| |
| There are great benefits to connectedness, but we haven't wrapped our minds around the costs. |
|
Jessica Stern, on what lures some to terror |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:56 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
"I was very surprised to discover that in poor countries, at the managerial level, terrorists are paid, and they are quite well-paid. I met quite a number of managers in jihadi organizations who said they would like to quit but they couldn't afford to because they wouldn't make as much in the civilian sector." Dilbert knows no boundaries. Jessica Stern, on what lures some to terror |
|
Millions of lives in danger |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Health and Wellness |
10:33 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
"It is important both nationally and internationally [to act] very soon. Quite literally millions of lives are at stake." If tobacco is so much more terrible than terrorism, why am I more frightened by memri.org than thetruth.com? Millions of lives in danger |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Society |
10:24 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
ask questions. seek truth. Here's a question: do you find this compelling? 'truth' |
|
Mothers of Hizbullah Martyrs: We are Very Happy and Want to Sacrifice More Children |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: War on Terrorism |
10:22 pm EST, Dec 1, 2004 |
"I am prepared to sacrifice my life. All I want is martyrdom. I'm willing for all my children to become martyrs. May my husband also become a martyr, and Allah willing, may I die as a martyr." "Compared to others, what I sacrificed is nothing. It's true I sacrificed a son, but others have sacrificed two or three. I hope more of my sons will become martyrs." "Allah be praised. I thank Allah for all the good He has bestowed upon us. He has blessed us with martyrdom. Allah willing, we too will be martyred, just as they did." Do you find this compelling? Mothers of Hizbullah Martyrs: We are Very Happy and Want to Sacrifice More Children |
|
RE: Why Nerds are Unpopular (Long, and worth it.) |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Society |
6:23 pm EST, Nov 29, 2004 |
Decius wrote:
] It is wrong to show our children in high school the kind of
] indifference you'd project toward an enemy in war. These
] people are not your enemy; they are your responsibility. I don't know who suggested to you that it is a good idea to project indifference toward your enemy in war. Regardless, this is not consistent with the general advice on the matter. In fact, as was posted here on January 22, 2004, in an entry entitled "Eleven Lessons from Robert McNamara", you'll find that Lesson Number One is EMPATHIZE WITH YOUR ENEMY McNamara goes on at some length about this, both in the Errol Morris documentary "The Fog of War" (also recommended here) and in his memoirs, "In Retrospect." And more than a few scholars and commentators have explained that Sun Tzu's Lesson Number One is basically the same thing. Here are two: an article entitled "On the pedagogy of 'small wars'", published in International Affairs, volume 80, number 1 (January 2004). This is a respected journal in the field. Here, the author says that "'Knowing thy enemy' and 'knowing thyself', Sun Tzu's formula for victory, requires abandoning flattering accounts of western identity and learning to empathize with those we call terrorists." Also, the point is made explicitly in an article entitled "Bush and the Art of War", published by Intervention Magazine (with which I have no prior experience) in August 2004. Its recent articles seem to present it as a Blue magazine, although they claim to be "an ideologically eclectic group transcending the old liberal/conservative divide." According to the web site, its original Advisory Board included Peter Arnett, Daniel Ellsberg, and Studs Terkel, among others. RE: Why Nerds are Unpopular (Long, and worth it.) |
|
Academia, Stuck To the Left |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Education |
2:59 pm EST, Nov 28, 2004 |
This gives rise to the "false consensus effect," which occurs when, because of institutional provincialism, "people think that the collective opinion of their own group matches that of the larger population." There also is "the law of group polarization": "when like-minded people deliberate as an organized group, the general opinion shifts toward extreme versions of their common beliefs." They become tone-deaf to the way they sound to others outside their closed circle of belief. American campuses have more insistently proclaimed their commitment to diversity as they have become more intellectually monochrome. They do indeed cultivate diversity -- in race, skin color, ethnicity, sexual preference. In everything but thought. Academia, Stuck To the Left |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Arts |
8:03 pm EST, Nov 27, 2004 |
Another slide show
More details than I could want
My desk gathers dust Amazing talent
Wasted in this conference room
On status updates Meeting Haiku |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Games |
7:58 pm EST, Nov 27, 2004 |
Alright, admit it. You've sat in meetings where people have said things like this: "Reengineering our paradigm towards monetizing our customer base will indubitably ramp-up our global synergies and dovetail smoothly with our virtual workspace vertical portal initiatives ... moving forward, that is." The giddily morbid game that you so loved as a child has been repurposed, reengineered, and mega-re-paradigmed to serve as a loopy learning tool. We're sure you'll find it a mission-critical experience that adds value and expands your core competencies. Buzzword Hangman |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: Games |
7:56 pm EST, Nov 27, 2004 |
Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here is a way to change all of that! Bullshit Bingo |
|
|
|---|
| Topic: History |
2:03 pm EST, Nov 27, 2004 |
Galileo was an astrologer. Newton was an alchemist. |
|
