A dancing Mohammed

It has come to attention recently that despite my wealth of knowledge on all topics of interest, my understanding of Islamic culture is rather lacking. While the greatest possibility for increasing knowledge lies with first hand experience, there are few Muslims with whom I have been able to interact. Unlike the vast majority of highly racialized uninformed Americans, I know that most Muslims bear no ill will towards our kind. Just as the radical conservatives are quickly tearing apart this country, it is the minority of radical Muslims who seek to harm. The difference between radical Christianity and Radical Islam is apparently minuscule, at best.

A serious question that has been posed in the past decade, is whether Democracy and Islam are essentially incompatible. One of the more informed articles on the subject can be found here.

Weber's conceptual framework of the Protestant work ethic was correct, however I fear that modernization is quickly becoming incompatible with conservative ideology. The expanding ease of reliable educational sources, i.e. Wikipedia, allows for greater relevant understanding of opposing cultures. While cultural relativism is at its core a great evil, acceptance is a key to future expansion. The basis of conservatism is unfortunately a form of intolerance. They only accept those who will abide the will of God, even though such laws are formed from the mouths of flawed humans.

Despite the rhetoric of acceptance, religion itself is mostly hypocritical. Do not take this rant as anti-religious, but rather as an understanding of pitfalls of such beliefs. There is nothing wrong about faith in God, but it is the religion formed around the faith that evils often arise.

Dancing evolution

Apparently the line of what distinguishes humanity from the creatures of mother nature is continuously blurred. While I can relate as a rather hairy snow enamored creature, even my vocabulary seems minuscule in comparison to such an impressive biped. Evolution may be a divine act, be it one independent of a supreme deity. Perhaps the driving force behind life's grand plan, is nothing more than change itself. Would it then be such a transgression to worship such a powerful universal influence? I plead the fifth.

Once again Sony has disappointed their fan base, whatever one remains that is. After stealing the Wii technology half heartedly, they now announce that force feedback is not compatible with the PS3. The next generation won't carry the rumbling amusement that already fills the controllers of the current generation. I fear for Sony, particularly after stories of untold numbers of PS3's growing dust on the shelves of EB Games. While I have been slightly impressed by the 360 of late, to imagine Microsoft dominating both the PC and console market frightens me. I think Bill Gates is actually attempting to become King of the Digital Age. He wears a emerald crown shaped like the windows logo. It's true, I have seen it.

Surreptitiously on the off chance that anyone else here watches football and Jeopardy, you understand the joy filling my heart when I realized the answer to final jeopardy was my own Buffalo Bills. Hoorah for the men of red and blue, at least they won in a way finally.

Here at last are my picks for the weekend. Ohio State 38 Florida 13 (The Buckeyes are merely too much for Meyer's boys to handle).
Indy 35 KC 28 (LJ still runs for close to 200)
Dallas 21 Seattle 20 (game of the weekend, just watch)
Philly 24 NY Giants 10 (Eli Manning will fold like a paper turkey in a tornado)
New England 35 NY Jets 7 (Belichick gets the most of Mangini for this time around)

Feel free to complain all you want, but that Dallas game is gonna be a doozy. Despite the fact that both teams are mediocre at best.

Milk and cookies

Lately it appears that Apple is facing one quandary after another. Mere days after questions of variable stock options floated about the internet, now come rumors of monopolizing. Ironic that the antagonist of Microsoft would be thusly charged. Whether there is truth to such charges I can make no claim. However it is simple enough to state that despite the large number of digital audio programs, Itunes still remains a personal choice. Other programs seem only to aggravate my lack of organizational skills. The fact that Itunes automatically updates the music on my Ipod fills me with joy akin to a child with a rather large jawbreaker. The era of click and drag has hopefully finally passed us by.

Apparently the newly installed democratic majority has decided that its primary efforts would be best served by fighting institutional corruption. While I do agree that controlling private influxes of money into congress is a priority, new forms of legislation are likely to do little to control such problems. The link between corrupted officials and even more corrupt business leaders grows every day. Yet notice how little play within the national media the Abramhoff scandal has received. Controlling efforts and desires of elected politicians will most certainly have little effect, most favors are received deceitfully during the electoral process. Public campaign finance is assuredly the only possible answer, one which I will elaborate upon later.

Like a monkey with a large banana, at the moment I am otherwise engaged.

Music slowly erasing my brain

Being that the Christmas season has finally passed us by, the jolly off tune voices of little children are no longer forcing me to drive a screwdriver through my skull. I must say that despite my discontent for all things holiday-ish, this year has been a rather enjoyable one. The desperate desire for a respectable music was fulfilled by the gift of a rather sleek 30 gig black ipod.
I cannot describe the absolute joy that such a gift has brought me. My music collection cannot even scratch the storage capacity of such a fantastic device, but I am certain various forms of intriguing reggae will soon fill my soul. Even more impressive were the peripherals which seemed to have formed from a Mac genius' wet dreams.
Given my distaste for the public at large, the ability to ignore mass idiots with for hours upon end just fills me unenviable glee. I am actually glowing at the moment. A slight orange melange of sorts.


In more relevant news, I wish that my previous jobs had offered a severance package of over $200 million.
I have never performed a job poorly as this schmuck (yes the title is appropriate), and yet he will live securely in a rather large mansion surrounded by a large number of cabana boys for the rest of his natural life. When nearly a quarter of Americans cannot afford even the basest of health care, to pay such an egregious amount for someone to vacate a position seems not only obtuse but evil.

For my final note I have only one offering: GO BOISE STATE!