. it now appears likely, in part to to the outrage expressed by law faculty of all political stripes, that the offer will be reinstated and the chancellor of the irvine campus might have to leave instead.
- norman finkelstein was denied tenure at depaul, despite being unquestionably qualified. he had been the target of a campaign led by alan dershowitz, an academic of much fame but no distinction, whose writings in finkelstein's field - the history and politics of the israel-palestine conflict - are utterly idiotic. the evidence suggests that it was political pressure from outsiders that led to depaul's decision. mehrene larudee, another depaul faculty member considered for tenure (and a umass alum), was denied tenure as well. She, too, was considered a strong academic and a slam-dunk for tenure, but as a strong supporter of finkelstein she too was undoubtedly targeted for denial of tenure for reasons other than merit. finkelstein was later denied the customary year of teaching that follows tenure denial, ostensibly - but not especially plausibly - for conduct issues. He recently reached a settlement with the depaul administration and resigned.
- ward churchill, a leading native american scholar and a tenured professor at the university of
colorado boulder, was fired, ostensibly for academic misconduct. it is well-understood, however, that he was in reality fired because of a fascist campaign.
- andrew card, a man closely associated with the war crimes of the bush regime was awarded an honorary degree at the umass amherst commencement last may. there is no direct evidence of this being the result of a right-wing campaign, but it is a plausible hypothesis, given that he has no accomplishments to speak of, and umass leaders would have understood very well the loss of credibility that comes with honoring terrorists like card.
- brandeis university invited jimmy carter to speak about israeli apartheid - but only if torture enthusiast alan dershowitz was allowed a rebuttal. eventually, they relented somewhat, allowing separate but consecutive talks.
UPDATE (Oct. 10): st. thomas reversed its earlier decision. apparently the attack on tutu was too much even for the extremists at the ADL.
- erwin chemerinsky, one of the leading constitutional scholars in the US, was offered the deanship of the new law school at UC irvine, and accepted about a week before the offer was revoked. the evidence strongly suggests that it was behind-the-scenes campaigning by right-wing lawyers not affiliated with the university that led to the offer being withdrawn. it now appears likely, in part to to the outrage expressed by law faculty of all political stripes, that the offer will be reinstated and the chancellor of the irvine campus might have to leave instead.
- norman finkelstein was denied tenure at depaul, despite being unquestionably qualified. he had been the target of a campaign led by alan dershowitz, an academic of much fame but no distinction, whose writings in finkelstein's field - the history and politics of the israel-palestine conflict - are utterly idiotic. the evidence suggests that it was political pressure from outsiders that led to depaul's decision. mehrene larudee, another depaul faculty member considered for tenure (and a umass alum), was denied tenure as well. She, too, was considered a strong academic and a slam-dunk for tenure, but as a strong supporter of finkelstein she too was undoubtedly targeted for denial of tenure for reasons other than merit. finkelstein was later denied the customary year of teaching that follows tenure denial, ostensibly - but not especially plausibly - for conduct issues. He recently reached a settlement with the depaul administration and resigned.
- ward churchill, a leading native american scholar and a tenured professor at the university of
colorado boulder, was fired, ostensibly for academic misconduct. it is well-understood, however, that he was in reality fired because of a fascist campaign.
- andrew card, a man closely associated with the war crimes of the bush regime was awarded an honorary degree at the umass amherst commencement last may. there is no direct evidence of this being the result of a right-wing campaign, but it is a plausible hypothesis, given that he has no accomplishments to speak of, and umass leaders would have understood very well the loss of credibility that comes with honoring terrorists like card.
- brandeis university invited jimmy carter to speak about israeli apartheid - but only if torture enthusiast alan dershowitz was allowed a rebuttal. eventually, they relented somewhat, allowing separate but consecutive talks.
UPDATE (Oct. 10): st. thomas reversed its earlier decision. apparently the attack on tutu was too much even for the extremists at the ADL.
8/24/07
the politics of america
a compilation of poll results summarizing what attentive people already know: liberal values enjoy strong majority support in the united states; and many people who subscribe to these values describe themselves as "moderates" rather than "liberals." probably makes sense, because liberalism is basically a compromise approach between the semi-fascist views that pass as "conservative" in this country, and socialism, a sensible political position.
8/6/07
funny video of the month
this schoolhouse rock-style version of pirates and emperors is really well-done. i have just one complaint, and that's that they use "thug" too much.
R.I.P. raul hilberg
raul hilberg, who pioneered the academic study of the nazi holocaust, has died of lung cancer at 81.
hilberg, whose family fled vienna in advance of the nazis, was studying the holocaust before it became cool in the late '60's - before Holocaust studies became an ideology and an industry. hilberg always supported norman finkelstein, the best-known and hardest-hitting critic of the holocaust industry, against his extraordinarily nasty opposition.
hilberg was legit.
hilberg, whose family fled vienna in advance of the nazis, was studying the holocaust before it became cool in the late '60's - before Holocaust studies became an ideology and an industry. hilberg always supported norman finkelstein, the best-known and hardest-hitting critic of the holocaust industry, against his extraordinarily nasty opposition.
hilberg was legit.
8/5/07
exceptives: the mystery deepens
larry horn points out a further problem for the hypothesis that exceptives are licensed by universals, from imperative sentences with free choice any.
the tentative conclusion: exceptives appear to be licenseable by any any, regardless of its universality.
pick any card from the deck, except the joker.it is hard to see how this sentence can be paraphrased as a universal. the best that i can come up with is:
for every x, x a card, x is such that i give you the option of picking it, except for x = the joker.this interpretation seems forced. it interprets the imperative as giving options rather than giving an order, and moreover it involves a quantifier (any, no less) taking wide scope over the imperative force, which is generally seen as a no-no.
the tentative conclusion: exceptives appear to be licenseable by any any, regardless of its universality.
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