DavidUsher

November 7, 2006

Gaming the Search Engine, in a Political Season - New York Times

Gaming the Search Engine, in a Political Season - New York Times

Political operatives are always jockeying for an advantage. Caveat emptor applies to (free) searches as well as to purchasing goods and services.

In Ancient Fossils, Seeds of a New Debate on Warming - New York Times

In Ancient Fossils, Seeds of a New Debate on Warming - New York Times

The global warming cause/effect debate goes on, this time spanning 100s of mllions of years.

November 5, 2006

Truth and Reality

If what we believe does not reflect the truth, then what we feel does not reflect reality.

An NRO Symposium on Vanity Fair on National Review Online

Link to An NRO Symposium on Vanity Fair on National Review Online

This series of interviews shows that Vanity Fair magazine has used, unfairly and without integrity, discussions with the people listed in this NRO symposium as a political whack job just before the elections on Tuesday. According to the NRO interview of those people, they had been promised that the story would not be published until after the elections. This blatant act proves that Vanity Fair cannot be trusted and has used content from people without their permission. What a travesty! I am ashamed but not surprised that a national magazine would stoop so low. The VF story is here.

IP Ticonderoga Mill Tire Burn Experiment

International Paper Company's two-week experiment burning a modified fuel mixture to include waste tire chips has created an unwarranted furor in Vermont. The Free Press front page coverage on Sunday, November 5 finally describes the details of the experiment, albeit a bit late since the test begins on Monday. The information provided by Candace Page makes it clear that this test poses no threat to Vermont.

IP is doing exactly the right thing in conducting a heavily monitored experiment to determine if additional pollution control measures, such as an electrostatic precipitator may be required to use the tire fuel mixture. Reducing fuel costs in a mill of this size will be a significant cost-saving measure.

A healthy business in the region is an important asset and Vermont should embrace the experiment rather than opposing it. In spite of IP's very reasonable experimental approach, Vermont for months has taken up arms against this short, apparently well-designed, test by fighting it in court, unreasonably demanding installation of a costly precipitator for the test, and doing everything in its power to stop it.

This sort of unfounded paranoia broadcasts to the world that Vermont is unfriendly to certain types of business. Is it any wonder that businesses who see this unreasonable opposition choose to locate or expand elsewhere?

Myth of a Christian Nation

I am reading Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd. The book contains truths that are radical notions to some Christians and non-Christians alike. The core point in the book is expressed below:

"Not everything about the kingdom of the world is bad. Insofar as versions of the the kingdom of the world use their power of the sword to preserve and promote law, order and justice, they are good (or, in dju's words, better by comparison than oppressive kingdoms of the world). But the kingdom of the world, by definition, can never be the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter that we judge it good because it stands for the principles we deem important--"liberty and justice for all," for example. No version of the kingdom of the world, however comparably good it may be, can protect its self interest by loving its enemies, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, or blessing those that persecute it. Yet loving our enemies and blessing those who persecute us is precisely what kingdom-of-God citizens are called to do. It's what it means to be a Christian. By definition, therefore, you can no more have a Christian worldly government than you can have a Christian petunia or aardvark. A nation may have noble ideals and be committed to just principles, but it not for this reason Christian." (emphasis added)
(more posts from this book sure to follow)

November 4, 2006

Election Day - Books - Review - New York Times

Kinsley is making a point about intellectual dishonesty as a threat to our democracy. He fails to make the equally valid point that personal and candidate ethics, moral values and belief systems are at the root of why people do what they do. Unfortuneately, he is writing for intellectuals and misses the point that people are frail entities that can seldom be relied upon 'to get it right,' according to his defition of the word.

Kinsley is obviously a throbbing liberal intellectual who is morose about the fact that half the country does not share his values and beliefs. And he hasn't ever gotten over the 2000 election results, probably never will.

"John F. Droney, a former Democratic state chairman who is now in daily contact with Mr. Lieberman’s staff to discuss the campaign, is one of many who see the 2004 defeat as changing Mr. Lieberman in subtle but significant ways. He said: “There was never a change in his philosophy but there was a change in his inclination to compromise a little bit as a result of the experience in 2004. I think he came away with a resolve to answer to his country first and his party second.”"
I pray that all people seeking public office would believe likewise.