Sober View of Syria

Usama Matar, an optometrist who has lived in Russia since 1983, said he did not harbor any illusions about Russia’s motives for defending Syrian Christians like himself, whom he called “small coins in a big game.” But he said there were few international players taking notice of Eastern Christians at all.

“The West is pursuing its own interests; they are indifferent to our fate,” he said. “I am not justifying the Assad regime — it is dictatorial, we know this, it is despotic, I understand. But these guys, they don’t even hide their intention to build an Islamic state and their methods of battle, where they just execute people on the streets. That’s the opposition, not just the authorities. And we are between two fires.”

--From the New York Times

I think that is by far the best explanation for Russia's position regarding Syria and it is comprehensible. Muslim regimes such as Iran and Saudi Arabia tend to be barbaric, backward, and bloodthirsty, and Syria certainly sounds like a candidate for another Islamofascist regime. In many places around the world, Islam is intolerant of other religions, of atheism, of women, of homosexuality, and of sexuality in general. Until some of these Muslims crawl out of the Middle Ages, they will not be ready for self-government. They merely would replace Assad with something worse, as in the case of Iran where the Shah was replaced by Khameini, who rules as absolute dictator and pursues the acquisition of nuclear weapons with a single-minded mania. It is better for Syria to remain in a permanent state of civil war than to emerge as another Islamofascist regime, committing assorted cruelties against women, gays, and minority religions such as Christians, Jews (if any live there), atheists and others. I am glad that so far our leaders have shown enough wisdom not to intervene. Syria is not our concern, but Syria's, and I am sure the opposition has no love for the United States. However, I do detest Assad and would like to see him get his just desserts for committing so many crimes against civilians. Perhaps there could be some way for the Syrian opposition to overthrow Assad without installing another Islamofascist regime.

Dos Equis / Heineken Does Not Honor Rebates

Anyone considering buying Dos Equis beer on the strength of their seemingly generous rebates ought to think again. They took my rebate and the UPC codes I painstakingly clipped out and mailed and threw it in the trash can, mailing me a little postcard that told me my rebate had been rejected due to "No UPC Code submitted," which was a lie. Now I will think of one thing whenever I see Dos Equis or Heineken beer, and that is their Lie, and the liars that lie about things in order to sell their product.

Ashenzari

Mummies suck at most things, so Ashenzari is the god to worship if your character is a mummy.

Incidentally, Mummies have been reformed since olden days, and now the Mummy race is very playable. I recommend trying out a Mummy Necromancer worshiping Ashenzari.

• 10-31-2012 Update:
  I have changed my mind. Nemelex Xobeh for Mummies. All the way. Until the NX altar is found, remain atheist. Because Mummies suck at everything besides Necromancy, they are in dire need of attack diversification, and Xobeh's decks provide just the remedy, not to mention Mummies are immune to many of the side effects of unlucky cards such as Famine and Poison.

The Ex

I met an ex today and felt relief that I dodged that bullet. In the past, I did not have high enough standards. There was a tendency to romanticize too much, an eagerness to experience the high of being in love. Such a high can never be a permanent condition. Once the novelty wore off, I would have made the same observations about the individual that I made today, seeing clearly without my rose-colored glasses. The word that bubbled up into my awareness was goblin.

Thirty-Three Years

Thirty-three years, the sentence of the Pakistani doctor who helped U.S. forces locate Bin Laden, speaks volumes about where Pakistan stands. All their words of friendship are exposed as lies. In reality they have been soaking the U.S. for the maximum amount of dollars while giving lukewarm, minimal support. Our leaders don't care because the rich boys that own the big defense corporations are getting richer. Who cares what happens to taxpayer money? The rich people don't pay the same tax rate we do, they pay much less percentage-wise.

Donations

Right-wingers that supported our foreign adventures should donate extra taxes to the government to pay for their wars, along with blood and body organs to support the wounded combat veterans that need those items.

The Argument Against Sanctions

The Hindu posted a strong editorial opposing sanctions against Iran. Although there may not be much evidence that Iran is producing nuclear weapons, common sense tells a different story. It is impossible to really know whether a closed, totalitarian dictatorship with nuclear capability is, or is not, in the business of producing nuclear weapons. Given Iran's behavior on the international and domestic scene, I think it is naive at best or actually stupid to claim that Iran is not interested in nuclear weapons. I think nuclear weapons are the #1 desire of everyone in the Iranian leadership. They want it more than life itself and will sacrifice anything to get a nuke. They are right now squandering Iran's economy and much of its treasure on the quest for nuclear weapons. All of Iran's problems basically revolve around the quest for nuclear weapons and a fear of the United States. So I don't buy The Hindu's argument. I would be delighted to watch Iran's leaders dangle at the end of a rope. It is what they richly deserve, based upon their capital crimes and treason against Iran itself. Perhaps Khameini's head would pop off of his body like Hussein's during the hanging due to obesity. But that is just a fantasy. In reality, the U.S. can't afford another foreign invasion. That is why we must use sanctions instead. If they work, fine. If they don't, then at least Iran is reduced economically to the level of North Korea and other pariah states, which is also a good outcome, because they will have less money to devote to terrorism, their #1 export.

Pole Arms

In Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, I have long been a pole arm skeptic. Recently, I found out about the AutoFight key [Tab], and now I'm a pole arm convert. It is an easy matter to extend the range of a pole arm using the Tab key. Before, I thought one had to press 'V' to activate the extension, and then select a target. [Tab] is much easier. My favorite pole arm is one of dragon slaying, because it offers both defensive and offensive capabilities.

I have tried Tengus (formerly Kenkus, before there was concern over TSR's copyright on the "Kenku" name) armed with pole arms, but Tengus are far, far too fragile. I have not had one survive past level 12 or so. One little mishap wipes out a Tengu. The odds are stacked against them.

 I think the advantageous profession for Tengu is Artificer. Gain good mastery of Armour first, along with a decent suit, and then progress into spellcasting later.

Too Much Corruption

The main problem in the U.S. is corruption. I think Gore Vidal was right about that. If there could be a divorce engineered between the politicians and the business criminals, then the country might turn around and start growing again. But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. People are angry because they perceive that all their tax money is being wasted on pointless things like faraway wars that nobody really understands. Either our leaders are stupid or corrupt, and I'm not placing any bets on stupid.

The Cynicism of Gore Vidal

Anyone who scans the media without cynicism either isn't paying attention or isn't bright.

I think that Gore Vidal was spot on when he said that public opinion is molded by the few largely for the benefit of the few--those that already have their fortunes made for them. This was not unique, I think, only to the modern U.S., but is a global and eternal condition, as true a thousand years ago as today.

It is often that critics of Vidal misinterpret him through oversimplification of his message. My father wrote criticisms of Vidal throughout Vidal's book, "Virgin Islands." But I do not agree with his criticisms of the critic Vidal's criticisms. In many cases my father misinterpreted the meaning of individual words. For instance, to say that a man is unprincipled is not necessarily a bad thing. Principled men can be quite cruel and malicious. Being principled does not equate to being good or just. The word "unprincipled" figures in Vidal's criticism of both FDR and Clinton. My father, loyal to FDR, was unable to concede the smallest thing in his idol. Perhaps he would have conceded Clinton, however.

In reality, Gore Vidal was one of the most patriotic Americans that ever lived. He loved his country more than can be imagined. He was a man of ideas, interested in Right and Wrong, and desiring that Good prevail. I do not think Gore Vidal spared the smallest effort to apply his utmost powers of concentration, research and due diligence to the task of criticism, which is the art of distinguishing good from bad, or the better way from the worse.

Seinfeld Still the Best Comedy

All four of the regular characters in Seinfeld were brilliant. I'm particularly a fan of Michael Richards, who I think was exceptional. He was extremely well-suited to his role. I think that it is most unfortunate that he was not placed in a well-written movie or television show after the end of Seinfeld. However, nine seasons, with over twenty episodes per season, is quite a run. I don't think in the whole of television and movies there has ever been anything as funny as Seinfeld.


I regard the seasons two through seven of Seinfeld as the best. After season seven, the writing turned zany in the quest for more and bigger laughs. The actors morphed into inhuman monsters, which inspired the writers to sentence them to prison in the final episode.

New Wrinkle in the Zimmerman Case

I read today that there is a new wrinkle in the Zimmerman Case: Zimmerman was badly beaten in the fight. I don't know why that important detail was not included, or was minimized, in media reports. It is also strange that the media displayed an old picture of Trayvon, and stressed the difference in weight between the two, in order to give the impression that Zimmerman was bigger than Trayvon. This seems like an embarrassment for the media. The media either failed to report these things or omitted them or minimized their significance. It definitely indicates a bias in the media or else a flair for the dramatic, something to press the 'anger' buttons in people. Usually the media seems fair. I think so many details about the case fit a certain narrative that Northern reporters are quick to accept about a supposed racial incident in a small, Southern town. In a way, the case was a perfect storm. It would take cold blood indeed to write a story that didn't fit the narrative. There does seem to be a failure in the intelligence of reporters. They are not being objective enough. Perhaps there was a failure in communication.

Sympathy Misplaced, Perhaps

I can't help but feel sympathy for some of the big-shot, rich celebrities that get tangled up in some kind of scandal, legal dispute, or divorce proceeding due to their affair. Some of them are intelligent men, so the question arises, why do men stray? I suppose from the logical perspective, it would be best to remain 100% monogamous or (possibly better) asexual. Of course, humans are not entirely logical animals, and we are animals. I think in Humans 2.0, the next version of our species, when we roll it out of our laboratories, we will be more logical and consistent; some would say boring. But boring can be good. Boring becomes interesting as one's expectations adjust.

Political Advice from JP Morgan

I'd like to know who is going to listen to the CEO of JP Morgan after that fool's fools lost $2 billion dollars playing with investor's money like it was monopoly money. A monkey could make better investment decisions. Thanks but no thanks for your advice. Next!

Pain is Good

One thing some people don't realize is that Pain is Good. It warns and reminds us of internal injury. I saw in the grocery store that most brands of topical antibiotic, such as Neosporin, Bacitrin and generic brands, now contain pain reliever along with the antibiotics.Without pain, one is oblivious to potential problems lurking within a wound. Infections can spread as a result of avoiding an insignificant, manageable amount of pain. If a scratch or abrasion continues hurting without subsiding, then that is information I want to know, because it is abnormal, and indicates there is a continuing problem. Either the wound needs to be cleaned again or it may be that professional medical attention is required.

Cuba Surprises

Castro and Cuba have surprising, enlightened views on gays and even on gay marriage. Republicans could learn an important lesson about human rights--and health care--from the country that they like to demonize.

Tired of Chess Cube

Chess Cube has been going downhill for a long time. There have been no new features in at least a year, but what's worse is that the game history prior to March 2012 was deleted for all users. I had a lot of games stored in my paid VIP account that were lost as a result of their incompetence. So, that nixed any chance I would renew my VIP membership. How can I trust a game site that loses my games? I also experienced random disconnects on a sporadic basis on chess cube. I guess the straw that broke the camel's back was that a moderator in one of the chat rooms decided to use his power as a soapbox for all his backward notions on gays. I don't need to pay a membership fee to be insulted. I was reluctant to leave Chess Cube because I liked the design and homey, small-town feel of the site, but I really don't see that I have any reasonable choice in the matter at this point. Time to buy a membership at another chess site and forget about Chess Cube. I am purchasing a year's membership on chess.com today. Some businesses need to learn that insulting and offending gays is not good business. I am more than happy to vote with my dollars if it will help with the learning process.

Facebook

I read that one of the founders of Facebook renounced his U.S. citizenship to avoid paying any taxes. Just like I've been saying all along, plenty of U.S. executives and owners are traitors, wiling to abandon either the country or the workers at the first opportunity, while expecting plenty of protection from all branches of the U.S. government. Mitt Romney is a classic example of this type of owner. I suppose their ultimate goal is to transform the U.S. into a carbon copy of China, a kleptocracy where the elite steal everything they want and nobody is allowed to talk about it.

The Reality of Gay Marriage

The reality of gay marriage will be that it will not catch on like wildfire. Younger gays will not be in a rush to marry, no more than their straight counterparts, many of whom view marriage with wariness. Mainly the partakers of gay marriage will be older couples who have been together forever. Older couples have every reason to marry--legal and property rights, security and stability. I would like to see some of these opponents of gay marriage get stripped of their hospital visitation rights, home, bank account, and car, and health insurance, and see whether they like that. How about if I vote on whether they have they right to see their wife in the hospital? Maybe their marriage isn't good enough and they don't deserve hospital visitation rights. Maybe they don't deserve the house they lived in for fifty years. These are the type of questions that arise when one questions who is "fit" to marry and who is not. If old monogamous gay couples aren't "fit" to marry, then who is? I really like the question of gay marriage, and I hope it becomes the #1 issue in the Presidential election, because it casts the Republicans in the position of evil. Republicans hate marriage, they hate love, and they want to keep people down and make people unhappy. They want to be the ones saying, "No, you're not family, you can't come in" when a spouse of fifty years comes to visit his husband in the hospital. They want to be the ones stealing the house from him after his spouse dies. They are the thieves and the liars.

Gay Marriage and Personal Lives

I sure wish that some of these opponents of marriage would get the spotlight focused on their own personal lives and whether they are moral or not. I bet in half the cases, unpleasant things would be brought to light about their personal lives. These people who hate marriage for gays (or hate gays, same thing), they like to point the finger at others, but when they do, there are three fingers pointing back at them. The hate-mongers are busy putting evil laws on the books, having nothing better to do with their lives. What is needed is for the hate-mongers to be exposed for what they are. It is a lengthy process. One by one, the hate-mongers are exposed as hypocrites, liars, criminals, drug addicts, and worse. Time is what is needed, time to expose them all. These people hate gays, they hate marriage, they hate people, they hate everything that is good, and they hate God, in that order, and their actions are motivated by those hatreds.