There is an interview with Jürgen Habermas

Jürgen Habermas
(Ink & Watercolour on Paper, 2007)
© Terje Nicolaisen.

. . . here at The Financial Times. Unfortunately, the relative number of column inches devoted to the introductory profile of Habermas and the too-short interview that follows is way out of balance. Nonetheless, Habermas is smart and influential. The piece is worth reading.

Drill Baby, Drill? (2)

This is a follow up on my post from a couple days back. Point #1: I lifted the map above from The New York Times it nicely illustrates the calamity being created by a single well. Point #2: when you are told that expanding off-shore drilling will create 'real jobs right here in America' you should reply: 'Yeah, What Kind of Jobs you Talkn' About?' ... You can find a gesture toward an answer here. The analogy to miners in Appalachia is telling - no options, incredibly dangerous work, and parents who really, really don't want their kids to follow in their footsteps.
__________
P.S.: And before you think 'there goes Jim, that wacky pinko, being alarmist about the environment again,' consider the damage that this 100 mile long slick will do to the economy of the area, which relies on tourism and fishing.

Matanuska Glacier 2009

Last summer Maree and I took a camping trip to the Matanuska Glacier. I hadn't been down on the glacier or a couple of years and i'd never gone camping there. It was a fun trip. We got a spectacular camping spot on a dirt bluff right in front of the glacier. It was nice to be there at sunset and not have to worry about the 100 mile drive back to town.

Following are pictures of the trip. Going back to the glacier is always interesting, as it's always remarkably different every time you go. There's been a lot of melting in the front edge, and now you have to walk much farther on metal planks across quicksand and icy mud to get to the toe of the exposed ice. The lake that's been there for years is much lower now and the impressive seracs above the lake are not so impressive anymore. I'm surprised how long they've endured.

This is the lake, much lower now. Last time Maree would have been underwater.

This "river" comes out of the lake and winds through this canyon.

 This channel blocked us from making any more progress to the west part of the glacier.

 I don't think i'd ever noticed this old boat before.

The next morning we were awakened by C-140's flying low overhead. On the way back to town we stopped near the old Buffalo Mine so i could show Maree where i'd found a bunch of fossils of ferns and leaves and a few summers back. It looked like a rockhound had found the site and had completely excavated the layer of exposed rock out from under the bank where it was located, leaving trees dangling above. It was too bad, especially since the guy probably just did it to sell to shops that sell those kind of things.

This is the view from our campsite at 4am.

Sunset. A good area to train a young Batman in melee combat.

Annals of Fair Use: “Shame on Al Gore” and Shame on the State of Texas

Cameron Todd Willingham, 1994.
From Texas Death Row © Ken Light.

Regular readers will know that I have pretty expansive understanding of "fair use" when it comes to photographs. I acknowledge that many cases are quite complicated. Some, however, are not. And when Al Gore and his company not only used this image by Ken Light without permission, but then appealed a small claims court ruling in Light's favor, they were well out of line. Arguably, the judge that found for Gore on appeal is totally wrong. You can find a story on the case here in The New York Times.

Even more importantly (Light would surely agree) is this story from The New Yorker, the source from which Al and company lifted Light's picture of Willingham; it argues that Willingham, who was executed in 2004 very likely was innocent of the crimes he was accused of committing.

"PowerPoint Makes Us Stupid"

Agreed. According to this story in The New York Times this PowerPoint slide has evidently been making its way around the Internet. It - no joke - purportedly depicts U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan. It was part of an official presentation to General McChrystal last summer in Kabul. The military is evidently learning what Ed Tufte has been preaching for several years. Once he has finished with his current posting to Washington - as adviser to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board - perhaps Tufte can be transferred to Afghanistan?

And, of course, it goes without saying that the stupidity of our being involved in our current wars in the first place is not a product of PowerPoint.

Best Shots (111) ~ Sophie Ristelhueber

(138) Sophie Ristelhueber ~ Because of Dust Breeding (Detail)
(28 April 2010).

Drill Baby, Drill?

Fire boats try to put out the Deepwater Horizon before it sank.
Photograph © KPA/Zuma/Rex Features.

Does anyone remember the Republicans chanting "Drill Baby, Drill" during the 2008 presidential election campaign? We dodged the McCain/Palin bullet and got a fistful of "hope" instead. Does anyone recall that Obama insists on expanded offshore drilling as a key component of what passes for his energy policy? "Change" anyone? This rig has collapsed into the sea. A dozen or so workers died, many others were injured. The industry is dirty and dangerous and does nothing what-so-ever to wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels. At the moment the well head is pushing in excess of 40,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day. I'd say that Obama's policy is a joke, but that would make light of what is an ongoing calamity.

Sublime - The Question of Free Will: Divine Gift?

Christopher Hitchens:

"Of course we have free will because we have no choice but to have it"

Gangsta's Paradise

(Photo from Taipei Times Tues April 27th - Caption reads: "Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, right, Chiayi County Commissioner Chang Hwa-kuan, center, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yu Tien and other guests attend the funeral of gang boss Lee Chao-hsiung in Taichung City yesterday.")

Taichung: isn't it about time someone made a feature film thriller about stuff like this?.

Freudian slip?

My mind ordered a different word but this is what my fingers typed:

"Bodin’s writings were reinforced in the Age of ‘Englishtenment’ by writers such as..."

Some deep sub-conscious nationalism at work? ;)

Eyjafjallajokull

This is not usually the kind of image I mention here. But this appeared in a British tabloid over this caption: "Spectacular: The Northern Lights are seen above the ash plume of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano last night." I'd have to agree. There are a handful of similar shots here.

ABC Greenroom On The Brit Elections

I thought the greenroom web segment from This Week was quite good Sunday. The panelists discuss the British elections:

BBC Interview ~ Sebastião Salgado

There is an interesting, longish audio interview with Salgado here at the BBC.

Cartoonist Advocates For A Depiction Of Muhammad

CLICK TO ENLARGE POSTER
Cartoonist Molly Norris is calling for all cartoonists to draw depictions of Muhammad on May 20 in response to threats *and the eventual censorship) made against the creators of South Park:

[a cartoonist] is asking artists all over the world to create depictions of Mohammed on May 20, then submit the images to a Facebook page she set up.

Speaking on a Seattle radio show on Friday, cartoonist Molly Norris said she announced her idea as a way of countering the fear exhibited by Comedy Central in censoring episode 201 of South Park.

The incredible light graffiti Photography by Lapp Pro

Light Graffiti is getting more and more popular now a days, since lot of street artist and playing with this technique and the result is seriously stunning. The fantastic spectacles of color  and really impressive as fireworks. Here is the work of  LAPP-Pro , also know as light drawing or light painting, these images are created by long exposure cameras in the dark ( like Canon 5D mark II )
A host of light sources, from flash lights and bike lights to blinking LED lights, are used to ‘paint’ a picture straight onto the camera lens.

Photography Not Terrorism: Thank the Lord for Libertarians

The NY Civil Liberties Union is pressing a legal challenge to U.S. Government regulations that led to the arrest of photographer Antonio Musumeci outside Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Manhattan. You can find reports here and here. You can find street level images of the Courthouse and its surroundings by simply using Google maps; this is a point I've made here before. Musumeci is a libertarian (as is the fellow he was photographing on the day they were arrested) accounting, no doubt, for his willingness to seek legal redress.

The Difference Between the KMT and the DPP

DPP Chairperson Tsai Ying-wen came up with this pithy and neat encapsulation of the differences between the two main parties in the ECFA debate today:

“The biggest difference between the DPP and the Kuomintang (KMT) is that the DPP wants to go with the world toward China, while the KMT goes with China toward the world”

Educational 'Reform' Haunts Rochester

On occasion I have posted here on educational reform in a general way. Well, reform is on the agenda in Rochester. The mayor and several other local politicos are pushing hard to institute a scheme (still fairly ill-defined) of "mayoral control" over the city school district. The district currently is governed by a superintendent and an elected school board. The new scheme - as I understand it - would dismantle the board and keep the super. It has some significant support and, a while back, the President's of three dozen local colleges and universities endorsed the Mayor's plan.* This is viewed as a get tough move, a dose of realism. In fact it is a mistake - dramatically anti-democratic and based (politely) on scant evidence that the new governance structure is relevant to addressing the pressing needs of students, parents, teachers and staff in the Rochester school district. In responses to critics of his plan the mayor typically adopts a burden shifting stance: the critics, he complains, don't offer a plan for addressing the ills of the school system. The premise of such complaints - and it is a false premise - is that mayoral control itself is a plan for addressing the failures of school system. That is where the mayor is wrong.

Here is an open letter, published yesterday in the Democrat & Chronicle opposing mayoral control. You will note that it includes several suggestions about how to proceed. I am among the impolitic 35.

Dear Rochester Community:

As many of you may already know, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy has proposed to eliminate the city school board and bring the school system under mayoral control for a five-year trial period. On Feb. 23, the presidents of 19 Rochester-area colleges and universities submitted a letter (to the Democrat and Chronicle) endorsing Duffy's proposal and joined a small group of high-profile supporters including Monroe County Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Morelle and state Assemblyman David Gantt. We certainly respect their right to free speech and we appreciate working at institutions with leaders who are willing to engage in pressing public issues. As faculty and staff from Rochester-area colleges and universities, however, we oppose mayoral control.

We can all agree that the Rochester school system is in a dismal state. We agree with the presidents fully when they conclude that, "The stakes are high." We agree with the underlying motivation of the area colleges' letter. The future of investment and growth in the region is linked to the fate of Rochester city schools. The presidents of area colleges should certainly care about these issues. However, they should use their considerable influence to seriously examine and address all of the factors that militate against a vibrant, sound and effective education for all city students. Mayoral control is not the answer. The reasons for our opposition to mayoral control are threefold.

First and most fundamentally, it will tear away an important layer of democracy. Routine school board meetings provide transparency and opportunities for parents and community members to register their views on important policy decisions. Mayoral control would eliminate a valuable mechanism for citizen participation. We should find ways to make the board more democratic, responsive and accountable. Such reforms might include term limits for school board members, more representation of parents and students on the board, and the creation of a rotating leadership structure. If Duffy is so confident that the residents of Rochester are on board with this proposed change, he should call for an advisory referendum and a legitimate poll involving a representative sample of city residents.

Second, mayoral control has too often served as a prelude to the privatization of public schools through voucher programs, increased proliferation of (for-profit) charter schools (which funnel public funds to the private sector) and the elimination or dilution of collective bargaining agreements, measures which do not necessarily improve classroom instruction and authentic academic growth. In one city after another, whenever mayoral control has been instituted, it has been met with resistance from students, parents and educators for the resulting loss of transparency and fairness and the erosion of basic labor rights of teachers and support staff.

Third, we are not convinced that mayoral control will yield the kind of radical improvements in school performance touted by its advocates. The implementation documents released by the mayor on March 15 and 29 include a number of guaranteed services and promised outcomes, including the following: the promise to staff schools from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day; the commitment to provide "the best after-school program in the country"; the guarantee of school bus service to all elementary students who request it; and the provision of "the best behavioral and psychological support for disruptive students..." We applaud the mayor for recognizing some of the core areas that must be addressed for city schools to be successful. Many of these initiatives are indeed long overdue and vital to the educational well-being of city students. However, the mayor has not indicated how these initiatives will be funded given the painful cuts in state and municipal education budgets.

The most recent results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) contradict this claim made in the area colleges' letter that there is "considerable evidence that mayoral control improves outcomes." Of the urban districts that have been tracked by NAEP since 2002, the highest performing districts, Austin and Charlotte, are not mayor-controlled, while the lowest performing districts, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., are under mayoral control. (In fact, Chicago and Cleveland have been mayor-controlled for almost a decade). Atlanta, the district that saw the most improvement since 2002, is not mayor-controlled.

Even though it mentions the problem of concentrated poverty in passing, the area colleges' letter stops short of providing a progressive solution to the enduring matter of segregation in the region's public school systems. How can we continue to profess equality of opportunity in a nation where geography and class largely determine the quality of education children will receive? The area college presidents might have embraced other remedies, such as more equitable funding schemes, better health services and jobs, regional consolidation of school districts or resource sharing between urban-suburban districts. Such progressive remedies have been touted in recent years by academics (many who work at the very institutions these presidents represent), parent associations, public school reformers and advocacy organizations like the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and the Alliance for Quality Education here in New York.

Those of us who want to improve the quality of public education and maintain democracy have a serious fight on our hands. The future of young Rochesterians and our right to self-governance are well worth fighting for. Thank you for your time and consideration of these issues.

— 35 Concerned staff and faculty of Rochester-area colleges and universities

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* The plan has significant, articulate opponents too.

Sachs Funny

Dick Shelby On MTP Tomorrow

Senator Shelby will be one of the guests on Meet The Press tomorrow opposite Chris Dodd (D-CT). I assume they will talk about the financial regulations that are making their way through Congress right now. Should be interesting.

Tim James Speaks English, Common Sense Not So Much

Tim James is obviously swinging for the fences with his new ad that is long on rhetoric, but short on "common sense". More later, here is the ad:

James knows that he is losing a race for Governor in which he has outspent his opponents by a long shot. With that information in hand he has released an ad that is an obvious attempt to incite some of the more prejudicial elements in this state. Illegal or not, immigrants to this state need a driver's license test that they can read. We aren't going to keep people from driving, they have to work and will drive, but we might actually have more people insured and will at least be able to seek recourse if there is an accident. That's just "common sense" Tim.

LINK

Comedy Central Censors Muhammad Image In South Park

I am irate about the fact that Comedy Central has chosen bow to Muslim extremists and censor episodes of South Park that depict Muhammad. Are we so willing to sacrifice our freedom? So it is ok to lampoon Jesus or other religious leaders simply because the chance of threats is less? Ridiculous. Hooray to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to hell with Comedy Central:

A spokesman for Comedy Central who asked not to be identified confirms that when South Park's producers delivered the latest episode featuring Muhammad to the broadcaster a few hours before air on Wednesday, the only elements that had been bleeped out by the cartoon creators themselves were profanities. The spokesman says that the broadcaster then took the decision to black out any image depicting Muhammad and any verbal reference to him, as well as the closing comments of other characters. "Comedy Central would not let them show the image of Muhammad," the rep acknowledges.

What is the Dalai Lama's Favorite Sport?

(The Dalai Lama seen sitting in the stands of Gillette Stadium, which is where the New England Patriots American football team plays home games. Taken before a public talk about Buddhism. He is wearing a hat with the team logo on it. PHOTO CREDIT: Reuters).

The Dalai Lama isn't much of a sports fan but CLICK HERE to find out what his favorite sport might be. I liked how he said he played this one particular sport despite not knowing the rules!! Awesome!! Who needs the competition in sports?!! What a great lesson he gave us with his self-deprecating style and humor that you can have just as much fun playing a sport in a non-competitive way.

He saying just do it to enjoy it!! Don't be so serious about getting it "perfect" and not making any mistakes. Now, if only we could teach that to the ego-driven professional athletes, and parents at their kids' sporting events who take the game more seriously than the kids!! Sometimes leading to fights amongst parents of players from the opposing team!! I'm not saying all competition is negative but it can easily lead to a lot of unnecessary suffering.

But I digress. The Dalai Lama is such a joy to behold and I adore his childlike innocence and his infecteous laughter and giggling. He is so disarming and I can't help but be uplifted by his essence. He is deeply inspiring, and listening to him and his common sense Buddhism always reinvigorates my dedication to my Dharma practice. He is a true treasure to the world.

~Peace to all beings~

Obama as Opportunist

I want to call your attention to this post ~ "People Thought Obama Would Be Progressive Because He's Black. Big Mistake. But He Could Still Be The Most Transformative President Since FDR" ~ that appeared at 3 Quarks Daily a while back. The author, Evert Cilliers, is spot on about Obama and his prospects (which is a comment on the pathetic state of our politics); he is literate and very funny to boot.

Photography: Celebration of Eid al-Adha Around the World

1. Muslim pilgrims pray near the cave on Mount Hiran Nuur on the outskirts of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 

on Tuesday 24 November 2009. By tradition, the Islamic prophet Mohammed received his first 

message to preach Islam during the prayer in the cave. (AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

2. Muslims pray on the mountain top Nuur in the holy city of Mecca before the annual hajj 

pilgrimage November 23, 2009. (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP / Getty Images)

3. Type translucent Sacred Mosque to the mountains Nuur, where there is a cave Hiran in Mecca, 

Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday 24 November 2009. (AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

4. Muslims walk around the Ka’ba the Sacred Mosque in the holy city of Mecca after morning prayers 

before the start of the hajj pilgrimage November 24, 2009. (REUTERS / Caren Firouz)

5. Muslim pilgrims pray in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday 24 November 2009. 

(AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

6. Muslims praying at the mosque in Namir Arafat near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 

on Tuesday 24 November 2009. (AP Photo / Saudi Press Agency)

7. The Indian pilgrim is in the ward for patients with heart disease in the hospital Nour in Mecca, 

24 November 2009. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides free medical treatment of the pilgrims,

the sick during the pilgrimage. (REUTERS / Caren Firouz)

8. Muslim boy runs during the celebration of Kurban Bayram in a mosque in Klang, 

outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday 27 November 2009. (AP Photo / Lai Seng Sin)

9. Mother corrects her daughter before the prayer shawl on the occasion of Kurban-Bairam in the 

largest mosque in Jakarta – Istiklal – November 27, 2009. (REUTERS / Supri)

10. Kashmiri delicacies sold before the holiday of Kurban Bayram in Srinagar, India, 

on Thursday 26 November 2009. (AP Photo / Mukhtar Khan)

11. Sheep destined for sacrifice on the market livestock, created specifically for the 

Muslim Feast of Sacrifice in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday 25 November 2009 before the holiday 

 of Kurban Bairam. (AP Photo / Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

12. Emir of Kano, Nigeria, Ado Bayero (center), surrounded by a traditional guard, going to the horse 

after the prayer on the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha in Kano, Nigeria, November 27, 2009. 

(REUTERS / Goran Tomasevic)

13. A man riding a motorcycle with his children after prayers on the first day of the Muslim holiday 

 Eid al-Adha in Kano, Nigeria, November 27, 2009. (REUTERS / Akintunde Akinleye)

14. Silhouette of man and his camel, which he brought to the livestock market to sell, 

in Lahore, Pakistan, Nov. 24, 2009 before the celebration of Kurban Bairam. (REUTERS / Mohsin Raza)

15. A herd of sheep, colored for recognition, put up for sale on the wholesale market of livestock to

the celebration of Kurban Bayram in Amritsar, India, on Wednesday 25 November. 

(AP Photo / Altaf Qadri)

16. Muslim pilgrims on the road running to hide from the rain in the holy city of Mecca 

on Nov. 25, 2009. Around 2.5 million Muslims come to Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage. 

Workers struggled to finish construction in time additional protection to avoid the crush.

(MAHMUD HAMS / AFP / Getty Images)

17. A Muslim looks at the crane lifting the dome of the metal roof of the Great Mosque in 

Strasbourg, France, November 27, 2009. (FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP / Getty Images)

18. Indonesian women praying in the first day of Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha in Jakarta 

on November 27, 2009. (ADEK BERRY / AFP / Getty Images)

19. Muslim pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat on the south-eastern city of Mecca on Nov. 26, 2009.

(MAHMUD HAMS / AFP / Getty Images)

20. Palestinian pilgrim while waiting for passage from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border into 

Egypt for the coming feast of Eid al-Adha in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

(AP Photo / Eyad Baba)

21. Muslim pilgrims pray at the Mount of Mercy on the plains of Arafat in the holy city of Mecca

on Nov. 26, 2009. (REUTERS / Caren Firouz)

22. Muslims pray during the celebration of Kurban Bayram in Uchzhune, Ningxia Hui 

Autonomous Region, China, November 27, 2009. (REUTERS / Stringer)

23. Muslims pray during the Kurban-Bairam in the street in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 27, 2009. 

(REUTERS / Fahad Shadeed)

24. Muslims pray during the Feast of the Sacrifice, Kurban Bairam in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 

27 November 2009. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP / Getty Images)

25. Ivorian Muslims pray in front of the mosque Fitya in the popular district of Abobo, Cote d’Ivoire, 

27 November 2009. (SIA KAMBOU / AFP / Getty Images)

26. The girl looks like the Muslims are preparing the meat after slaughter a sheep during the 

Feast of Sacrifice, Kurban Bairam in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, November 27, 2009. 

(REUTERS / Bazuki Muhammad)

27. Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in the holy city of Medina on Nov. 12, 2009.

The Islamic prophet Muhammad is buried in the great mosque of Medina, which is the second holiest site 

after Mecca. (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP / Getty Images)

28. SWAT Saudi Arabia demonstrates the skills and equipment during the ceremony of preparing to 

take the flow of pilgrims during the hajj in Arafat, 15 km from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, 

November 22, 2009. (AP Photo / Issa Mohammad)

29. The helicopter flies over a mosque Namir on Mount Arafat, to the south-east of the holy Mecca 

gorodva November 26, 2009. (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP / Getty Images)

30. Muslim pilgrims go to throw pebbles at stone pillars representing the devil during the hajj pilgrimage

in Mina near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 27 November 2009. The last stage of the hajj pilgrimage – the 

symbolic stoning of the devil – began on Friday. (AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

31. Muslim pilgrims throw stones at a stone pillar, symbolizing the devil during the hajj pilgrimage in 

Mecca on Friday 27 November 2009. (AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

32. Passengers traveling on the roof of the train, bound for Dzhamalpur from Dhaka, Bangladesh,

27 November 2009. Millions of residents of Dhaka going home from the capital to celebrate Eid al-Adha

on Saturday. (REUTERS / Andrew Biraj)

33. Customers are reflected in the eyes of a buffalo in the market of livestock before the holiday of 

Kurban Bayram in the deck, Bangladesh, Tuesday 24 November 2009. (AP Photo / Pavel Rahman)

34. Cow, who was murdered for the celebration of the first day of Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, 

lying on the ground in the village Rybnovo, Bulgaria, 210 km south of Sofia. 

(NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP / Getty Images)

35. Silhouette of man against the backdrop of a mosque on the first day of the Muslim holiday of 

Kurban Bairam in Obilik near the Kosovo capital Pristina on Nov. 27, 2009. (REUTERS / Hazir Reka)

36. The Syrians are looking at the mountains of sweets on display in front of the celebration of 

Kurban Bairam in the market of Al-Midan in the center of Damascus, Syria,

on Tuesday 24 November 2009. (AP Photo / Bassem Tellawi)

37. Muslim pilgrims touch the column Jabal al-Rahma at Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat near 

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday 26 November 2009. (AP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

38. The sun rises over a mosque in Cairo on the first day of Eid al-Adha 27 November 2009. 

(REUTERS / Tarek Mostafa)