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106 [lbo-talk] My Ayn Randian, libertarian loving relatives....argh... !!! -- rank: 1000

Yah, I told them that their love of Rand was a pubescent phase. They didn't take too kindly to that... Who'da thunk? Bryan Joanna wrote: > Adolescents will always like Rand because that's precisely the level > of her thought. > > When I was an adolescent I liked Rand because she > > 1) freed me from the guilt I felt toward my parents for supporting my > sorry ass > 2) said it was ok for women to enjoy sex > > When I got older, I was able to see the silliness of it a ...

Document Size:	5692
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Fri Jan 1 20:13:41 PST 2010

107 [lbo-talk] My Ayn Randian, libertarian loving relatives....argh... !!! -- rank: 1000

Well, they are American Jews, and yah, they are libertarians with a love for Zion. With so much contradictory positions (the fact that they go to state universities, that at least one gets health care assistance from the state, etc.) cognitive dissonance on this subject doesn't seem so difficult. Bryan Max B. Sawicky wrote: > Do they reconcile libertarianism with Zionism? How? > Seems like that would be difficult, to say the least. > > > > Bryan Atinsky wrote: >> Oh god. ...

Document Size:	5521
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Fri Jan 1 18:14:15 PST 2010

108 [lbo-talk] My Ayn Randian, libertarian loving relatives....argh... !!! -- rank: 1000

Oh god. Has there been a large surge in Randian and libertarian worship among the 20 something crowd? I ask because my father's sister has has five daughters who had several boys who are now mostly in there early to late 20s, and it seems they are nearly all entranced by Rand, Nozick, and libertarian tripe in general. Lately, some of them have taken to use Facebook as their soap box. It is embarrassing to read their nonsense. I was wondering if others notice this trend, have to suffer this silli ...

Document Size:	9704
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Fri Jan 1 16:57:09 PST 2010

109 [lbo-talk] Francisco Gil-White Genesis and Future of Suicide Terrorism, Scott Atran -- rank: 1000

Yah, I came across him several years ago. He had some interesting early works on ethnicity, memes, etc. but then jumped off the deep end with the Bosnia and Israel/Palestine issues and 9/11 conspiracies. I remember he complained about not being renewed for his position at U Penn: http://thedp.com/node/41391 For an interesting take on him, read the discussion regarding the Scott Atran article "Genesis and Future of Suicide Terrorism" http://www.interdisciplines.org/terrorism/papers/1 ...

Document Size:	7062
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Wed Dec 30 09:57:55 PST 2009

110 [lbo-talk] Basterds -- rank: 1000

I don't see anything in what I said that would make you think I believe that "Zionism is [...] the great evil looming over the world" But I can see what Israelis "love" about the film... because it aligns with their (our) subjectivity. Bryan Bhaskar Sunkara wrote: > I don't see why Zionism is portrayed as the great evil looming over the > world... as opposed to just one. How is it qualitatively different than > other nationalist movements? How does the evils of Zio ...

Document Size:	6804
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Tue Dec 22 09:56:11 PST 2009

111 [lbo-talk] Basterds -- rank: 1000

I thought similarly, that the movie is a reified fantasy of Zionist subjectivity. Perhaps similar to the way that Mulholland Dr. is not the way it happened, but an actualization of the way it felt (which is perhaps subjectively more real than the events in themselves). Emotionally, at least on some level, to an Israeli, the Palestinian/Israeli conflict is an existential fight against the Nazis. Bryan Dennis Perrin wrote: > My take, humble as always: > > <http://dennisperrin.blogspot ...

Document Size:	5225
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Tue Dec 22 09:29:58 PST 2009

112 [lbo-talk] TO BEAT AL QAEDA, LOOK TO THE EAST -- rank: 1000

http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/atran09.1/atran09.1_index.html SCOTT ATRAN, an anthropologist at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, John Jay College and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, is the author of /In Gods We Trust/. Unlike Al Qaeda, the Taliban are interested in their homeland, not ours. Things are different now than before 9/11. The Taliban know how costly Osama bin Laden's friendship can be. There's a good chance that enough factions in the loose Taliban coali ...

Document Size:	7899
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Mon Dec 21 09:37:13 PST 2009

113 [lbo-talk] My TV program on the climate debate - -- rank: 1000

You are right, his 'Left credentials' have no bearing here, or actually, that makes me expect more. And no, it was his confrontational and accusatory manner with little substance as an excuse for argumentation. It would have made me uncomfortable also, probably even more uncomfortable, if I agreed in general with his badly argued position. So the feelings didn't stem from triumphalism. Bryan James Heartfield wrote: > Bryan Atinsky writes: > > 'That Piers Corbyn made me feel squeamish a ...

Document Size:	5719
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Thu Dec 17 16:21:40 PST 2009

114 [lbo-talk] My TV program on the climate debate - Dopenhagen? -- rank: 1000

That Piers Corbyn made me feel squeamish and embarrassed just listening to him. I wanted to be annoyed by Bjorn Lomborg, but Corbyn definitely won on that account. My favorite quote of his is: "There is also incontrovertible evidence, and you can get it on many websites..." (22:49) of the relation between solar activity and world temps... If websites are my sources for evidence...I will also show you incontrovertible evidence for homeopathy, UFOs, ghosts and contrail brain control cons ...

Document Size:	5764
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Thu Dec 17 13:35:42 PST 2009

115 [lbo-talk] Invertebrate tool use -- rank: 1000

I also go by the IQ criteria of what I eat. Haven't been eating octopus since I watched a documentary on them some years ago which highlighted their intelligence. I also try to avoid mammals due to their cuteness and being in the same taxonomic class as me...though I stray if someone invites me over and has already cooked it... Overall, I am a poultrinarian (only eat vegetables, poultry and fish). Does that make me depraved? Bryan Miles Jackson wrote: > Sean Andrews wrote: >> So do i h ...

Document Size:	5274
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Tue Dec 15 08:30:38 PST 2009

116 [lbo-talk] A timely quote from a source I never thought I would post here -- rank: 1000

Superficially, that is like saying "If you really believe that smoking causes cancer, you would quit smoking" forgetting the addiction factor. Taking these words at face value, it is saying, if you really want to save society, you would destroy it. Bryan Joseph Catron wrote: > "If we really believed what scientists are telling us about global warming, > the fire engines of every fire department would sound their sirens and race > to the nearest factory to extinguish its f ...

Document Size:	6291
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Sun Dec 13 05:21:19 PST 2009

117 [lbo-talk] Antisemites, how human rights activists became public enemies (Translated from the Hebrew weekly Ha'ir) -- rank: 1000

This was translated from the original hebrew article by the folks at the Coteret (hebrew for "Headline") website. Quite a good website in general for coverage of the Israeli media. Bryan http://coteret.com/2009/12/10/israeli-cover-story-antisemites-how-human-rights-activists-become-public-enemies-with-call-for-support/ -------------- * Anti-Semites * *How human rights activists became public enemies* *Their families disown them, the universities persecute them, the Shabak wiretaps the ...

Document Size:	9687
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Thu Dec 10 18:36:14 PST 2009

118 [lbo-talk] why movies suck -- rank: 1000

Hmmm.... perhaps I have to revisit the two films, especially AB, being that I am remembering it from the last time I saw it, which was at the cinema...so it has been a while. Upon my viewing of them, I found them to be well acted but superficial/cliche renderings of, in AB, modern suburbia, and RR, post war US, social expectations and the rebellions against these to be what you see is what you get. Are you saying that these works are much more subtle and complex critiques than I perceived, or th ...

Document Size:	7820
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Wed Nov 18 19:40:42 PST 2009

119 [lbo-talk] why movies suck -- rank: 1000

Dennis Perrin wrote: >> What's wrong with "American Beauty" and "Revolutionary Road?" >> >> Joanna > > American Beauty is a guilty pleasure for me, though it has numerous > flaws. This was back when the Michael O'Donoghue remembrance camp > thought that Kevin Spacey would make a great Mr. Mike (which he would > have). Still, I prefer Todd Solondz's Happiness, which is a far > darker, much better assault on American suburbia. > > Revol ...

Document Size:	5939
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Wed Nov 18 07:08:07 PST 2009

120 [lbo-talk] The Global Oil Scam: 50 Times Bigger than Madoff -- rank: 1000

http://seekingalpha.com/article/172797-the-global-oil-scam-50-times-bigger-than-madoff?source=email $2.5 Trillion - That s the size of the global oil scam. It s a number so large that, to put it in perspective, we will now begin measuring the damage done to the global economy in "Madoff Units" ($50Bn rip-offs). That s right - $2.5Tn is 50 TIMES the amount of money that Bernie Madoff scammed from investors in his lifetime, yet it is also LESS than the MONTHLY EXCESS price the global pop ...

Document Size:	5574
Author:	Bryan Atinsky
Date:	Thu Nov 12 16:43:45 PST 2009