Thursday, January 06, 2005
this would be... evolution?
Quote of the Day
Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood -- the virtues that made America.
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1917
Hmm... how ironic and fitting is this... that one of my e-mail service providers would send me this quote now, when I am decidedly on a decisive anti-american stance in re:Irak...
How much have things changed though, do you think, since good ol' Theo uttered those most quotable of quotable words... hmm? 1917 is a long time ago... my... longer than the previous World Series victory by the... 1918 Boston Red Sox! *lol*
(Ironically -again- another Theo made the Sox champs again, finally, in 2004... Yep - there is synchronicity everywhere if you really look for it...! Although his stock is huge in Boston right now, I wouldn't think Theo Epstein will be President any day soon... and truly, ever! Baseball GMs walk too much of a thin line to maintain the minimal popularity requirements for that... Funny how the public can forgive all the death that a former Governor of Texas can cause with his decisions... or lack of decision, really... but if a Baseball GM makes one wrong player personnel move, he will be crucified out in the open and never forgiven... ever! Ahh... the strange mentality of the masses, sometimes...).
Another necessary sidetrack here is this: 1917 and 1918 were great years for the Red Sox... as good as 2003 and 2004... but there are other, far less pleasant, downright frightening similarities to underline here... In 1918, the Spanish Flu had killed millions... we were, of course, in the midst of a World War still... and, the cherry on top of odd coincidences is that, the Sox had clinched the championship... on a September 11th! How do you like that...?
In 2004, we have a number of epidemics going at the same time... less spectacular but only because they are concealed - their spread not being focused on by the media, as it should be... and we sure do seem to be on pace for another World War since the events of 9/11... How little things have changed... eh?
Now back to the quote - Roosevelt, if he were around still, would he say the same thing about America... today?
Not sure... let's systematically dissect his list of qualities he attributed almost solely to "Americanism" (which has the unfortunate distinction of rhyming with all other "-isms" - including... cannibalism! So deplorable that I just had to bring it up...!;)
Courage - is that displayed by bullying smaller countries, like Irak?
Honor - hmm... is there honor in wanting oil so bad you make up reasons to invade?
Justice - is it really carrying out justice what they did to Saddam?
(hey- I despise those who would say we should have sympathy for the devil
- the devil we know - and all that crap! But Saddam... come on! He was really, really, really SMALL POTATOES... if not for all that oil...! All he could have really been accused of lately... was having serious delusions of grandeur!)
Truth - truth is... Americans can't handle the truth! (Easy one, I know - but true!)
Sincerity - I am sure Dubya is sincere when he says he is a great President...
(it's called - having delusions of grandeur... again!)
Hardihood - they partied hardy, eh? Dubya & Dick - the new Hardy Boys!
Really, in all honesty, I think Theodore Roosevelt is not merely turning in his grave - he's squirming, tossing AND turning in his grave!
Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood -- the virtues that made America.
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1917
Hmm... how ironic and fitting is this... that one of my e-mail service providers would send me this quote now, when I am decidedly on a decisive anti-american stance in re:Irak...
How much have things changed though, do you think, since good ol' Theo uttered those most quotable of quotable words... hmm? 1917 is a long time ago... my... longer than the previous World Series victory by the... 1918 Boston Red Sox! *lol*
(Ironically -again- another Theo made the Sox champs again, finally, in 2004... Yep - there is synchronicity everywhere if you really look for it...! Although his stock is huge in Boston right now, I wouldn't think Theo Epstein will be President any day soon... and truly, ever! Baseball GMs walk too much of a thin line to maintain the minimal popularity requirements for that... Funny how the public can forgive all the death that a former Governor of Texas can cause with his decisions... or lack of decision, really... but if a Baseball GM makes one wrong player personnel move, he will be crucified out in the open and never forgiven... ever! Ahh... the strange mentality of the masses, sometimes...).
Another necessary sidetrack here is this: 1917 and 1918 were great years for the Red Sox... as good as 2003 and 2004... but there are other, far less pleasant, downright frightening similarities to underline here... In 1918, the Spanish Flu had killed millions... we were, of course, in the midst of a World War still... and, the cherry on top of odd coincidences is that, the Sox had clinched the championship... on a September 11th! How do you like that...?
In 2004, we have a number of epidemics going at the same time... less spectacular but only because they are concealed - their spread not being focused on by the media, as it should be... and we sure do seem to be on pace for another World War since the events of 9/11... How little things have changed... eh?
Now back to the quote - Roosevelt, if he were around still, would he say the same thing about America... today?
Not sure... let's systematically dissect his list of qualities he attributed almost solely to "Americanism" (which has the unfortunate distinction of rhyming with all other "-isms" - including... cannibalism! So deplorable that I just had to bring it up...!;)
Courage - is that displayed by bullying smaller countries, like Irak?
Honor - hmm... is there honor in wanting oil so bad you make up reasons to invade?
Justice - is it really carrying out justice what they did to Saddam?
(hey- I despise those who would say we should have sympathy for the devil
- the devil we know - and all that crap! But Saddam... come on! He was really, really, really SMALL POTATOES... if not for all that oil...! All he could have really been accused of lately... was having serious delusions of grandeur!)
Truth - truth is... Americans can't handle the truth! (Easy one, I know - but true!)
Sincerity - I am sure Dubya is sincere when he says he is a great President...
(it's called - having delusions of grandeur... again!)
Hardihood - they partied hardy, eh? Dubya & Dick - the new Hardy Boys!
Really, in all honesty, I think Theodore Roosevelt is not merely turning in his grave - he's squirming, tossing AND turning in his grave!
Comments:
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Dubya is proving to have as much political longevity as Roosevelt there... isn't he?
But let's draw an interesting -if not, flat out, luminous- parallel with the longevity of the male... cricket!
Shall we...? ;)
Casanova crickets live fast, die young
Last Updated Thu, 23 Dec 2004 10:14:46 EST
LONDON - Successful male crickets die young because the well-fed suitors tire themselves out with mating calls, Australian and Canadian scientists have found.
Since only high-quality males can bear the costs of advertising their credentials, researchers predicted there is a relationship between longevity and the sexual advertisements.
To test the idea, John Hunt of the University of New South Wales in Sydney and his colleagues fed three groups of crickets a diet with high, medium or low levels of protein.
The researchers then monitored the size, mating behaviour and lifespan of the field crickets.
They found the best-fed females lived the longest, but it didn't work out that way for the males.
Instead, the best-fed males used their extra strength for sexual advertising, which shortened their lifespan. The males literally wore themselves out by calling for mates.
"It's obvious that for these crickets, a long life isn't all it's cracked up to be," said study co-author Luc Bussière in a release.
Although it may seem counterproductive to us to die young, for crickets, the goal of life is to reproduce, not to live long, Bussière noted. He is a post-doctoral research fellow funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
The team found crickets who ate diets with high or medium levels of protein lost a greater proportion of their body weight during the evening calls than those fed a low-protein diet, Hunt said.
Crickets fed a low-protein diet delayed their calling until later in adult life, which allowed them to gain or maintain their body weight for longer.
"We demonstrate that longer-lived males are not always those in the best condition," the researchers wrote in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
"Therefore our findings support theoretical claims that longevity may not always be a reliable measure of male quality."
Written by CBC News Online staff
But let's draw an interesting -if not, flat out, luminous- parallel with the longevity of the male... cricket!
Shall we...? ;)
Casanova crickets live fast, die young
Last Updated Thu, 23 Dec 2004 10:14:46 EST
LONDON - Successful male crickets die young because the well-fed suitors tire themselves out with mating calls, Australian and Canadian scientists have found.
Since only high-quality males can bear the costs of advertising their credentials, researchers predicted there is a relationship between longevity and the sexual advertisements.
To test the idea, John Hunt of the University of New South Wales in Sydney and his colleagues fed three groups of crickets a diet with high, medium or low levels of protein.
The researchers then monitored the size, mating behaviour and lifespan of the field crickets.
They found the best-fed females lived the longest, but it didn't work out that way for the males.
Instead, the best-fed males used their extra strength for sexual advertising, which shortened their lifespan. The males literally wore themselves out by calling for mates.
"It's obvious that for these crickets, a long life isn't all it's cracked up to be," said study co-author Luc Bussière in a release.
Although it may seem counterproductive to us to die young, for crickets, the goal of life is to reproduce, not to live long, Bussière noted. He is a post-doctoral research fellow funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
The team found crickets who ate diets with high or medium levels of protein lost a greater proportion of their body weight during the evening calls than those fed a low-protein diet, Hunt said.
Crickets fed a low-protein diet delayed their calling until later in adult life, which allowed them to gain or maintain their body weight for longer.
"We demonstrate that longer-lived males are not always those in the best condition," the researchers wrote in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
"Therefore our findings support theoretical claims that longevity may not always be a reliable measure of male quality."
Written by CBC News Online staff
A comment e-mailed to the author of this blog:
"While I agree with many of your current sentiments regarding Bush and what he has done/is doing, I think you are being a bit too lenient on Saddam - what about the mass graves that have been uncovered of people killed during his regime, the wars that he started (the Iran-Iraq war, the Persian Gulf War) and all that stuff - yes, he may have been deluded by "visions of grandeur" and wasn't really a serious threat to the US as they claimed (I agree they were mostly after the oil), but I believe he was a menace to the people he ruled and that his country is better off without him (similar to Russia under Stalin)."
signed Anonymous
lol
no - actually signed M - for Mary. ;)
Well, I agree with the bit of parallelism there - Saddam/Stalin... I usually am the one to do those bits of comparaisons too...! But it escaped my mind as I was busy bashing Bush instead... I guess I was too lenient there - but leniency is the Christian thing to do... eh? Anyway - all evildoers will get theirs - come the day of reckoning! Saddam is already getting more than his - seeing his murderer of a son getting killed as well, as he himself had killed so many... Going from the palace to the gutter overnight...
He may not deserve pity; but he sure is in a position to beg for it... hmm?!
Everyone and anyone who may read this: keep e-mailing me comments - don't bother to go through the intricate, time-wasting process to "become members" here just to do so... e-mail meyour comments and I will put them up here for you - IF they are worthy! ;)
Indubitably!
Blessings!
Luciano
Post a Comment
"While I agree with many of your current sentiments regarding Bush and what he has done/is doing, I think you are being a bit too lenient on Saddam - what about the mass graves that have been uncovered of people killed during his regime, the wars that he started (the Iran-Iraq war, the Persian Gulf War) and all that stuff - yes, he may have been deluded by "visions of grandeur" and wasn't really a serious threat to the US as they claimed (I agree they were mostly after the oil), but I believe he was a menace to the people he ruled and that his country is better off without him (similar to Russia under Stalin)."
signed Anonymous
lol
no - actually signed M - for Mary. ;)
Well, I agree with the bit of parallelism there - Saddam/Stalin... I usually am the one to do those bits of comparaisons too...! But it escaped my mind as I was busy bashing Bush instead... I guess I was too lenient there - but leniency is the Christian thing to do... eh? Anyway - all evildoers will get theirs - come the day of reckoning! Saddam is already getting more than his - seeing his murderer of a son getting killed as well, as he himself had killed so many... Going from the palace to the gutter overnight...
He may not deserve pity; but he sure is in a position to beg for it... hmm?!
Everyone and anyone who may read this: keep e-mailing me comments - don't bother to go through the intricate, time-wasting process to "become members" here just to do so... e-mail meyour comments and I will put them up here for you - IF they are worthy! ;)
Indubitably!
Blessings!
Luciano
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