Reticulating Splines
OK, I’m getting real close to making some changes in Doug’s Darkworld. Basically this is going to turn into a more or less pure blog where all I write about is current events, politics, and whatever random weirdness inspires me as I chronicle our civilization’s slide into war, denial, insanity, and chaos as the plague of infantile thinking corrodes our social structures at their very core. Yes, lots of fun to be had there.
At the same time, a lot of the menu bar above is going to disappear as I launch a companion site where I will post my single topic articles on science, war, and history. And, tadaa, some of it is starting to take shape. My first post over there is ready for visitors: Earth’s Place in the Universe: Where the heck are we anyhow? Enjoy, comments can be left either there or here.
On the local front, not much happening. Oakland has made it to number three when it comes to crime ridden American cities. It’s a shame, but not surprising. The last few mayors have been pretty corrupt or ineffective, and the recession hasn’t helped. The only thing I would add for the out-of-towners to understand, is that most of Oakland is just a typical American city, the crime is taking place primarily in west and south Oakland. As long as one avoids those areas, Oakland is just another city. And if you do go to West Oakland or the bad parts of the Fruitvale district, go during the day, wear a white T-shirt, and don’t piss anyone off.
Nothing much else new. Health care reform is still a joke, by the time it passes, assuming it even passes, it’s going to be so filled with special caveats for industry and the like that it will be little more than symbolic. In fact there’s every chance it will actually make the situation worse, since there’s one thing our modern leaders in politics and industry seem to have in common: unlimited greed to matter what the cost to the country.
Israel is threatening to bomb Iran again, Iran is making a big deal out of wargames to practice defending against an Israeli attack. Both governments are equally cynical, Israel is always playing up “threats” to Israel to bolster its militaristic government and occupation policies, while Iran wants to dispel social unease at home by rallying folks around the flag. Both sides benefit from this, so I don’t think there’s much chance of real war breaking it, this is political theatre. Hope not at least, the world doesn’t need another war.
Sooner or later the world always gets a war though. This, this is why the aliens haven’t contacted us yet. Well, and the fact that they don’t exist. Details.
(The above image is public domain under US copyright law, courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. It’s captioned: With her brother on her back a war weary Korean girl tiredly trudges by a stalled M-26 tank, at Haengju, Korea. (June 9, 1951) I just chose it because I thought it was an interesting picture, and to remind people that America’s overseas adventures have a human cost, something that seems to be overlooked frequently in our “debates” about foreign policy.)
Doug's Darkworld 
I think breaking off into two sites makes sense, and I like the first post you made over there.
The only thing I’ve got to complain about is that your “other” site doesn’t appear to have an RSS feed, would love to add one for it if you know how?
Anyway, I have been enjoying reading. Keep up the great work!
Chris
November 23, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I’m wondering if this young lady was the originator of the phrase “He’s not heavy, he’s my brother.”?
Dorothy Kahn
November 24, 2009 at 12:31 am
Wow, I really like your new site!
Peace
Pyrodin123321
November 24, 2009 at 7:41 am
great first article on the new site, kind of puts things in perspective.
Josh V.
November 25, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Doug,
I think you should keep the icons and bar to the right because that is what made this site worth revisiting. Continue with you 2nd site but don’t alter this one. The design is very good. If you want to reduce content to streamline the focus of this site sounds good.
I have to disagree with your approach to the stance of Iran against the international thug nations bullying it. You have a cynical approach which is kinda ironic. Rather than reduce the matter to posturing and point scoring on oall sides I see a pattern of propaganda that has been systematically building over the years in the thug media and misinformation lobby groups that genuinely wish to damage more lives. We know the perpetrators of such aggression are capable of massacre and torture as they have shown in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t agree that Iran is rallying its people to point score. They feel genuinely threatened and they are preparing to defend themselves. My question now is: Where is our international counter culture. Our predecessors took a stand against the Vietnam and Korean Wars with much more grit and seriousness. They rejected the propaganda thugs as unconvincing, impotent and weak. They were defiant against the kind of cynicism that only further corners the little guy and gives the thug a propaganda win.
Joe
November 27, 2009 at 8:42 am
I really love the new site! Chilling how incomprehensibly puny we are. Just as your mind kind of begins to slightly grasp how unimportant we are… it’s like some kind of psychic defense mechanism clicks on and the whole emotional thought process becomes muddy and confused.
Brings to mind the Total Perspective Vortex on Frogstar B.
Brother...
November 27, 2009 at 12:47 pm
This, this is why the aliens haven’t contacted us yet. Well, and the fact that they don’t exist. Details.
Again, I will point out this isn’t accurate. I agree with you that aliens are NOT visiting earth in flying saucers, but to say “they don’t exist” is to VERY much overstate the case. We don’t know, one way or the other, and we don’t have enough info to even REALLY assess the likelihood that they exist in a scientific way.
BUT, and this is the key … given that earth supports life, and is one planet orbiting a relatively non-special star in a non-special galaxy, what are the odds that in all the trillions and trillions of stars out there, our sun is the ONLY one to have developed a planet with life around it? Strikes me, that would make us amazingly, unbelievably unique in the universe, and that sort o claim MUST have some backing to it.
Sagan said it best IMO. “If we are alone in the universe, what a tremendous waste of space.” Aliens aren’t visiting us in flying saucers, but I really don’t think it’s appropriate to say NO aliens exist. Given what we know today, if we ARE the only life in the universe, then we occupy a special position that needs to be explained. Until someone shows why earth is the only planet among TRILLIONS of stars to develop life, the logical assumption SHOULD be that life occurs anywhere that conditions allow it.
Lyle Bateman
November 28, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Wow, some interesting comments. Thanks, feedback is always appreciated.
First, RSS. Most of the stuff on the adjunct site will be published here first. And there will be an RSS capable announcement page on the google site.
The only thing that will happen to this site is that much of the menu bar above will disappear.
Lastly, the comment aliens is so intriguing that my next post I will answer it. I think a case can be made that the chances of a UFO full of aliens landing on the White House lawn is about the same as Santa Claus in the flesh landing on same. This will be fun.
Thanks Again,
Doug
Lastly,
unitedcats
November 28, 2009 at 2:33 pm
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Doug sticks to his guns: aliens don’t exist! « Doug’s Darkworld
November 28, 2009 at 9:25 pm