I'm killing this blog off yet again. This time, though, it's because I'm starting a new blog someplace else. I now have a LiveJournal. I like it better, for reasons that may or may not be apparent. Go there instead, if there are any of you. Nobody ever reads this blog, so I sort of doubt it.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
If I were running for President...
My Platform:
Iraq
Preemptive warfare is a flawed and morally indefensible principle, even when there is good solid intelligence leading to its waging. The war in Iraq did not even have a sound basis in fact, and was thus a double mistake, one compounded by later incompetence. As President, I would issue an apology to the people of Iraq for presuming to intervene in their military affairs, and offer an immediate withdrawal. However, if the Iraqi government requested it, I would be open to leaving up to 120,000 troops in Iraq for up to one year. If sufficient stability is not achieved by that time, I would propose a referendum on the Iraqi government, including the possibility of dividing Iraq into multiple new countries to ease sectarian tensions. In all negotiations, my goal would be to have all American troops, excluding those guarding our embassy, out by the end of my term.
Iran
I would insist that Iran comply with the NNPT, but if they decide to withdraw from that treaty, they will have my acquiescence. Although it may not be in our best security interests (though I doubt this), it is their right to have a nuclear deterrent. We are not the policeman of the world, nor do other nations have to change their behavior for us because of some vague “national security concerns.”
The Economy
I would take steps to reverse the decline of the US dollar, requesting the Fed to raise interest rates. If Bernanke does not comply, I will remove him from office and appoint a solid money economist in his place. This will almost certainly plunge the country into recession, but it will hopefully preserve the Dollar's status as a good reserve of value, trusted by bankers all over the world. Troubled mortgage holders will be left up to their own devices, or the discretion of the states.
The Budget
I would veto any and all pork-barrel spending sent to my desk. I would drastically reduce Federal expenditures on nonessential programs, such as environmental and agricultural subsidies. These things are not the government's business. I would cut government bureaucracy and regulations. Money saved by this would go towards reducing the Federal deficit. I would halve the size of the IRS, introducing a flat tax of 20% on income and 5% on goods and services. Those earning less than $15,000 a year would be exempted from the income tax.
Illegal Immigration
It seems obvious to me that the whole reason there is a problem with illegal immigration is because it's hard to immigrate legally. I would remove all quotas and waiting lists on incoming immigrants, and allow anyone to apply for citizenship, whether within our borders or out. The only requirement for citizenship would be not having a criminal record and knowing enough English to fill out the forms. To prevent negative consequences on the Federal budget, all new citizens will be exempt from receiving benefits for five years after becoming a citizen. All illegals who have not applied within one year of citizenship becoming available or within one year of entering the country will be required to get visas or be deported. I would tighten border security and require all entering, whether they intend on staying or not, to register and submit to a background check.
Health Care
I would deregulate the market and abolish HMOs. Any government-sponsored health care that exists will be created by the states, on their own. Medicare will be phased out gradually over the next ten years. Social Security will be frozen, with no new people or payments entering the system. Each person already a part will be paid in full over the time they were allotted to, and their account closed out.
Global Warming
I will take aggressive action to not do anything about global warming, thus staving off the more imminent threat of global cooling.
Japan
I will request that Japan revise its Constitution to allow it to have its own army, thus allowing us to withdraw forever. We will still guarantee its security, just not with any real presence or bases, just the threat of our nuclear arsenal. Troops and money freed up from this will be used to police the Mexican border (see above.)
Energy
Biofuels are garbage, and all Federal subsidies to them will be eliminated. Sources of “clean” energy will be given tax credits, no more. The private market can deal with our energy needs on its own. I will encourage the construction of more nuclear power plants.
Moral Issues
I would support a Federal ban on abortion and nominate only conservative judges to the Supreme Court. While I oppose gay marriage, I believe that should be left to the states.
The UN
I would withdraw from the UN. We cannot continue to sponsor such a corrupt institution in good conscience.
Space
I would halve NASA's budget, eliminate the shuttle program, and instruct it to focus on probes, telescopes, and experimental work that actually has some value.
Genocide
I would do everything in my power to aid victims of genocide and bring about a peaceful conclusion. However, direct military intervention would be an unconscionable breach of national sovereignty.
...is there anything I'm forgetting?
Iraq
Preemptive warfare is a flawed and morally indefensible principle, even when there is good solid intelligence leading to its waging. The war in Iraq did not even have a sound basis in fact, and was thus a double mistake, one compounded by later incompetence. As President, I would issue an apology to the people of Iraq for presuming to intervene in their military affairs, and offer an immediate withdrawal. However, if the Iraqi government requested it, I would be open to leaving up to 120,000 troops in Iraq for up to one year. If sufficient stability is not achieved by that time, I would propose a referendum on the Iraqi government, including the possibility of dividing Iraq into multiple new countries to ease sectarian tensions. In all negotiations, my goal would be to have all American troops, excluding those guarding our embassy, out by the end of my term.
Iran
I would insist that Iran comply with the NNPT, but if they decide to withdraw from that treaty, they will have my acquiescence. Although it may not be in our best security interests (though I doubt this), it is their right to have a nuclear deterrent. We are not the policeman of the world, nor do other nations have to change their behavior for us because of some vague “national security concerns.”
The Economy
I would take steps to reverse the decline of the US dollar, requesting the Fed to raise interest rates. If Bernanke does not comply, I will remove him from office and appoint a solid money economist in his place. This will almost certainly plunge the country into recession, but it will hopefully preserve the Dollar's status as a good reserve of value, trusted by bankers all over the world. Troubled mortgage holders will be left up to their own devices, or the discretion of the states.
The Budget
I would veto any and all pork-barrel spending sent to my desk. I would drastically reduce Federal expenditures on nonessential programs, such as environmental and agricultural subsidies. These things are not the government's business. I would cut government bureaucracy and regulations. Money saved by this would go towards reducing the Federal deficit. I would halve the size of the IRS, introducing a flat tax of 20% on income and 5% on goods and services. Those earning less than $15,000 a year would be exempted from the income tax.
Illegal Immigration
It seems obvious to me that the whole reason there is a problem with illegal immigration is because it's hard to immigrate legally. I would remove all quotas and waiting lists on incoming immigrants, and allow anyone to apply for citizenship, whether within our borders or out. The only requirement for citizenship would be not having a criminal record and knowing enough English to fill out the forms. To prevent negative consequences on the Federal budget, all new citizens will be exempt from receiving benefits for five years after becoming a citizen. All illegals who have not applied within one year of citizenship becoming available or within one year of entering the country will be required to get visas or be deported. I would tighten border security and require all entering, whether they intend on staying or not, to register and submit to a background check.
Health Care
I would deregulate the market and abolish HMOs. Any government-sponsored health care that exists will be created by the states, on their own. Medicare will be phased out gradually over the next ten years. Social Security will be frozen, with no new people or payments entering the system. Each person already a part will be paid in full over the time they were allotted to, and their account closed out.
Global Warming
I will take aggressive action to not do anything about global warming, thus staving off the more imminent threat of global cooling.
Japan
I will request that Japan revise its Constitution to allow it to have its own army, thus allowing us to withdraw forever. We will still guarantee its security, just not with any real presence or bases, just the threat of our nuclear arsenal. Troops and money freed up from this will be used to police the Mexican border (see above.)
Energy
Biofuels are garbage, and all Federal subsidies to them will be eliminated. Sources of “clean” energy will be given tax credits, no more. The private market can deal with our energy needs on its own. I will encourage the construction of more nuclear power plants.
Moral Issues
I would support a Federal ban on abortion and nominate only conservative judges to the Supreme Court. While I oppose gay marriage, I believe that should be left to the states.
The UN
I would withdraw from the UN. We cannot continue to sponsor such a corrupt institution in good conscience.
Space
I would halve NASA's budget, eliminate the shuttle program, and instruct it to focus on probes, telescopes, and experimental work that actually has some value.
Genocide
I would do everything in my power to aid victims of genocide and bring about a peaceful conclusion. However, direct military intervention would be an unconscionable breach of national sovereignty.
...is there anything I'm forgetting?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Warning Signs: The Economy
(This is my from my dA journal for today, but it's very important and applies you too.)
Now normally I pretty much stick to talking about me here--what I'm doing, my art, what I think of politics--because, well, it's my journal. But today I want to talk a bit more about something I'm worried about that's not going to affect me, but rather you.
This morning the dollar fell to 1.51 against the Euro, 1.02 Canadian, and .94 Australian. Gold is almost to $1000, Silver to $20, and Oil is at $100 a barrel. Food prices are also skyrocketing. The Fed, meanwhile, wants to cut rates even further. The dollar is collapsing, and there is nothing to stop it.
I don't have to tell you that this is very bad news for all US citizens, so I'll skip to my point: if you have any savings at all, please get it out of dollars! Buy gold, silver, stockpile food, even buy foreign currency. I don't care what you do, get it out of the bank and into something safe!
The dollar crash is mostly only a problem for us Americans, but the real estate crash effects everybody. If you have a house, sell it! You've probably lost tons of money on it already, but if you wait, you'll lose even more. Get out of debt! Store some food!
You are all good friends of mine, so I hope you'll perhaps listen to me on this. A lot of people are going to be made desperate and miserable by all this, and I don't want it to be any of you. There's still time.
These are going to be hard times for everybody, but you can avoid the worst of it. The thought that any of you might have your lives ruined by this is very upsetting to me, and I hope that you will take a moment to think about it and do something. Please.
Now normally I pretty much stick to talking about me here--what I'm doing, my art, what I think of politics--because, well, it's my journal. But today I want to talk a bit more about something I'm worried about that's not going to affect me, but rather you.
This morning the dollar fell to 1.51 against the Euro, 1.02 Canadian, and .94 Australian. Gold is almost to $1000, Silver to $20, and Oil is at $100 a barrel. Food prices are also skyrocketing. The Fed, meanwhile, wants to cut rates even further. The dollar is collapsing, and there is nothing to stop it.
I don't have to tell you that this is very bad news for all US citizens, so I'll skip to my point: if you have any savings at all, please get it out of dollars! Buy gold, silver, stockpile food, even buy foreign currency. I don't care what you do, get it out of the bank and into something safe!
The dollar crash is mostly only a problem for us Americans, but the real estate crash effects everybody. If you have a house, sell it! You've probably lost tons of money on it already, but if you wait, you'll lose even more. Get out of debt! Store some food!
You are all good friends of mine, so I hope you'll perhaps listen to me on this. A lot of people are going to be made desperate and miserable by all this, and I don't want it to be any of you. There's still time.
These are going to be hard times for everybody, but you can avoid the worst of it. The thought that any of you might have your lives ruined by this is very upsetting to me, and I hope that you will take a moment to think about it and do something. Please.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Comparing Sketchbooks
Now, as I might have mentioned, I like to use sketchbooks a lot. Lately, I've been looking for the Ultimate Sketchbook. Haven't found it, but in case you were wondering what sketchbooks are closest, here are my thoughts on five of the nicer brands.A. Moleskine Sketch Book
The fancy name brand. Rather overpriced for what you get: a stylish book, but not really better than the others. The paper is a very smooth off-white card, which doesn't look like it'd be very good for pencils. However, I haven't actually drawn in mine yet, so I could be wrong. Looks great for nib pens, though, because it's so smooth. The cover is a very tough imitation moleskin that's okay. The spine looks sort of cheap, as do the ribbon and elastic band. (Though I alway cut out the ribbon anyway. Who needs a ribbon in a sketchbook, for heaven's sake?) On the other hand, the binding is great. It always lies perfectly flat. No binding is perfect, of course, and this one can break as well as any, but it's pretty good anyhow. Typically costs 15-17 dollars US. Black only (boo!) Two sizes available: 5.5x8.5 in. and 3.5x5.5 in.
B. Watson-Guptill Sketchbook
Your basic sketchbook. No frills, plain white paper with medium tooth (not real thick, but not thin, either), no ribbon, elastic, rounded corners, or any of that silly stuff. These books have been around for a while, so you can find them at all sorts of prices, and in all sorts of colors (I saw a hot pink one on Amazon the other day.) The binding is tough, though it doesn't always want to lie flat. Good general-use sketchbook. 5.75x8.75 in.
C. Hand*Book Journal
A nice off-white thick sketching paper that's good with pencil, though it doesn't work real good with ink. Doesn't wrinkle very badly with watercolor, either. I still don't really like the paper as much as I could, though...it just seems dry, if that makes any sense. Nice cloth cover, very nice elastic closure, not-so-nice pocket in back. The pocket in the Moleskines are spiffy, but this is just a plastic envelope glued to the back cover. The binding is okay, but I've already broken it in one place. The spine looks great. Overall, it's a quality-looking book, though perhaps its quality isn't as high as first appears. Mostly, it's just not my kind of sketchbook. Costs about the same as a Moleskine, but available in several nice colors. Same two sizes as the Moleskine.
D. A la Modeskin by Pentalic
The cheaper alternative to the others. Which kind of shows, though it's very good for the price. The cover is a sort of wierd spongy vinyl with a fine leather texturing. Unlike all the others, the cover is not hard, merely stiff (it bends without wrinkling, though, so that's okay.) The paper is ivory, smooth, and not real thick, with square edges like the Watson-Guptill. It's good-quality paper, though. The binding is sewn and tough, but too springy to really lay flat. Nice ribbon, elastic, and pocket. Available in three sizes: 6x9, 4x6, and 3x4. Lots of colors, though they are mostly sort of wierd-looking 70's colors. I hate retro. The red and black are okay. Cheap--always under $7 at Amazon.
E. Pen & Ink Sketch
This might be the best of the bunch. The paper is an inviting smooth ivory stock that's pretty thick. The cover is well-made, though I admit I don't really care for the faux leather thing. But it's soft and attractive, so that's okay. The binding is as good as you might expect, at least as good as the Hand*Book. They both lie flat good most of the time, but there are weak spots where signatures were glued together where it's easy to break the binding. The Moleskine has this problem too, of course, just not as bad. Decent ribbon and elastic, nice pocket (same as the Moleskine.) The whole thing just exudes an air of high quality, unlike the others, all of which have cheap-looking or -feeling bits. The problem is, it only comes in one size: 3.5x5.5 in. Small, in other words. Bummer there. Black only, costs about ten bucks.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Ron Paul Paster
Have you ever seen that one paster* of Barack Obama with him looking all visionary and with the word PROGRESS printed underneath? I thought it was pretty cool, so I tracked it down. Turns out it was created by Obey Giant Art (the imprint of a young guy who likes to create propaganda as art.) I printed it off and stuck it on my wall, but I'm not really an Obama guy, so... this!It's basically a reply to the Obama poster. Not only is it in a similar style and for the same thing, but its caption, LIBERTY, is a rebuttal of Obama's supposed "progress." I like Obama well enough (and won't rule out voting for him in the general election if RP isn't available), but I don't think that you can achieve "progress" by government intervention. All it does is whittle away at personal freedom and the health of the economy.
I've got a printable PDF you can download here. Then you can print it off, copy it...and put it all over the place. If you like.
*A paster is a cheap little poster for sticking all over the place.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Journal: Excelsior!
Since I'm now disappointed in politics (and thinking that maybe I should join the Libertarian Party or something), all the more reason to jump into art things with more energy. I've got commissions to do, and lots of interesting drawings I want to do for myself because they're interesting.
I also have a couple of paintings I want to do, but I'm all out of Bristol board. And since I WILL NOT buy any more of that cheap stuff, so determined am I to upgrade to decent illustration board, we'll just have to see if I can persuade myself to part with the necessary cash. Illustration board is nearly five bucks a sheet, see.
I recently dragged my violin out of storage and fiddled around with it a bit (pun not intended.) Yes, I do play violin--badly, at least. I only took lessons for a year before my teacher moved away and I quit. It's too bad, sort of, because I was picking it up amazingly fast (considering that I never practiced, that is.) I am a natural on the instrument, but I'm also lazy. Anyway, it was not looking real good after being unplayed for about two years. One of the strings had actually come loose altogether. I tightened everything up and got it into some sort of tune (tuning instruments has never been my forte--I'm okay with the violin, but I can't tune a guitar to save my life), and then promptly broke the D string. Then I broke the only spare I had (which was probably an A string anyway.) Bah. Those suckers cost at least $12. But I guess I should probably replace all of them, since they've been sitting for so long (the G is even sort of blackened--must be silver wound.) I don't even know why I want to get it in working order again, besides that it's a pretty good violin and it's a shame for it to not be playable. I did like to improvise on it, I guess. That, and the piano bores me nowadays.
Now onto a different subject: DMFA. [link] You know, the comic strip. Those of you who read it will know that Amber is doing a donations drive for necessary travel money. I'm offering to draw Abel for you guys if she reaches her goal, since she's already maxed out and can't really do much in the way of incentives. So if you want to see that (and I know lots of you do), go donate. More info on the forum. [link]
We're expecting even more snow up here. We also have an icicle that's like five feet long. Winter is getting a bit out of control, I think.
But mostly I'm raring to work on art! There are SO MANY possibilities out there I want to explore... and you bet I'll poke my head into all of them. In the four years I've been doing artistic things, I've done hundreds of paintings and drawings, written five symphonies and numerous other compositions, written several dozen poems, designed books and CDs and websites, made comics, and experimented with all sorts of new ways of doing things. You can bet this trend will continue! This month marks the first anniversary of when I started learning to draw characters (before I just did landscapes and abstracts), and look how far I've gotten. I'm excited about the future, and I'm excited about what I can learn to do! (How's that for a rebound from yesterday, huh?)
I also have a couple of paintings I want to do, but I'm all out of Bristol board. And since I WILL NOT buy any more of that cheap stuff, so determined am I to upgrade to decent illustration board, we'll just have to see if I can persuade myself to part with the necessary cash. Illustration board is nearly five bucks a sheet, see.
I recently dragged my violin out of storage and fiddled around with it a bit (pun not intended.) Yes, I do play violin--badly, at least. I only took lessons for a year before my teacher moved away and I quit. It's too bad, sort of, because I was picking it up amazingly fast (considering that I never practiced, that is.) I am a natural on the instrument, but I'm also lazy. Anyway, it was not looking real good after being unplayed for about two years. One of the strings had actually come loose altogether. I tightened everything up and got it into some sort of tune (tuning instruments has never been my forte--I'm okay with the violin, but I can't tune a guitar to save my life), and then promptly broke the D string. Then I broke the only spare I had (which was probably an A string anyway.) Bah. Those suckers cost at least $12. But I guess I should probably replace all of them, since they've been sitting for so long (the G is even sort of blackened--must be silver wound.) I don't even know why I want to get it in working order again, besides that it's a pretty good violin and it's a shame for it to not be playable. I did like to improvise on it, I guess. That, and the piano bores me nowadays.
Now onto a different subject: DMFA. [link] You know, the comic strip. Those of you who read it will know that Amber is doing a donations drive for necessary travel money. I'm offering to draw Abel for you guys if she reaches her goal, since she's already maxed out and can't really do much in the way of incentives. So if you want to see that (and I know lots of you do), go donate. More info on the forum. [link]
We're expecting even more snow up here. We also have an icicle that's like five feet long. Winter is getting a bit out of control, I think.
But mostly I'm raring to work on art! There are SO MANY possibilities out there I want to explore... and you bet I'll poke my head into all of them. In the four years I've been doing artistic things, I've done hundreds of paintings and drawings, written five symphonies and numerous other compositions, written several dozen poems, designed books and CDs and websites, made comics, and experimented with all sorts of new ways of doing things. You can bet this trend will continue! This month marks the first anniversary of when I started learning to draw characters (before I just did landscapes and abstracts), and look how far I've gotten. I'm excited about the future, and I'm excited about what I can learn to do! (How's that for a rebound from yesterday, huh?)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Stupid Country.
JOHN MCCAIN. OH HOW I HATE HIM.
THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL.
Wah...
As the enormity of the political consequences and the completeness of the dashing of my hopes becomes more evident, I almost feel like I could cry...
But I can deal with it. I'll just become MORE CYNICAL.
My problem was that I was letting my idealism get out of control. I was beginning to let myself think that the country might actually do the right thing. Stupid me.
Hillary is still looking strong too...gah.
THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL.
Wah...
As the enormity of the political consequences and the completeness of the dashing of my hopes becomes more evident, I almost feel like I could cry...
But I can deal with it. I'll just become MORE CYNICAL.
My problem was that I was letting my idealism get out of control. I was beginning to let myself think that the country might actually do the right thing. Stupid me.
Hillary is still looking strong too...gah.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Journal: Bad Luck with Cars
My family has been having bad luck with cars lately. In December, my dad was driving home from Portland with a trailer when someone decided to stop on the freeway while it was snowing. That smashed in the front of his truck. Not so much that it couldn't be driven (thanks to the deerguard on front), but enough to require extensive repairs. On Thursday my mom got her car stuck in the ditch in our driveway. After spending much of that day trying to get it out, we had to have our logger come and haul it out with his skidder. Then, that very evening, mom and dad hit a deer in the Jeep, smashing in it's front end. So it's just one thing after another.
I've been keeping busy. Finished another commission yesterday (it'll be posted sometime soonish), and installed a new kitchen faucet for my mom.
And it's kept snowing. I swear we must have THREE FEET by now--but I don't want to go out and measure it. :)
I've been hearing hopeful things about Ron Paul winning in the Maine primaries today. Hopefully that will come to pass. And for you Super Tuesday people, remember: McCain is a sleazeball with an annoying smirk. Vote accordingly. Same goes for Hillary, Democrats. The way we're heading, we're going to nominate the two candidates people will least want to vote for in November, which, I think we can agree, stinks.
I've still got 8 sketchbooks left to sell. I've only sold 7 so far, so that's not so good. If you want one (they're a bargain--everyone assures me I'm cheating myself), then drop me a note.
I've been keeping busy. Finished another commission yesterday (it'll be posted sometime soonish), and installed a new kitchen faucet for my mom.
And it's kept snowing. I swear we must have THREE FEET by now--but I don't want to go out and measure it. :)
I've been hearing hopeful things about Ron Paul winning in the Maine primaries today. Hopefully that will come to pass. And for you Super Tuesday people, remember: McCain is a sleazeball with an annoying smirk. Vote accordingly. Same goes for Hillary, Democrats. The way we're heading, we're going to nominate the two candidates people will least want to vote for in November, which, I think we can agree, stinks.
I've still got 8 sketchbooks left to sell. I've only sold 7 so far, so that's not so good. If you want one (they're a bargain--everyone assures me I'm cheating myself), then drop me a note.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Amulet
Kazu Kibuishi is one of my favorite comic artists, so when I heard he was doing a color graphic novel, I was naturally excited. I awaited it with anticipation.Well, I got my copy a while ago, and...what can I say? I was disappointed. I expected more of Kazu than the standard "fantasy adventure with kids" plot. It reads almost like a computer game, mostly consisting of a succession of perils that have to be overcome, with a little Harry Potter magical destiny drama thrown in. Besides the not-very-intriguing plot, I also found the characters flat. The main heroine, for example: we barely know her. All we find out from the story is that 1) she suffered a great personal loss a few years ago, and 2) she's more daring than her little brother (who doesn't have much defining him except that he is his sister's less-daring counterpart.)
Now normally I'd put this down to expecting too much of a short (well, relatively short) little comic book. But this is Kazu Kibuishi. His prior work has led me to expect more, not just another Harry Potter knock-off.
There is no doubt that there is a great deal of artistry and polished craft at work here. Part of the reason he I was anticipating this book so much was reading what Kazu was saying about the thoroughness with which he was constructing it. He had a number of very interesting things to say about comics in general, which you can read on his blog. I wouldn't have imagined that he would've ended up putting all of this skill at the service of such a cookie-cutter plot. More so since Kazu is not a cookie-cutter plot person--his stories are always thought-provoking, even deep, and certainly never genre-typical. Except this one.
This book is, of course, just the first volume of a two-volume book. Hopefully the second volume will pack a bigger punch. First chapters are often the dullest in a book, since they have to introduce everything. This one could've used to have spent more time introducing everything, but hopefully Kibuishi has something big planned for the second chapter, one that will put the first in a new light, thus making this review meaningless and shortsighted. I'm not such a cynic that I don't actually want that to happen.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Churchill's Alternate History, Pt. 1
Recently I have been consuming with great gusto a couple of biographies of Winston Churchill, and I've pretty much decided he was the most important person in the first half of the 20th Century (as corny as that sounds.) The events he was personally involved in! Most of them were wars, of course, and that's what he's generally associated with in the public consciousness. He wouldn't mind. He loved warfare himself, regarded it as a brutal but glorious fact of life--the proving-ground of nations, citizens, and leaders like, well, him. And he always made sure he was in the thick of things.Now history can be quite a fascinating study. If people think of it as boring, it is because of a certain lack of imagination--you have to realize that these were real people dealing with the problems of the day, just as we do know, with one vital difference: we know how it turned out. It has been said (by whom I cannot remember right at this moment) that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Many people who fit into this category are skeptical of this statement. Those who do know history know it's happened several times just this millennium, only eight years old that it is. (For example, did you know the British were driven out of Iraq by insurgency leaving behind an unstable semi-democratic government they had set up to fend for itself? Read the Foreign Affairs article. It's fascinating--and Churchill was involved in that for a bit too, though not much.) However, for history to transcend mere study and become something absorbingly relevant, one must open up one's mind even further and think about what didn't happen, what might have happened, and why not.
Thinking about Churchill's career in this manner is, to put it succinctly, amazing. The man was so often frustrated in his plans by incompetent subordinates and superiors, which, in their inertia and narrow-mindedness, sabotaged his efforts for victory and peace while blaming him for their failure. I am, of course, speaking of his involvement in World War I, something which is often overlooked, overshadowed by his leadership in World War II. The latter is interesting of course, but the more fascinating for the imaginative historian is the more turbulent, controversial and, yes, failure-ridden time of WWI. (And don't let that term, "historian," scare you off--anyone can be a historian to a certain extent, just as anyone with a copy of the Bible can be a theologian.) These years, when Churchill was a hyperactive and ambitious Cabinet minister, are marked by a triptych of failed attempts to fend off the preventable disaster: Antwerp, Gallipoli, and the Russian Civil War. All three of these were derided as follies by some, supported weakly by others, and, if "put through with vigor," would have saved literally millions of lives. The problem was, Churchill put all the vigor he could into them--more than most people would even be capable of giving. But he couldn't be everywhere, nor did he have the authority to get things done the way he wanted. And when others blundered or dawdled, he took most of the blame, further diminishing his political capital and credibility.
"Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter."
"I never worry about action, but only inaction."
The quotes above seem to me to stem directly from Churchill's experience in WWI. This is what he learned from the actions of the other managers of the war. WWI, you will remember, was defined by the wholesale slaughter of trench warfare, largely because of a lack of vision and intense inertia possessed by those in power: overwhelmed, they threw men at each other in futile offensives, ironically, out of a fear of taking risks. Churchill tried to find creative ways to circumvent this slaughter, both technological (such as the tank) and strategic (such as the Dardanelles), but he was hampered by the realities of war by committee. Maybe I've said that just a bit too much. Reading through the unfolding facts, it got beaten into my head--this recurring pattern of Churchill's life during this time. He also said, "Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm," which is what he did. It wasn't all bad, obviously. Some of the leaders of the time, such as David Lloyd-George, recognized his usefulness and kept him around as much as they could, considering the political furor that followed him.
(To be continued?)
Monday, January 28, 2008
Journal: A Monday Miscellany
I have a bad habit of starting books in the middle. Usually only nonfiction books, obviously--I do have to have some idea of what came before--though I have been known to do this with fiction, too (usually things I've already read, though.) Right now I'm on page 285 of The Last Lion: Alone, the second volume of a biography of Churchill. Since I haven't been reading it for long, this would be great--except that I started somewhere around page 230. XD
Unsurprisingly, I tend to have lots of books around that I've read only parts of. I am always getting more, too. We have a great bookstore in our little town where I can often find the esoteric objects of my fancy for cheap.
We have 19 inches of snow outside. It was snowing all day yesterday--my dad got stuck in an unplowed section of our driveway and I had to pull him out.
Now, I did say I'd talk about the answers to some of those silly questions I put up the other night. I'm not entirely sure what was going through my head at the time, but I might as well just deal with it.
--I haven't actually come up with a name for my new comic yet. In fact, I haven't even talked much about it here, though I did talk about the characters on Define Cynical. I'll get to delving into the subject more thoroughly here later. Suffice to say all three characters are pictured in the sketch dump I posted last week. I don't want to talk about the characters too much anyway, for fear of spoilers. (Don't you just wish you could read my sketchbooks? One of you is actually mentioned someplace in all the character description and plot snippets. Heh, heh, heh.)
--It's obvious considering both my right-wing leanings and my name that I would like David Cameron, the current leader of the British Conservatives. Plus, I always favor the fresh face over the longtime political operator, especially when he bungles things (read: that poor Gordon Brown.)
--Tristan-Chan [link] adopted me as her big brother for her "dA family."
--I called on Friday and, as it turns out, no jury duty for me. So I was just kept on my toes all month for no reason. (I'm actually sort of disappointed. It would've been interesting.)
--Heh, I was voted Best Newcomer and Best Artist in the Annual Define Cynical Awards. (Javsthemute was the pollster.) Didn't win Most Charismatic, though. Wonder why.
--The last question was a lame attempt at humor. Staying up late makes me act strangely sometimes. Maybe I was hopped up on chocolate.
Just a reminder: still taking commissions! Still have unsold books!
Any Floridians reading this? Just a voting reminder for you: vote for Guiliani or McCain and I will kick your butt. Vote for Ron Paul, and you get a yummy cookie.
If, on the other hand, you were planning on voting Democratic, then I'll just pity your exercise in futility (but don't vote for Clinton anyway.)
Anything else? Oh, yeah, almost forgot--I've started using my blog again. It's my website link below now. I'm duplicating these journals there, in addition to lots of random thoughts on life, the universe, and something.
Have a most excellent Monday.*
~Cam
*If it is actually Tuesday by the time you read this, my apologies.
Unsurprisingly, I tend to have lots of books around that I've read only parts of. I am always getting more, too. We have a great bookstore in our little town where I can often find the esoteric objects of my fancy for cheap.
We have 19 inches of snow outside. It was snowing all day yesterday--my dad got stuck in an unplowed section of our driveway and I had to pull him out.
Now, I did say I'd talk about the answers to some of those silly questions I put up the other night. I'm not entirely sure what was going through my head at the time, but I might as well just deal with it.
--I haven't actually come up with a name for my new comic yet. In fact, I haven't even talked much about it here, though I did talk about the characters on Define Cynical. I'll get to delving into the subject more thoroughly here later. Suffice to say all three characters are pictured in the sketch dump I posted last week. I don't want to talk about the characters too much anyway, for fear of spoilers. (Don't you just wish you could read my sketchbooks? One of you is actually mentioned someplace in all the character description and plot snippets. Heh, heh, heh.)
--It's obvious considering both my right-wing leanings and my name that I would like David Cameron, the current leader of the British Conservatives. Plus, I always favor the fresh face over the longtime political operator, especially when he bungles things (read: that poor Gordon Brown.)
--Tristan-Chan [link] adopted me as her big brother for her "dA family."
--I called on Friday and, as it turns out, no jury duty for me. So I was just kept on my toes all month for no reason. (I'm actually sort of disappointed. It would've been interesting.)
--Heh, I was voted Best Newcomer and Best Artist in the Annual Define Cynical Awards. (Javsthemute was the pollster.) Didn't win Most Charismatic, though. Wonder why.
--The last question was a lame attempt at humor. Staying up late makes me act strangely sometimes. Maybe I was hopped up on chocolate.
Just a reminder: still taking commissions! Still have unsold books!
Any Floridians reading this? Just a voting reminder for you: vote for Guiliani or McCain and I will kick your butt. Vote for Ron Paul, and you get a yummy cookie.
If, on the other hand, you were planning on voting Democratic, then I'll just pity your exercise in futility (but don't vote for Clinton anyway.)Anything else? Oh, yeah, almost forgot--I've started using my blog again. It's my website link below now. I'm duplicating these journals there, in addition to lots of random thoughts on life, the universe, and something.
Have a most excellent Monday.*
~Cam
*If it is actually Tuesday by the time you read this, my apologies.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Problem of Poverty
It is a problem right-thinking societies have always had to wrestle with: no matter how rich, advanced, or well-ordered a society is, there will always be an underclass of people whose lives are less comfortable (poverty is relative) than the rest of the populace. It seems to be a natural settling process in eco-social relationships: certain people will always do better than the rest, some will underperform, ergo, there will be inequality.
Boom times shuffle things around, bettering the lot of all, but they cannot be sustained. Human activity cannot proceed at full tilt all the time. Things fall into disorder and have to be rearranged, imbalances occur, and the economy has to recharge through the saving that occurs during a recession. However, this hurts those who do not have enough to save (or lack the discipline to do so.) Government income redistribution is generally accepted as a solution. However, the value of this does not stand up to scrutiny, no matter the altruism at play. It is not morally defensible--at their base, such programs are little more than Robin Hood all over again, only with the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The legality of it does not change the fact that it is not a solution desirable to have in a truly free society. In addition, these programs never have the intended affects--they produce dependency, laziness, government debt, and a mindset of tolerance toward government interference. Plus, they never get everyone. There are always people who slip through the cracks. It is apparent that poverty is a fundamental flaw in human society, one that is a natural byproduct of liberty; i.e., true liberty must include the "freedom to fail" as well as the freedom to succeed. Yet at the same time it is evident to anyone with a smidgen of idealism and humane feeling that there must be a "safety net" someplace to keep those who fail (due either to their own fault or through genuine misfortune) from becoming irretrievably miserable and possibly dead, through neglect. To not have such a thing would be callous in the extreme. This leads us again to government programs, since the government is the only authority that we all recognize to, well, govern our societies' comings and goings this way. But even in the era of the modern welfare state there are still many who exist on the streets, unhelped and unaffected by it.
Having depressed myself by this philosophizing on unsolvable problems, I will now proceed to consider forms in which a solution may be found, one which will be in line with ideals of human conduct. Hopefully I'll think of something not totally impractical, though a certain level of impossibility is guaranteed by the very nature of the problem. We'll see.
(To be continued, hopefully.)
Boom times shuffle things around, bettering the lot of all, but they cannot be sustained. Human activity cannot proceed at full tilt all the time. Things fall into disorder and have to be rearranged, imbalances occur, and the economy has to recharge through the saving that occurs during a recession. However, this hurts those who do not have enough to save (or lack the discipline to do so.) Government income redistribution is generally accepted as a solution. However, the value of this does not stand up to scrutiny, no matter the altruism at play. It is not morally defensible--at their base, such programs are little more than Robin Hood all over again, only with the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The legality of it does not change the fact that it is not a solution desirable to have in a truly free society. In addition, these programs never have the intended affects--they produce dependency, laziness, government debt, and a mindset of tolerance toward government interference. Plus, they never get everyone. There are always people who slip through the cracks. It is apparent that poverty is a fundamental flaw in human society, one that is a natural byproduct of liberty; i.e., true liberty must include the "freedom to fail" as well as the freedom to succeed. Yet at the same time it is evident to anyone with a smidgen of idealism and humane feeling that there must be a "safety net" someplace to keep those who fail (due either to their own fault or through genuine misfortune) from becoming irretrievably miserable and possibly dead, through neglect. To not have such a thing would be callous in the extreme. This leads us again to government programs, since the government is the only authority that we all recognize to, well, govern our societies' comings and goings this way. But even in the era of the modern welfare state there are still many who exist on the streets, unhelped and unaffected by it.
Having depressed myself by this philosophizing on unsolvable problems, I will now proceed to consider forms in which a solution may be found, one which will be in line with ideals of human conduct. Hopefully I'll think of something not totally impractical, though a certain level of impossibility is guaranteed by the very nature of the problem. We'll see.
(To be continued, hopefully.)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Polymath Report
In case I hadn't mentioned it before, pretty much my main goal in life is to be a polymath (how's that for a goal, huh--"my goal is to do lots of stuff.") So, just for fun, I whipped up a little graph enumerating my interests and skills. It's just off the top of my head, but hopefully frank and possibly even interesting to someone besides my egotistical little self. The proportions on the pie chart roughly represent the amount of time and energy lavished on the different departments, and the labels say where my interest lies in the area and what my skill level in that area is. As you can see, I'm not as well-rounded as I'd like (note that mathematics doesn't even make a showing.) This is probably also a good predictor of the mix of things that will be on this blog, with a few exceptions.
Two CD Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-Movie Soundtrack Composed by Nicholas HooperRating: 4 stars
Number of times listened: 2
The operative word for this music is fun. Now it's an interesting fact that it's harder to compose music that is just happy than it is to write angstful tonescapes; this generalization generally holds true for all art forms, too. Now in this score Mr. Hooper has succeeded in doing just that, for this music is frequently joyous, hummable, and satisfying (yet innovative, though not for it's own sake.)
In fact, I really don't think of this as being a Harry Potter soundtrack. Hooper only quotes John Williams' signature theme melodies a few times, and the disc starts out with an excited little number that is distinctly un-Potterish: it sounds like a "western" hoe-down. The electric guitar doesn't sound like something Williams would have done, either. It's this willingness to do something new that makes it so refreshing, and, more importantly, stand on it's own as a piece of music. Now, I liked the movie, but it's always best when a soundtrack doesn't have to rely on a connection with film to be valuable to the listener.
A word on my rating system here. I really think this is a 5-star CD, but I have a little rule for 5-star ratings: I need to listen to them at least a dozen times. Then, if I still like them after that, they are 5-star discs. This disc is brand-new, so I've only listened to it once. But, I think it'll hold up. We'll see.
Prokofiev: 7 Symphonies & Lt. KijeRating: 5 stars
Number of Listenings: 20+ (?)
This is probably my favorite symphony cycle right now. Which is saying a lot, because there's some stiff competition: I own the complete symphonies of Beetoven, Mahler, Nielsen, Shostakovich, Sibelius, and Arthur Honegger. There is a lot of range in these symphonies, from the deliciously acrid modernities in the 2nd and 3rd Symphonies to the luxuriously updated Romanticism of the 5th. There is also the first, "Classical" Symphony, but I don't really consider it part of the set. It just seems out of place, stylistically and progressively. And anyway, I don't like it as much as the rest--of course, it's only, what, 15 minutes long? It doesn't exactly crowd out the other music. The set also includes the Lieutenant Kije Suite as a filler. This isn't remotely a symphony, but it's classic and pretty neat, and it's a new thing to hear certain parts sung like they were originally written to be.
It's hard to express or talk about the symphonies in any greater detail than just to say they're great because it's pure music all the way--no words, no subtexts that I'm aware of, nothing. Just wonderful sounds. Some are more recognizeable than others, of course, like the raucous step-up step-down fanfare that begins the 3rd Symphony, or that famous dancy bit in the 5th; but suffice to say they are all lovely. One of the interesting characteristics of Prokofiev's writing here is how varied his tonal pallete is. There are so many different "colors" here; unlike, say, Shostakovich, who seems to only compose in brownish-blues. Don't get me wrong, I like and admire Shostakovich, but I can't listen to him 20 times over. As near as I can tell (for I am no audiophile, as my own recordings no doubt make painfully obvious), the performances and sound quality in these discs is uniformly excellent. Deutsche Grammmophon CDs have a crisp, modern feel to their sound that I like, and that is present here, along with the affordability that is also often a trait of DG recordings. The only (not)real problem with this set is that it comes in one of those annoying cardboard boxes that won't fit in the CD rack.
A Quiet Relaunch
I'm just going to use this blog as my personal box of papers that you can look at--I'm going to duplicate my journal posts from dA, essays, rants, poems, etc. here. Much more relaxed than last time. I don't really care whether anyone reads it, 'cuz it's just my scrapbook. As such, though, it'll be the more interesting thing to go back and read, because it'll be highlights and fun bits. (Though not many drawings--those'll always fit best on dA.)
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