Thursday, March 31, 2005

THE UNDERCURRENT

I mentioned a forthcoming Objectivist publication in a post in February. The first issue of The Undercurrent is now published. [Via Gus Van Horn.]

REST IN PEACE TERRI SCHIAVO

In the news:


I will write another post on the Terri Schiavo case and how this political mess could end up in something positive in the long run. For the time being, read the article, A Culture of Living Death, by Yaron Brook and Alex Epstein. Here is an excerpt from the article.

The religious conservatives do not value actual human life; they are consistent followers of the Christian ideal that human life is properly lived in sacrifice to God, and that suffering is proof of virtue. The worship of suffering is fundamental to Christianity, a religion whose central figure is glorified for dying a horrific death for the sins of mankind. A prominent religious conservative commented on the Schiavo case, "Terry Schiavo . . . is suffering in obedience to God's will." He added: "Isn't suffering in pursuit of God's will the exact center of religious life?"

This is the culture of death--of living death. (CapMag.com, 03/31/05.)

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

VIRTUAL SMOKE BREAK

I need a virtual smoke break after reading the following bad news [Via Reclaim Your Brain and the Secular Foxhole.]:

Major credit card companies will no longer handle Internet sales of cigarettes under a nationwide agreement announced Thursday. ... Smokers would still be able to buy cigarettes over the Internet, but they would not be allowed to use their credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Instead, they would have to use checks, money orders or some other payment system that would probably hold up delivery. (MSNBC, Charging smokes over the Net? Not anymore, 03/17/05.)


Hopefully the companies will find a way around the problem by using other methods of payment. Maybe this is a golden opportunity for an entrepreneur to start a new business... For more on this topic, go to SmokingLobby.com.

Virtual Smoke Break!

BLOGGER ERROR

What are the engineers doing?

Error
We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are unable to process your request at this time. Our engineers have been notified of this problem and will work to resolve it.


We've had to rollback to an earlier build this morning in order to fix some outstanding publishing bugs. This has had stability implications which we are now in the process of addressing.

Update: These problems have now subsided. We are in the process of preparing a new build which will include an additional performance enhancement as well as a fix for BlogThis. (Status.blogger.com, 03/30/05.)

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: I AM TAKING A BREAK...


ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: I AM TAKING A BREAK...
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.

I was on a roll and I thought of writing a new post on the Terri Schiavo case and if something good could come out of this messy situation. I had also ideas on future posts, e.g., career and blogging about work. But I will take a short break instead, due to the problems at Blogger.

We're currently in the process of rolling back a bad kernel upgrade that has significantly impacted the service. Restored app servers are coming back online and all should be repaired by the end of today. (Status.blogger.com, 03/29/05.)


"Bad kernel"? I hope that the core of Blogger is still in good condition!

If you want to "turn up the heat" a bit, check out my other blog and see how the paprika (sweet pepper) and chile pepper plants are growing! Please also support my sponsors by clicking on the Blogads.

UPDATE:
Read Gus Van Horn's post, Bag o' Burning Blogger.

FROM NCR TO HP

Today I talked to a friend who is working at HP. We were discussing who would take over after Fiorina. He sent me an email with a link to this article: HP eyes 'younger man' for CEO post - report. Recently I got an email message (NCR president quits for bigger assignment) from Dayton Daily News. It is great to be informed of what is going on in my former home state, Ohio!

In the news:

Monday, March 28, 2005

CAPITALISTS AT THE MOBILE TECHNOLOGY WEBLOG

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by Russell Buckley of the Mobile Technology Weblog.

Welcome to this week's Carnival of the Capitalists, which is my privilege to host for the second time.

I've just come back from a week's skiing in Austria to find over 50 excellent entries in the carnival's mail box. While I've duly read and mulled over each of them, I can't help thinking that it's a daunting task for you, the reader, to give all these great bloggers the attention they deserve in one mega-session.

So I've unilaterally decided to break with tradition slightly and publish one batch today and another on Wednesday. Sorry if you hate the idea, but if I've made your life a little easier, I'm pleased. Either way, leave a comment below or drop me an email (russell AT mobhappy DOT com) and let me know what you think, so other hosts can take board your feedback. (Mobile-weblog.com, 03/28/05.)


Don't miss the Reason Roundup at the Charlotte Capitalist.

Welcome to this week's Reason Roundup. Keeping alive those who are all but dead. Killing those who should live. Squelching the vibrant and alive. And notice that is only the capitalists who are celebrating and defending human life and beauty. It's definitely not the Christians or the liberals. See for yourself... (CharlotteCapitalist.com, 03/27/05.)

NET DISASTER AND FRIED EGGS...

I wonder if it is syrup in the 'puter at the moment, or if it is a net disaster...


[Editor's note: Click at your own risk!;)]

KASPAROV: THE NEXT PRESIDENT AFTER PUTIN?

In my post, GARRY KASPAROV'S CHESS MOVE INTO POLITICS, I talked about how the retired chess master, Garry Kasparov, had made a "horse (white knight) jump" into Russian politics. [Editor's comment: I am glad that Bobby Fisher is not active in American politics...]

Here is an excerpt from Jasper Gerard's interview (Arrogant? No, I'm just the best) with Garry Kasparov. [Via Volodymyr Campaign: "Join our campaign for free speech and democracy throughout the former Soviet Union."]

So will Putin break his pledge to step down in 2008? "So far, everything he has said, he has done the opposite. Bush said, 'I have looked into his soul'; don't look at his soul, look at his record." (TimesOnline.co.uk, 03/20/05.)


More reading material:


Did you watch the Charlie Rose show?

Related: My post, THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY: BOOM OR BUST? PART II.

UPDATE 03/29/05:

Here is a post from HBL by Edward Cline (posted here with permission).

This morning Gary Kasparov, the retired Grand Master of chess, was interviewed on the Charlie Rose show (a very civilized talk show, not barbaric like O'Reilly's show or Hannity's).

Kasparov is a very articulate speaker, whose English is better than that of most American politicians. He gave a very good analysis of Russia's current political situation, pointing out, among other things, that Vladimir Putin wants to eliminate the word "election" from the language; that Bush lost at the recent summit meeting with Putin because Putin correctly regarded his demands for "Russian democracy" as just a lot of hot air, and not to be taken seriously; and that most European governments pose as neutral towards Putin's march to authoritarian rule but actually approve of it.

Kasparov said he wanted to see the same kind of political "revolution" in Moscow that occurred in Kiev, but knew it would take time because his fellow Russians are inured to being bossed around by the likes of Putin.

In an interesting exchange between Rose and Kasparov, Rose insisted that advances in computer technology must eventually lead to computers beating men at chess every time. Kasparov dismissed the idea, saying that this will never happen, because men can think, and computers cannot.

He also noted that he was the best chess player because he was always pitted against the best in competition; going up against the best demanded that he exceed his own record. He more or less (that is, tactfully) dismissed Bobby Fischer as a flash in the pan and an odd person.

Kasparov plans to enter Russian politics. Rose asked him if he thought that Putin worried about him. Kasparov replied, "I don't give a damn if he is or isn't."

A man to watch.

CARNIVAL OF THE CATS AT MUSIC AND CATS

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Cats is hosted by Music and Cats.

A big, furry welcome from Lyra, Sergei, Sasha and me. This week's edition of the Carnival of the Cats features photos and such from 33 cat-bloggers. By some "luck" of the draw, I seem to be hosting Carnivals following either the ridiculous or the sublime. While I thought about making thumbnails of this week's photos to include in the Carnival, I had only so many hours (too many, according to some members of my household) to devote to this little project. Instead, I'm just using little cartoonish RFOAC's (Reasonable Facsimile Of A Cat, for those wondering in from elsewhere); you'll just have to go to other folks' blogs to see their cats. (Music and Cats, Carnival of the Cats #53, 03/27/05.)


Kimberly is asking the following question:

Martin at EGO writes that, "Due to the Easter fireworks (perhaps this is a Swedish thing?), Morris is an indoor cat today. He managed to stay pretty calm this year."


Hmmm, I don't recall any fireworks during Easter in New Hampshire and Ohio, but the author (Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant) of the article (Fear of Fireworks) I am linking to in my post, is living in Tennessee. How is it in your state, do you only have fireworks on 7/4 and 12/31?

[Editor's note: It looks that the photo of Morris is not loading at the moment. I hope the problem at Flickr will be fixed soon.]

Sunday, March 27, 2005

JEFF WEISE - ANGEL OF DEATH

So, plenty of things have come up as explanations for Jeff Weise's behavior and actions:


More importantly, he posted (user name, "angel of death" in German) on a discussion forum with the worst kind of collectivists.

POWERFULMINDS.ORG

I have added Glenn Woiceshyn's web site, PowerfulMinds.org, to the Education category. (Hat tip to Dollars & Crosses / Capitalism magazine.) Here is their vision statement:

Our most valuable natural resource is the human mind and the seemingly boundless power of reason to improve our lives. Our vision for the future is a radically improved education system, one that helps each child achieve his or her full potential as a human being.

We envision an education system that motivates children to learn and empowers them with the knowledge and thinking skills they'll need to guide their future towards success and happiness. We envision an education system that satisfies each child's intellectual, emotional, and social needs. We envision an education system that graduates knowledgeable, passionate, creative, efficacious, self-confident thinkers. We envision an education system that generates powerful minds.

With such an education system, we envision a world that is radically more intelligent, benevolent, prosperous, peaceful, and enjoyable. (PowerfulMinds.org)

Saturday, March 26, 2005

MORRIS THE INDOOR CAT

Due to the Easter fireworks, Morris is an indoor cat today. He managed to stay pretty calm this year.


MORRIS
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.

BLOG EMPIRE MAP

I have added another map to the Globalization category. What do you think of the placement of EGO on the map of Empire of the Blogs? My blog is located up north of the immediate Imperial territory.



After you have checked out the map, I recommend you to read Two Questions for a Flat-Earther by the Commissar of the Politburo Diktat.

TODAY KYRGYZSTAN, TOMORROW BELARUS?

Here is an excerpt from Robert Tracinski's post, It Reaches Kyrgyzstan!

What to make of all of this? Many former Soviet republics have been trying to follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's model of "Stalin lite." Leaders have used control of the press and rigged elections (according to US and European monitors) to keep themselves in office. But this is Stalin "lite," so they haven't been willing to use force to impose an outright dictatorship-and so their bids for power are failing.

Note also that while Kyrgyzstan may seem isolated, it is scrunched between three strategically important regions: Russia, the Middle East (just north of Afghanistan), and, most interesting, China. The Daily Telegraph has a fascinating photo slideshow of the protests; you get to it by clicking the link at the top of the story. Who knows what impact these images might have in, say, China? (TIADaily.com, 03/24/05.)


In the news:


For more on Kyrgyzstan, read a special report by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

STAND UP FOR TAIWAN

In the news: Taiwanese march against China law.

"I am here to protest against a barbaric China which looks down upon the Taiwanese people," said 70-year-old businessman Fan Wen-yi, adding he was not affiliated to any political party and had never participated in a protest before. "The anti-secession law, simply put, is a law that authorises war." (Reuters.co.uk, 03/26/05.)


Will Franklin (WILLisms.com) said the following in his post, Following "The Blueprint" In Taiwan:
And the cameras always seem to find the babes at these things.

[Editor's comment: Yeah, look at the photo!]


(Image source: Reuters / Richard Chung, 03/26/05. Yahoo! News - World Photos.)

Related: My post, COMMUNIST CHINA IS THREATENING TAIWAN.

PLAY HARDBALL IN IRAN

In the news:

At least five people were killed and dozens left injured outside the Azadi stadium in Tehran after anti-government protests erupted at the end of the Iran-Japan World Cup qualifier football match this evening.

Eye-witnesses reported that the regime used special anti-riot units and hundreds of State Security Forces (SSF) to launch an offensive on the 100,000-strong crowd, after spectators started chanting anti-government slogans. (IranFocus.com, 03/25/05.)


I am glad to see that DoctorZin (Gary Metz) of Regime Change Iran has linked to Elan Journo's article, Death to "Diplomacy" with Iran.

Elan Journo writing for the Ayn Rand Institute observes not all problems are economic. He points to the current EU3 negotiations with Iran. (RegimeChangeIran.com, 03/26/05.)


Here is an excerpt from Elan Journo's article.

This approach of diplomacy-with-anyone-at-any-cost necessarily results in nourishing one's enemy and sharpening its fangs. That is what happened under a 1994 deal with communist North Korea. In return for boatloads of aid and oil from the United States, Japan and other nations, North Korea promised not to develop nuclear weapons. Despite U.N. inspections, North Korea flouted the agreement repeatedly. When caught cheating, it promised anew to end its nuclear program in return for more "incentives." In February 2005 North Korea declared (plausibly) that it had succeeded in building nuclear weapons. (MensNewsDaily.com, 03/26/05.)


Related: My post, NUTTY ADVICE: "HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH TEHRAN".

Friday, March 25, 2005

HOT AND SPICY TOPICS

Go to my other blog and read my post on paprika (sweet pepper) and chilepepper. I will publish photos of the plants on a regular basis. I wonder if you could find a "gardening carnival" out there in the blogosphere? Read Nick's (Hot Sauce Blog) post, The Science of Chile Peppers.

Talking about hot stuff, how about adding a bit of spice to your sex life by reading an interview with the author of The Ultimate Sex Diet: The Super Sex Diet That Works. Go to HotSauceLive.com and read the post, Kerry McCloskey: The Ultimate Sex Diet.

Have you listened to Dr. Leonard Peikoff's course, Love, Romance, and Sex? Click on the link and listen to a sample.

THANK GOD IT IS FRIDAY...

I am usually in a grumpy mood this particular day due to the religious message.

I am glad to see that Monty Python's Spamalot is getting raving reviews and is a smashing success on Brodway.

Here is an excerpt from my post, T.G.I.F. Read the whole post for suggestions on movies to see this weekend. I am planning to watch Chocolat.

In the Swedish calendar, Good Friday is called "Long Friday." I think that the word long is more suitable than good. It's nothing good with this Friday at all. But luckily the secularization has emerged and the market forces have taken over, so nowadays you could conduct some business, eat at a restaurant, go to the movies, et cetera. I have learned that people from an older generation had a hard time to come up with something fun to do during this day. This day was totally "dead" (if you don't mind the pun) and the only thing you could do was to sit at home and wait for the next day to come. (EGO, T.G.I.F, 04/09/04.)

THE WILD WEST IN BLOG ADVERTISING

Here is an excerpt from Jessica Mintz's article, Many Advertisers Find Blogging Frontier Is Still Too Wild. [Via InstaPundit.] [Editor's note: This is today's free feature at The Wall Street Journal Online.]

As a result, advertising on blogs is still in the early stages. Although advertising on Web sites was a $9.6 billion business in the U.S. last year, according to Interactive Advertising Bureau there is little data to date on blog ad-spending. Blogads.com, a service that matches bloggers and advertisers, says its business has grown from 28 ads in September 2002 to 1,685 ads last month.

The vast majority of the 8 million or so blogs currently in existence have few if any ads. Many are run by hobbyists or armchair commentators, some of whom sign up to carry tiny text ads from a large pool of advertisers through a service from Google Inc. The ads generate revenue only when a visitor clicks on the ad. (Online.wsj.com, 03/25/05.)


Blogads has so far been the most successful form of advertising for me. I like Henry Copeland's description on how advertisers' placement of ads is an act of "joining an ongoing conversation." (WSJ, page B1) I haven't made any real money from Google AdSense yet, due to the fact that I can't get a check until the number of clicks have reached a certain level, generating the minimum dollar amount for Google to write me a cheque. Recently I have changed the format to Ad Links. I have to evaluate this a bit later on in the future. On a related note, read Roger L. Simon's post, Google Ads Are Back...

Talking about ads, have you seen that you could place a classified text ad on my blog now?

Thursday, March 24, 2005

INVENTOR HAKAN LANS

It is a bit odd that you can't find any news about HÃ¥kan Lans and his battle against several big computer companies and how they use his patented (#4303986) "data processing system and apparatus for color graphics display" without licenses. Here is an excerpt from his biography on the site dealing with "global positioning & communication."

Mr HÃ¥kan Lans (M.Sc. Engineering, Ph.D. hc) is an internationally well known electronics hardware and software engineer who has been leading the development of many products such as the computer mouse (known as the Houston Instruments HIpad), the computer colour graphics (US patent 4,303,986) etc. After a degree in Engineering 1968 he continued for 10 years with research and development at the Swedish Defence Research Institute (FOA) and University of Stockholm. (GP&C Systems International, 02/14/05.)


Here is an excerpt from Erik Moberg's essay, The Judgment against Hakan Lans - A Planned Judicial Crime?


The Judgment Reconsidered

Early in the year 2002 Hakan Lans and Uniboard AB filed a motion requiring that the judgment of September 6th, 2001, should be reconsidered. On December 23rd, 2004, Judge John Garrett Penn ordered that the case should be taken up anew. On March 24th of 2005 there should be an evidentiary hearing in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and this hearing should be preceded by sworn depositions of both Hakan Lans and his former attorney Louis Mastriani. (MobergPublications.se, 03/24/05.)




UPDATE 03/27/05:

Still no news in English about the court case. I hope that The Local will translate an article in next week. It is a bit strange that none of the Swedish newspapers have a section in English, like Aftenposten in Norway. I am sending out a request to you law bloggers out there. If you find any news on this story, please comment on this post or send me an e-mail.

Here is an excerpt from Managing Intellectual Property.

With respect to notice, where a patented product is not marked, notice of an infringement claim must come from the patentee and not from another party (Hakan Lans v Digital Equipment Corporation, et al 252 F 3d 1320 (Fed Cir 2001)). In this case, the inventor, Hakan Lans, agreed to licence his patent to IBM, but for tax reasons assigned the licence to a company, Uniboard, of which he was managing director and sole shareholder.

Several years later when Lans discovered what he believed was infringement of his invention by a number of computer companies, he sent them notice of infringement letters stating that he was the inventor without reference to Uniboard. Lans offered the companies licences. Subsequently, he sued them for infringement.

Section 287(a) of 35 USC demands notice of the patentee's identity as well as notice of infringement. The Court reasoned that notice from someone closely associated with the patentee failed to satisfy Section 287(a) because only the patentee has authority to grant licences or accept design changes to facilitate the purposes of the notification requirement. (ManagingIP.com, November 2001.)


For a background on Håkan Lans, read Simon Grönlund's Reflections from Sweden.

Go the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and read about the patents:


For my Swedish readers, here are some links that could be of interest:

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

EGO AUDIOBLOGGER

[Editor's note: If you want to get in the right mood, go first to the Swedish Chef page at Answers.com and then listen to the audio post... ;)]

this is an audio post - click to play


For more one audioblogging, go to Strange Attractor at Corante and read Suw Charma's post, Audioblogging experiment.

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: FIREFOX JAVASCRIPT CONSOLE

I recently installed the new version of the Firefox browser. The javascript console has picked up some warning and error messages. I have to look into this matter in due course. I also have to check out the live bookmark feature at some time. Talking about blog design, read Gus Van Horn's post, Change is in the Air.

Blogging could be light tomorrow, but I will try to "kick it up a notch" with a "spicy" post... Here is a note from Blogger Status:

There will be a 90 minute outage on Blogger tomorrow night at 10pm (PST). During this outage we will be addressing power management in the Blogger cluster, thus allowing us to substantively increase the number of machines serving the site.

Thanks for your patience during this downtime - the upgrade will allow us to make continued improvements to the service's stability and performance. (Status.blogger.com, 03/23/05.)

RICE AND BUSH ARE OUT THERE...

Okay, I don't get it. What are Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush up to? Are they cutting deals with the Axis of Evil, or is it some higher level tactics that I don't understand? Please, tell me what's going on... Here is an answer from Rice in Dialogue With Internet Journalists, Seoul.

We understand that North Korea is a sovereign state. I said that in my speech in Japan just yesterday. So North Korea does not need to worry that the United States intends to attack it. And, in fact, probably the reason that you hear this from the North Korean people is this is what they're being told. Well, it is simply not true; the United States does not want to attack North Korea. (Scoop.co.nz, 03/21/05.)


Read TigerHawk's post, The China card [via InstaPundit] and Gus Van Horn's post, China's Big Chance?

Here is an excerpt from John Lewis's post, President Bush's Deadly Iranian Concession.

In return for Iran's agreement to temporarily cease the work needed to produce a nuclear bomb, President Bush has agreed to allow Iran to buy civilian airplane parts, and to drop opposition to Iran's membership in the World Trade Organization. These concessions are exactly the same as the British government's concessions to Hitler in 1935. They will have the same results: the strengthening of an enemy dictatorship that is building a war machine. (CapMag.com, 03/21/05.)

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

TERRI SCHIAVO HAS A RIGHT TO DIE

Here is an excerpt from Holly Yeager's article, 'Right to die' opponents step up campaign.

As the "right to die" case of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman, shifted to a federal appeals court on Tuesday, conservative activists stepped up their use of the tools of modern American campaigning to help keep her alive.

One site, BlogsforTerri.com, offered directions to a candlelight vigil this evening in Dallas and called on supporters to protest at the office of a Florida prosecutor, hoping he will charge a state judge with "aiding and abetting" Ms Schiavo's husband - who favours removing her feeding tube - in "domestic violence". (Financial Times, 03/22/05.)


George Felos, Michael Sciavo's lawyer, has the following to say:

The state does not own Mrs Schiavo's body, and Congress cannot simply order her to remain alive contrary to her medical treatment wishes and court order.

Each and every one of us in this country has a constitutional right to refuse medical treatment they don't want. Terri exercised that right.

It's scary to think that the government, just because they may be ideologically opposed to your medical treatment choice, has a right to overturn what you want. (BBC, The two sides of the Schiavo case, 03/21/05.)


I recommend you to read the following posts:



UPDATE 03/23/05:

The question is: Do you have the right to your own life? Should the government decide when you could end your life? Go to the Objectivism Online forum for a discussion on the Terri Shiavo case.

Grand Old Pragmatists

BOOKS ON AL-QAEDA, MILITANT ISLAMISTS AND TERRORISM

Have you read Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups & The Next Generation of Terror by Jonathan Schanzer? From Dan Darling's post, My shameless plug for Jonathan Schanzer. [Via Command-Post.org.]

To simplify this entire post into one sentence, Jonathan Schanzer is a superb counter-terrorism analyst and his book, Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups & The Next Generation of Terror is something that should probably be on any aspiring terror watcher's reading list. The broader context of the post, however, deals with all of the terror literature that has cropped up since 9/11 and why I think that we need more books of this nature in stores. (WindsOfChange.net, 03/21/05.)


Read the post for a reading list on "General al-Qaeda Primers, Bin Laden, 9/11, Afghanistan and Beyond, and Iraq."

Monday, March 21, 2005

CATWALK

I can now upload photos from my digital camera to the computer. It will take me some time to learn the new photo management application. Be prepared for some photo & catblogging now and then! I took the enclosed picture of our cat, Morris, after a walk. He was following me around the neighborhood and in the woods. I bet you haven't seen many cats walking around like a dog. Talking about cats, I will start to participate in the Carnival of the Cats more often. The carnival had its first anniversary on March 20. [Via InstaPundit.]


CATWALK
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.



The photo is stored at the award-winning place called Flickr. Go to Flickr blog and read Caterina Fake's post, Yahoo actually does acquire Flickr. If you are interested to learn more about Flickr, read the following:

Sunday, March 20, 2005

CAPITALISTS AT BEYOND THE BRAND

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by John Winsor of Beyond the Brand.

Welcome to the March 21, 2005 edition of Carnival of the Capitalists, the Internet's most intriguing weekly round-up of free-market articles. The best part of hosting COTC is the chance to explore some new and interesting territory in the blogosphere. So, grab a cup o' joe, sit back and enjoy over 50 great entries this week! (Beyond the Brand, 03/20/05.)


Don't forget to check out this week's edition of the Reason Roundup at the Charlotte Capitalist.

Welcome to the Reason Roundup. This week: Bye-bye mullahs. The importance of being Russell Crowe. Sunbathing in New York. Are you overwhelmed? Those bad bloggers. "Ooh, a naked woman! Horrors!". Greek and Roman art. "The Sacrifice Driven Primitive Life". (CharlotteCapitalist.com, 03/20/05.)

BUSINESS LEADERS AND ETHICS

After all the scandals it would be nice to learn about good examples of proper business ethics at companies. I disagree with Craige McMillan's piece, 'Business ethics' an oxymoron? and Daniel Terris's op-ed, How to teach ethics to CEOs. Here is an excerpt from Mr. Terris's article.

Ethics officers, in my experience, are smart, sincere, and committed both to the idea of a values-based culture and to indemnifying their employers. But they are, in the end, at the mercy of the demands of the corporate culture of which they are a part. If corporate leaders are serious about ethics, they will have to empower their ethics officials to develop tough programs that challenge and monitor senior executives at a level of intensity commensurate with the power that they wield.

Done right, ethics is uncomfortable. But it's a whole lot better than the alternatives. (The Boston Globe, 03/20/05.)


I am sure that the Leadership Development Program at the Hutchinson Technology Corporate University is not teaching the business leaders that business and ethics is a contradiction in terms, or that it should be "uncomfortable" to practice on a daily business.

MORE TASTY ANIMALS

I have updated my post, PETA DAY: BIG TASTY MEATY BURGER, with a photo.

Yesterday evening I went to an Indian restaurant (King of India) with two friends. I had Chicken Himalaya. The dish was very spicy. I drank a smoothie drink called Mango Lassi to balance the heat. Talking about hot & spicy, stay tuned for a new post with heat in the near future...

Saturday, March 19, 2005

MARTIN: THE SOLO PROTEST WARRIOR

The meaning of my given name is given! ;) Time for a solo counter-protest in the sign of the war god! I will upload a picture from the demonstration later on today. In the meantime, read the following articles:


Members of the coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain are expected to speak at the rally.

Kate Hudson, of CND, said: "We will be marching because we reject warmongering foreign policy as well attacks on our civil liberties at home.

"We are calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq but we are also asking the question - where next Mr Bush?" (BBC, 03/19/05.)


I ask the same question ("where next"?), although I don't think Kate Hudson is in favor of attacking a new country... Have you voted in the EGO poll yet?


Read how S.F. Chronicle Promotes Anti-War Protest, AGAIN!

From Susan Jones's article, Anti-War Groups Protesting US Troops Instead of Decision-Makers.

To mark the second anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq on March 19, various anti-war groups are planning to protest in Fayetteville, N.C., the home of Fort Bragg. It's not the protest, but the location that has some people upset. ...

"The anti-war protesters say they support the troops. They can say it until they are blue in the face, but that's a hollow sentiment when they're protesting the busloads of troops coming and going from Bragg to Iraq every day," Operation Truth's Rieckhoff said. (CNSNews.com, 03/17/05.)


Go to Operation Truth's blog and read the post, OpTruth Blasts Antiwar Groups Who Blame Warriors for the War.

Glenn Reynolds gives suggestions on the text of the anti-war demonstrators' signs. I think that Citizen Smash's (The Indepundit) suggestion of having a Patriots' Picnic is a good idea! CoolBlue have some thoughts on ProtestWarrior's signs, in his post, The Right Signs. I will wave a Gadsden flag (Don't Tread On Me).



UPDATE:

The photo is taken from the Avenue in the center of Gothenburg. You could see the Poseidon statue at Götaplatsen.


ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATION IN GOTHENBURG
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.



I asked a police to take a picture of me.


MARTIN: THE SOLO PROTEST WARRIOR
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.



UPDATE 03/20/05:
Over at my other blog, Lukeion, I am asking a question about the numbers of demonstrators reported in the Swedish media, compared with the foreign newspapers. The local newspaper in Gothenburg reports that 2,000 were demonstrating in the city, but the foreign newspapers mention much smaller figures. After you have looked at the photos, how big is the crowd do you think? The pictures were taken only a few minutes before the march started. I heard the organizer shouted: "Walk 6 people in a row!" It could be the case that more protestors were joining the anti-American demonstration later on, after they had marched down the Avenue. Here is an excerpt from Janelle Stecklein's article, Thousands March Against Iraq War. Fewer Turn Out for Rallies Than in 2003.

Hundreds also turned out in Sweden and Norway.

"I think it's important to show that we still care about this," said Linn Majuri, 15, a member of the environmental organization Green Youth in Stockholm. "People have become apathetic about this, it's no longer something they walk around thinking about every day." (The Washington Post / Associated Press, 03/20/05.)


Bush Pinata


UPDATE 03/21/05:
From Chris Beam's article, Protesters March On War's Second Anniversary. Thousands Cover Central Park in Day of World-Wide Protest; Turnout Lower Than Expected.

Away from the main stage, anti-war activists traded barbs with a handful of pro-war advocates while police patrolled the area between the two fenced-off groups. "Good job being a tool for the government," shouted one protestor. A pro-war activist responded by silently holding aloft a copy of Ayn Rand’s Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. (Columbia Spectator, 03/21/05.)

Friday, March 18, 2005

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: PROBLEM WITH PUBLISHING POSTS...

[Editor's note: I wanted to write a quick post and inform my visitors, readers, and supporters that Blogger is very slow at the moment and it takes forever to publish new posts. So, please stay tuned..., you don't want to miss out on the good stuff in the pipeline, e.g., drafts with working titles like, Martin: the solo protest warrior and Holy cow, that's for dinner. The future posts will include photos of protesters and food. I will be back...]

From Blogger Status:

Users with more than 500 posts are also being severely hampered at this time. We believe this is due to an improper use of system resources when users of such blogs either access the Edit Posts page or attempt to publish. We will be testing a potential fix to this problem over the next couple days and hope to push it to production early next week. Because of the extent of the change, we need to fully assess the impact on the service before deployment. (Status.Blogger.com, 03/18/05.)


Here is an excerpt from Gerard Van der Leun's post, The Blight at Blogger: "One Does Not Simply Post Into Mordor".

I keep hearing there are only brilliant people at Google and I believe it. I've seen it's "employment tests" that only a nerd could love and only a supernerd pass. Good, but smart people are famous for being dumb about people. It is hardly fair to the millions who have poured genuine free content into the free system (One Hand meet the Other Hand), to allow them to have their sites hijacked by Spam Blogs while blithely ordering up new servers and more electricity. This is like setting out free crystal meth at a junkies buffet and expecting them to leave the building. But since blogging is not rocket science the rocket scientists at Google aren't paying attention. (AmericanDigest.org, 03/17/05.)


As a PRO-BLOGGER I have invested much on this (blog)spot in the blogosphere, so I don't want to switch to a new home in cyberspace. I hope that the folks at Blogger will look into this matter and work hard to solve this problem as soon as possible. I wouldn't mind a massage right now...

Thursday, March 17, 2005

ATOMIC IRAN AND IRANFREE.ORG

After I read the following post by Glenn Reynolds, I added the book to my wish list at Amazon.

IN THE MAIL: Jerome Corsi's new book, Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians. Looks pretty, um, explosive. (InstaPundit.com, 03/15/05.)


I think that the book could be a good pick for a forthcoming Book of the Month. Here is an excerpt from a press release (Iran Nuclear Talks 'A Charade'):

"Atomic Iran," Corsi' new book set for release on March 22, 2005, has a new home on the web at www.atomiciran.com. The site provides information about the book, which has already pre-sold 150,000 copies (ISBN: 1581824580). Viewers of www.atomiciran.com can read news articles regarding the current nuclear threat that Iran poses. In addition, Dr. Corsi's columns, media appearances, book tour, and press kit can all be found on the site as well.

Viewers will also notice a button for the Iran Freedom Foundation. The IFF was established by American and Iranian scholars, professionals, philanthropists and human rights advocates who support Iranian's fight for freedom. "We have created the foundation in order to support opposition groups inside Iran," said Jerome Corsi, IFF spokesperson. The foundation will launch its website on Thursday, March 17, 2005 at www.iranfreedomfoundation.org. (Send2Press.com, 03/17/05.)


For more on the book, go to World Net Daily and read the article, Fed doomsday report affirms 'Atomic Iran'.

BOLTON AND WOLFOWITZ

What will happen with the UN and the World Bank when Mr. Bolton and Mr. Wolfowitz have started their new jobs? Robert Tagorda of Outside the Beltway is commenting in his post, The Bush Nominations. Do you think that John Bolton will have chance to squeeze the Mullahs real hard as an ambassador to the United Nations? Could Paul Wolfowitz do something about the bureaucracy at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development? Why should it exist a World Bank at all? Can't the private banks take care of the business? What do you think? Here are some reactions from the mainstream media:

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE: BLOG DESIGN AND SCRIPTS

Here are some short administrative notes:

  • It has taken a very long time to edit and publish new posts recently. Go to Blogger Status for more information. [Editor's note: I have said to myself the same thing as Jay Currie: Is it just me?]

  • It looks like my blog has problem to load the whole page now and then. I have a suspicion that it could be one of all the different scripts I have installed. Please give me your feedback on the reading situation. On a related note, read Pariah Burke's post, Alternatives to BlogRolling.com?

NEW BLOG ADVERTISING

Maybe you have noticed that Google's AdSense program has showed a PSA for some time on the main page of the blog, but real ads on individual post pages. I sent an email to the support department a few days ago, and got an answer that they "are currently working as quickly as they can to investigate this issue." I am testing the new ad format with a box of five links. Please tell me if you think that the links (ad topics) are relevant.

Henry Copeland of Blogads has created a new blog classified ad unit. I am thinking of adding a classified ad strip to my blog. Please tell me if you are interested in placing a plain text advertisement.

I have joined BloggersMarket.com ("The blogosphere's trading and networking community").

Read Jay Currie's article, Competition Comes to the Ad Market. When do you think MSN Search will start with contextual ads on blogs?

KEEP THE FIRE GOING IN IRAN!

In the news: Iran hardliners keep lid on ancient fire festival.

Iranian authorities beat up and tear gassed exuberant young revellers as they breathed new life into a pre-Islamic fire festival with a night of dancing, flirting and fireworks.

The Islamic Republic, which has an awkward relationship with its ancient Zoroastrian religion, only gave guarded recognition to the "Chaharshanbe Souri" festival last year.

Hundreds of people poured onto the streets in Tehran and other cities for a rare night of partying. Public revelry is unusual in Iran where the authorities consider it to be at odds with the country's strict moral codes. (Reuters, 03/16/05.)


From the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran: Traditional "Pagan" Celebration Turns Into Street Fights Against Regime Forces.

Violent clashes rocked, this evening, main Iranian cities as brutal militiamen attacked Iranians who transformed the already hardly tolerated celebration of the traditional "Tchahr Shanbe Souri" (Fire Fiest) into protest action and show of "un-Islamic" joy. Most areas of the Capital and cities, such as, Esfahan, Mahabad, Shiraz, Rasht, Kermanshah, Babol, Sannandaj, Mashad, Khoram-Abad, Zabol, Tabriz, Hamedan and Oroomiah (former Rezai-e) were scenes of sometimes unprecedented street fights between the regime forces and groups of Iranians. (Daneshjoo.org, 03/15/05.)


For more information, check out the following sources:


Bonfire of the Mullahs


UPDATE 03/18/05:

Michael Leeden is commenting on the above mentioned report by Reuters:

The Islamic republic does not have "an awkward relationship" with Zoroastrianism. It forbids Zoroastrian practices, including the celebration of the Zoroastrian New Year, Norooz. Forget about "guarded recognition;" there is a ban. The mullahs know something that al-Reuters apparently either doesn’t know, or doesn’t choose to report: that there is a big Zoroastrian revival under way in Iran, another sign of the hollowness of the Islamic republic, and the hostility of the Iranian people to their leaders. And to say that the authorities "beat up and gassed" some "revelers" is quite an understatement, since, on the evening of March 15h, there were very large-scale demonstrations all over Iran, combining the Norooz celebrations with calls for the downfall of the regime itself. Effigies of top mullahs were burned in the streets. (RegimeChangeIran.com, The Fire in Iran, 03/17/05.)

COLLABORATIVE FILTERING SOFTWARE

The latest issue of the Economist has a feature called Technology Quarterly. It was an interesting article on how "collaborative filtering software" works, e.g., Amazon's recommendation service ("people who bought this item also bought..."). The article, United we find, is premium content for subscribers, but you could read the section in PDF. For more on this topic, read Greg Linden's post, The Economist on personalization.

POLITICAL BLOGGERS = THE NEW PAPARAZZI?

I found the below mentioned post via Findory personalized news and blog service. Scroll down the left column for more noteworthy links. I will write more about this topic in my next post.

From Marc Cuban's post, Political Bloggers - the new paparazzi.

Whether it's been newspapers, magazines, TV or radio, the opportunities to reach an audience has been limited to a finite number of local and national gatekeepers. Just outside those gates, knocking on the door, trying to be heard for the past 100 or more years have been wanna be Woodward and Bernsteins. People with information, ideas and concepts that they know the populace would respond to have been turned away, again and again.

Its payback time. The bloggers are here, and they are ready to knock down the gates and get their pound of flesh. The traditional media has no idea what is about to hit them. (BlogMaverick.com, 02/14/05.)


I don't think "we" (if I should categorize my blog as political for the sake of the argument) are the new paparazzi. See Cox & Forkum's cartoon, Pajamas at the Gate, for a more accurate description.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

THE LIBERTARIAN MOVEMENT

Here is an excerpt from Julia Gorin's article, Party On! Do Libertarians have more fun? [Via InstaPundit.]

Since the 2008 campaign season seems to be off to an early start, Americans should think about getting a better handle on one of the other political parties--specifically that smaller one whose candidate finished with 0.3% of the vote in the 2004 Election.

I'm not talking about the Green Party, with whose tenets most Americans are by now familiar but which drew an even smaller 0.1% of the vote. I'm talking about the country's third-largest, yet still somewhat enigmatic, party, the Libertarians--which is often overshadowed by other minor parties (even the Greens, if you can imagine), and whose candidate's name I'd wager most people still don't know. (It's Michael Badnarik.) (OpinionJournal, 03/15/05.)


I recommend you to read Gus Van Horn's post, From Big Tent to Anti-Concept, for you out there who have thoughts on voting on the Libertarian Party. Read also Steve Martinovich's (Western Standard) post, Ayn Rand did call them the "Hippies of the Right". On a related note, Beck of Incite has written a post titled, The Neolibertarian Network. [Via Accidental Verbosity.]

Related: My posts, THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE and THE LIBERTARIAN ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT.

PETA DAY: BIG TASTY MEATY BURGER

My first intake of food today was omelette with spicy sausage and bacon. Then I took a walk to meet a friend for lunch at McDonald's. [Editor's note: We didn't order at the drive-thru window...] It was a happy meal! We had a Big Tasty hamburger. My friend took a picture of me, but you have to wait until tomorrow to see it. I haven't managed to make the computer compatible with the USB memory or the gadget for transferring photos, so I can't upload the photo from my digital camera. My brother will install a new operating system (Mandrake Linux) in the near future. As I told you in my post, EAT AN ANIMAL FOR PETA DAY, I will go out for a dinner with some friends on March 19. We will go to an Indian restaurant. Maybe we will have a piece of a holy cow... Please check out some of my fellow bloggers and see what they are planning to eat:

  • IEAPD3 by Michele Catalano of A Small Victory.

What's for dinner at your place? Please comment on this post with your food for thought!

UPDATE:
I had cottage pie (shepherd's pie) for dinner. Here are some more posts to digest [Hat tip to G.V.H.]:



UPDATE 03/16/05:
I will not be able to upload the picture of yours truly today, so you have to wait for the snapshot until a later date this week. In the meantime, go to Meryl Yourish's post, IEAPD: Last thoughts, and then scroll down the page.

UPDATE 03/19/05:

PETA DAY: BIG TASTY MEATY BURGER
Originally uploaded by Lyceum.

Monday, March 14, 2005

COMMUNIST CHINA IS THREATENING TAIWAN

In the news:


Will Bush step up and defend the Republic of China (Taiwan), or will it be as George Jonas predicts in his article, Selling out Taiwan: George Jonas on the growing crisis in the Strait of Taiwan? It looks like the Bush administration wants to have a status quo situation...

Things may be looking up for democracy in the Near East, but the Far East is a different story. By the end of today, China's figurehead "parliament" will have rubber-stamped Beijing's new anti-secession law. China's rulers are giving themselves the green light to invade Taiwan.

They may not need to bother. The world seems ready to hand democratic Taiwan -- a.k.a. the Republic of China -- to Mao Tse-Tung's heirs on a platter. (National Post, 03/14/05.)


Related: My post, TAIWAN IS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.

UPDATE 03/15/05:

Read Brian J. Dunn's post, Ready. Set. Go? [Via InstaPundit.]

China Syndrome

CAPITALISTS AT THE RFID WEBLOG

This week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists is hosted by Anita Campbell of the RFID Weblog.

Welcome to the March 14, 2005 edition of Carnival of the Capitalists, the Internet's most intriguing weekly round-up of free-market articles.

We have some superb entries this week, and all are well worth reading. (RFID-Weblog.com, 03/14/05.)


For a background on RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), go to Answers.com.

As always, check out the Reason Roundup at the Charlotte Capitalist.

Welcome to this week's Reason Roundup. How about a PETA butter and jelly sandwich? Killing God. One of the most beautiful photographs ever! The worst bumper sticker ever. Let "The Scarlet Pimpernel" take you away. Getting unwired, freeing beauty...and more! (CharlotteCapitalist.com, 03/13/05.)

Saturday, March 12, 2005

BILLIONAIRES

Do you want to be included on next year's list of billionaires? Charles G. Hill of Dustbury.com has the answer... ;) I am glad to see so many new individuals on the list. There are 671 billionaires in the world at the moment.

In just the last two years, we have added an astonishing 215 new names to the ranks of the world's billionaires. In 2003 we found 476 billionaires. Today it's a record 671. Their aggregate net worth has grown from $1.4 trillion to $2.2 trillion. The average net worth has also jumped, from $2.9 billion to $3.2 billion. To what do the billionaires owe their good fortunes? (Forbes, 03/10/05.)


I agree with Jourgy's statement: "Ikea = Incredible awesomeness," but it seems that the blogger hasn't understood the true meaning of capitalism. Maybe Jourgy should read Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal?

But back to Ingvar Kamprad... I dunno. Something about the fact that he's isn't so extravagent kind of reconfirms my whole decision to be in business. I always questioned it. Something about it just screams "selfish!" to me sometimes. (My gut is telling me no..., 03/11/05.)


Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA is number 6 on the list. Mr. Kamprad was for a moment (due to a weaker dollar) in 2004 the richest man in the world. From Edward Black's article, 'IKEA mania' puts founder on Forbes billionaires list.

The top ten did see a lot of movement with IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad moving from No 13 last year to No 6 in 2005. His success has come from the strength of the euro as well as the profile of IKEA around the world. He is now the richest European in the world. (The Scotsman, 03/11/05.)


Jeff Turrentine reports in his article, The Swede Smell Of Success, that the British design magazine, Icon, has named IKEA as the "most influential taste-maker in the world today." What do you think of IKEA's design? Do you have products from IKEA in your home?

For more on why IKEA's business idea has been so successful, read the following articles:


I think the marketing department at IKEA has the right to decide on how the catalog should look, but it is a bit disturbing how they market their stuff in Muslim countries... Read Alastair Jamieson's article, Who wins IKEA battle of the sexes? For more on this issue, read the post, IKEA Dhimmitude Watch, at Little Green Footballs.

Do you think that Mark Cuban (#507) has read Edwin Locke's book, The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators?

SATURDAY SLANT, HUMAN ACHIEVEMENTS, BLOGGER BUZZ...

After the latest posts I feel a bit down, "journalistically" speaking. With all the bad news floating around, it is hard not to get pessimistic about the future. I don't want to get too bogged down with the daily crap, so I will start to write a post on a regular basis, focusing on the achievement of values and the good life. I will try to update my other blog more often than before. TIA Daily's department, Human Achievements, is a very inspirational source. Today I will write a post on uplifting music and an entry for next week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists, dealing with Forbes magazine's list of billionaires.

I think I will participate in a meme called Saturday Slant now and then. [Hat tip to Blogs About Hosting.] Here is the post for week 9:


The Best Decision I Ever Made Was...

What? Choosing to marry your someone special? Having a child? Making a career change? Divorcing that someone who wasn't as special as s/he used to be? Going back to school?

Of all thousands of decisions you make daily, which stands out to you today as the best decision you ever made? Tell your readers what it was, the circumstances surrounding the decision, and how it has come to present to you the best decision you ever made.


I made a very important decision as a teenager (in the 1980's) when I decided to start reading Ayn Rand's works of literature. My quest for finding an integrated system of thought and a philosophical guideline has helped me to make good decisions later on in my life. I decided to go back to school again in my late 20's and I went to America to study Business Administration at a university in New Hampshire. The college years gave me a real taste for the Land of Opportunity and I managed to land a job in Ohio after my graduation. My long-range goal is to return to America. Another important decision was when I started blogging in May 2002. On a related topic, check out the "Official Buzz from Blogger at Google" and read Biz Stone's post, Blogging and Your Career.

[Editor's note to some of my readers, fellow bloggers, and supporters: I have a backlog of email messages I have to reply to. I have been very busy during this week with my school project, board meetings, purchase & logistics activities, et cetera. I will come back to you a.s.a.p.]