Olympic Fever

Olympic Fever

Middle East Score Card

[I]t’s clear enough that whatever it was before, Syria’s conflict is being fought along sectarian lines. The same holds true for the widening regional links being formed. Just as the Shiite-led Islamic Republic of Iran, and its Lebanese Shiite proxy, Hezbollah, are among Assad’s closest and most steadfast allies, the Sunni Muslim states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey are the main backers of the Syrian rebels. There is, of course, a geostrategic dimension to this as well: behind the Shiites stand Russia and China; behind the Sunnis stand the United States.

-- Sully's Dish

It can be hard to keep track of who is one whose side, and this can be a handy reference. This division is not expected to go away anytime soon, whatever becomes of the Assad regime.

Middle East Score Card

[I]t’s clear enough that whatever it was before, Syria’s conflict is being fought along sectarian lines. The same holds true for the widening regional links being formed. Just as the Shiite-led Islamic Republic of Iran, and its Lebanese Shiite proxy, Hezbollah, are among Assad’s closest and most steadfast allies, the Sunni Muslim states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey are the main backers of the Syrian rebels. There is, of course, a geostrategic dimension to this as well: behind the Shiites stand Russia and China; behind the Sunnis stand the United States.

-- Sully's Dish

It can be hard to keep track of who is one whose side, and this can be a handy reference. This division is not expected to go away anytime soon, whatever becomes of the Assad regime.

The Book Thief

“..It’s the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, “The Book Thief” offers us a believable, hard-won hope. That hope is embodied in Liesel, who grows into a good and generous person despite the suffering all around her, and finally becomes a human even Death can love. The hope we see in Liesel is unassailable, the kind you can hang on to in the midst of poverty and war and violence. Young readers need such alternatives to ideological rigidity, and such explorations of how stories matter. And so, come to think of it, do adults.”

-- John Green, book review

The book is not on the very top of my 'wanna read' stack, as in I-must-read-this-at-the-next-possible-chance, but it is definitely on the list and sits there more prominently than most of the others. I often come across glowing mentions of the work, and I get the impression that it should be in every true reader's history.

The Book Thief

“..It’s the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, “The Book Thief” offers us a believable, hard-won hope. That hope is embodied in Liesel, who grows into a good and generous person despite the suffering all around her, and finally becomes a human even Death can love. The hope we see in Liesel is unassailable, the kind you can hang on to in the midst of poverty and war and violence. Young readers need such alternatives to ideological rigidity, and such explorations of how stories matter. And so, come to think of it, do adults.”

-- John Green, book review

The book is not on the very top of my 'wanna read' stack, as in I-must-read-this-at-the-next-possible-chance, but it is definitely on the list and sits there more prominently than most of the others. I often come across glowing mentions of the work, and I get the impression that it should be in every true reader's history.

Jewish Success

Before the Jews of Hungary were emancipated in the 19th century, they were not permitted to own land. By the end of the century, they were on their way to owning fully one-fifth of Hungary's large estates and were hugely successful in business and the arts. The Jews of Germany had a similar history. They comprised many if not most of the country's lawyers, doctors, composers, playwrights and scientists, and were so astonishingly successful in business that while they were just 1 percent of the population, they were 31 percent of the richest families. What did it? Was it nature (Jews were smarter) or nurture (Jews had a certain culture)? Here's my answer: I don't know.

-- Roger Cohen of The Washington Post

Here's my answer: probably both. Myself being neither especially smart nor well-cultured, I won't pretend to be able to give a good argument for the position. Just saying. It is a provocative question. In my more Christian moods, I have even thought that their intellectual gifts could be taken as a strong indication that the Jews are indeed the Chosen People of God.

Jewish Success

Before the Jews of Hungary were emancipated in the 19th century, they were not permitted to own land. By the end of the century, they were on their way to owning fully one-fifth of Hungary's large estates and were hugely successful in business and the arts. The Jews of Germany had a similar history. They comprised many if not most of the country's lawyers, doctors, composers, playwrights and scientists, and were so astonishingly successful in business that while they were just 1 percent of the population, they were 31 percent of the richest families. What did it? Was it nature (Jews were smarter) or nurture (Jews had a certain culture)? Here's my answer: I don't know.

-- Roger Cohen of The Washington Post

Here's my answer: probably both. Myself being neither especially smart nor well-cultured, I won't pretend to be able to give a good argument for the position. Just saying. It is a provocative question. In my more Christian moods, I have even thought that their intellectual gifts could be taken as a strong indication that the Jews are indeed the Chosen People of God.

"Atlas Shrugged" in Germany

Ayn Rand is making it big in Germany apparently. Just what the Germans need, eh, a superman ideology. That worked so well in the 1930s and 40s.

_ _ _

Munich executive, Kai John, who has published a new translation of the libertarian classic. In the novel, the brightest and most productive citizens (i.e. the Germans!) deeply resent having to support the weaker members of society and rebel, leaving society in tatters, a fate that could befall the Continent if Angela Merkel and the German parliament refuse to bolster the European Union’s straggling economies. A series of bailouts has left John, 36, a vice president at a multinational financial services company, feeling like Rand’s hero, John Galt: “The time is here to make Germans aware that collectivism has its limits.”

[...]

But bringing Randian ideals to Germany, Brook predicts, will be harder than just publishing a fresh translation. The novel, Brook says, never caught on in Europe, with the exceptions of Britain and parts of Scandinavia. The Germans, he says, might find the book too simplistic. “The way [Germans] understand reality is through complexity and difficulty,” he says.

Ten years ago there weren’t more than 10 or 20 people in Germany who considered themselves libertarians, according to David Schah, an editor at Germany’s only journal for libertarian ideas, eigentümlich frei. But he sees Der Streik as a potential boon. “If in the U.S. Ayn Rand was a gateway drug for libertarianism, then the same thing could happen in Germany,” he says.

-- Zeke Turner at Business Week

"Atlas Shrugged" in Germany

Ayn Rand is making it big in Germany apparently. Just what the Germans need, eh, a superman ideology. That worked so well in the 1930s and 40s.

_ _ _

Munich executive, Kai John, who has published a new translation of the libertarian classic. In the novel, the brightest and most productive citizens (i.e. the Germans!) deeply resent having to support the weaker members of society and rebel, leaving society in tatters, a fate that could befall the Continent if Angela Merkel and the German parliament refuse to bolster the European Union’s straggling economies. A series of bailouts has left John, 36, a vice president at a multinational financial services company, feeling like Rand’s hero, John Galt: “The time is here to make Germans aware that collectivism has its limits.”

[...]

But bringing Randian ideals to Germany, Brook predicts, will be harder than just publishing a fresh translation. The novel, Brook says, never caught on in Europe, with the exceptions of Britain and parts of Scandinavia. The Germans, he says, might find the book too simplistic. “The way [Germans] understand reality is through complexity and difficulty,” he says.

Ten years ago there weren’t more than 10 or 20 people in Germany who considered themselves libertarians, according to David Schah, an editor at Germany’s only journal for libertarian ideas, eigentümlich frei. But he sees Der Streik as a potential boon. “If in the U.S. Ayn Rand was a gateway drug for libertarianism, then the same thing could happen in Germany,” he says.

-- Zeke Turner at Business Week

Nesting

That seems like quite a few eggs for a little bird.

Nesting

That seems like quite a few eggs for a little bird.

To Vajazzlize or Not

Bikini waxing, "vajazzling" or jeweled decoration of the genitals, waxing, shaving and removal of pubic hair are all becoming increasingly popular among young people. But some doctors are opposing the "war against pubic hair" and are trying to highlight the possible dangers of these activities.

-- News/LJ

I have not heard of vajazzling before, but I take it that it means something like putting the jazz in your vagina, and if vajazzling is wrong, I don't want to be right. I suspect that this may be one of those militant feminist conspiracies, and it won't be long before they are pushing the idea that shaving your legs could cause polio and giving head is more dangerous than smoking.

To Vajazzlize or Not

Bikini waxing, "vajazzling" or jeweled decoration of the genitals, waxing, shaving and removal of pubic hair are all becoming increasingly popular among young people. But some doctors are opposing the "war against pubic hair" and are trying to highlight the possible dangers of these activities.

-- News/LJ

I have not heard of vajazzling before, but I take it that it means something like putting the jazz in your vagina, and if vajazzling is wrong, I don't want to be right. I suspect that this may be one of those militant feminist conspiracies, and it won't be long before they are pushing the idea that shaving your legs could cause polio and giving head is more dangerous than smoking.

"Criminal Minds"

They don’t just solve the crime.
They solve the criminal.
A friend had gotten me the first three seasons of “Criminal Minds”, and although I am not much for police procedurals, I was surprised by how engaging the episodes were, at least 90% of them. Still, I did not think I would be ordering any on my own, but then season three ends with a great cliff hanger. Then, I started browsing the reviews on Amazon for season four and was impressed by the acclamation, with a number of people saying that the fourth season was the best of all. Well, that hooked me.

I should have received the package yesterday, and it was the first time that Amazon failed my Prime membership expectations. I was worrying that the whole order might be botched, but, no, it came today. They used the regular mail service instead of UPS, which probably accounts for the delay.

I am looking forward to enjoying another round of the show. I seriously expect this to be my last season. I’ve looked ahead at reviews for season five and so on, and I think I scent a decline in the adoration of the show, albeit not much of a falling off. If season four ends with another great cliff hanger, I expect that I will just pay to stream the first episode of season five online. I have to cut myself off sometime!

"Criminal Minds"

They don’t just solve the crime.
They solve the criminal.
A friend had gotten me the first three seasons of “Criminal Minds”, and although I am not much for police procedurals, I was surprised by how engaging the episodes were, at least 90% of them. Still, I did not think I would be ordering any on my own, but then season three ends with a great cliff hanger. Then, I started browsing the reviews on Amazon for season four and was impressed by the acclamation, with a number of people saying that the fourth season was the best of all. Well, that hooked me.

I should have received the package yesterday, and it was the first time that Amazon failed my Prime membership expectations. I was worrying that the whole order might be botched, but, no, it came today. They used the regular mail service instead of UPS, which probably accounts for the delay.

I am looking forward to enjoying another round of the show. I seriously expect this to be my last season. I’ve looked ahead at reviews for season five and so on, and I think I scent a decline in the adoration of the show, albeit not much of a falling off. If season four ends with another great cliff hanger, I expect that I will just pay to stream the first episode of season five online. I have to cut myself off sometime!

Cliimbing Mount Everest

Some fascinating information on climbing Mount Everest.

_ _ _

As a climber goes up even higher in altitude, into the so-called death zone, the dangerously thin air above 26,000 feet, there is so little oxygen available that the body makes a desperate decision: it cuts off the digestive system. The body can no longer afford to direct oxygen to the stomach to help digest food because that would divert what precious little oxygen is available away from the brain. The body will retch back up anything the climber tries to eat, even if it’s as small as an M&M.

The consequence of shutting down the digestive system is, of course, that the body can no longer take in any calories. Lacking an external fuel source, the body has no choice but to turn on itself. It now fuels itself by burning its own muscle—the very muscle needed to climb the mountain—at a rate of about two pounds per hour.

The climber’s body is now in total collapse. The respiratory system is working way beyond its tolerance at roughly four times above normal; the circulatory system is pumping at only 30 percent capacity; the digestive system has completely shut down; and the muscular system is eating away at itself. In short, the body is dying. Rapidly.

-- Sully's Dish

Cliimbing Mount Everest

Some fascinating information on climbing Mount Everest.

_ _ _

As a climber goes up even higher in altitude, into the so-called death zone, the dangerously thin air above 26,000 feet, there is so little oxygen available that the body makes a desperate decision: it cuts off the digestive system. The body can no longer afford to direct oxygen to the stomach to help digest food because that would divert what precious little oxygen is available away from the brain. The body will retch back up anything the climber tries to eat, even if it’s as small as an M&M.

The consequence of shutting down the digestive system is, of course, that the body can no longer take in any calories. Lacking an external fuel source, the body has no choice but to turn on itself. It now fuels itself by burning its own muscle—the very muscle needed to climb the mountain—at a rate of about two pounds per hour.

The climber’s body is now in total collapse. The respiratory system is working way beyond its tolerance at roughly four times above normal; the circulatory system is pumping at only 30 percent capacity; the digestive system has completely shut down; and the muscular system is eating away at itself. In short, the body is dying. Rapidly.

-- Sully's Dish