Hungryghoast's Web Presence

The Church & Politics Quiz

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:13:00 -0400

I scored 34 for Part One, 26 for Part Two…

I got a 22 and a 20 though i would disagree with the quiz’s conclusions that I “believe the church ought to be Politically Engaged” for the first part. Mostly, at least… it’s pretty hard to avoid as churches are concerned with men and “Man is by nature a political animal”

Definitly agree with the “Quiet Critic” conclusion for me, though… I guess AZSpot is close to where I’m at but a bit more “radical”? I just figure that God (as I, in my limited and of course not accurate understanding, figure what God might be… which probably places me outside the realm of “christianity” anyway to most) is pretty unconcerned with the fates of nations.

"Holoselves are, for all intents and purposes, artificial humans – you’d be hard pressed to tell the..."

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:14:28 -0400

“Holoselves are, for all intents and purposes, artificial humans – you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference, and when they’re legally occupied by a human, have all the rights and responsibilities of a human. People will naturally prefer to own their own dedicated holoselves, but it will be possible to share holoselves (the physical structure adapts to suit the host intelligence). Actual cognition (sensation, reflection, and the like) takes place partially in the ’real‘ brain, partially in the ’holo‘ brain (after a certain point the distinction between ’real‘ and ’holo‘ brains becomes more philosophical than practical – asking ”Am I the same person in Cairo as I am in Denver“ is pretty much the same as asking ”Am I the same person tomorrow as I am today?“. The neat thing about holoselves is that they need not be human; the need just enough resident intelligence to input and process (coherently) perceptions and to communicate with other (holo and non-holo) instances of the controlling intelligences. This will lead to numerous holo-fads, like holo-birds, holo-fish, and more.”

- Stephen Downes (via azspot)

I wanna be a holo-centaur. Or a holo-Anubis. Maybe holo-Jackie Chan.

MAKE: Blog: Urban Sustainability Q&A With Scott Kellogg

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:19:17 -0400

MAKE: Blog: Urban Sustainability Q&A With Scott Kellogg

"Jesus, in short, abhors both passivity and violence. He articulates, out of the history of his own..."

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:28:13 -0400

“Jesus, in short, abhors both passivity and violence. He articulates, out of the history of his own people’s struggles, a way by which evil can be opposed without being mirrored, the oppressor resisted without being emulated, and the enemy neutralized without being destroyed. Those who have lived by Jesus’ words—Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, César Chavez, Adolpho Pérez Esquivel—point us to a new way of confronting evil whose potential for personal and social transformation we are only beginning to grasp today.”

- Walter Wink (via azspot)

The sort of insight my “religioius” family will never understand.

Carrot Soup with Goat Cheese and Basil « My Culinary Sanctuary

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:44:38 -0400

Carrot Soup with Goat Cheese and Basil « My Culinary Sanctuary

Bathroom Art - Niemann Opinion Art Blog – Abstract City – NYTimes.com

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:44:36 -0400

Bathroom Art - Niemann Opinion Art Blog – Abstract City – NYTimes.com

Omnivore's Hundred

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:47:26 -0400

likeasif: frannyandzooey:

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

(via Very Good Taste)

Usually hate these things, but I feel like this might be helpful for me to refer back to.

Oh man…. Only missing a little over 30 things on the list. #1 desired food i haven’t had yet: Currywurst. And not a single thing crossed off… I’d probably try almost anything. The only thing on the list I’d even call “daring” is Roadkill.

McCain unsure how many houses he owns - Politico.com

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:54:15 -0400

McCain unsure how many houses he owns - Politico.com:

squashed:

When directly asked, he said, “I think — I’ll have my staff get back to you. It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”

His staff eventually answered, “At least four.” Other estimates range from seven to eleven.

Don’t be hard on the guy for his memory problems. Think of it this way. How many chairs do you own? You’d have to think for a minute. Does a couch count? What about a futon? What about that chair in the office that you don’t technically own—but if anybody else uses it they’ve clearly stolen your chair? Do the seats in a car count? Stools? The broken chair in the basement you’ve been meaning to fix for years?

It’s sort of like that for McCain. Except he has more money than you do, so it’s houses instead of chairs.

As is the nature of these things, not only has the Obama campaign already attacked McCain on this point, but the McCain campaign has already responded TO that attack.

Both campaigns seem to be taking the “Oh those damn rich people, you can’t trust them ,they’re out of touch and they don’t understand AMERICA.”

Well… I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but as they are the vast minority of Americans, that is for sure…. But if we’re talking especially about the issue of “raising taxes” (which the McCain campaign is complaining about in its response) the Obama campaign is the only one who wants to raise taxes on these terrible terrible rich people (which would probably include himself and McCain). Senator Obama, in fact, does NOT want to raise taxes on most Americans. If you break down the tax plans in terms of Average Percentage Change in After-Tax Income (aka How Much More You’ll Be Making Via Less Taxes), all but the TOP QUINTILE of Americans benefits MORE from Obama’s plan. The only people truly impacted by Obama’s plan are those in the top 1 and 0.1 percentiles of American earners. Do you really think they’ll miss it? Or that they STILL won’t be disgustingly rich by comparison to the rest of us? Even the McCain campaign has indicated that over $4 million is A LOT OF MONEY which places one out of touch with the needs of America so….

Furthermore, it’s not like McCain is talking about cutting programs and funding to certain parts of the government in ways his tax cuts would make any sense at all. Americans either need to get this through their thick heads or fail each other miserably.

(stats on tax plans taken via The Tax Policy Center’s report)

bunkercomplex: “In the Finnish Navy, spats are part of the...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:27:17 -0400

bunkercomplex: “In the Finnish Navy, spats are part of the winter uniform. They are colloquially known as Scrooge McDucks.” (via wikipedia)

Well, I have a new respect for The Finnish Navy… points for style AND reference.

So funny and ridiculous I watched it twice in short succession.

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:52:21 -0400

So funny and ridiculous I watched it twice in short succession.

South Central Farm to Forever 21?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:09:00 -0400

South Central Farm to Forever 21?:

This is a pretty damn sad story. I’ve followed this story for years now, since the farm was first threatened. It’s a pretty amazing representation of modern urban tragedy…. A greenspace which served the lives and livelihoods of over 300 families destroyed for a warehouse for shitty clothing.

One of the first questions which come to mind is where was the mayor for all this? How could Mayor Villaraigosa not have stopped this tragedy? Some then point out that the way the property battle played out was totally legit (despite the ever suspicious closed door meetings in which it took palce). The argument in Villaraigosa’s favor is that he didn’t have a legal land to stand on… That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have advocated and couldn’t have done something. The law isn’t always right, particularly when it comes to these eminent domain issues and it’s up to our elected leaders to protect their constituencies in cases like this. Legality aside, this was yet another sign of piss-poor leadership (i.e. The complete lack-there-of) on Villaraigosa’s part. But what really reeks of bullshit about Villaraigosa is this:

He has received nearly $1.3 million in contributions and commitments from Forever 21 and its executives over the past two years for initiatives ranging from tree plantings to his own reelection campaign.

But maybe Villaraigosa was powerless. Maybe we’re all powerless in the face of the forces of “the market.” Some will say that the blame should be on the shoulders of the consumers… and as we are all consumers we are all equally culpable and equally free of blame. The Market is necessary, all powerful, and benefits us all overall… but the worst part about saying “It’s the market,” is that it’s a terrible way to excuse the actions of individuals. Somewhere down the line someone(s) had to say “We are taking this land away from people who are using it productively and partly for their own livelihood so that we can build a warehouse which will benefit next to no-one in this community.” Perhaps those persons said to themselves “aw hell, it’s the market!” and figured they were doing some sort of good… But they can’t even make the argument that this is the sort of thing that is going to generate enough jobs for these people. They can’t make the argument that there aren’t plenty of places where this warehouse could have also gone. In the end the market, just like eminent domain, once again fails to serve “the people” as it is alleged to do…

Yes, blame “consumer preferences” but you can’t let the decision makers off the hook. I certainly think those in government are culpable as well for allowing such a ridiculous thing as “consumer preferences” to degrade the standard of living for a group of people. Particularly true when it is a group of people who have little to no say in these “consumer preferences” which allegedly dictate the course of society.

Most tragic of all is that as they build upon this land, put in a foundation, concrete and asphalt, build a huge waste of space and energy…… Nothing will grow on this land again. They are robbing the community now and robbing this community in the future (if and when the warehouse becomes a bombed out and decrepit shell).

Los Angelinos… you’ve gone and failed each other. I hate to single this story out, this sort of thing happens in cities all over this country… This just happens to be one of the more tragic examples.

As for Ralph Horowitz, the “owner” of the land… There are those who will argue the old lines: “He legally re-obtained the land and who are we to tell him what to do with it?” Perfectly legally speaking this is probably true. Perfectly morally speaking, though, you’d be a fucking moron and an asshole for trying to defend that sonofabitch. I’ll probably go into my views of Power/Service to the Dis-empowered as equal to Sin/Redemption some other time…. but for now I’ll say that there’s a special place in some sort of Hell for people like Horowitz and those who will excuse him.

(via mollylambert) possible entrant for Friends Friday?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:40:18 -0400

(via mollylambert)

possible entrant for Friends Friday?

"How would we have reacted if Moscow had brought Western Europe into the Warsaw Pact, established..."

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:04:06 -0400

“How would we have reacted if Moscow had brought Western Europe into the Warsaw Pact, established bases in Mexico and Panama, put missile defense radars and rockets in Cuba, and joined with China to build pipelines to transfer Mexican and Venezuelan oil to Pacific ports for shipment to Asia? And cut us out? If there were Russian and Chinese advisers training Latin American armies, the way we are in the former Soviet republics, how would we react? Would we look with bemusement on such Russian behavior?”

- Patrick J. Buchanan (via azspot)

I had a prof at NYU who predicted a Russian reaction like this becuase of this very reason way back when I had his class in early 2002. (Stephen Cohen, if you’re curious)

The answer of non-aggression always seems pretty apparent until we put ourselves in the shoes of those who have lashed out. These days everyone is “the offended.” All nations are victims. Though I’m inclined to say “Some more than others.”

Nils Olav inspecting The King’s Guard of...

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:20:01 -0400

Nils Olav inspecting The King’s Guard of Norway

Congratulations Nils on being Knighted by Norway. I like military animals.

A Margaret Cho, Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan daisy chain you say?

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:56:49 -0400

A Margaret Cho, Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan daisy chain you say?: I usually wouldn’t join in on any sort of celebrity sex internet echo-chamber, but this one has my full-on endorsement especially if there’s going to be fisting involved. And c’mon, it’s Margaret Cho, you KNOW there’s going to be fisting involved.

Thursday's There. I said it.

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:00:58 -0400

fightwithknives:

I have yet to hear a decent reason for protesting at the Republican National Convention.

There. I said it.

Worth repeating.

Thursday's There. I Said It.

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:39:23 -0400

Despite my New York parochialism and apparent derision for Los Angeles, I usually think they’re both equally pretentious and terrible.

There. I Said It.

And boy am I cranky today.

"Google is the perfect real-world memory aid for students. It makes it easy to retrieve the factoids..."

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:44:35 -0400

“Google is the perfect real-world memory aid for students. It makes it easy to retrieve the factoids that will inevitably be lost from memory. It makes it so easy, in fact, that it’s foolish to obsess about teaching the factoids. If a student knows that there was a battle, during the Civil War, that represented a turning point, and she can articulate why, and she can discuss the factors that led up to the pivotal battle itself, isn’t that a picture of success? Would anyone think she’s less smart, or less aware of history, if she Googled the dates and the place names?”

- Made to Stick (via azspot)

1 - Google has changed nothing about this facet of what makes someone more smart/aware of history. It HAS changed accesibility for these factoids. It has also changed accesibility to great (and fucking terrible) opnions and perspectives on History. What makes one “smart” or “aware” is their capability in reading analysis, knowing when to cry “Yes!” and when to cry “Bullshit!” and knowing when and how to form analysis of their own.

But even before Google, the factoids were of little significance. There have always been reference books to rely on, there’s always been avenues of research if you needed to verify something, there’s always been TOO MUCH HISTORY for the little niggling dates and places to really be the key to Historical Knowledge and Power. I recall once having to memorize the preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America for a class in 5th grade. I HATED that assignment and not only because I was shit in terms of memory… I hated it because I knew what was meant by it, I understood the motivations and the background (as much as a 5th grader probably could) and I understood the overall importance of the Constitution. Memorizing all those damn words did little to help especially since in the entire course of trying to memorize it all I could think was, “There’s a copy of this in my history book. I have another copy on my bookshelf at home. And there’s always probably going to be some sort of accessable copy of this… so why do I need to memorize it? Is this class actually about memory?” (and yeh, wiseass, I realize that all history classes are about “memory” in this strange and abstract sense…)

2 - Sorry to say it, but… Yes, there are those (since you asked “would anyone”) who would think someone is less smart for googling information even if that information is from a good source on Google. There is still a pretty hardcore contingent in the reaches of academia who just flat out don’t trust the internet. Doesn’t matter what your source is on the internet, doesn’t matter that Wikipedia is pretty much just as reliable as Britannica (and far more reliable in certain subjects), there are professors and professionals in the world of History who just won’t buy your argument if you cite a resource from the Internet. Of course, one day all these people will be dead or retired and then I’ll be the one in a seat of judgement being old and cranky about some sort of newfangled whatsamawhosit those dang kids are using.

As if on cue to today’s debate in my...

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:56:30 -0400

As if on cue to today’s debate in my workplace….

nikography:

evil little thing…

"Tompkins Square Park is hip and expensive today. Resistance was futile."

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:55:09 -0400

“Tompkins Square Park is hip and expensive today. Resistance was futile.”

- pulled from a NYTimes article on the 20th anniversary of the Tompkins Square riots and protests.

The story of the fight over Tompkins Sq Park will get play as long New York City continues its march of gentrification, development, and changeover of old neighborhoods. But as long as the trend continues for luxury development, it does seem like resistance is indeed futile. But what’s the alternative? Are the defenders of Old New York (if it exists at all anymore) valiant and heroic or just a bunch of foolish hooligans? Obviously there’s a bit of truth in either (and both are mostly bullshit), but those are the two characterizations the New York Times seems to be choosing between.

Any thread on Gothamist about these issues is gaurunteed to generate a frustrating and extensive thread of comments as either side is debated. Oh, and there will always be one or two “Go back to Ohio!” comments too. But no one will ever have an idea that’s palatable to both sides… In particular, no one on the side without the power to do something about these trends will have an effective plan. In fact, the romanticization of their efforts and those who came before (including Jerry Wade and those who used to give the LES some sort of persona) only spurs on further influx of people looking for a piece of that character. Before the change desired by the Jerry Wade types happens, the bigger picture has to change first…. My guess, at least.

It all makes me wonder what the trends will be and how they will change as the suburbs continue to die their long, slow, and painful death.