Whoa.

“I don’t give a shit what happens. I am coming there with a gun,” police say Liddane told a Group Health nurse on the phone as his wife was going into labor at the facility. “I will shoot anybody that gets in my way. I will watch my baby be born. Then I will shoot my baby, my wife, and then myself. So get ready. I hope you have some guns ready.”

What a genius. So surprising that he was arrested and charged with felony harassment. People these days…

Club owner charged for threats against wife, baby, staff at Capitol Hill birthing center – CHS

Ride Safely

Mary, giving us a reminder of proper comportment while on the high seas:

“Thank you for riding Washington State Ferries. We remind you to be safe while aboard.”

Chris Brown has class.

Chris Brown, hosting classy dinner party: “Ha ha, smashing, Reginald. I, too, enjoy delicious foie gras. But if it’s not served at the proper temperature, I get so angry I just want to punch an exquisite armoire until it shuts it’s skank mouth and admits my sneakers are fly. YOU FUCKING HEAR ME, ARMOIRE?! MY SNEAKS ARE PIMP AS FUCK. I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!

Sherry, anyone?”

Republished from the hilarious folks over at TheSuperficial.com:

Chris Brown hosts dinner parties now – The Superficial

Yitta Schwartz: The most dangerous (dead) woman on the planet.

Yitta Schwartz died in January 2010, but she is perhaps the most dangerous woman on the planet. She is dangerous not because of her demeanor or her smile, but rather her unique set of values, and what those values drove her to do: she excessively over-bred, leaving 2,000+ descendants, and consequently quickened the destruction of the biosphere that we call home. Mrs. Schwartz’ individual actions affected us all–she took from all of us, and gave us nothing in return.

Yitta and her husband Yosef had 17 children over the years, living in Antwerp and finally settling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Those 17 children produced 170 grandchildren. Amazingly, Yitta could name all of them. Two more generations sprang forth from the loins of her grandchildren, and it is believed that she has at least 2,000 descendants, and perhaps 2,500, if they were to counted systematically. It is unlikely that Mrs. Schwartz knew of the outsized negative impact her progeny has had on the planet, and the commensurate setback in human sustainability.

Let’s not mince words; Mrs. Schwartz’ behavior is abhorrent. Her religion (Orthodox Judaism, or more specifically, Satmar Hasidic Judaism) gave her a belief that she should produce a brood as large as her body would allow. Her family planning behavior–that of having no control whatsoever over the number of her offspring–puts her squarely on the same level as wild animals.

The lack of strategy and planning that Mrs. Schwartz employed is an affront to the human intellect, and it also sets a dangerous precedent. Is it okay, in this day and age, to breed uncontrollably, to breed irresponsibly? If we were all to breed like rabbits (as Mrs. Schwartz certainly did), our species would be doomed to perpetually fight over dwindling resources, and our society would crumble. Law and order would vanish. All the work of our species, put in over thousands of years, toward the aim of building a more prosperous human condition, would be wasted.

If such a dystopian future is as detestable as I think it is, why then do we continue to allow humans to breed like wild animals? Why do we sign-off on the atrocious behavior of some solely becausee they subscribe to a particular brand of prehistoric beliefs? Is our desire to avoid offending religious and ideological groups responsible for putting society on a course toward its eventual ruin?

If our planet wasn’t overpopulated, then sure, overbreeding would be A-Okay, at least for a while. But in 2010, with a world population of 6.7 billion stretching the planet’s resources thin, excessive procreation hurts everyone. When anti-social behavior comes about, humans do the right thing–they ban and punish it. Perhaps it’s time that we ban excessive procreation.

God Said Multiply, and Did She Ever – NYTimes.com

RAGE!

Wow, I didn’t know they made crimson hip-waders.

Tim & The Space Cadets – Superhero

This track isn’t my taste, but I’m posting it because:

1) an acquaintance from high school (MTV VMA-award winner Josh Caldwell) of Meydenbauer Entertainment directed and shot the music video,

and

2) the little kids in the video are precious.

The band’s name, Tim & The Space Cadets, is right on–the lead singer seems so emphatically happy when he sings that he looks like a deranged space cadet. I cannot say I’ve seen a weirder lead vocal part (is this Christian rock?). This guy must just be high on life or something; there is no other explanation:

Great video, Josh. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

You can hire Josh by emailing him at joshblog (at) meyd-ent (dot) com.

Via Hollywood Bound and Down.

Errol Knight and his signature move, the Baby Beerbong.

Years ago, Errol Knight, the once-celebrated star of Gonzaga’s talented basketball program, got into the habit of calling a good friend of mine (who attended Gonzaga at the time) “nigga”. My friend was and is very white. Errol didn’t know my friend’s name; my friend was instantly recognized by Knight each time, and greeted in the same fashion; “ay nigga,” “ay, what up, nigga!”, and so on.

On one memorable occasion, Errol Knight carried his newborn baby into a wild drinking party that was held off-campus. He quickly spotted and approached my friend, and said “Hey nigga, hold my baby,” as he took a monstrous beerbong pull, and then proceeded to take his baby back from my friend.

I just thought I should share that with you, because it is so horrible, irresponsible, and hilarious that I find it impossible not to share with someone. It’s a story that seems so fantastic that one would prefer to assume it never happened. But it did.

Here’s to Errol Knight, my hero.

The Taiwanese Eat Labradors!

And you thought Taipei 101 was imposing! Just look at what’s on the menu!:

Cameron 1, Fundamentalist Christian 0.

I found myself a participant in the following conversation earlier today and thought I should share it. It has shown me that there really are quite a few people out there who have odd beliefs and no evidence to support them. When I think of religious fundamentalism (perhaps extremism is a more fitting word) I often think of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Pakistan’s tribal areas, but rarely do I ever think that religious extremists are right here in my fair city, hiding in plain sight.

Cameron Newland: Fear yourself, for if you believe these quotes to be true, you are weak; you have lost faith in yourself as an agent of your own destiny.

Cathy B: I will definitely fear myself the day I start thinking Im the agent:-). I am however in control of my attitude which is a great thing!!

Cameron Newland: Don’t worry–you’ve lost your reasoning faculties already, Ms. Browning. This kind of understanding of reality is not something your brain allows you to do. Don’t be sad…god, in his infinite wisdom, created people with different capabilities (or in your case, handicaps) such that you don’t even comprehend the intellectual cop-out (that of humans having no control over their destiny) that you’re perpetuating.

Jessica R: Cameron -To each his own. That said, would much appreciate you keeping your opinions and diatribes on your blog or your own page, if you don’t have anything nice to say.

Cameron Newland: Jessica – I don’t find anything pejorative in anything I wrote. If you think being mentally handicapped is pejorative, I would question your compassion for those who were born with any disability.

And Jessica, why would I think to keep my (well reasoned) opinions to myself? I’m shocked that you would say such a thing during the week that began (well, Monday) with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. MLK stood up for what was right and what he believed in. What if MLK had “[kept] his opinions and diatribes [to himself],” as you’ve suggested I do? If he followed your advice, we might live in a much more cruel world, one with institutionalized segregation. I advise you, Jessica, not to dig yourself deeper in this hole of absurdity that you’ve dug.

Cathy B: Im saying that I dont believe Gods words AKA scripture…to be false. You are right if you mean that my great attitude can bring me to amazing places Id never imagined Id be! I LOVE the places God has walked me through and my attitude, strength and determination has gotten me there as well:-)). Sooo not quite sure what that long response of yours meant…you clearly don’t see that I recognize the decisions I make and goals i set will take me to different places…..I know though that there are things Im not in control of BUT that’s great that you control your destiny….no need for you to mock me by calling me Ms Browning….you never know…..we might actually find eachother to be great ppl that just think differently if we ever crossed paths. I respect you are entitled to your beliefs as am I Cameron:-)) I hope your having a great evening….really!

Oh and Jess….I just wanna make sure you know Im in no way sad:-)) Lifes good and I love the ride…..its way to short to not enjoy! goodnight all!

Cameron Newland: Dear Cathy – after reading your reply, it seems you’ve come around (or perhaps we were more in agreement than we originally thought)! Like you, I believe that I am not in absolute control of my destiny, but that I do have control over my choices and the way I think, and this empowers me and I am grateful for it.

By your replies regarding the biblical citation, I was under the impression that you took a much sillier view; that you believed that we are but powerless puppets whose every action is controlled by an omnipotent spirit somewhere! I’m glad we cleared that up and that you don’t believe such a silly thing!

Why would you think I was mocking you by calling you ‘Ms. Browning’? I thought it only proper, as we have yet to be introduced.

Anyways, I AM having a fantastic night (I’m smiling as I write this), and I wish you only the best today and far into the future!

Cathy B: For the record….I dont view my strong faith and belief in the Bible as silly at all. Im real enough to know that we obviously have different viewpoints on this. Its alright because its neither the first nor the last time this will happen in my life where Ill cross paths with all types of people. And yes….what an amazing thing Martin Luther King Jr spoke for…..I was honored to perform in front of about 5,000 men, women and children who were honoring him this last Monday! His words spoke loudly on his faith in God and you still respect him Soooo lets just leave this as we are two people who think a bit differently in areas! doesn’t mean were handicapped or incompetent…….Im sure your great at the things you do in life Cameron and I assure you Id be in no place to serve the community I do at work in the way I do if I was as incompetent as you originally thought I was….Cathy is my name…and its been an odd pleasure meeting you Cameron:-)

Cameron Newland: Cathy – please clarify something for me…are you a fundamentalist Christian? Perhaps a better way to word it is “do you believe that every word in the bible is fact, that it is the word of god, and that nature was created in only six days?”

If you answer yes to either of those questions, then I think you can understand why I would call such thinking silly and a sign of someone who certainly has a mental handicap or psychosis.

Luckily, there are not very many among us who call themselves fundamentalists. Those silly people–people who blow up airliners in a delusion that they’ll be sent to heaven, those who believe unfathomable things like the primitive biblical creation myth–are vastly outnumbered by moderate Christians who selectively believe in (or don’t believe in) parts of the bible as modernity shines light on the patently ridiculous/inaccurate sections in it.

What I’m saying is that perhaps I have passed judgment on you too early. I made an ASSUMPTION that you believed in a bunch of very silly things, that you were a fundamentalist, which may have been an error on my part. I don’t want to make the same error in assuming you are a moderate Christian, which is why I ask this very important question of you and that you clarify your stance: moderate or fundamentalist, sane or deluded?

Cathy B: Cameron….heres what ill say…Im very SANE and the ppl who blow up planes and kill people as a result are terrorists.

Cameron Newland: So, are you a fundamentalist, or a moderate?

Cameron Newland: It seems that you’re trying to answer that you’re a fundamentalist, but that you are certain that you are sane. I don’t want to read too much into your short answer, though. It’s a mistake (assumption) that I’ve already made.

Cathy B: And you have passed judgement on me too quickly. I assure you of this…. It amazes me that this world was created by God so quickly….and its my FAITH that carries me through the times ive questioned it. Now, there are plenty of things in the Bible that I have yet to learn about and things that I just don’t understand….Ill just have to see where this road of trust, learning and faith in Jesus leads me and while Im at it Ill continue to enjoy the ride Im on called a blessed life:-)

Cameron Newland: But you’ve sidestepped my question: are you a fundamentalist, or a moderate?

(I assure you, I haven’t ultimately passed judgement on you–I will when you answer my question).

Cathy B: Oh….and Ill continue to set my goals and succeed just as I always have before:-)) keeping good attitude along the way while loving and trusting the God Ive come to know:-))

Cameron Newland: Good for you!

Are you a fundamentalist Christian, or a moderate Christian, or neither?

Cameron Newland: I take it by your silence that you believe yourself to be a fundamentalist Christian (please correct me if I’m wrong!)

In my opinion that qualifies you as delusional. I also think that if you had the mental capacity of an average human, you would certainly agree with me.

And I’m so sorry that the educational system in your hometown ([a small town] in the great state of Texas, correct?) was so primitive so as to lead you to delusions instead of toward seeking the truth by humble inquiry. Perhaps your parents/family are to blame for the silly beliefs and schooling had nothing to do with it. I cannot be certain because I don’t know you personally, but either way, I feel very sorry.

I’m glad I got to learn some things about your point of view tonight!

I wish you nothing but the best!

-Cameron Newland

Note: our conversation actually continued after I posted this. Luckily for us, Cathy admitted that she only dabbles in Christian fundamentalism and that she herself thinks certain fundamentalist Christian beliefs are over-the-top and dangerous. I was very happy to hear that Cathy was not in fact a complete fundamentalist, and breathed a sigh of relief.

She then proceeded to lower herself by resorting to an ad hominem attack, calling me an “arrogant ass”, which I thought was quite ironic. Cathy is the one who is so certain of her faith to the point of being arrogant and cocksure. By comparison, my faith in science is quite humble, as it is based on the idea that we do not know everything there is to know and can surely learn much more.

Baked Clay

“Iran on Wednesday test-fired [the Sajjil-2,] an upgraded version of its most advanced missile, which is capable of hitting Israel and parts of Europe, in a new show of strength aimed at preventing any military strike against it amid the nuclear standoff with the West.

…

The name “Sajjil” means “baked clay,” a reference to a story in the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in which birds sent by God drive off an enemy army attacking the holy city of Mecca by pelting them with stones of baked clay,” and this religious reference is a clear sign that Iran shouldn’t be trusted with missiles or nuclear technology. Iran is a theocracy, and hence they have different motivations than secular democracies. Instead of attempting to maintain order and advance their society, their goals may be dictated by an outdated and silly text (the Koran), hence they cannot be trusted with weapons.

It’s frightening that ideologues have taken a country hostage by appealing to their people’s devotion to an ancient text.

One of the reasons that the United States has been relatively stable since its founding (relied on but a single constitution, et cetera) is that we have a completely secular government that eschews fundamentalism. Thomas Jefferson, in a treaty with Tripoli (Barbary pirates), illustrated it best:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of [Muslims]; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Perhaps a lack of fundamentalist ideals means peace, in a sense.

Iran tests long-range missile, raises ire of West – SeattleTimes.com

Greekthink

“As he sat in a cafe with friends in the chic Kolonaki area on a recent afternoon, Antonis, 33, who disclosed only his first name, proudly announced that he refused to pay taxes.

“Why should I pay?” he asked with a grin. “I don’t care about my government; I don’t care about my country,” he added. He conceded, however, that he did care about soccer and women.”

Greece Struggles to Stay Afloat as Debts Pile On – New York Times

Privacy

“[Tiger] Woods has also been aggressive about defending his image. When an Irish magazine published fake nude photographs of his wife several years ago on the eve of the Ryder Cup, Woods’s wife sued — and eventually received an apology and a settlement of more than $180,000, which was donated to charity.

Woods himself received a $1.6 million settlement after he sued the builder of his yacht for using his name and photographs in promotional materials. The yacht was named Privacy.”

Knowledge Pays

There is a very cliche expression that often makes the rounds of economists, which holds that “we live in a knowledge economy,”—having knowledge pays.

A man who died yesterday, Jeffry Picower, has made that abundantly clear.

You probably haven’t heard of Mr. Picower, but that’s just the way he would’ve liked it. A lawyer and an accountant, Picower was known as an expert in tax shelters. He was famous for making things invisible. For example, on January 2, 2003, Picower withdrew $1,378,852 from a curiously named account, “Jln Partnership”, which was managed by none other than Bernard Madoff. When withdrawals across all his accounts were totaled for that day, they amounted to exactly $250 million. Nothing he did was by accident.

Mr. Picower achieved something amazing. He discerned that Bernie Madoff was a fraud years before securities regulators did, and he was able to profit massively from that knowledge. Picower knew that he could go public about Madoff’s ponzi scheme at any time, and therefore held enormous negotiating leverage over Madoff, who would do anything to avoid the disclosure. What Mr. Picower asked for (in exchange for his silence) was substantial: enormous returns from his investment with Madoff, paid for in dollars that belonged to other investors. Picower could demand precise annual percentage gains for his account–much higher than the returns given to other Madoff investors. Picower would pick the number, and Madoff’s people would dutifully backdate trades to update the account balance to Picower’s satisfaction.

Although Madoff ostensibly produced eerily consistent 10-12 percent annual returns for his clients, the returns he provided Picower were other worldly:

In 14 instances between 1996 and 2007, a group of Picower trading accounts experienced annual returns of more than 100 percent. On 25 occasions, the annual return exceeded 50 percent. During this same period, the biggest annual gain in the S&P 500 was 31 percent (1997). The S&P’s annual average for that period was slightly under 9 percent. In 1999, one of Picower’s accounts earned 950 percent.

On April 18, 2006, Picower wired $125 million to Madoff to open a new account. Madoff’s office began “purchasing” securities in the account, but “it backdated the vast majority of these purported transactions to January 2006″ when the stock market was at its lowest for the period. Twelve days later, the net equity value of the account was $164 million, a gain of $39 million – or more than 30 percent – in less than two weeks.

From 1995 to 2008, Picower made 670 withdrawals totaling $6,746,066,548. Initially, he’d invested some $1.6 billion with the fraudster, so this amounted to quite a return on his initial investment.

Was much of his wealth stolen from others? That’s a question that the courts are trying to find out right now, but considering Picower’s prowess for financial sleight-of-hand, we may never know.

Clearly, Picower’s gain from his knowledge of Madoff’s fraud is not an something to look up to, but it surely illustrates the benefits of having more information than others. After all, Picower died a very rich man.

Madoff Client Jeffry Picower Netted $5 Billion—Likely More Than Madoff Himself – ProPublica
Jeffry Picower, Madoff Investor, Found Dead at Home – Bloomberg

Bir Tawil, No Man’s Land

Bir Tawil, which lies between Egypt and Sudan, is a curiousity. It is claimed by neither Egypt nor Sudar, and in fact, each nation insists that the land belongs to the other. With nobody claiming the land, a sovereign nation could be formed there. You know, if you were thinking of creating your own principality or kingdom.

Bir Tawil – Wikipedia

Via Microsiervos.

Disturbing Trends In Global Population Growth

CNN reports that the world’s population is forecast to hit 7 billion in 2011, with the vast majority of its growth coming in developing and, in many cases, the poorest nations:

97 percent of global growth over the next 40 years will happen in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Population Reference Bureau’s 2009 World Population Data Sheet. “The great bulk of today’s 1.2 billion youth — nearly 90 percent — are in developing countries,” said Carl Haub, a co-author of the report. Eight in 10 of those youth live in Africa and Asia.

High fertility rates and a young population base in the developing world will fuel most of the growth, especially in Africa, where women often give birth to six or seven children over a lifetime, the report says. The number is about two in the United States and 1.5 in Canada.

A stark contrast can be drawn between Uganda and Canada, which currently have about 34 million and 31 million residents, respectively. By 2050, Canada’s population is projected to be 42 million, while Uganda’s is expected to soar to 96 million, more than tripling.

“Even with declining fertility rates in many countries, world population is still growing at a rapid rate,” said Bill Butz, president of the bureau. “The increase from 6 billion to 7 billion is likely to take 12 years, as did the increase from 5 billion to 6 billion. Both events are unprecedented in world history.”

Population growth is the biggest problem that our generation will face. Adding bodies and at the same time increasing resource consumption per human is a recipe for disaster.

The silver lining is that, as societies develop, their birthrates go down. Developed areas like Hong Kong and Macau sport responsible fertility rates, with the number of children born per woman at less than 1. South Korea, Singapore, and Japan hover around 1.25 children per woman, and most of Europe is in the 1.25-1.6 range. Canada’s is 1.5, and the United States’ is 2.05–both under the “replacement rate” of 2.2, which would mean zero population growth.

The problem is the poorest nations, including Niger, Guinea-Bissau, and Afghanistan, where women have seven children, on average. How they can support these children, let alone educate them and provide them with quality medical care, is beyond me.

World population projected to reach 7 billion in 2011 – CNN