ProleBlogThreat

An Ethics Test

Ethics Test

This test only has the one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision.

Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous.

You are in Florida, Miami to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions.

You are a photojournalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos.

There are houses and people swirling around you...some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive fury.

Suddenly you see a man floundering in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer...somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's George W. Bush! At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under...forever.

You have the two options:

You can save the life of W.

or

you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most powerful men.

So here's the question, and please give an honest answer:

Would you select high contrast color film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

---
My good friend Bil sent this to me this morning. My only hope is that by posting it here, I won't run afoul of the Patriot Act. If you stop seeing posts every few days, someone please call Amnesty International.

Rumsfeld and the 'N' word.

During Congressional hearings, Rumsfeld uttered the following statement in response to lagging public support for war in Iraq (as quoted in the Washington Post):

"I have a feeling they're getting pushed" -- an apparent reference to unfavorable news coverage and political commentary. Rumsfeld expressed confidence that support would rebound.

I agree with the Post's assessment of his meaning. What a putz. Shouldn't we all remind him and this administration that the job of the media is not to market policy and legislation to the American public (that's my job). It's not a journalist's responsibility to sell the public on the war, but report the facts. Jeesh.

And what about "Checks and Balances"? Isn't it Congress's role to ask the tough questions and demand answers on behalf of the American people? How much denial do you need to be in to think that hundreds of deaths a week is something the press and this Congress should ignore and accept? Goddess knows that the press rolled over for years for this administration. This administration also has paid journalists to "report" on pending legislation.

Since I'm not in office I can say this: The Nazis had the Reichstag and Signal. The Bush administration wants the same out of Congress and the American Press. And they're whining that they are not getting it.

There. I said it. I brought up the 'N' word. And I don't have to apologize.

What's the French word for "Doughnut"? Or "Whiskey"?

In a general WTF, I just read that Pernod Ricard is acquiring Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin' Mutha Effin Donuts!!! OK...they bought Seagrams and I didn't care. What's that matter. They bought Jacob's Creek and I sighed (there goes my favorite $10 bottle of wine). They bought Bushmills. OK, still no big deal.  They only claim to be "Irish". Then they bought Jameson's. That's a big deal. Now all 32 counties can reprazent and be unified under a French corporate flag.

But Dunkin' Donuts!? What next? We learn that Pernod Ricard is buying Apple Pie? Not that I like DD, seeing as how they are more exploitative of employees than Wal-Mart. But, still, how is it going to help those American workers if bottom-line management and corporate marching orders are coming from France? I find myself wondering daily if I am becoming increasingly nationalistic and protectionist. Everywhere I turn, I see new dangers in globalization...

b's garden is blooming

b's Day Lily just bloomed. It was pretty cool waking up in the morning and seeing something new and (somewhat) anticipated out the window. I was reminded of all the times (as a kid) running to the mailbox waiting for that special package that was due to arrive in (the ubiquitous) 4-6 weeks and finally when all hope lost, when my little immature brain has moved on to other expectations, the package arrives.

New Photo Added to Random Photos

Just returned from a quick roadtrip to Cleveland via PA and WV. There was only one experience of visual interest - the photo above. This off ramp turn sign seemed to me to be a lonely little bit of emphasis on this monstrous cement wall. Since I sat at that spot for nearly an hour, I had a chance to consider it's function at length... you can see other random travel photos by looking at albums to the right.

American-Style Democracy in Iran - "I Love this Game!"

So in this morning's NYT is the following quote:

"It seems there is an organized movement to hurt the glorious process of the elections."

Without identifying who was behind that movement, Mr. Khatami said in the letter that he was referring to the "disruption of gatherings, beatings, illegal pamphlets and spreading lies to ruin candidates' reputations regardless of political inclination."

{insert snarky tone} Glad to see that American-style Democracy is spreading in the Middle East. {/snarky tone} I love democracy and the very fact that I can use the word democracy in this blog is the main reason (see Microsoft's latest senseless, profit-driven move.)

However, the above quote highlights how we in America are not far from that. Sure the Poll Tax is gone and lynchings are now "illegal", but political campaigns are still about the lowest common denominator - lies, distortions, intimidation and deceit.

Ironically, I write this as I take a breather before playing my little role in this for 2006. Here's hoping that we'll see an elevation of discourse to be about higher ideas and not baser fears. In the meantime, I had better start eating some raw red meat...

Recycleplace.com - Send this link around

I came across this group that is collecting ink cartridges and cell phones for recycling. They pay up to $1 for all that you donate. Pretty cool, huh? Visit their site here.  I plan on getting this over to building managers on my block to see if they will start this program in my neighborhood. I'm not too concerned about collecting the money. I'm much more concerned about making sure that people are resusing what they can...if we have to incentivize it, then so be it.

I wish recycleplace.com the best of success and will try and make contact with them to see how I can help. I encourage all to do the same. Maybe if they grow in popularity, they will expand to PDAs, monitors and iPods...

ciao.

A quiz of no meaning

So, I went to visit culturekitchen and came across a quiz she took to determine your worldview. (www.quizfarm.com)

So, I took it too. Well, I gotta say, they got it all wrong. Here are my results:

You scored as Materialist. Materialism stresses the essence of fundamental particles. Everything that exists is purely physical matter and there is no special force that holds life together. You believe that anything can be explained by breaking it up into its pieces. i.e. the big picture can be understood by its smaller elements.

Existentialist		88%
Materialist		88%
Cultural Creative		81%
Idealist		75%
Postmodernist		69%
Romanticist		63%
Modernist		50%
Fundamentalist		31%

 

What is Your World View? (updated)

created with QuizFarm.com

 

This is totally wrong. I mean totally. I am a hardcore modernist. The questions (like all polls) forced me to choose from a preset of answers. So, when asked if I "Strongly Agree" that "All that exists is matter and energy." The answer is yes. And no. They do ask another question about life transcending fundamental physical particles. Since I guess that addresses emergent properties, I strongly agree with that too. So, do those questions cancel each other out?  Is that why I scored higher in Romanticism? And what's up with Fundamentalism? I strogly agreed with several questions where the issue was "spirituality." But, no question asked me to define the spiritual...

I recommend taking this test. Only so when it comes to tell you that what you think about yourself is wrong, you can reaffirm what you think about yourself by looking at these questions and saying, "No, it's more complicated than that..."

Getting "Off the Grid" - a ten-year plan

b and I are on a ten-year plan to get off the grid (what's this mean - click here). Our (the Western Industrialized World's) dependance on oil and coal, and all the subsequent damge that creates, provides enough daily motivation to keep this longview goal in our short-term sights. We don't want to drop out of society, and I intend to continue to wear shoes and bathe. In other words, we want to live in our world, but not be dependant upon irresponsible and short-sighted energy and environmental policies to survive. Dropping out is easy, anyone with a pen knife and a pup tent can do that. But the Praxis in me wants to live in the middle of all this chaos clean, green and independent. 

So... I am going to start a forum on this site called, um, (i'm riffing here) "Getting Off the Grid".

The goal is to collect resources, links and share information and ideas on how to accomplish this. There are a variety of additional resources at wordsasweapons.com and otherpower.com, but these are static sites. I want to use this blog and its more dynamic ability to get info you can use out there. For example, there are several companies which now offer solar-powered web hosting - like EcoSky.

Eventually, I will take what the blog community provides and deliver a PDF guide for people to download and follow. So, without further ado... I will start the forum this weekend. Look forward to people visiting and commenting daily.

ciao

Greenpeace Virtual March - Stop Korean Whaling

The Korean government is looking to begin commerical whale hunting. According to Greenpeace, this could mean over 2000 whales killed in the upcoming year. The good folks at GP are starting up a very unique enterprise - the virtual march.

They are gathering protesters online and will project images onto the wall of the building where the Inetrnational Whaling Commission will have a meeting to decide upon Korea's request. You can learn more here. As of today, they have 10500+ participants. With only 15 days left, let's see if we can double that! Send links to all your reasonably-minded friends and family (because nobody reasonable supports commercial whaling). Monday morning, I will make the rounds at my office with signs and a camera. That's 15 new people right there.

If anybody is interested in printing up a bunch of signs and going with me to the mall this Sunday to photograph sweaty tourists holding signs in front of the US Capitol, email me here.

If not, fire up your printer, borrow your bud's digital camera and get busy.