Archive for 11/4/2008 - 6 Heshvan, 5769

I just received an email from GARY HART! Remember him? Gary Hart is
sending me email! Here are a few excepts (with comments):

Dear John,

(Gary and I are on a first name basis.)

“The public trust must be earned, and speaking clearly, candidly and
forcefully now about the mess in Iraq is the place to begin.”

I wrote those words in August in The Washington Post to call on
Democratic Party leaders to step forward on Iraq. My years in the
Senate and as co-chair of the Bipartisan Commission on National
Security had convinced me that, unless Democrats provided real
leadership, Americans would never receive the honest and open debate
about Iraq that our country deserves.

(Truer words haven’t been spoken.)

Now, because of your efforts and those of all these Democratic
leaders, make no mistake: the wheel has turned in the national debate
over the war in Iraq.

(He knows about my efforts!!! I guess he must be referring to my
political poetry. I can’t think of any other efforts he’d be talking
about. I feel so wonderful!)

The American people have responded to the tough questions we’ve been
asking because they had the same ones. The result is that the Bush
Administration is being forced to engage in something they’ve gone to
great lengths to avoid: an open debate about the war in Iraq.

(I had no idea I was making such a difference!)

We have to continue to speak out - on talk radio, in letters to the
editor, and to our neighbors - to demand an Administration strategy to
get our troops home.

(Don’t worry, I won’t stop!)

America needs your continued leadership, courage and passion on the
grassroots level. I can’t thank you enough for everything you have
already done….

Sincerely,

Gary Hart

The general consensus on the story I presented to The Writer’s Group last night was that it was ready to send to Asimov’s or Analog.

There were a couple quibbles about scientific impossibilities, but like all great nitpickers, they came up with a solution. (I actually suspected it was impossible, but wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.)

There were also a few other quibbles, but all fixable.

St. Louis Union Station, this coming weekend, is having a Festivus celebration. They’re not alone in celebrating Festivus.

Festivus is a fictional holiday, first introduced to the world on a Seinfeld episode. Apparently, according to the wikipedia article, the holiday was invented back in 1966. However, it remained the practice of one family until it was written into a Seinfeld episode,

If the Seinfeld episode had made exchanging gifts part of the holiday, I’d support it full strength. If the commercialization of the holiday season could be attached in people’s mind to the fictional holiday….those who wanted could observe it, and the religious holidays could become religiously oriented once again. But instead the holiday is focused on airing grievances, and domestic violence. I can understand the humor for an episode of tv, but it doesn’t, in my mind, inspire me to adopt the practice.

I wonder if people who show up at the celebration at the Union Station will be given an opportunity to pin the owner of the shopping center to the floor?

My record on accurate predictions isn’t good, so I thought I would
make a few easy ones.

The movie currently at the top of the US Box Office will continue to
work its magic and remain at the top this week and next. That is, no
movies released on Dec 2nd will overtake it.

A movie released on Dec 9 will debut at #1, but it will be sacrificed
on a stone tablet the following weekend.

This final movie will close out the year on top of the Empire State
Bldg, as its biggest competitor will be a comedy about Hitler. And
everyone knows that can’t possibly succeed.

A writing colleague who I’ve known for approximately eight years told
me that a short story I started reading in our Tuesday Writer’s Group
last week was the best writing she’d heard in the eight years from me.

It’s always difficult to know how to take comments such as that
(everything else I’ve written in those 8 years? chazzerai?) but I take
them as compliments, and a suggestion I am improving. There’s another
member of the group who once told me a poem I wrote when I was 6 was
my best poem ever, and there’s really no way to interpret that well.
I don’t think he meant the compliment the way it came out, but I
haven’t let him forget he said it. That’s what friends are for, and
when you spend four hours a week in shared interest with people over a
period of several years, you become friends. (Sometimes it takes less
time.)

Anyway, I will read the conclusion of the short story tonight, and
we’ll see if everyone thinks the ending holds up to the promise of the
beginning.

It appears Israel has caved-in and has agreed to a compromise in order to be accepted into the International Red Cross. There will be created a neutral Red Crystal.

I don’t disagree with the idea of a compromise emblem for countries that don’t want the religious connotations entwined with a cross or a crescent. But I don’t feel Israel should be forced to use it.

Before anyone mentions it, I know that the Red Cross looks nothing like a Christian cross, and while the article linked to above says that no one knows for sure its origin, the suggestion given — that it is merely an inversion of the Swiss flag is convincing, since the Intl Red Cross was formed in Switzerland. (It almost seems laughable to suggest any other origin is more likely — Occam’s Razor.)

Swiss Flag:

However, once the IRC allowed Muslim countries to use the Red Crescent, they admitted there could be confusion. They admitted countries with a majority non-Christian population might desire a different symbol. As I see it, there are only two fair compromises:

Red Cross, Red (any emblem a nation or group of nations deems appropriate to themselves), Red Crystal (for those times when a completely neutral emblem is needed)

or

Red Cross, and Red Crystal. Period, and nothing else.

Of course…everything that should happen doesn’t necessarily happen. And sometimes lopsided compromises are necessary to achieve desired ends.

Red Crystal design

Both Ariel and Alferd have come up in conversation today.

At Writer’s group last night, someone read a story that referenced Alice

I’m not sure what the connection is, but I’m ready to move on to Bobby.

Happy Thanksgiving

Cinema St. Louis has announced their Awards for the 2005 St. Louis International Film Festival

Winner of the Best of Fest award for Short Subjects (out of a total of 61 short films) - West Bank Story

There are DVDs available at the WestBankStory website for $23 with 25% of the profits donated to two charities that promote coexistence amongst Israelis and Palestinians in Israel: “Hand in Hand” and “The Parent’s Circle - Bereaved Families Forum.” More information here.

Saturday evening I went to the Tivoli with a group of friends and
watch a collection of 10 comedic film shorts courtesy of the St. Louis
International Film Festival

“AdCorp, Inc.,” ***

A brainstorming session of ad execs trying to come up with a catchy
name for a store that sells items meant for the bedroom, bathroom, and
other rooms in the house. Most viewers will guess fairly quickly what
the end-result will be, but it’s humorously done.

“Handshake,” ***

Animated short about a handshake at a bus stop that goes horribly
awry, with an unexpected twist at the end which turns it from comedy
into horror.

“I’m Sorry, Mr. Reeves,” ** 1/2

A short which I believe was locally produced. Mr. Reeves gets a phone
call from a doctor telling him he will die before the day ends, and
the events unfold from there.

“It’s the Cat,”

Forgettable enough I’ve forgotten what it was about.

“Marvelous Marso and the Case of the Climbing Cats,”

Ditto. Maybe I’m prejudiced against cats, but I don’t think so.

“Mr. Dramatic,” *** 1/2

A woman is set up on a blind date with “Mr. Dramatic”. We quickly
learn how he has earned that nickname. Very well done, with lots of
laughs.

“Pee Shy,” ****

One of the two best shorts, in my mind. About a scout troup that
annually goes on a hike, and tells ghost stories, and a kid who one
year is so scared, he becomes too shy to pee in public. And how the
tables get turned.

“Perils in Nude Modeling,” ** 1/2

Slightly humorous short about falling in love with a nude model,
though I’m not sure how funny it is beyond the subject matter.

“Two to Tango”

Forgettable enough I’ve forgotten it.

“West Bank Story.” ****

Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story set in the West Bank…with two rival
felafel stands: the Jewish “Kosher King”, and Palestinian “Hummus
Hut”. It’s a musical. I’ve reviewed this short before, and I am
biased, as my cousin is in the starring role. However, watching it
with friends, they were laughing in the right spots as well.

Bill: I passed a kidney stone.
Jimmy: I’d like to own that kidney stone. The ultimate collectible.
Bill: I’ll auction it off on Ebay — the proceeds will go to charity.

Jimmy = Jimmy Kimmel, on his late nite show.
Bill = William “Capt. Kirk” Shatner

As some have said…Ebay does have a policy against body parts, but a kidney stone isn’t exactly a body part…it’s a body product…but I wouldn’t be surprised if Ebay has a policy against that too.

Even if the conversation happened, it’s possible Shatner still considered it a joke.

Vatican official refutes intelligent design

The Vatican’s chief astronomer said Friday that “intelligent design” isn’t science and doesn’t belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.

My respect for the Vatican grows by leaps and bounds. (of course, this is just one official. And he’s not the Pope.) Now, all they have to do is say that Harry Potter is okay for children to read.

I’ll let you know what I think of the movie tomorrow, as I will be seeing it tonight.

LA Weekly’s review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire suggests a plot point from the novel has been changed. However, the author of the review admits to not having read any of the books, so he could easily have erred.

All I will say is that a certain plot-string could have been removed to reduce the length of the movie, but this solution is troubling from an overall perspective of the series of novels.

Fans of the books might enjoy trying to spot what appears wrong. I don’t think it will be difficult if you’ve read and remember the book. Though those who have not read the books might wish to stay away from reading the review as it may spoil some plot points.

Google Base

Google will now allow you to upload ‘anything’ and label it with attributes for easy searching. It appears to be geared towards classified ads, reviews, recipes, and such. This will likely provide some stiff competition for Craigslist.

They make it clear though they aren’t limiting it to this…and those without websites might find it a better alternative to geocities and other freesites.

There is the standard legal disclaimer saying that material which violates trademarks, copyrights, etc will not be allowed. Which, if strictly adhered to, will make it unlikely to be a spot for such stuff as fan fiction.

Check your driver’s license…Now you can see anyone’s Driver License on the Internet, including your own!

I just searched for mine and there it was…picture and all! Thanks Homeland Security, where is our right to privacy?

I definitely removed mine; I suggest you do the same.

Go to the website and check it out. Just enter your name city and state to see if yours is on file.

After your license comes on the screen, click the box marked “Please remove”.

This will remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement.

Your results:
You are The Flash

The Flash 90% Spider-Man 80% Hulk 70% Superman 65% Wonder Woman 65% Green Lantern 65% Supergirl 60% Robin 60% Catwoman 60% Iron Man 45% Batman 30%

Fast, athletic and flirtatious.

Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…

Hebrew word of the day: Selah

Star Trek character of the day: Sela

Anime character of the day: Sayla Mass

French phrase of the day: c’est la vie

Oral Sex at the Synagogue

(this might well qualify for the most sensational headline ever…but the article is a good one about a Rabbi discussing these issues with sixth graders.)

The Bible and its Influence

A textbook on the Bible that passes constitutional muster, or at least has been approved by the First Amendment Center and others concerned about separation of Church and State. It focues on what you need to know from a literary and historical perspective.

Back on October 11, I blogged about
18 Facts concerning Isaac and Madonna

The Orthodox Jewish community was in an uproar because a song on Madonna’s upcoming album was entitled Isaac…and they all deduced it was about Isaac Luria, an esteemed Jewish mystic….and it violates Jewish law to make money off his name.

Here is #17-18 from that post:

17) The member of the London Kaballah Center who speaks in the song – his first name is Isaac.

18) I would find it funny if all the assumptions were incorrect, and the song is actually about him..

guess what?

I want to make this clear. I did not read this suggestion on any other blog or article. I just made a different deduction than what the Rabbis made…and of course the newspapers were reporting on the Rabbinical complaints.

I guess no one thought to ask Madonna the direct question: Is the song about Isaac Luria?

Of course, she didn’t volunteer this information. I think she was loving the press.

25 years after the invention, here are the results from Rubik’s World Championship 2005

“Standard cube” means a 3*3*3 cube. Visit the link to see the results for non-standard cubes.

On a standard cube, the quickest time was 12.51 seconds.

On a standard cube, blindfolded, the quickest time was 1 min 46.47 sec — this includes the time the individual took to ‘memorize’ the cube before being blindfolded as well as the time it took to solve it.

On a standard cube, one handed, the quickest time was 23.16 seconds

And on a standard cube, using feet (instead of hands), the quickest time was 1 min 54.97 seconds.

When I was in Jr. High, with my hands, and not blindfolded, I could do it in approximately 1 minute. Who knows, if I had kept up my skills, and continued to practice, I might have been participating in this competition. As it is, I no longer remember how to solve it completely.

“One Art [will] dethrone another Art: Printing will destroy Architecture.” — Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris.

On another local blog, a commenter was recently lamenting America’s lack of respect for architecture. This was in reference to the destruction of Busch Stadium.

A member of my writer’s group Tuesday night read an article she wrote for her synagogue’s newsletter. I’ve heard her Rabbi a couple times, and have been very impressed. I know a few other congregants quite well. I know I would probably ‘fit in’ better there than my current synagogue. It’s younger, hipper, but the architecture of the place….how do I put this nicely…doesn’t live up to my expectations and desires.

Of course, there isn’t a synagogue in St. Louis, I believe, that does. The only one that would is the one I went to as a child…but unfortunately, back in 1989, it was sold to the Missouri Historical Society. It’s open to the public, so I can still go to the sanctuary, now a “reading room” and reminisce any time I like. My congregation moved out West, and I followed.

I guess some might ask…why do you put so much value in structure? Why are you obsessed with architecture and stained glass?

When I told my writing colleague my dilemma, she said: “The simplicity of the synagogue is to insure that we don’t get caught up in things outside the service itself or the service we provide for each other ”

I understand the logic, but I don’t see why the architecture can’t be allowed to add to the experience. There can be spiritual beauty in man-made objects as well as in G-d’s words.

Below are images I found online for my childhood synagogue, the one I am considering, and my current one. The top are from the Missouri Historical Society website, and the exterior is its current exterior, but it hasn’t changed, except for the sign. The black and white photo of the sanctuary doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. Part of the difference, I understand, is the size and age of the congregation. But even when you take into consideration differences due to amount of funds available, there is still a huge stylistic difference.

But beyond architecture:
I like my current Rabbi, but every time I hear the other Rabbi, she impresses me more.
My synagogue emphasizes community action, their synagogue emphasizes social action. Both are important, but there is a difference, and I know which one inspires me more.
So I’m not dissatisfied with my current congregation, but this other congregation is still attractive, except for the lack of architectural beauty.

I’m going to attend one or two Friday night services, to help me decide.

(I also can see parallels to writing…and the discussion of which is more important: characterization or plot. I have always been better at writing plot than I have with characterization.)

Last year I went to Google News and compared the number of news
stories on “Berlin Wall” to the number on “Kristallnacht”. I went a
little further this year:

Kristallnacht: approx 100
Berlin Wall: approx 900
Holocaust: approx 3000
Kaiser Wilhelm: 60
Beer Hall Putsch: 10
Stockholm “King Christian”: 2 (Both saying the date was actually Nov 8.)
18 Brumaire: 1

Schicksalstag is a German word meaning, “Day of Fate.” It is used by Germans to describe November 9. Apparently it was first used by some German historians after WWII, but it picked up in popularity after 1989. There are five major events in German history that occurred on this date, with conflicting emotional baggage. However, when you look at list of events for November 9, you realize this Day of Fate doesn’t stop at Germany’s borders.

Here’s a partial list:
1494 - Medicis assume rule of Florence, Italy
1520 - King Christian II executes 80 Swedes (mostly nobles) in Stockholm Bloodbath
1729 - Spain, France and England sign Treaty of Seville ending Anglo-Spanish war.
1799 - Napoleon overthrew the French government in the coup d’etat of 18 Brumaire
1848 - German revolutionary, Robert Blum, executed
1918 - Kaiser Wilhelm steps down, and Germany’s Republic begins
1923 - Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch
1938 - Kristallnacht/Pogromnacht - German pogrom viewed as the start of the Holocaust
1953 - Cambodia declares its independence
1965 - Vietnam protester, Roger Allen LaPorte sets himself on fire in front of UN
1989 - Berlin wall comes down

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s death in 1940 would also be significant enough to be placed on the list since his replacement (Churchill) played such a key role in WWII — however, he did resign a few months before his death.

Outside of Germany, The 18 Brumaire probably has the greatest historical significance. Though I am a Francophile, so I might be biased in that regard.

Some will say you can form a list like this for any day….and if you want to make this argument, I challenge you to come up with a day, and a list, as impressive. (I’m not saying it can’t be done. I haven’t looked at all 366 days on Wikipedia.)

A few notes: the 1938 German pogrom is today officially referred to in Germany as Pogromnacht (The Night Pogrom). It’s original title Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) was a euphemism the Nazi party came up with. There are some, however, who argue history has endowed ‘Kristallnacht’ with enough baggage to counterract the original euphemistic intent, and Pogromnacht, while a more accurate description, is actually more of an euphemism. (probably a good example of irony.) I haven’t personally decided which side of the dispute I am on.

wherein I answer my own challenge: April 19 is a good challenger, with the biggest years, in my opinion, being: 1529, 1775, 1943, 1961, 1995. It’s too early to know whether 2005 will be important.

I was a COBOL programmer from 1998-2002. Many years before that, as a college student, I wrote very simple programs in VAX/VMS back in ‘88-’89.

I’m no longer a programmer professionally. But I did write a little javascript hack for Blogger, which I kind of like, and others might find useful. Blogger has a few deficiencies comparable to MT, which I miss. But I don’t miss the massive amounts of spam. Anyway, I figured out how to alphabetize the entry titles in the archives. This is useful if one blogs mainly reviews, or anything else, where it’s more important what the title of the entry is, than when you posted it.

This code will take all the entries on the page and list them in alphabetical order, creating an index. This can be useful, for example, if your blog is a series of book/movie reviews, and you title your entries with the title of the books/movies. It’s less important to the reader, in this instance, what date the review was posted on than the subject of the review.

It is based upon the code Blogger has on its help pages to list the archive links on the main page in reverse chronological order.

Place the code in the sidebar of your template, using <MainOrArchivePage>, <ArchivePage>, or <MainPage> tags to indicate which pages you want indexed.

Here is the code:

---

<ul class=”archive-list”>
<script type=”text/javascript”> 

var archives = new Array();

function mysortfn(a,b) {
if (a[1]<b[1]) return -1;
if (a[1]>b[1]) return 1;
return 0;
}

<Blogger>
<BlogItemTitle>
archives[archives.length] = new Array(’<$BlogItemNumber$>’, ‘<$BlogItemTitle$>’);
</BlogItemTitle>
</Blogger>

archives.sort(mysortfn);

for (var i=0;i<=archives.length-1;i++)
{
document.write(’<li><a href=”http://transylvaniandutch.com/td/wp-admin/post.php#’ + archives[i][0] + ‘”>’ + archives[i][1] + ‘</a></li>’);
}

</script>
</ul>

---

An example of the results of this code can be viewed at comicspoilers

Slacktivist wonders what Rock Bottom would be for Bush’s support. Apparently, according to recent polls, only 33% of America has a favorable opinion of him, and 19% have a favorable opinion of Cheney.

I decided to plug into google “19 percent of America” and “20 percent of America” for some comparisons.

According to a CNN poll after Pat Robertson suggested taking out Hugo Chavez, 19% said that was a rational suggestion.

The Dept of Justice estimates 20% of the American prison population is mentally ill.

According to a Colorado college student newspaper, 20% of America doesn’t know Wyoming exists, but the student doesn’t cite a source….

My favorite statistic 20% of American adults perform in the lowest fifth of literacy levels. Think about it.

Did you think you saw UFOs on Halloween?

Well…if you thought so, then you did, because UFOs are only ‘unidentified flying objects’ and if you couldn’t identify them, then they were UFOs to you.

And if the objects landed, and little green men exited…they would cease being UFOs. They’d be IFOs. Identified as alien spaceships.

I believe in UFOs. There are flying objects unidentified, probably every day. Personally, I’m not knowledgeable enough to identify everything I see in the sky.

Sigh….it’s a losing semantic battle.

Anyway, many thought they saw some spaceships in the sky on Halloween. (and the surrounding days) NASA claims they were fireballs. The Taurid meteor shower, to be precise, which apparently occurs every late October early November, but which is more pronounced this year.

You can make your own decision.

Mankind, after decoding DNA, advances to a point where they feel they
are on par with God. They select one of their lead scientists to tell
God that He is no longer needed.

“God,” the scientist says, “we no longer are in need of your services.
We are your equal.”

“I see,” replies God. “You feel you can do anything I can do?”

“Yes,” says the scientist.

“Alright. I will challenge you to a contest. We will both create
life, and we will see who is a better creator. Do you accept?”

“I accept,” says the scientist. He reaches down to the ground and
scoops up a pile of dirt.

“Not so fast,” says God. “You have to use your own dirt.”

The fictional muse struck again Tuesday night, while I was at my
weekly writers group. It’s been awhile. I’ve lately been more in
tune with miy poetic muse. (They both resemble certain actresses, and
they wield either a whip, or kool whip, depending upon their mood.)

An individual was reading from their own work, I will not name this
individual. My mind usually either tunes out what they are reading,
or their vocal pattern is difficult for me to stay conscious during.
So my mind wanders whenever this individual reads. I try to listen.
I’d like to be able to join in on the critique afterwards. I just am
unable. But I did hear a short sentence, which triggered the muse.

Since this individual writes in similar genres as myself
(allegedly…judging from what little I have actually heard of the
work, and what others have said) I am hopeful my subconscious didn’t
pick up on what was being read. I am going to have to ask someone
else who was there what the story read on Tuesday was about, just to
make sure.

Anyway, this is very different from the fictional works my muse has
worked with me on of late. No youth are involved, and none of the
characters have psi powers. I think the members of my writers group
will be very surprised to hear it. (Well, except for those who happen
to read my blog.) It’s all very scientifically possible, unless you
believe faster than light speed travel is fantasy. Though I wouldn’t
call it hard science fiction. I can’t write what I don’t read, and I
don’t read hard science fiction.

It will be a novella at the longest (next to impossible to publish).
Hopefully a long short story, which will be difficult enough. The
working title is the subject header of this post. Just in case you
ever see the work in Analog, Asimov’s or F&SF.

Lose your mind.

Here’s something I posted on my other blog you might be interested in.

an interesting article on Alito’s record on Abortion-related cases. He’s not as Conservative as some paint him, but then again, he’s not Liberal either. Here’s an analysis painting him rather strong on the First Amendment and free expression.

My prediction is that Roberts will be ‘better’ than Rehnquist, and Alito ‘worse’ than OConnor. (based purely on how they would vote compared to how I would like them to vote on a case) How will this effect individual cases? Only the future will tell.

At the end of July, Spoilt was created. It provides summaries of several comic book titles, as they are released, issue by issue. Primarily those in the Marvel and DC superhero universes. The reasons for doing this are on the site. Johanna Draper Carlson of Cognitive Dissonance was in a leadership role. I learned about it on her blog, and I submitted my first summary in early September.On Sept 16th - Johanna passed the mantle to Chris Tamarri at Crisis/Boring Change. About a week or so ago, Chris decided he was going to have to take an indefinite leave of absence, and asked for a volunteer.

As you may have predicted this was leading to, I volunteered. Now, the sad truth is, I don’t really read very many comics. There are a handful that I currently read. Most written by Peter David. And while there are several ‘contributors’ who are listed on the website, most of them have for various and sundry reasons stopped submitting. So, unless more volunteers can be recruited, there are going to be titles left uncovered.

In the past Chris actually went out and bought uncovered titles he felt were important to be covered, but I’ve decided to take the philosophy that this only discourages future volunteers.

I prefer:

“Wait..why didn’t you cover X this week?”
“No one submitted a summary of X.”
“Oh. Perhaps I could have.”

Instead of:

“I see they covered X this week, they don’t need me then.”

Which means, of course, that if you are reading this, read Marvel or DC comics, and feel capable of and are interested in writing summaries for this project, any more encouragement from me shouldn’t be needed. You don’t have to be a professional journalist. If you submit a summary, and you have a website/blog of your own, there will be a link to that website/blog if you desire. How cool is that?

Oh…and if you read comics, and are curious what’s going on in the comics that you didn’t buy recently. Head on over to Spoilt, and get your info!