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Kzoppistan

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  1. Kzoppistan
    *Poll Question: The first sounds grittier, the second seems more... adventureful. What do you think, CN?

    ( ( ((0)_____________~-~_____________(o)) ) )


    The night before, laying in my ex's bed (she was on the couch, granting me some reprieve from the elements as a favor) my spider sense was tingling. Not only has there been a marked sensation of anxiety or danger preceding a lot of the trouble I've gotten in, it has been remarkably accurate. While it hasn't always gone off before I jump into hot water, it has never gone off as a false alarm. So accurate that it seems more paranormal rather than just the accumulation of signals that make one's "intuition." Though I know it to be just that. And last night it was ringing good. I was worried about my car.
    Several times I almost got out of bed and walked the several blocks to move it. But, I was tired, exhausted even, and told myself that it would be alright.
    At 7:30 am, the next morning, I get a text from the Girlfriend inviting me over. I dropped in just to let them know I was going to check on my car and be right back. They were quite surprised then when I tore into the driveway some 45 minutes or so later covered in sweat, panting like a dog, with expletives coursing forth.
    45 minutes earlier: rounding the corner to the one-way street I snap my fingers excitedly when I see my vehicle. But something didn't seem right. There was something on my windshield. My relief soon vanishes as I approach.
    They put a boot on my car.

    In matters of state, he who has the power often has the right, and he who is weak can only with difficulty keep from being wrong in the opinion of the majority of the world.
    ~ Richelieu, Political Testament

    This is one of my favorite quotes. I use it a lot and may even repeat it a few times here. A lot of quotes just sound good, or espouse some inspiring or insightful look at things. This quote is not only nails the nature of human interaction, but is equally applicable to people as well as states.
    For those who don't know. A boot is a device, shaped like a giant C-clamp and placed around the tire of those who have outstanding fines to who ever runs the parking authority of a city. The intended purpose is to immobilize the vehicle and motivate the person into paying their fines. But, of course, nothing is that simple, they charge you for the violation, they compound the previous fines, and then the charge you to take the boot off. In this case, there are three different companies involved.
    Cities, in light of our global financial situation, are seeking to maximize their revenues in a variety of inventive ways. A growing trend around the country is to tax the !@#$ out of any parking violation. People need their vehicles to continue going to work, or in my case, to live in. What once was a city service (the removal of vehicles who block the way) has turned into a profit driven scheme that enriches the city, the officials who negotiate the contracts with towing companies (kickbacks), and pours money hand over fist into the towing vultures, who use a variety of shady activities in order to get your vehicle. It's a win-win for towing companies, either you pay up, or they keep your car.
    That's the law.
    Of course, if you don't ever screw up, you'll never have a problem. But if you do, prepare to pay.
    My car is obviously owned by a poor person. It's old. It's dirty. It has a plethora of body damage. Hell, you can see all my stuff inside it. And one thing I know about having an old broken car (and I've had several) is that people will report your ass in a heartbeat. In front of a park or public place, a car can sit for several days before the parking authority notices. If you move it around these places, nobody really cares, but park it on a small street and somebody will call the cops.
    I can't really be mad, it's human nature to repulse those poorer than you. And surely one of those college pukes reported my vehicle within a day. That's fine, what ever. I'm not even mad at the parking authority. If you get fines, pay them. Or else. It's pretty simple.
    However, all the understanding in the world did not make the inevitability of losing my home any better as I studied the large plastic "bill" plastered to my windshield. The charges were more than I would ever be able to pay. If I didn't pay them, the towing company would be by, probably within the end of the morning and take my car and all my stuff away. Forever.
    I looked at the boot.
    Well $%&@ that. Nobody takes my !@#$.
    I sprang into action. Looking down one side of the street and then the other. No cops. Studying the boot, tugging on it, it won't come off the tire. It's got a solid vending machine type lock. The bolt cutters won't cut through it since it's iron or steel thicker than my wrist even in the smallest width. I gotta do something. A plan forms. I open the trunk, remove the jack and tire iron and...
    Flashback: Three weeks ago. I'm at the storage unit trying to reorganize my stuff. I'm concerned about the weight of my cargo. Recently I read an article that said Ford increased the mpg of several of their cars by removing the spare tires that used to accompany every sale. A lot of people have some sort of road side service now. Plus, a lot fewer people know how to change a tire. I look at my trunk space. I look at my tire. I think about the cost of fuel. I look at my trunk space. I look at my tire.
    I look at my trunk space. I grab the tire and pull it out of the trunk. As quickly as I can, because moving a booted vehicle or attempting to remove a boot is a crime, I get the jack under the car and start raising it up. It's on a slope so it takes some time. I begin to hear someone talking on their cell phone. !@#$. They could be reporting me. I start working on the bolts, the plastic center pops off loudly and clatters in the street. I re-lower the car to get more traction with the tire. People are waking up and cars are starting to pass by. The car sways backwards as the tire begins to come loose, and the jack collapses sideways. $%&@. Getting an exercise weight from the trunk I chock the back tire and push the spare under the side body to stabilize it. Working the jack down, replace it, jack the car back up. I'm sweating heavily now, it's pouring off my forehead and my whole shirt is soaked. Some one is watching me from their porch. I'm loosing the nuts as quick as I can with my finger. The iron slides off the last of the nuts. Damn it, it's shearing the nut. If it strips it I won't be able to get the tire off. I use the other end of the tire iron and bust off the cap of the end of the twisted nut. Finally, after working it around some and moving the tire, I get the iron solidly over the bolt. Using my foot and weight of my body, the final squelch signifies the release and I unscrew the nut. Yanking the tire off, I throw it, boot and all, into the trunk and get the other tire on.
    Of course the battery is dead.
    But I have my jumpstarter and in movements I've done so many times before, get the starter on the battery, get the car roaring and take one last quick look around to make sure I didn't leave anything laying on the ground before taking off.
    My adrenaline is pumping as I try to steer my car in a smooth, inconspicuous manner, to a spot un-viewable from the street. Since my license is suspended, I only move my car in select times and never very far. Morning rush hour traffic is not one of those times.
    Finally, destination in sight. I get my car parked and covered. Safe. For now. My body is literally dripping with sweat, hands covered in grease.
    They're will be repercussions. They'll charge for the boot. They might be looking for my car right now. That's OK. They'll get their money. Eventually. In the meantime, nobody takes my !@#$.
    Later, as I'm washing up in the Girlfriends bathroom, I go for a little spritz on my shirt to mask some of the sweat smell. The body spray bottle is broken. With usual compulsive, and sometimes obsessive, tendency that halts all other action, I take apart the bottle and fiddle with the parts until I figure out what's wrong. I put it back together and test it. It works!
    Feeling satisfied, I turn to exit the bathroom. And I can't get the door open. I struggle with the simple drop latch. Took me forever to get out.
    More idiot, less savant.
  2. Kzoppistan

    6 Years

    By Kzoppistan,

    After glancing at the wiki with the intent of updating the forum link, I realized that it's been 6 years and a month since I started playing. There's been so many great times that I can barely remember them all.
    Despite all the doomsaying, the sea of !@#$%*ing, complaining, and butthurt, (or perhaps, sometimes, because of it) this has been a great community.
    Thanks to everyone for being your awesome selves!
  3. Kzoppistan

    A Declaration!

    By Kzoppistan,

    On this day, the 23rd day of the 8th month, in the year 2009, I hereby dub Zenith's Publishing House the Electric Quill!
    In tribute of this great day, I, with the Electric Quill dip into the well of inspiration to draw forth magnetic ink to pen this celebration of one of our most cherished Virtues:

    Wisdom



    - - - -- ---o))0---------------O---------------0((o--- -- - - -


    Properly nourished within the mind, Wisdom blooms like a great flower. Information is its nutrient, ever abundant, seeping in from all sides through the earthy foundation we call Zenith. The roots of Wisdom, intelligence, decides what to absorb and what to ignore. Coursing up the stalk of the reasoning systems to the very top where a miraculous process takes place, a kind of mental alchemy ensues, causing these brilliantly hued petals of the great flower to unfurl and understanding to bloom in our minds. They also display our virtues to the world. It's petals touching the tips of other great depositories of thought. Their proximity to one another breeds new thoughts. The taller it grows, the farther the leaves stretch forth, closer they reach to absorb the radiant beams of the mystic Sun, the divine fountainhead of all knowledge. Tended to with care, the roots strengthen this foundation and the seed spreads far and wide, supplying the foundation with a new generation of ideas, of innovations, of evolution.
    Indeed, Wisdom is the product of intelligence and experience, and is one of the most glorious of virtues. In order for the garden of Wisdom to flourish, we must be diligent to weed out any grasping tendrils that would choke the growth of our most precious resource. Such weeds as selfishness, over-indulgence, sloth, hate, and envy must all be carefully pruned from our garden to allow the full effect of our Wisdom to be garnered.
    And what a bounty it is.
    When in foreign lands, Wisdom is the beacon that guides us home.
    When we are beset on all sides by inscrutable forces, it is Wisdom that allows us to discern friend from foe.
    When the seas toss us this way and that, when the skies are too black to navigate on sight alone, it is the compass of Wisdom that sets our course. With the battering of angry storms on our rain and wind-swept bows, it is the stabilizing hand of Wisdom that steadies our passage.
    It is the Path which leads into Paradise.
    It is the Scale we use to judge our deeds.
    It is the Key that unlocks the Great Mysteries.
    Wisdom is not the learning, it is the learned.
    It is not the process, it is the product.
    It is the end result of much labor and concentration. It is the bar that allows us to leverage our might upon the world. Which is why it is important to cultivate and guard these precious fields of resource from those that would steal our produce and trample our gardens, trample our dreams.
    We must endeavor to educate ourselves throughout our lifetime. To strive for learning and to use it in practice; it is there that we grow our Wisdom. It is a never ending quest that provides comfort, understanding, and enjoyment as we undertake it. It is the Pearl of Comprehension, the Flower of Thought, and the Gem of the Mind.
    From the seed of intelligence, we grow towards understanding, with understanding comes Wisdom, and from Wisdom we gain Mastery.
    Our tasks then are three fold: to protect our gardens, to plant new seeds and tend to the budding sprouts, and to pass the Wisdom we have already collected on to others so that they, too, may learn and contribute. For the sake of our futures, for the sake of Zenith, all of us must do our duty to our collective garden, to tend to, to care for, to plant and to harvest: Wisdom.
    ...
    ..
    .

  4. Kzoppistan
    As the structure of our alliance is about to undergo a radical change, and the ministries to be abolished, I'd like to take the opportunity to address the members of Zenith and give credit where credit is due.
    First, many thanks must go to Duncan King and Metictype. Really, the bulk of the diplomatic headway that has been done this term has been constructed by both of them. They have been at all of our major foreign embassies keeping up discussion and building the bonds that keep us prosperous and safe with allied support. While the concept of the Peace and Love Train Accords started out as a group discussion without a face, the real formation came in short order with DK's rendering of the treaty and, of course, the unique concept. They were the ones to get TFD on board and ensure its success. What little I did pales in comparison to the amount of work they have put into this term. They are expert strategists who lend their particular talents to everything they do. Both DK and Metic have worked to make the hub of coordination, The Station, a great looking and effective forum. The design itself is a simply a work of art and you all should really head over there to take a peek. I can't emphasize enough how much of the direction, both over-all and in detail, was directly propelled by them. They are true masters of the game.
    JazHayre deserves much recognition. Ever vigilant on the IRC, JazH was often the front line of contact for many of the important items that came to our attention. He lent his thoughts on many of the goings on and took the initiative to handle things in what little spare time he had away from his duties as Minister. Thank you.
    In a similar vein, Gogeta, always an able statesman and consummate leader, never hesitated to take matters into his own hands and was of great assistance on a many number of occasions.
    In actuality, all the members of the Council and Triumvirate placed their stamp on the direction of our foreign affairs and it was a pleasure to work with each and every one of them.
    In our driest spell, it was PrinceKhalu that stepped up to become a diplomat and helped to tend the embassies here on the home front.
    I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Rotavele as valuable addition to the ministry. He was the best deputy anyone could ask for who did an amazing amount of work in a short amount of time. I'm glad to see he is back.
    In the very beginning of the term, both Sturtyboy and Sulmar used their experience and insight to shape the ministry and it was Sulmar who took the lead to be the MoFA before elections.
    I would like to thank Sonjo for taking an interest in the fine art of foreign affairs and I hope to see him stick around after the restructuring. Sonjo, you have a lot of potential and you've been a stalwart member of Zenith for a long time.
    To all of you that have labored as diplomats or in the PRC, in this term and those previous, you have my thanks and gratitude. It is your efforts that have a lot to do in making Zenith one of the best alliances there is. My hat is off to you.
    Finally, thanks to all of you who voted for me. It was a privilege and an honor to be able to serve and quite a learning experience. For those of you who assisted me with your encouragement when I struggled and those who congratulated my meager achievements, you have my eternal gratitude.
    To all of Zenith, keep in your heart the names I listed above and know that it is they who carried us through this last term on the FA front with grace, dogged determination, and not an ounce of complaint. Our success is a result of their hard work.
    Again, thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to hearing the fresh voices of those eager to prove their leadership in the coming months.
    In Faith,
    Mr. Otingocni of Kzoppistan
    Member of Zenith
  5. Kzoppistan
    * Edit: See the replies to the previous blog entry.
    Ferrous, you raise some good points. I'll do my best to reply.
    I believe ABC is actually caught in a conflict between ethics and morality. Ethics being the proper conduct in a professional environment as derived from morality. While morality and ethics are used synonymously there is a subtle difference: morals being a general description of right and wrong (good and evil), and ethics is the study of morals as a whole and specifically, the codification of those morals in specific settings.
    For an example, say ABC takes a loan from a bank. Now lets say that after some thought ABC decides he doesn't agree with how the bank does business, he thinks their actions are immoral. The question is this: is ABC still obligated to pay back his loan?
    He is caught between the ethics of how one conducts business and his own personal morality.
    The answer to that question is decided by one's values, and is accepted or denied by the prevailing social clime of which values hold the most weight. Is honoring one's word more important than changing the status quo? Now, since Planet Bob holds honoring a treaty, in essence- honoring one's word, to be one of the highest values, I would say that, without a prevailing planet wide official mandate of proper conduct, sticking to one's word is more important.
    And despite ABC's good intentions by refusing to repay the loan in protest of the bank's actions, most people would find ABC at fault. ABC may feel that he is right, but that won't stop the system from readjusting his credit score, a reflection that ABC has proven that he will not do what he previously agreed to do.
    To further compound the issue, let's say ABC took a loan from a person he soon discovers is actually a murderous sociopath. What then? Now it would seem that morality out weighs the ethical concerns.
    The realm of morality is murky, with one side casting accusations of immoral conduct at one side, and the other providing justification for why they did what they did, ad nauseum. Ethics, however, are more generally agreed upon. And despite how extreme one alliance's actions are, rarely are they to the degree that one's moral stance out weighs the proper ethical conduct. Most would agree that breaking a contract is bad. Otherwise a person could just refuse to follow through on a tech deal, taking the money, just because they disagreed with that person's stance on the current political scheme.
    Joining an alliance is almost primarily, if not a business arrangement, then a professional one.
    When a person joins an alliance, they are signing a contract full of obligations and rights. A person puts their word on the line and should know what they are getting into before they get into it. So if they leave without following the proper procedure because they are at odds with the morality of the alliance, they may feel they have done the right thing, but on the whole they have diminished the worth of their word and probably jeopardized the health of their teammates who put faith in that person.
  6. Kzoppistan
    "Put it in my pancake!" she said,
    and so i did a rubadubdub with my two-toed stub
    and now babies of doom are blooming like flowers
    under the glistening chrome burning gas showers
    a thousand petals crisp, on command
    of god's eternal lisp
    spittle gifts on plastic faces
    space riffs in elastic underware places
    pancakes
    "Put it in my pancake!" She said
    said
    said
    said

  7. Kzoppistan
    It's a very exciting time to be presiding over a Ministry in Zenith right now.
    We are experiencing great advances lately, far better than any time since I've been a member. With new nations streaming in every day, our Ministry of Development is working around the clock to get these new nations trained and prepared. Indeed, our MoDev, JazHayre definitely deserves an award for hardest working member of this term. His efforts along with his staff are having a noticeable and powerful impact on our alliance. It's simply amazing to see. We're even attracting some hardened players.
    All I can say is that this is such a refreshing change from a few months ago when we were bleeding members left and right. The atmosphere then, right after the war, was claustrophobic and choked; with doubt swirling in our midst as the laughter slowly seeped away to be replaced with dark muttering about our future. It was grim times, indeed.
    I learned a lot about what makes an alliance survive by watching the after affects of the war. And this is what I gleaned- The number one attribute for a successful alliance is this: Determination. By not giving in when things look bleakest, when close friends abandon you, when some of your strongest nations strike out on their own to leave you behind, these are the moments when you are tested the most and these moments can either bring you to your knees in defeat or be one of your finest hours. But it depends on how badly you want it. By soldiering on and refusing to quit no matter what there will always be hope.
    And now that perseverance is paying off. Not only do we have new blood in our veins, new life breathed into our lungs, but we are presiding over two great advances in our foreign affairs. One, the Peace and Love Train Accords, a bloc is being formed with our respected ally The Foreign Division and our mutual protectorates, with more partners on the way. Two, we are proud to be part of the group effort to assist The Phoenix Federation's protectorates while TPF serves out their terms. It was the least we could do for our good friends and it is a privilege to be of service.
    Also, we are helping spearhead the revitalization of our economic bloc, SNOW.
    Of course, that doesn't mean that things are just sailing along. In fact, there is a lot of work behind done behind the scenes, the majority of it by our Triumvirate, and the pressure is cranked up everyday to not only perform the usual duties but to also branch out to creative brainstorming and thinking outside the box. In fact, I have to admit that all these going-ons are underlined by a pervasive daily stress. Any new venture is, to a degree, a roll of the dice. You can hedge the bets by planning strategically and performing well but sometimes there is no model to follow and you just have to follow your gut feelings. But riding the crest of chance is half of the fun!
    These are exciting times, to say the least.

  8. Kzoppistan

    A New Year

    By Kzoppistan,

    OK, my birthday is officially over. All random song induced sentimentalism has now been redacted and replaced with chaos the usual government sanctioned tripe script of fruity diatribes [<-No] rambling weirdos [<-Not Funny] glorious programming.

    Despite the cost of living . . . it still remains so popular.


    Citizen Scribe #33361, your announcement has been edited to reflect the proper national feeling. Furthermore, we did not find your comments very funny and we are becoming more concerned about your increasingly erratic behavior. These expressions of individuality threaten the stability of your function. Please see the Overseer after your shift.
  9. Kzoppistan

    Aluminum Casting

    By Kzoppistan,

    I now present my miniature blast-furnace.

    It will be used to melt scrap aluminum. It should be ready to be fired in about 4 days once the curing is completely done (it's been 3 now). It is constructed out of a large steel can and quickcrete. As you can see, I sawed a steel pipe with a hacksaw and inserted it in the bottom by punching out and filing a hole in the bottom of the can before filling the can with concrete.
    By first figuring out the volume of the can, and then subtracting the volume of plastic coffee can which was submerged in in it, I managed to calculate how much concrete to use without wasting any. I also had to figure out how many cubic inches a 60 pound bag of mix would first make, then use that number to divide the recommend amount of water in ounces to get the amount of water to add, too.
    After it is cured, I will fill it with briquettes, and the steel can crucible, add the scrap aluminum, set it on fire and cover it. The pipe will serve as a way to force air in from a hairdryer (I actually ended up using a cheap roadside tire air compressor) in order to raise the temperature (1220 F) high enough to melt the aluminum.
    I expect to get one or two runs out of it before it crumbles. Concrete is not a very good refractory material, but it is cheap and so should serve as a good beginner's test run. A few things may go wrong, such as not reaching a high enough temp. If that doesn't happen, I will feed a propane line through the pipe. Also, very unlikely, but it may actually over heat, melting the crucible and pouring the aluminum melt into the bottom of the can which would pretty much ruin it. Also, with the residual water in the concrete, it might explode. So there's that.
    In the meantime, I will be carving a positive of a small decorative gear out of wood to press into the mold, crafting a box and casting a sand mold, and filing the paint off the scrap aluminum.
    Then the action begins.
    I will post the results when it is all done.
    -----
    Done
    ------
    Here is the result of my aluminum can melts. I
    set up in the park. I got a few curious looks, two people stopped by to
    watch and several people shooed their children away. The loudness of
    the compressor was my only major concern. It took only
    40 minutes for the cops to arrive. Apparently, there is nothing illegal
    about constructing a portable mini-foundry in the park, so after
    explaining my activities, I was wished a successful adventure by the
    inquiring police officer (who was quite friendly... in a nervous sort of way) and left to my own
    devices. Very fun.

    This is the mold I used. Orginally I wanted to make a decorative gear, but
    after putting everything off for a month and not wanting to spend more
    time carving the shape to imprint, I finally decided to just make an
    ingot mold by hand. I purchased a 50# bag of Hawthorn fireclay from a
    local supplier (Mudworks of Lexington, check them out for your pottery
    needs). It has been mixed 50/50 with play sand. Next time I'm going to
    create a box with removable sides and use an actual carved piece for the
    positive.




    This was my set up, the air compressor, which acted as the bellows was
    powered by my jumpstarter, fed into the pipe at the bottom of the
    furnace.

    As you can see, at the very center of the crucible is a small glob of
    liquid aluminum melt. What I found interesting was that, contrary to my
    fears, the aluminum cleaved together and excluded non aluminum
    particles.


    Here is the pour directly after cooling. Due to excessive foreign materiel
    and a sloppy pour, the dross, of mostly al. oxide I reckon, filled in
    the top left of the mold.

    The final result after removing the dross and doing some filing. The ingot
    is extremely light weight. If this weren't my very first attempt, I
    would melt it down and use a better mold. But alas, this piece of
    mangled metal is my first-born, my own little bit of the tri-force, so I
    will keep it for sentimental value.
    So there you have it.
  10. Kzoppistan
    I wrote this about 2 years ago. In light of the economic collapse, too bad it came true.
    ....
    An Essay Regarding the Nature of Power and How It Acts In and Through America.
    Or,
    A Rambling Diatribe of Hogwash
    Friends,
    Human nature and, indeed, all of nature, follows strikingly similar patterns. It is the accumulation and diffusion of power across the spectrum that I speak of. You can see it oft repeated in a myriad of forms. To make the point simple, in ancient (and modern) times a nation would build itself up to a state of concentrated power and then, naturally, expand. When all the sectors of society were reaching peak development; the economical, political, and martial forces were stable and abundant and the collective eyes, satisfied, lifted from their domain, what did they do? They scanned the horizon and set forth their power on the nearest, weakest, state. Is it moral or not? It doesn't matter, to quote Nietzsche:
    "[Anything which] is a living and not a dying body... will have to be an incarnate will to power, it will strive to grow, spread, seize, become predominant — not from any morality or immorality but because it is living and because life simply is will to power... 'Exploitation'... belongs to the essence of what lives, as a basic organic function; it is a consequence of the will to power, which is after all the will to life."
    So this is what humans do, patterned after (often unbeknownst to us) the same laws adhered to by all of what is organic, mathematical, psychic, or physical. After all, it is only natural.
    You see it when water from on high rushes down low, when electrons course from the point of abundance to the point of scarcity, when hot air moves to colder regions, when the neurons in brain compete, when stronger plants overtake the weaker. Power, in all its forms, seeks collection and diffusion. The age old pattern of yin and yang. When force becomes ample enough to overcome inertia, objects move and energy is expended. Both Miyamoto Musashi and Sun Tzu used natural metaphors like these in their explanations of philosophical and martial arts. It is evident in the laws of supply and demand, of cause and effect.
    Such natural patterns create their own counter-currents, often to the detriment of the original force. Power, equally diffused, creates a stasis. If over-extended past the ability for self-containment: it collapses. Think of the different economic bubbles that have risen and imploded. If the system is not carefully controlled to provide support for the extension, the only other option besides dissolution is contraction.
    We can see this playing out on several levels in America today. For instance, how can a group of ordinary citizens, of only moderate education, sometimes poorly informed, of average incomes, with little coherence in ideologies, ever hope to check the concentrated power of conglomerates of corporations motivated by a single intent? Possessing billions of dollars of capital and millions more of revenue, staffed by (sometimes) highly educated, focused, and determined individuals, they employ the services of tenacious lobbyists, sometimes numbering into the hundreds. They use any machination at their disposal to advance their aims. Sometimes their aim is to do good for many, but considering the predisposition of human nature to hoard wealth and suppress rivals, most of time it is not. Not necessarily "evil" but usually myopic. How can the people check this? They cannot. Not without creating greater cohesion. Enforcing the will of those with concentrated power against a soft and divided opposition is as easy as throwing stones at eggs. So when corporations, or militaries, or religious organizations, abundant with power, apply their focused, sharpened, point against the soft underbelly of an unaware public, they penetrate into the guts of the system, mostly for their gain but often resulting in rupture. When they become more powerful than the governments, they over-ride the intent of democracy, breaking past the barriers of regulation, and turn the system against its own interests. Then we get things like the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (and hundreds like it) which, some say, is one of the principal causes of the collapse of our economy today. We get defense contractors embedded in "think tanks" with their war machines and "security companies" (i.e. mercenaries) hoping for sustained conflict, supported by their hawk politicians, who influence our war policy. Energy conglomerates making record profits, impervious to the cries of the people, while ever expanding their grip and influencing our energy policies. Lucrative prison contracts encourage people to meddle in our judicial system. Giant agriculture and manufacturing companies press into our trade policies. Alcohol and pharmaceutical advocates shape our drug policies. Subtract the capitalistic portion from the equation, and you still have powerful groups that want to monopolize moral legislation, cultural confederates that influence immigration, and many others. How many people on the street know what goes on in Congress? These companies and factions are not inherently the enemy of the people, they are part of the people, all play a part of and add to the quality of the system, but only when allowed to operate within the bounds of moderation. A little bit of aspirin does wonders, too much of it kills. When a group obtains more power than the rest, it becomes a hungry animal seeking to expand. It is hard to blame these groups or companies because they are only doing what human animals do. But just because you understand the nature of wolves doesn't mean you should encourage them to breed in your backyard. Power, left unchecked and unregulated, destroys the system that creates it. Its just like how too many parasites will inadvertently kill their host, too many bunnies will out breed their food source, and a fire will burn itself out when it consumes everything around it. It is sometimes unfortunate, sometimes advantageous, but regardless, it is natural. As with most natural things, it can be studied, harnessed, and ultimately controlled.
    On a higher spectrum we can see it in the ever expanding arm of the USA. As factions within our society work to increase and discharge their power, we as a nation are doing the same on the global stage. The parallel is striking. We had the opportunity, created by a plethora of natural resources and opportune location, to amass a large degree of power, which we did. Then, as natural as dogs bark and birds sing, we began to slowly exert our power around us. It is as irresistible as a cookie in the jar is to a kid or a coin in the reach of a thief. It is part of our nature. Are we acting like some of the corporations within us, destroying the very system that allowed us to flourish? Or are we engaged in a healthy pattern of self-sufficiency that buttresses our growth? Is our aim to do good for many, or are we using any machination at our dispose to hoard wealth and suppress our rivals? Probably a bit of both.
    We have world wide span. But for how long and how far can we continue to expand our interests? Now, as while we pour millions of dollars outward- whether, as some claim, to strengthen the imperialistic grip of our holdings or to do, in the spirit of high morals and camaraderie, genuine good for other nations, our economy is beginning to crumble beneath us. Ruptured by companies with more power than our government. What are the likely outcomes? In concurrence with the laws of the universe,
    1. A conscious strengthening of the base, increasing the level of power and creating another cycle of expansion- which is subject to the law of diminishing returns.
    2. Contraction and refocus.
    3. Becoming temporarily static.
    4. Or collapse.
    If we are not aware of our own checks and balances as they are now, and the future consequences they will entail, we will be checked by the growing power of other states around us, indeed we already are (China and Japan already has our purse strings and Russia is beginning to reclaim what was once hers) or more likely, we will crumple under the continued pressure and exploitation of powerful corporations.
    Do we still have a lot of influence left in us? Of course. Should we use it? I don't know- but I suspect that we are incapable of doing otherwise. Do we still have time to alter some of our less nationally interested legislation? I hope so. Do we as a nation have, most of the time, good intentions and who tries to be the best global partner we can be? I'd like to think so. But good intentions are not enough, if we do not alleviate our ignorance regarding the nature of power, as it swirls around the guts of our system and how it flows through us as a nation onto the world stage, then we are doomed to complete the pattern of ascension and implosion.
    Without the ever needed conscientious re-calibration of our system, devoid of the over-influence of corporations and meddling of self-interested factions, we too will collapse.
    After all, it's only natural.
    Fin.
    Epilogue:
    Despite the fatalist tone of my essay, I remain an eternal optimist in the power of the people to elevate ourselves above our lower instincts into higher thoughts. Despite a proclivity for greed, we also have an equally powerful instinct to find common ground and care for our neighbors. Nor am I an anti-capitalist, but only an advocate of moderation. I firmly believe that an educated and compassionate people is always an effective antidote to the more corrosive elements of our society. Even the most powerful factions of our society whether they be corporations or political parties can be, and often are, agents of goodwill if properly motivated. For even the savage wolf can become, with care and attention, a loyal canine and good friend.
  11. Kzoppistan
    As a person who has an interest in the nature of perception, and also as an artist, I have been long fascinated by optical illusions. I've seen a lot of them, but this one caught my attention today as I was looking up 'darkness' as a wiki entry:

    Square A is the same shade as square B.
    It seems unbelievable, but it's true.
    I'm pretty familiar with the concept of relative shading but I thought I would do a little experiment. Despite the impression of different values in my mind from seeing this picture, I was fully confident that the author was correct (having seen a similar illustration before) and they were the same shade. However, just for fun, I copied the pic and pasted it in my photoshop program. Then I took the eyedropper tool and sampled both squares. Lo and behold, all Red Green and Blue attributes were 120 for both squares, an exact match.
    Then to see how it would look, I took the paintbrush with the sampled color selected and did this:

    It is interesting that the effect of gradation is a complete illusion. It looks like a smooth blend, doesn't it?
    In fact, if you relax your focus and stare somewhere in the middle of the two squares you might see the two blocs and their connecting line as a whole pop out of the background.

    The nature of perception sure is neat.
    What's even more interesting is how the lesson of this simple visual trick can be used to extrapolate other facts in the areas of life. There are certain redundancies or patterns in existence, and what is observed in the visual realm can be also observed in other realms. Not only in our external senses, light, sound, (energy), ect., but within our minds as well, especially since all of our senses are filtered through interpretative mechanisms that apply subjective meaning and causality to the things we experience. In short, how the mind perceives the stimuli and puts together a mental representation of it, (as viewing is an active process, not a passive one), those same mechanisms may also be similar to how we consider abstract concepts.
    So, despite how it looks, the two squares are the same but only appear different simply by the contrasting values around them.
    Makes you wonder, then, what other things in life are actually the same but which their sameness is obscured by the particular framing, intentional or otherwise, of the environments around them?
  13. Kzoppistan
    Today I'm here to tell you about this beer.
    You should drink it.
    Also, I've already been drinking it/something/alot/tonight. Thought tonight I'm drinking capt morgan's and samuel adams and listening to ZZ Top. 10 !@#$@#$ DOLLARS FOR A 6 PACK OF SAM ADAMS WHAT A !@#$@#$ CONSPIRACY. !@#$@#$ COLLEGE TOWNS, I !@#$@#$ HATE YOU.
    CAPS DO NOT EXPRESS MY OUTRAGE!
    Anyway, on to the real deal.
    I bought this IPA after careful consideration at the liquer store (careful, as in, I saw something I think I'd like better, but a name like Ruthless is hard to pass up, !@#$@#$ marketing execs know their drunks, $%&@ers!) . It's made by Seirra Nevada, which was it's selling point, because, while not exactly a micro-brew, makes reasonably consistant beer.
    As an Imperial Porter, you would expect something slightly lighter, but no, this beer caters to an earthier taste. Though it does contain a good deal of some sort of grapefruit/lemon zest sort of taste. The head poured a short cream one inch head.
    I'm just kidding, I drank it out of the bottle, but what spilled on my floor was sort of like that.
    The rye is very evident in the taste, a dark peppery taste. IMO, after drinking this, I think rye should be a staple in all beers. That's how much I liked it. For a lighter beer, it ads a thickening and rich quality to the body.
    In this bottle is also a slight grassy taste, and quite a bit of hops.
    Over all, I really enjoyed this seasonal brew and hope to get some more (very soon, as in, now) soon.
    Try it today, $%&@ers.
    -------------------
    listen to katrina tell you
    ---
    also couldn't find music fo this,
    found thi insteaqd
    Nouvelle Vague does Dead Kennedys: Too Drunk to $%&@

    appro po
    Katrina Josephina - universal hall pass

  14. Kzoppistan
    One of the things I've enjoyed most about being a diplomat has been the surprising and often impromptu meeting of like minds. Since most of the fun of the game is derived from the social aspects rather than the cold mechanics of nation building, my journey through the halls of diplomacy has been a pleasant one.
    As the envoy, or diplomat, is virtually a required function by any sizable alliance, that necessity produces a certain class of people on Planet Bob. By nature of the job, one is forced outward to meet others and the civility required to perform those duties, regardless if one is dealing with friend or foe, instills a certain professional camaraderie with those doing the same.
    Just last night I was on the IRC, enjoying the shenanigans going on in #TPF, when I received a personal query. It was from Imperator, of TORN (a top notch gentleman), who asked me if I was in need of assistance accessing their forum. As a matter of fact, I did have some trouble as I had locked myself out by using the wrong password too many times. Not only did he recognize me and offer to help, he was kind enough to reset the password so I could get in.
    Then we spent the next several minutes passing the time in pleasant conversation. Though we had never spoken before, there was a sense of ease in "talking shop" with a fellow diplomat. There comes a feeling of camaraderie from discussing things with a person who shares your interests and knows the hardship of serving in the same capacity.
    Now I know that wherever I go, I have another acquaintance that I can readily strike up a conversation with and share our hopes and fears on a professional level. And that, my friends, has been a pleasant discovery of being a diplomat.
  15. Kzoppistan
    After spending a few hours aimlessly walking around town contemplating the inevitability of death and pointlessness of existence, I decided to take a load off and get drunk instead.
    So I headed off to the local sin merchant for my dose of sweet sweet oblivion. As usual I grabbed my bottle of Franziskaner Weissbier as a starter but I was at a loss as what to get next. Something different...
    I like rum. Mainly because I fancy myself a land pirate. And want to live in the tropics. Other than that... well, that's all there is. So I like rum.
    Unfortunately, most rum I drink is in mixers. And for good reason, too, because it's hard to find a rum that you can drink on it's own. Well, Lady Luck of the high seas dealt this crusty land-lubber a charming hand this time 'round.

    Cruzan sells for roughly $12.00 per 750 mil at 80 proof. (Which if you noticed my last booze review, I was buying stuff for $9.99, so I'm moving up in the world. )
    Brewed on the Virgin Islands in St. Croix by the Nelthropp family since the start of their sugar mill in 1760, this dark rum has been produced by the same family ever since.
    The color is an aged penny-brown. The smell was not strong at all and you'd have to really get your nose in it for a whiff.
    Tasting this fine rum was an experience unlike any I've had before. Only in that it was the most even tasting rum I've ever had. It had a hint of vanilla, and... maybe some type of white pepper and liquorish. What was surprising is that it was very simple. Not complex at all. And yet, none of usual flavors of booze dominated. It wasn't heavily dosed with spiced flavors or char. It was a simple and tasty light sipping beverage.
    It had a strong finish, put some fire in the belly, and potent alcoholic fumes evaporating from the residue, but the ethanol taste was not overtly strong as it often is in cheaper rums.
    Over all I am very happy with this bottle, and will definitely get this again.
    I'm Kzoppistan and this is my booze review.

    *Cheers*
  16. Kzoppistan
    Ok, anybody who knows me knows I love Jack Daniels. Whiskey snobs will turn their noses up, but I stand by it. It resides in that perfect middle ground between taste and affordability. So that is my benchmark for all whiskeys. I've had shots of whiskey that the cost per bottle would equate to a small mortgage, and not to discount good craftsmanship, but there is diminishing returns of taste to price the higher up you go. At some point you're drinking prestige, not booze.
    Unfortunately, (for my whiskey choice, at least) I reside in Kentucky. And this state takes pride in its well crafted bourbon, of which there are plenty. So not only is Tennessee whiskey a faux pas, but it's also more expensive.
    With that in mind, this evening I went to the liquor store for something to drink. Tonight I would try something different.
    Now, I am a cheapskate. However, I have a certain level of taste that I will not lower myself to. I absolutely will not buy a "well" whiskey. I drink my booze straight up. None of that !@#$% coke mix. Not that I don't enjoy a good <soda> and <booze> combo, but if I'm buying for myself, I buy something I don't have to mix. Just like my coffee, I like to enjoy the natural flavor. If it can't stand on its own, I don't want it. Thus the never ending quest to find the best "cheap" booze.
    I think I found it with the Very Old Barton's.
    Now usually when ever I've had anything that started with Very Old, I've already been incredibility !@#$faced to begin with and couldn't remember the next day what it was. Very Old anything is something I certainly wouldn't have picked on my own if it wasn't recommend by the bartender or shoved into my hand. Something about the titling suggests... something I'm not sure I would like. I can't put my finger on it. Sort of like a used car salesman named "Honest" Eddy.
    So browsing the shelves, I see this nice round 750mil bottle.
    For $8.99.
    That in itself made me pause. That much booze for so little price? Surely it's crap. But I looked it over, respectable label printing, counted my money, looked it over, 80 proof, and counted my money again. If it was a poor choice, I didn't have the funds to buy something else and my night would be ruined (just ruined ).... $%&@ it, I took the plunge.
    With a nice 22 oz. Stella Artois to put the taste of alcohol in my mouth (I like to drink beer and booze at the same time), I gave it a pour.
    Ok, actually I drank it out of the bottle first. But as of this writing it's now in a booze appropriate glass.
    It has a light amber color and the smell isn't overpowering. It's been aged 6 years.
    The taste is very smokey and woody.
    Smooth.
    Very smooth.
    Dryish aftertaste, and a good medium burn in the stomach but not the throat. No tang or sharpness at all. It's so smokey that I would accuse it of being charcoal filtered except I'm fairly certain that would invalidate its claim to bourbon, that and it is not sweet, as is often a characteristic of charcoal filtering. But it's definitely got a nice light wood smoke linger.
    Mmm, delicious.
    I highly recommend it, and it might be my new favorite.
    Cheers.
  17. Kzoppistan
    The premise:
    What follows is several pages of such discourse that I would prefer not to characterize it beyond my initial remarks.

    ---------------------------------------------


    Response:
    I read through 4 pages for this...? Bah, what a preposterous set of statements some of you have been spouting.
    While the topic is, arguably, an interesting intellectual exercise in 'what ifs' and it has certainly provided the opportunity for some to mentally masturbate their propagandistic political fetishes in front of everyone, the whole of the comments disregard some basic facts about human nature that renders either system impossible to be implemented in full as they may look on paper, regardless of how much that design may appeal to the proponent.
    Point #1. People are naturally hierarchicists. When placed into a group there is a scramble amongst the members to determine who is the leader and where each member falls in the ranking system. The natural world is one of competition, as such; those that excel at the contest for resources enhance their survivability while those that do not are removed from the pool. To have complete equality invites stagnation and eventual downfall. Even amongst cooperative groups there is a struggle to rise through the ranks. Such competition is healthy as it promotes the strong, replicating its successes, and eliminates the weak, ensuring a stronger whole by it. To try to implement a system that ignores the basics of evolutionary psychology, sociology, and physiology is naïve at best, and foolish at worst.
    Because of this there will always be a ruling class. Whether it is the priests/prophets, the warriors, the president, the chairman, the authoritarian governments, the corporations that rule covertly through their government connections, or committees that formulate the direction of a nation, it will never be banished. Leadership by the alpha is how we operate as a species.
    In capitalistic societies, it is the dollar that they worship and in the communistic society it is political influence. They are both sides of the same coin. Both ideologies are veils over the true mechanism of human drive. Power over others by monopolizing the access to resources has always been the gist of the game regardless of what name it is called.
    Point #2. To assert that no authority would be needed in purely communist society is absurd. Who would punish those that transgress against another? Who would prevent those that would attempt to take more than their fair share, or subvert the system for their own gain, as is part of human nature? Whether the desire is to enforce a system of equal sharing, or to keep the have-nots from taking from the haves, the use of force is necessary.
    Conclusion: As is usual, those that advocate a particular system are the one's most likely to benefit from it. The communists see the wealth gained by others with envy and seek to take it from them and redistribute it to themselves and their allies, while those who hoard their wealth fight to keep others from it. Both sides are seeking to gain or keep resources and have constructed elaborate justifications for their wants.
    Taken to the extreme, neither system is sustainable. As is often the case, the best bet is to examine the successful attributes of each system, and combine them into a new system by a process of synthesis.
  18. Kzoppistan
    Some musings on Civility and Professionalism.
    It's important to know your own strengths and weaknesses.
    There is a difference between a minister of foreign affairs and a negotiator. The first is just that, a minister, a person who can organize many people and programs, plan for the future, and know how and when to use the people under his or her command effectively. While hopefully the minister does have an understanding of mediation and negotiation, and capable of doing so in a pinch, the job of minister is not synonymous with being a negotiator and one should not confuse the two. Sometimes a minister is a capable negotiator but it should not be assumed. The skills of negotiation are not automatically conferred upon those who receive the keys to the ministry. It's important to know your own strengths and weaknesses in this regard.
    A negotiator is some one who understands tact, civility, and protocol and uses them to further the ends of his or her alliance. They may be doggedly firm with a point, aggressive when stating what they want, or challenge others to prove their cases. But one thing they are not, is disrespectful. They understand that to get what they want, the "arena" must be preserved. The quickest way to destroy the arena is to disrespect a person or party to such a degree that those people must leave the stage with their self respect in tact lest they have trouble sleeping with themselves at night. If that happen, unless the point was to sabotage the talks, everybody loses. One does not win a political debate by blowing up the podium. (some people may dispute that, but you get my point).
    A common mistake to new ministers is to assume, when dealing with a numerically smaller alliance, that their own alliance's size and their position within the alliance will allow them to come into negotiations dictating terms or ultimatums. Or swing their position around like a stick. Or stomp out like a petulant child when others object to such aggressive behavior. Those tactics may work in a soap opera, but between alliances that hold themselves to a professional standard, belligerence and a lack of basic civility is known to be counter productive and poisonous to relations.
    No, real progress is made between those who are calm, respectful and patient. Not quite as exciting as hurling veiled threats or acting the prima donna, but much more effective at getting what both sides want with ease and efficiency. To remain committed to seeing an issue resolved takes determination to master the ego and one cannot quit in the middle simply because he or she hears something not to their liking. Negotiation is a discipline.
    True, a person does not have to act as if everyone in the negotiation are their best buddies. And sometimes one has to act a part to emphatically make their point. But that's all it is, an act, because everyone knows that its hard to think clearly when besieged by powerful emotions. And the most capable agents are one who can detach themselves emotionally and view things objectively. To come in and cause a scene and stomp out is only a waste of energy and makes the person look bad in the eyes of everyone involved. A professional is keenly aware of the difference between using some dramatic flare and getting their own emotions involved. One who cannot separate the two, even if they are a capable minister, should stay out of negotiations.
  19. Kzoppistan

    CNN and the US PSYOPS

    By Kzoppistan,

    http://www.counterpunch.org/cnnpsyops.html
    March 26, 2000
    CNN AND PSYOPS
    By Alexander Cockburn
    Military personnel from the Fourth Psychological Operations Group based at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, have until recently been working in CNN's hq in Atlanta.
    CNN is up in arms about our report in the last issue of CounterPunch concerning the findings of the Dutch journalist, Abe de Vries about the presence of US Army personnel at CNN, owned by Time-Warner. We cited an article by de Vries which appeared on February 21 in the reputable Dutch daily newspaper Trouw, originally translated into English and placed on the web by Emperor's Clothes. De Vries reported that a handful of military personnel from the Third Psychological Operations Battalion, part of the airmobile Fourth Psychological Operations Group based at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, had worked in CNN's hq in Atlanta.
    De Vries quoted Major Thomas Collins of the US Army Information Service as having confirmed the presence of these Army psy-ops experts at CNN, saying, "Psy-ops personnel, soldiers and officers, have been working in CNN's headquarters in Atlanta through our program, 'Training with Industry'. They worked as regular employees of CNN. Conceivably, they would have worked on stories during the Kosovo war. They helped in the production of news."
    This particular CounterPunch story was the topic of my regular weekly broadcast to AM Live, a program of the South Africa Broadcasting Company in Johannesburg. Among the audience of this broadcast was CNN's bureau in South Africa which lost no time in relaying news of it to CNN hq in Atlanta, and I duly received an angry phone call from Eason Jordan who identified himself as CNN's president of newsgathering and international networks.
    Jordan was full of indignation that I had somehow compromised the reputation of CNN. But in the course of our conversation it turned out that yes, CNN had hosted a total of five interns from US army psy-ops, two in television, two in radio and one in satellite operations. Jordan said the program had only recently terminated, I would guess at about the time CNN's higher management read Abe de Vries's stories.
    When I reached De Vries in Belgrade, where's he is Trouw's correspondent, and told him about CNN's furious reaction, he stood by his stories and by the quotations given him by Major Collins.For some days CNN wouldn't get back to him with a specific reaction to Collins's confirmation, and when it did, he filed a later story for Trouw, printed on February 25 noting that the military worked at CNN in the period from June 7, (a date confirmed by Eason to me) meaning that during the war a psy-ops person would have been at CNN during the last week.
    "The facts are", De Vries told me, " that the US Army, US Special Operations Command and CNN personnel confirmed to me that military personnel have been involved in news production at CNN's newsdesks. I found it simply astonishing. Of course CNN says these psyops personnel didn't decide anything, write news reports, etcetera. What else can they say. Maybe it's true, maybe not. The point is that these kind of close ties with the army are, in my view, completely unacceptable for any serious news organization. Maybe even more astonishing is the complete silence about the story from the big media. To my knowledge, my story was not mentioned by leading American or British newspapers, nor by Reuters or AP."
    Here at CounterPunch we agree with Abe de Vries, who told me he'd originally come upon the story through an article in the French newsletter, Intelligence On-line, February 17, which described a military symposium in Arlington, Virginia, held at the beginning of February of this year, discussing use of the press in military operations. Colonel Christopher St John, commander of the US Army's 4th Psyops Group, was quoted by Intelligence On-Line's correspondent, present at the symposium, as having, in the correspondent's words, "called for greater cooperation between the armed forces and media giants. He pointed out that some army PSYOPS personnel had worked for CNN for several weeks and helped in the production of some news stories for the network."
    So, however insignificant Eason Jordan and other executives at CNN may now describe the Army psyops tours at CNN as having been, the commanding officer of the Psy-ops group thought them as sufficient significance to mention at a high level Pentagon seminar about propaganda and psychological warfare. It could be that CNN was the target of a psyops penetration and is still too naïve to figure out what was going on.
    It's hard not to laugh when CNN execs like Eason Jordan start spouting high-toned stuff about CNN's principles of objectivity and refusal to spout government or Pentagon propaganda. The relationship is most vividly summed up by the fact that Christiane Amanpour, CNN's leading foreign correspondent, and a woman whose reports about the fate of Kosovan refugees did much to fan public appetite for NATO's war, is literally and figuratively in bed with spokesman for the US State Department, and a leading propagandist for NATO during that war, her husband James Rubin.If CNN truly wanted to maintain the appearance of objectivity, it would have taken Amanpour off the story. Amanpour, by the way, is still a passionate advocate for NATO's crusade, most recently on the Charlie Rose show.
    In the first two weeks of the war in Kosovo CNN produced thirty articles for the Internet, according to de Vries, who looked them up for his first story. An average CNN article had seven mentions of Tony Blair, NATO spokesmen like Jamie Shea and David Wilby or other NATO officials. Words like refugees, ethnic cleansing, mass killings and expulsions were used nine times on the average. But the so-called Kosovo Liberation Armmy (0.2 mentions) and the Yugoslav civilian victims (0.3 mentions) barely existed for CNN.
    During the war on Serbia, as with other recent conflicts involving the US, wars, CNN's screen was filled with an interminable procession of US military officers. On April 27 of last year, Amy Goodman of the Pacifica radio network, put a good question to Frank Sesno, who is CNN's senior vice president for political coverage.
    GOODMAN:"If you support the practice of putting ex-military men -generals - on the payroll to share their opinion during a time of war, would you also support putting peace activists on the payroll to give a different opinion during a time of war? To be sitting there with the military generals talking about why they feel that war is not appropriate?"
    FRANK SESNO: "We bring the generals in because of their expertise in a particular area. We call them analysts. We don't bring them in as advocates. In fact, we actually talk to them about that - they're not there as advocates."
    Exactly a week before Sesno said this, CNN had featured as one of its military analysts, Lt Gen Dan Benton, US Army Retired.
    BENTON: "I don't know what our countrymen that are questioning why we're involved in this conflict are thinking about. As I listened to this press conference this morning with reports of rapes burning, villages being burned and this particularly incredible report of blood banks, of blood being harvested from young boys for the use of Yugoslav forces, I just got madder and madder. The United States has a responsibility as the only superpower in the world, and when we learn about these things, somebody has got to stand up and say, that's enough, stop it, we aren't going to put up with this. And so the United States is fulfilling its leadership responsibility with our NATO allies and are trying to stop these incredible atrocities."
    Please note what CNN's supposedly non-advocatory analyst Benton was ranting about: a particularly bizarre and preposterous NATO propaganda item about 700 Albanian boys being used as human blood banks for Serb fighters.
    So much for the "non-advocate" CNN. CP
    --------------------
    Look at the date. 2000.
    Ten years later we have CNN reporting on fluff pieces regarding the Yemen airplane bomber.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/18/passengers.to.bomb.suspect/
    Lots of condemnation from the commenters, as usual. Some by honest, albeit misdirected Americans. A lot more by what I suspect is staff of CNN.
    There are two persons not included in this "report", Lori and Kurt H.
    Curious, considering that they have first hand accounts and are eager to tell the world. Why is that? Perhaps it is because they have started asking real questions.
    http://haskellfamily.blogspot.com/2010/02/interesting-note-to-todays-cnn-article.html
    If any of that has caught your attention, look at this:
    http://www.legitgov.org/northwest_bomb_plot_oddities.html
    Of course it's no surprise that we are now conducting covert (and not so covert) ops in Yemen.
    It's quite clear that CNN is one of many mouth pieces for the corporate war machine whose goals are simultaneous acts of class warfare, resource acquisition, and global positioning.
    TURN OFF YOUR CABLE TV!!!
    LOOK AROUND YOU AND SEE!!!
    DON'T BE A SHEEPLE ~ QUESTION AUTHORITY!!!
    The "news" is lying to you.
  20. Kzoppistan

    Conflict Resolution

    By Kzoppistan,

    Conflict Resolution is a range of methods for alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. The term "conflict resolution" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term dispute resolution or alternative dispute resolution. Processes of conflict resolution generally include negotiation, mediation, and diplomacy.

  21. Kzoppistan
    Jeremy Rifkin, author and president at the Foundation on Economic Trends delivered an insightful talk about our economic and environmental future and what he calls, the Third Industrial Revolution.

    ------
    This blew my mind. A paradigm shifting presentation. This is the future.
    I strongly recommend you to take the next 50 minutes to watch this, it is the most profound and exciting look at what is already happening in the EU, and what may come in the US, if we push our political system to make it happen.
  22. Kzoppistan

    Critical Thinking

    By Kzoppistan,

    ed. note: This is a reprint from the first step of Greg Haskins' A Practical Guide To Critical Thinking. I encourage everyone to read this.
    http://www.skepdic.com/essays/haskins.pdf
    Step 1: Adopt the Attitude of a Critical Thinker
    The first step to becoming a proficient critical thinker is developing the proper attitude.
    Such an attitude embodies the following characteristics:
    · Open-mindedness
    · Healthy skepticism
    · Intellectual humility
    · Free thinking
    · High motivation
    The first two characteristics may appear contradictory, but they are not. The critical thinker must be willing to investigate viewpoints different from his or her own, but at the same time recognize when to doubt claims that do not merit such investigation. A critical thinker must be neither dogmatic nor gullible. Being both open-minded and skeptical means seeking out the facts, information sources, and reasoning to support issues we intend to judge; examining issues from as many sides as possible; rationally looking for the good and bad points of the various sides examined; accepting the fact that we may be in error ourselves; and maintaining the goal of getting at the truth (or as close to the truth as possible), rather than trying to please others or find fault with their views. Too much skepticism will lead one to doubt everything and commit oneself to nothing, while too little will lead one to gullibility and credulousness.
    Having intellectual humility means adhering tentatively to recently acquired opinions; being prepared to examine new evidence and arguments even if such examination leads one to discover flaws in one's own cherished beliefs; to stop thinking that complex issues can be reduced to matters of 'right & wrong' or 'black & white', and to begin thinking in terms of 'degrees of certainty' or 'shades of grey'. Sometimes 'I don't know' can be the wisest position to take on an issue. As Socrates noted: Arrogance does not befit the critical thinker.
    A critical thinker must also have an independent mind, i.e., be a free thinker. To think freely, one must restrain one's desire to believe because of social pressures to conform. This can be quite difficult or even impossible for some. One must be willing to ask if conformity is motivating one's belief or opinion, and if so, have the strength and courage to at least temporarily abandon one's position until he or she can complete a more objective and thorough evaluation.
    Finally, a critical thinker must have a natural curiosity to further one's understanding and be highly motivated to put in the necessary work sufficient to evaluate the multiple sides of issues. The only way one can overcome the lack of essential knowledge on a subject is to do the necessary studying to reach a sufficient level of understanding before making judgments. This may require the critical thinker to ask many questions, which can be unsettling to those asked to respond. A critical thinker cannot be lazy.
  23. Kzoppistan
    *I was moving some articles around and found this one tucked away. Thought I'd share it. It's old, Zenith is disbanded, SNOW is long gone, and I now know who Vladimir is.

    __________________________________________________


    Critique of "The Slavery of International Rights"
    By Kzoppistan, originally posted in the Zenith Debating Chamber on February 21st, 2009. Formatting and minor editing by Ferrous
    The following is a critique on "The Slavery of International Rights," an essay by Vladimir.
    This article falls short of convincing me that international rights should not exist. Whether or not I feel international rights should exist is a different story, but this article fails to convince me of anything except the inability of the author to argue a stance, despite the heavy "intellectualization" of the wordage. The author attacks the position of the Globalists and attempts to knock flat their assertions by an examination of the components of "rights". However, the author falls victim to the fallacy of argumentum ad logicam, or simply argument to logic (This is the fallacy of assuming that something is false simply because a proof or argument that someone has offered for it is invalid; this reasoning is fallacious because there may be another proof or argument that successfully supports the proposition.) He may have scored several points against the Globalists if those really were their points that they put forth, but for the case against international rights he's just knocking down straw men. A careful examination of his refutation shows that his arguments are, at best, limited in scope.
    Before that look, though, I'd like to point out that since the article details the inter-player relationship the author can be forgiven for thinking "inside the box" because, when you take a long view of it, there already is an international body of rights and enforcement, the Admin.
    One of the major points of contention I have with this article is the lack of clarification of what rights the author is talking about.
    Onward.

    This statement can be proven false by simple logic. If I am a person who supports international rights, then that makes me a Globalist. However, that does not necessarily make me some one who believes that international rights are negative (as in, they only require others to refrain from interfering). What if I believed that a world governing body should be imposed to enforce international rights? What then? (the end result of that intention is what he decries at the end of the article, but the points he provides to get to that final argument are weak, thus the reason of this critique.)
    Then that premise is false. An international body doesn't have to be created to enforce an international law. By the author's definition: "Rights have two prerequisites in order for them to exist: a law in support of them (whether by written legislation or precedent) and a body capable and willing to enforce that law." Neither of those stipulate that an international body must be the enforcing party. Most enforcement of international laws, such as they oft written "no spying" law, is done by the offended party.
    Another example:
    What the author fails to consider is the fluid nature of rights. Rights are formal rules of entitlement not only created by those with the power to enforce them but also by consensus. (Which we'll examine in a moment) What if, in the example above, that alliance applies for protection from a larger partner. Then it certainly has the right to exist as long as the protecting partner is strong enough to deflect an attacker.
    That statement is incorrect by the point above about spying.
    Is that not the point? If not, then why was there conflict built into the system? What is the difference between one nation imposing their will by force-of-arms on another nation, and one bloc forcing their will on the rest of the world?
    Yes. For many, who ever wields complete control over the rest could be considered the "winner" of the game. For those who just want to develop their nations to the fullest can do so within the protection of an alliance.
    Ironically, both the Globalists and the author are wrong for the same reason but by different routes of reasoning. The Globalists contend that there should be international rights, like the right to existence- which would make it illegal for one nation to attack another. But that removes the risk factor and is contrary to a major factor of the game. Besides, there already is the right to exist without being attacked, it's called peace mode (if one doesn't want to incur the penalties of existing in peace mode, they have to entertain a little bit of risk, kinda like life. Don't like it? Play a different game. Or enforce your will in this one.) On the other hand, the ultimate argument of the author, despite all the blah-blah above it, is that the method to enforce those rights would make some one an imperialistic a-hole. That is also messed up because enforcing your will upon another is, again, a major feature of the game. To simplify, the Globalists say "Don't do that" and the author says "You shouldn't tell other people what to do" which inherently contradicts itself.
    As a counter point to the "against the point of the game" argument (yes, I know, I'm arguing both sides , could be, "the game is what you make it." If all the major powers agreed and enforced a rule that everyone should buy 10 tanks and then decommission them every Tuesday, well, that's the game. Despite the designer's intentions.
    Some of the better stances to take involve a middle-of-the-road approach. Let's take two alternatives to the dictatorial bloc the author provided. One in reality and one hypothetical.
    Both are international rules of consensus.
    The first involves the SNOW treaty. While it is, in essence, an economic treaty, it also serves as a bloc of power and protection. Since it spans several alliances, that constitutes international, if not global. When an alliance joins, they receive the right to not be attack by other signatories. If they are, the bloc, and particularly TOOL, can punish the perpetrators. This is right by consensus. If some one doesn't agree to that charter, they don't have to join.
    Let's take a hypothetical example. Let's call it the "Hammer of Ice". If all the major alliances and nations on the white sphere can come to an agreement to not attack one another and pass the responsibility of enforcing that agreement onto the alliance who holds the senatorial position then you will have a extraordinary large bloc of power and rights. If the agreement to rotate the senate position through a roster of alliances, (passing the Hammer of Ice) then it is not an elite few that enforce those rights but rather the whole white sphere. Rights by consensus, law, and enforceability. Now, if there was a person on the white sphere who did not agree to those rights and refused to move spheres, is that the tyranny of the majority over the minority? Of course, but that is also no different from the tyranny of the strong over the weak, the crux of the game warfare mechanic and life itself.
    So in conclusion, I think this case could have been much better argued by pointing out the undesirability of universal rights because they conflict with the nature of the game, rather than all the other hoo-ha this guy said.
  25. Kzoppistan
    As with almost every situation understanding the context is vital for making a judgment of another's actions.
    In my mind, what is right or wrong is clearly defined:
    First, deserters are scum.
    Now, to qualify that particularly harsh statement, here is the justification. Joining an alliance means entering into a pact, a contract if you will, where both parties agree to uphold the tenants of the charter. If one or the other party does not uphold their end of the bargain, the contract is broken. The offended party then has no obligation to continue upholding their part of the contract.
    As a nation leader is the sole decider for what is best for their own nation, they have the right to come and go without impinging upon their reputation if they follow the proper procedure as outlined by the charter. But, in several situations, like war, the nation leader agrees to abide by the decision of the military or alliance commander regardless of the damage done to one's own nation.
    Unless otherwise stipulated by the charter, surrendering is not desertion. Surrendering is a viable tactic for preserving your forces from ruin and for fighting another day. As long as one fights with the best of their ability for as long as possible, they have fulfilled their obligation of going to war. A person who surrenders and is still in debt to their alliance should return at the earliest moment possible. Those that are not indebted are free to go their own way. A person who surrenders without fighting to any discernable degree has failed their duty. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, a leader must fight until unable or commanded to stand down unless otherwise stated by the charter.
    As stated before, when an alliance fails to uphold their end of the bargain, the member has the right to leave without repercussions. If an alliances fails on their end due to incompetence and the member is harmed because of it, then the member is free to go their own way but not due any reparations. They just have to face the fact they made a poor decision to join that particular alliance and suck it up. If, however, the alliance breaks it's side of the bargain with willful malice intended to harm their member, that member is in their right to seek retribution how ever they are capable.
    Those are the legalities, now comes what is a bit more subjective to others but still clear in my mind for proper conduct. If a person has received more than they contributed to an alliance, they are indebted to that alliance; if not in writing, then in spirit. If a nation has given more than received, as long as they follow the proper procedure as outlined by the contract they agreed to, who could fault them for wanting to go their own way to protect their nation?
    Whether or not a nation is in their right to turn on their previous alliance depends on the manner of which they exited that contract. If a person quits under reasonable terms and then turns against their previous alliance simply because they disagree with them on moral grounds, then they deserve no support, and attacking without justification is frowned upon. If a person is purposefully harmed by their alliance, the public should support them in seeking reparations, either by diplomacy or might. Whether they have the ability to enforce that right or defend themselves against their own wrong doing is a different matter altogether.
    Deserters are those that break their contract, especially when doing so just to save their own skin. If a person is against the direction or actions of their alliance, they are still obligated to fulfill their part of the bargain until such time that they can exit gracefully or until the alliance fails to uphold their end of the contract.
    Since this is a contentious part of the discussions lately, I'll add this bit, too.
    How can an alliance simultaneously claim to protect their nations and yet order them into a war? Especially with the foreknowledge that war will not be won?
    Simple: sometimes one must sacrifice a little now in return for something greater later. By demonstrating the ability to fight in the cause of a treaty, an alliance exchanges their infrastructure, money, lives, technology, and time, for things even more valuable: respect, honor, and a good reputation. As reputation is the currency of international affairs, the investment is often worth it. By risking their blood now, they ensure greater protection for themselves in the larger sphere of multiple alliances.
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