Space Elevator: Tensile Strength vs. Shear Strength

Thanks xkcd.com

District 9

The critics loved this one. I saw it called the "thinking man's science fiction movie", and everyone was impressed with the idea of aliens that were basically just people, even if they looked like soot-covered giant shrimp.

But there was a plot hole in this movie, a hole big enough to steer the Mothership through, and nobody but me seems to have noticed it. Since it's a plot-driver, it should have been fixed.

A big deal is made of how people can't use the superior alien weaponry since the weapons only work for someone with "prawn" DNA.

Okay, it's likely that within this century, humans too will have weapons that test the DNA of the holder and, for obvious security purposes, won't fire if the wrong person pulls the trigger. But how likely is it that we'll make such weapons with the default setting "work for anyone but only if they're human. No space aliens allowed, please."

How likely is it that we'd even think of such a preposterous setting? Or that the aliens would?

If the alien weapons (and mothership steering console) test DNA, it's so they won't be used by the wrong aliens. The idea of setting them up to check species (and *only* that) is just plain silly.

Getting your FAX straight

from a friend:

This last week I called on the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. I know that everyone is up in arms over credit card abuse and misuse and oddly enough credit card information is not legally protected in Ontario or federally here in Canada. What we do have are laws protecting health information.

So imagine my surprise when I received a fax from a medical testing centre containing the health identification, personal information and test results for a fellow resident here in Ontario. I immediately called the company who sent me the fax and pointed out the error. During the phone call I was asked to confirm information on the fax and to confirm the recipient phone number. I relayed the requested information to the Customer Service Rep and was asked to destroy the fax. Yep, somehow this a customer service issue. Why when I called I was not transferred to a Privacy officer, their representative or to at least a manager is beyond me. Heck, I’m not a customer, and I wasn’t looking to be serviced. I was just trying to help.

Based on the lackadaisical why they treated the company treated the situation I then contacted the Information Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario. This was another interesting exercise. On the www.ipc.on.ca site there are forms for people who lost information and people who think that their information has been lost. There was nothing I could find for people who ‘found’ information. So I sent an email hoping for the best

Hello,

I received at my office, by error, a FAX containing medical information for another person here in Ontario

What should I do?

Within the hour I received a phone call from an IPC representative. I relayed to them what happened and I was requested to provide them with a copy of the fax. I dropped off the evidence on Thursday.

Nothing causes one to think badly of someone quite like seeing the same screw-up happen twice. Yep you guessed it. I received the fax again. This time I skipped a step and called straight to the IPC. I left voice mail and sit here patiently awaiting instructions on my next step. I’m assuming that they will want this copy too.

Leaders Debate

Various Canadian news outlets are talking about the fact the Canadian leader debate is scheduled at the same time as the US VP candidates debate, and how people are going to be sucked into the US debate because of people wanting to see if Sarah Palin can live up to the hype. For me, I want to see if any of the leaders of the Canadian political parties can live up to the hype. I'm still undecided about who I want to vote for, and this debate will hopefully go a long way in helping me make up my mind.

Dion has done nothing to impress me, but here's his chance to explain how the Green Shift will affect me in a positive way. Right now, I am buying into the Conservative ads that it will definitely increase my cost of living. I suspect the assessment is correct, at least for the first year or so, until the tax rebates/refunds kick in. I really need Dion to prove that preception wrong or distorted. I also need to see that Dion can provide anything resembling leadership, and that he can actually stand up to Harper on real issues with more than token disagreement. That would definitely lean me towards the red corner again.

Harper has to prove to me that the Conservative agenda isn't just about touting what a great guy he is, or what a horrible leader Dion is. For me, neither inspires confidence in a party. If you have a plan to sell, lay it out, highlight the good points, and let me decide. I also want to see that the Conservatives have more of a plan than "You can criticize us because the Liberals did this too". You were elected partly on a platform of being better than the Liberals in terms of accountability and leadership. Using the Liberals as a benchmark means that you aren't even aspiring to be better than the Liberals. Sell me on the notion that you have a plan for Canada, and that it is a plan that is good for me, and I am willing to vote blue.

Layton I can never bring myself to vote for, so when he's speaking, I will be chuckling at the great job the Air Farce will do in parodying him. I know, I know, I should cut him some slack, but the "We need someone better than Harper" ads don't lead me to the conclusion that the someone we needs is Jack Layton. And god forbid that Olivia Chow actually becomes Canada's first lady. I would have to stop eating dinner and watching the 6pm news at the same time.

That guy from Quebec isn't running any candidates in my riding, so when it's his turn, that would be a good time for me to go to the bathroom. The end result will likely be the same.

Finally, this is May's chance to prove that the Greens are ready for the big times. The focus of the debate will largely be on the economy, and it will be her chance to show me that the Green party isn't a one issue party. Like Harper, she needs to show me that she has a plan for Canada, and that it is a plan that is good for me. (The plan to increase the GST by 1% and give that money to cities (hopefully) to fund public transit and infrastructure is a good start). More importantly, she needs to show me that she can stand up to the other leaders, that she is able to receive the punches and give back just as much. (And please, no Republican-style Sarah Palin whining about sexism if you lose).

In the end, I suspect that the Liberal candidate in my riding will win by a huge margin, and my vote will count for naught in the grand scheme of Canadian politics, but then if we undecided always voted for who we thought was going to win, our vote is worth nothing.

On the lighter side, tonight was the season premier of The Mercer Report (or Rick Mercer Report), and this was the highlight of the show - the funniest and cutest political parody ad of all time:

Red Sheep, Blue Tribe

I normally stay away from writing about politics. I’ll give you two reasons.

• The noble reason: I like to think I’m above the fray, and I’m not interested enough to stay on top of every issue.

However, I don’t really consider this a political post. Because American politics is no longer political, it’s cultural.

For your consideration, here are a few snippets of so-called political discourse culled from Twitter in the last couple of days:

• “Michelle “Shaniqua” Obama Bin Laden Proven To Be A Racist”




• “Please keep coming back to Philadelphia, jackhole”(in reference to McCain)




• “…if Obama was white, he would have been laughed out of the primary runoff.”




• “Talking Barbie said ‘Math is Hard.’ Talking Caribou Barbie says ‘Foreign Policy is Hard.’”




• “…tell me Sarah Palin isn’t a pigf***er.”.

What is wrong with you people? What is wrong with all of us?

Why do we act like soccer hooligans when it comes to politics? There is no civility any more, no critical thinking. Both sides see in black and white. Listen to the pundits on TV or read the bloggers. They cannot say a single good word about someone on the other side. The “strategists” have an excuse; spin is their job. But for the rest of us: has our diet of sound bites made us so intellectually lazy that we just swallow all that?

Everyone on the left is a hippie, a terrorist, or an anarchist. Everyone on the right is evil, stupid, a hypocrite, or just plain out of touch. Are we that different from each other?

Or are we just preaching to our own choirs in our own echo chambers, having forgotten how to have intelligent discourse with someone who doesn’t think just like us? We hide in our red-state or blue-state tribes, and we have lost the ability to relate to people outside of our little boxes. The ideals of those on the other side are lunacy to us, because we don’t know anyone who thinks like that.

We surround ourselves with people who think like us, talk like us, look like us. Thanks to the Internet, if we don’t live near anyone just like us, we can still be friends with them on Facebook. We don’t have to talk to the neighbors next door if we don’t like their bumper sticker. But on Twitter, or the blogs, we can be pretty certain that we’re among “friends” and everyone’s going to agree with everything we say. If not, well, it’s easy to call people names with a keyboard.

So much for the marketplace of ideas.

I promised you two reasons I don’t like to write about politics, didn’t I?

• The honest reason: I’m afraid it would alienate me from 99 percent of the people in my tribe. I have a college degree. I write and I build Web sites. I use a Mac (and you can have it when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers). You tell me who I’m supposed to vote for.

The problem is, I have a few too many Red Tribe values that, as far as I can tell, aren’t shared by the leader of the Blue Tribe.

But you know what? Who cares?

In truth, I’d take either candidate at this point. All four people in the race are amazing human beings with admirable qualities: courage, dignity, wisdom, spunk. Or do you have so little faith in our political system that you think only one side of the machine turns out decent products? George Bush is the worst president ever. No wait, Bill Clinton was. No, I’m pretty sure it’s the next guy, whichever one it turns out to be.

Besides, this country is not a dictatorship (no, not even after the last eight years). One President does not make or break the country. People complain that it’s hard to get things done in Washington. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s why I hold my nose and cheer for the two-party system.

America needs people that stand up for the little guy and make sure everyone gets their fair shot at the dream. America also needs people that want the government to get out of the way so that individuals can achieve the dream.

I swear it’s a coincidence that I started writing this post on September 11, but God help us if it takes another one of those to put us all back on the same side of the fence.

You are my backup, my only backup

(you know the tune)

You are my backup
My only backup
You make me happy
When files are saved
You'll never know tape
How much I trust you
Please don't take my files away

The other nite, dear
As I was typing
I accidentally removed 5 files
When I tried, dear
I could not recover
And I hung my head and cried

You are my backup
My only backup
You make me happy
When files are saved
You'll never know tape
How much I trust you
Please don't take my files away

I'll always trust you
And make my backup
If you fail me
By CRC corruption
Then I'll have no backup
I should test restore some days

You are my backup
My only backup
You make me happy
When files are saved
You'll never know tape
How much I trust you
Please don't take my files away

-rd- Aug 5, 2008

None of the Above?

So, if Angus Reid were to call me today, and ask, "If a federal election were held today, which party would you vote for?", the interviewer would be faced with a long pause, followed by "None of the Above?"

"So, you are undecided?"

"No, I am decided, and I don't want to vote for any of the federal parties."

Having been a loyal federal Liberal all my voting life, I nevertheless find myself unable to vote for any party led by Stephane Dion. He was elected as an agent of change and principle by the Liberal youth vote, and his first change was to remove the spine from the federal Liberal party. His decisions to vote up or down a bill is not based on whether or not the bill would forward Liberal principles, but only on whether or not he thinks (at that very moment) the Liberal party can win the next election. By abstaining, the Liberals are allowing laws to pass that they don't feel are good laws. So much for being a man of principle. At this point, the federal Liberal platform is meaningless because they aren't willing to advance with any sort of seriousness for fear they might have to face the voters.

My next option is to vote Conservative. At the provincial level, I have voted PC for at least the last two elections, because Dalton has done nothing to convince me that he isn't a typical lying, evasive politician. John Tory at least seems willing to work with the governnment to pass legislation that he feels are good for Ontarians (such as the TTC back to work order). (I know, I know, they voted for their pay raise, but at least they voted on principle, even if it means pissing the voters off).

But Stephen Harper is a different type of conservative. He advocates accountability, but limits the press' ability to ask questions to his MPs and staff. He advocates transparency of government, but even the auditor general feels that his new laws in this area would hide things like Ad-Scam due to the numerous new loopholes it creates. And boy, does he love loopholes. Just look at the "In-and-out" scandal. The official position is, "We didn't do anything wrong because we interpreted election law differently". Wow.

I can't bring myself to vote for any political party, at any level, led by Jack Layton. I danced the Lotto 6/49 Happy Dance when Olivia Chow lost in Spadina Centre.

Greens? Maybe, but voting for a one issue party is bound to bring nasty surprises.

So, to summarize:
Liberals - not willing to stand up for their principles
Conservatives - lives too much by the "do what I say, not what I do" principle
NDP - ABJ (anyone but Jack)
Greens - a party where everyone wants to be the environment minister doesn't make a good government

Miller Time

When the going gets tough -- the tough get going. And sometimes, when the going gets really tough -- the tough get really gone.

During the toughest negotiation Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union has faced, Mayor David Miller got himself gone all the way to China. Then, returning just when a strike-averting agreement was being reached, Miller somehow managed becoming situated as if he’d saved the day.

Union president Bob Kinnear, for instance, had some suspicions the day got saved by Miller. Though uncertain how transit strike was averted entirely by Miller, Kinnear must have had profound suspicions when saying,

I think it's evident the mayor did get involved. If it wasn't the mayor, somebody from city hall sent a new directive.

But Mayor Miller is far too modest, smart or magnanimous to accept such false credit. Mayor Miller stomps false credit down flat. Insists it was TTC negotiators that did the bargaining. And not just this time around. All that credit Miller got for TTC strike-averting 3 years ago when speaking directly to Kinnear? Ayup. Miller stomped it all flatter’n shoe-paste. Said it amounted to a five-minute phone call in which he merely asked the union leader to go back to the table. Which phone call he could as easily have made from China. Maybe even called collect -- as a cost-cutting measure.

Goes to show how well we do without Mayor Miller when the going really gets tough in Greater Toronto. Heck. Some might say we’d do far better without. But here’s the thing. They’re having a rough go of it in China. Falling over themselves, tumbling all over the world stage. Yet they listen to Mayor Miller in China. In China, it might be singularly when Miller raises Tibet human rights issues that the rights message gets clearly heard.

That’s where our Mayor can do the most good. In China -- not in Greater Toronto. Seriously. He could tell Chinese partisans how, despite being for human rights in Tibet, the West is absolutely not against China. How fascinated by Chinese capitalism we are in the West -- having not ourselves experienced capitalism so unrestrained since the English industrial revolution. How, despite always rejecting communism, we have become far more socialist in the West than in China. What embarrassment demonizing the Dalai Lama is for China. What shame abducting Panchen Lama -- world’s youngest political prisoner -- brings to China. What humiliation staging anti-Western protests constitutes for China. As if nobody knew what happens to unauthorized protest rallies in China. Come on, Chinese partisans -- there's no staging anything that inept without laugh-tracks.

Most of all, Miller should venture Canadian help and expertise when it comes to Tibet. China would do well to seek Canadian advice instead of silence. Because China’s sovereignty issues can’t hold either water or candles relative to Canada’s. Chinese partisans would not be called upon to permit referenda -- as in Canada. Chinese partisans would never have to seriously negotiate land claims -- as in Canada. None of the above. All Tibetans seek is some cultural autonomy. Come on, Chinese partisans -- what's the big deal? Relative to Canada’s sovereignty issues, China’s can be walked through parks off-leash most sunny days.

They really listen to Mayor Miller in China. In China, Mayor Miller gets clearly heard. So never mind talking to Dalai Lama -- since no way would Chinese partisans listen to anything he’d have to say. Never mind releasing Panchen Lama –- who’s not likely talking or even breathing by now. It’s Mayor Miller Chinese partisans should be talking and listening to. Some quality Miller time might chill them right out. And if Greater Toronto gets lost without him -- we’re just a phone call away. Toronto would never hang up on Miller -- not even if he did call collect.

Miller overlooking Great Wall of China screenshot from here.

dis-Junction

Back when I first moved to the Junction -- 20 years ago -- no one ever called it that. None had heard of any Junction. And even if they had, residents would never have called it that. Not for love nor for money.

Back then, reference had to be roundabout. Indirect. Oblique. This was Bloor-West -- North. Or High-Park -- West. In events of direst emergency, it became Annette Village. Dire emergencies as when clients confronted real-estate agents with: “You mean it’s (gasp) north of Annette?”

Like some geographic sore spot or socio-economic canker, it was way too unmentionable to rate its own designation. Blemishes seldom get personalized nameplates.

Then, suddenly, everything changed. Everything that mattered. First, the City finally repealed its prohibition against alcohol in the Junction. The economically devastating prohibition lingering in the Junction until 1997. Which meant that instead of lurching along Dundas West, guzzling from paper bags, I could actually sit myself down at excellent neighbourhood pubs. Like Axis, for instance -- where nobody knows my name but they’re damn friendly anyway.


Axis: among first and best post-prohibition Junction watering-holes.

Second thing that really changed in the Junction was when the City installed spectacular-looking, historically relevant light posts all along Dundas West. All the way from Keele to Runnymede. Reminding everyone how great the Junction used to be -- late in the 19th century.


One light to remember the Junction’s better days by.

Now, the Junction has become almost idyllic. People boast living here -- despite what traces of old economic sores remain. Despite how, in the Junction, all sides used to be wrong of the tracks.

Tough either quantifying or qualifying such transformation. Once, Dundas West was considered fraught and hazardous. Now, biking back from downtown during rush-hour, one feels nothing but relieved crossing Keele. Motor vehicles make some room. Instead of swerving around parked-car doors opening in one’s face, smiles are exchanged with motorists waiting until one’s safely passed by. And it’s been quite a while since I’ve heard the fear of walking Dundas West after sundown expressed. Day or night, people seem to flock this way.

That’s what really struck me a couple days back. How flocking to Dundas West might be getting a bit ridiculous. See, this building got knocked down between Keele and Pacific. Then, instead of new building, there was this sort-of stage erected on that lot.


Some sort of stage.

The other day, on this sort-of stage, there were people in top-hats and bonnets. Also, a crowd gathered round watching. A rather large crowd. So large that I roller-bladed the periphery of it spilling into the street.


Spilling in the streets.

Turned out to be guided-tourism. No doubt by the Junction Historical Society. Got me curious enough to rush home, dump roller-blades, grab camera, hop on bicycle and rush back. What I wanted to know was this: would tourism-guides point out sores and cankers remaining from the Junction’s bad old days? Or would focus get restricted to the Junction’s more ancient, spectacular history -- and the new, so much improved look?

There are plenty sore spots remaining. Architectural restoration and improvements along Dundas West of Keele shoulder tight against a century’s dilapidated neglect and dereliction. Certainly some business survives -- even prospers. Yet, despite famously cheap rents, there linger legacies of the ghost-town this used to be. Commercial activity still fails so predictably and repeatedly here -- storefronts get boarded up and papered over just about more often than not.

Listening in best I could -- nothing said about the bad old days. How residue from those days still lingers. Ancient history? Heaps. Everything new and improved? Loads. The days in between and reasons how bad those were? Nothing I could hear.


As if the ghost of McBride Cycles weren't looming right there.


Strenuously ignoring commercial ghost across from McBride's.

There's so much remaining to ignore in the Junction. Historic tourist-guiding must demand real careful stepping. Almost like around open graves in otherwise splendid grave-yards.


Spectres of a former Handyman's..


Of a former Upholsterer's..


Even the long-abandoned corpse of an overly Hasty Market.

That’s why I’m so not into history. Including the Junction’s. Because how often history seems to mean the mistakes we’re bound to repeat.

Failing Economics II

Hey -- what’s with the partial nudity?

That’s just how Robert Nadeau regards economists. Because, according to his recent article in Scientific American, economists are scientifically ignorant. That’s why, on his view,

Unscientific assumptions in economic theory are undermining efforts to solve environmental problems.

Essentially, Nadeau’s argument isn’t that economic theories are inconsistent. Only absurdly incomplete. As if mainstream economists were describing nothing but straight narrow portions of spectacularly long winding roads. Thus, particularly when it comes to ecological impacting, economists mislead us. Their theories can’t lead us anywhere we need to go.

Economic theories are misleading rather than explanatory due to how absurdly incomplete they are. Nadeau is calling for economic upgrades:

Because neoclassical economics does not even acknowledge the costs of environmental problems and the limits to economic growth, it constitutes one of the greatest barriers to combating climate change and other threats to the planet. It is imperative that economists devise new theories that will take all the realities of our global system into account.

Some economists might not take Nadeau’s threat to tinker economics lying down, though. “Bender”, for instance, commented that,

In an article purportedly discussing economic analysis and environmental policy neither externality nor externalities ever appeared! I don’t know which is more depressing, that someone could be stupid and ignorant enough to produce this tripe or that the Scientific American has sunk so low as to publish it.

How pedantic. That's exactly what Nadeau's talking about -- how overwhelming economic externalities like ecology are getting. But Nadeau not utilising the specific terms “Bender” recognizes resulted in “Bender” utterly missing Nadeau’s point. Standard economic theories mislead us precisely because environmental crisis constitutes such overwhelming externality.

Nadeau’s right, of course. We are rushing full steam and toxic waste to being overwhelmed. Not just economically.

But should economists seek to internalize theoretically and factually overwhelming externalities like environmental crisis? No. By no means. Absolutely not. There is no economic solution to our problems. Rather, let’s better appreciate how limited and incomplete economic theories are -– and let’s start looking way past economics for what it means to be more natural. What it means to be at all natural.

Can we do that? Toronto living is just about the most economically affluent anywhere –- ever. We expect some economic turbulence ahead. Will we be willing to look past it –- for what it means to be more natural? Or do we remain forever fixated on economic maximizing -- regardless how affluent we get? Regardless the cost to everything natural so precariously remaining?

[Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.]

Screenshot from here.

This Browser Officially Hijacked

This is what you’ll see when your household exceeds the bandwidth quota allotted by Rogers.

You’ll be sure to see it. Rogers will hijack your browser and show it to you.

And your browser window will wind up looking like this:


But I refused to believe it this morning when it happened to me. What -- over 60 gigs? Just in March? No way. I monitor every last drop of bandwidth percolating through the router. No way.

That’s what I said when I finally got through that crazy voice recognition system of Rogers’. No way.

“Well,” replied their living and breathing tech support fellow, “what does your record show?”

“20 gigs -– give or take a few,” I growled. All indignant.

So we compared daily bandwidth records. And it turned out I was totally wrong. The 20 gigs I’d been looking at? Corresponded with the last 10 days’ use. Only.

“Alright, fine,” I relented. “But how confident are you guys in tracking everyone’s bandwidth? And what will you do when individuals dispute your readings? How will you resolve that?”

“Pretty confident,” he said. “We’ve been testing the hell out of it. Of course, computers do make mistakes. And in such cases, customers self-tracking their bandwidth will stand a good chance of getting credited.”

“Ok, but why do it at all?” I asked. “Didn’t your high-speed customers sign up for unlimited use?”

“We have no choice,” he replied. “We pay for bandwidth and now it’s getting to the point where some customers are using 200 gigs. More even. That’s what’s wrecked it for everyone else.”

Ok. Fair enough. But still. The link provided by Rogers to view one’s bandwidth usage -- rogers.com/keepingpace –- is not accessible. In fact, Rogers’ website has been down all day. How to trust Rogers’ bandwidth tracking everyone –- when Rogers can’t even keep their own website up?

I’ll keep right on self-tracking, thank you. And this whole browser hijacking thing? I’ll have to think about that some more. Because, going by first impressions –- it just seems like some sort of security nightmare. But first, I’m gon’na find out who’s been abusing the torrents @ my household last month. That’s one mystery won’t require much brilliance detecting.

[Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.]

p.s.: Are there any decent providers left -- or is the whole virtual universe getting chocked by Bell "traffic shaping"? Anyone know -- Carolyn, Richard?

Beyond Ignorance and Understanding

Not long ago, I wrote that we clash cultures while the world plunges to climate-change hell in burning hand-baskets.

Sure there might be some hoping for the future -- if only human beings bothered understanding cultural principles and ideologies better. Cultural principles and ideologies defining who people are -- and who the enemies of the people are. Because then, just maybe, we might start bridging gaps between ourselves and cultural others by discourse -- rather than plugging them with bullets.

But better understanding is not enough. If cultural ignorance of self and others escalates conflicts, let’s absolutely struggle against ignorance. What to do, though, when hatred precedes mis-understanding? When the hatred precedes and surpasses all ignorance? When we set out to genocide cultural others -- knowing full-well what we set out to do?

That’s what I was confronted with on Thursday while at York University. How hatred has a life and death wish all its own. Surpassing both ignorance and understanding.

First there was the Toronto Star article about China’s ambassador to Canada accusing Dalai Lama of “telling lies to the world” and masterminding violence in Tibet. Lu Shumin actually expects us to believe the Dalai Lama is some sort of lying, violent devil. That the Dalai Lama just pretends to be an angel. According to Lu Shumin,

Dalai Lama has presented himself to be a peaceful, like an angel kind of figure, for such a long time.. the Western public take this for granted…

Sorry, Mr. Ambassador. Every public in the world knows the lies are all yours. Because everybody knows the Dalai Lama is as close to angels as human beings get. Everyone knows where the Dalai Lama stands against violence. So best luck with your crass, transparent vilifying and demonizing campaigns, Mr. Ambassador. Such lies do nothing against the Dalai Lama -- they just trample the shreds of China’s dignity from the world stage.

And then, doing my usual rounds, I started hearing ululations. Following the sounds of which across campus led me to Vari Hall -- and this unbelievable mob scenery.

Not just the regular mob that occupies Vari Hall, though. Nope. Now there were two mobs. As if the regular had somehow, amoeba-like, split. Found themselves waving different flags. Just went collectively insane. Competing to drown each other out by megaphone-amplified histrionics. Barely separated by York security guards. With eight police cruisers parked right outside -- just waiting for York security to collapse.

There were a couple signs getting totally ignored up in the rafters -- requesting dialogue instead of mob-action on campus. And on spur of that moment, it seemed I could do better. After all, hadn’t I been writing articles against cultures clashing and dashing the future of everything natural to cinders?

That’s why I laid me down between mobs. Vaguely hoping the mobs would realize that by lying down between them I was standing up for the future.

Well, the mobs paid no slightest heed. Either didn’t notice or didn’t care. York security, though, reacted instantly.

“Sir! You are going to have to move. Right now!”

“Where to?” I asked.

“One side or the other, sir. Right now!”

Great. York security demanded I pick sides. So I settled for walking back and forth. Asked a few questions. Read some literature.

Nearest I could make out, the entire dispute was semantic. Whether the border fencing separating Israelis, Palestinians and Egyptians ought to get called an “apartheid wall” or not.

Well, wasn’t that obvious? Of course it shouldn’t. Apartheid is offensive -- not defensive. When walls are defensive life-savers, we tend to think of them as being great. Not just when they’re huge -- like the Great Wall of China. Also when they’re relatively smaller. Like that wall of Hadrian’s. Even when they’re relatively tiny fortifications. They’re all great when built as defensive life-savers.

The Berlin Wall was offensive. It was pretty huge -- but it sure wasn’t great. No way was the Berlin Wall defensive.

The real issue, of course, is how to quench burning cultural hatred such as surrounding Israel and Tibet. Before it’s too late. Can better cultural understanding suffice to span gaps and contradictions between human cultures by dialogue instead of bullets? Not likely.

But not because the issues are too complex to resolve. To the contrary. When it comes to Tibet, Communist Chinese partisans keep demanding Canadians remain silent. Otherwise, how would Canadians like it if China began agitating for Quebec sovereignty -- or the return of our home and native lands to the native peoples they were stolen from?

Such nonsense. China ought to seek Canadian advice instead of silence. Because China would not even be called upon to permit referenda or seriously negotiate land claims in Tibet. All Tibetans seek is some cultural autonomy. Relative to Canada’s sovereignty issues, China’s can be walked through parks on any sunny day.

Issues get a tad more complicated when it comes to Israel and Palestine -- but not too much. All distinct peoples and societies must possess territorial integrity to secure cultural autonomy. Otherwise, absent some territorial integrity and cultural autonomy, distinct peoples are at constant risk of genocide. That’s just how we are once cultures get clashing. What else is human history even about other than our clashing cultures?

Hence, Palestinians must have their own country. But not a shittier littler country to stew in eternal resentment, for crying out loud. Palestinians must have a country they can be proud of. A country they can proudly work to build -- rather than constantly looking to destroy someone else's.

That’s why everybody has got to chip in. Not just the Israelis with the West Bank and Gaza. Everybody. Internationally. Jordan can give up a little space, surely, on the river’s east bank. Egypt can provide a chunk of the Sinai. Why not? These would just be territorial crumbs. But crumbs which, together, would create a decent dignified future.

So simple. Palestine must be larger than Israel. Come on, Arab brothers. Contribute. Just some crumbs from your laden territorial tables. The days of the Palestinian people foddering your cannons against Israel are over. You threatened Palestinians to leave, to get out of your way when you came shooting to genocide Israel in 1948. Yet Israel still stands. You promised Palestinians they’d return to feasting on the corpse of Israel. And not only haven’t you delivered to this day and age -- you continue burying the Palestinian people, heaping perpetual shame on them as refugees. As if Israel still standing were their fault instead of yours. But it was your threats and broken promises, Arab brothers, which broke Palestinians from their homes. It is your duty, Arab brothers, to contribute making the Palestinian people whole again.

Contribute, Arab brothers. Don't shrug off every responsibility onto Israel -- there must be more honour. And give up levering the Palestinian people to genocide Israel already. You've been trying for 60 years. Give it up. If god were willing, you would long since have succeeded. Help make the future better, please. Not always worse. Come on. How hard can it be? Any future would be better.

No. The issues are not too complicated to resolve. Not if better futures were desired. But, of course, there’s no intention of making anything better once cultural hatred starts burning out of control. Sometimes cultures do clash due to plain ignorance or misunderstanding. The U.S. invasion of Iraq, for instance, ought to have been averted by better intelligence, better understanding and a little less ignorance. But too often, once hatred flames out of control, cultures can’t stop clashing. No matter what. Not until at least one is extinguished.

Because hatred can’t be extinguished once cultural others come to be regarded as antithetical to everything good and proper. When some cultural other merely continuing to exist becomes unbearably humiliating. In such cases, vilifying and demonizing cease reflecting strategic lies and tactical propaganda. The hatred expressed in such cases is genuine -- honestly reflecting sensations of utter humiliation entailed by the cultural other merely existing. The cultural other comes to embody everything which hinders attainment and the manifest destiny of one's people.

In this sense, Chinese leadership demonizing the Dalai Lama indicates profound humiliation that Tibetan culture continues existing. Chinese leadership expects to be believed despite what the whole world has been witnessing for decades -- how the Dalai Lama stands against hatred and every manner of inadvisable material attachment. Because Tibetan culture continuing existing, cankering China's becoming super-powerful and preparing to host Olympic Games, necessarily means the Dalai Lama must be some sort of lying, violent devil.

Just the same in the case of Islam and Israel. Islam can never stop shooting at Israel because nothing can more profoundly humiliate Islam than Israel continuing to exist. How can Israel’s existing 60 years despite all Islam’s best efforts even be conceived? Like, whose side is god on, anyhow? It can’t be conceived. Islamic maps deny even the geographic fact of Israel. That’s why it doesn’t matter what Israel does. From how much land occupied in defensive wars Israel retreats. How great the walls Israel builds to defend itself are. What truces Israel ratifies. How relatively well Muslim citizens fare in Israel. None of that matters. Islam can’t ever stop shooting at Israel. When Israel builds walls to stop violence, Islamic leaders vilify those walls as if offensive rather than defensive. Since Islamic leaders honestly don’t get how Israel could be entitled to self-defend. When Israel gets forced to shoot back at Islam in self-defence, Islamic leaders holler that Israel commits genocide. Despite how unabashed Islamic leaders have been calling for Israel’s genocide since 1948. Despite how some Islamic leadership is actually chartered on genociding Israel. Despite how Israeli culture was conceived in resisting genocide. Despite how desperate Israel is for peace with Islam -- i.e., to not itself get genocided. None of that matters. Israel continuing existing entails such humiliation for Islamic culture -- it means Israel must be the genocider rather than the genocidee. Thus, when vilifying and demonizing Israel, Islamic leadership isn’t intending to lie. They are just expressing their feelings of cultural humiliation -- and reminding us, once again, how to really hate.

We can’t always be forgiven for not knowing what we do. Sometimes we know perfectly well -- but our hatred surpasses all ignorance or understanding. Times like that, it doesn’t matter whether we boycott the Olympic Games. Since, whether we boycott them or not, these games will likely come to be known as the Cultural Genocide Olympics. Nor does it much matter what road-maps we draw to Middle-East peace. There’s no place for Israel on Islamic maps. Ultimately, the power of hatred to clash human cultures suggests Armageddon will long precede our climate-change hell. And, if only so, the world might become a far better, more natural place.

[Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.]

Dalai Lama image screenshot from here -- CBC interview with the Dalai Lama. Very much worth reading.

Disputation Arenas: Harnessing Conflict and Competitiveness for Society's Benefit

an article by David Brin, Ph.D.

This unusual article looks at how truth is determined in our four 'accountability arenas' -- science, democracy, courts and markets. It was lead article in the American Bar Association's Journal on Dispute Resolution (Ohio State University), v.15, N.3, pp 597-618, Aug. 2000.

Copyright © 2000 by David Brin. All rights reserved. No duplication or resale without permission.

Dr. Brin's the 3-part article:

I. The Need for a New Kind of Dispute Resolution

II. Toward a New Dispute-Resolution Process for the 21st Century

III: A Concept for Implementation

No Obligation to not Offend?

With mainstream media attention recurring weekly, scrutiny of human rights commissions has been unprecedented in 2008. But not any more. Now it’s just about daily. Even on Saturdays and Sundays.

Nothing even suggests abatement. Instead of subsiding, mainstream criticism is escalating. Swelling. And today it might be just about to burst. Because, as the Post’s Joseph Brean announced,

.. Tuesday, at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in Ottawa, one of Canada's most prominent white supremacist propagandists.. will put the country's entire human rights bureaucracy on the witness stand… The curious thing.. is that Mr. Lemire, the last president of the now defunct neo-Nazi Heritage Front, enjoys the qualified support of a Liberal MP, PEN Canada, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association -- even a leader of B'nai Brith Canada.

Which so goes to showing and telling how questionable the antics of human rights bureaucracies seem to Canadians. By all means -- let’s find out. This day the interrogators get interrogated.

How has it come to this? Why do we regard human rights commissions with such suspicion? How have human rights bureaucracies heaped such undivided public disrepute upon themselves?

The Star’s Haroon Siddiqui would like us to believe shameless detractors have got nothing to object but justified limitations to free speech. That’s the only reason why detractors, as he alludes,

.. argue that human rights commissions have no business limiting free speech. [Despite how] by law it is the business of several of these tribunals to assess and curb hate speech…

What nonsense, Mr. Siddiqui. We get that speech must sometimes be constrained. As when shouting “Fire!” in crowded theatres. And we totally get how justified tribunals are to curb hate speech. What we do not and should not get is these tribunals hurdling from curbing hate speech to imposing false obligations to not offend on Canadians.

That’s what we do not and should not get. How, as Darren Lund warned, these tribunals test the limits of expression:

[Far as tribunals are concerned] ..the test is fairly straightforward: Freedom of expression must be limited when it calls for hatred and violence against vulnerable people.

Because, should Mr. Lund be right as we suspect -- that kind of testing isn’t just wrong. It’s evil. Nobody is invulnerable to hatred and violence. When it comes to human rights, expressing hatred and calling for violence must always be limited. Always. Not just when these tribunals deem whatsoever expression to be against the vulnerable -- i.e., by the invulnerable or not so vulnerable.

Tests for limiting expression must absolutely never fail to address real distinctions between hate speech -- and speech which is merely offensive. Regardless who speakers are deemed to be. All hate speech is offensive. But not every offensive expression qualifies as hate speech. For how invariably offensive are inconvenient and troubling truths? Just so. By failing to distinguish hate from offensive speech, by creating false obligations to not offend, what will tribunals most particularly silence? Most particularly: inconvenient and troubling truths.

Tribunals must cease curbing people from shouting “Fire!” in crowded theatres whenever there actually are fires in crowded theatres. Regard for truth must be understood to contradict allegations of hatred. Hatred entails some sufficiently reckless disregard for truth. Otherwise, if identity of speakers suffices for tribunals to conclude hatred absent any disregard for truth in speech, then tribunals assail the most basic fundamental values and principles of Canadian society.

Invulnerability of speakers? Vulnerability of listeners? For how long? If tribunals keep hinging hatred on identity, how long before Canadian society becomes stratified by systems of enforced deference? How long until regard for truth ceases to protect against allegations of hatred or defamation? How long until we cease daring expressing any truth to power?

Hinging hatred on identity is precisely contrary to human rights. Contrary to the basic fundamental rights of each, every and all Canadians. That’s why we must resist tribunals imposing obligations to not offend on Canadians. Guard against tribunals’ inquisitorial character. Because this is how the long and slippery slope to totalitarianism spirals. With initially isolated scapegoating and witch-hunting. But only to start with.

[Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.]

Image above screenshot from here.

Failing Economics

Now there's a story at the Globe & Mail about how "Canada begins tracking U.S. into slump". The implication being we need not worry -- it's only going to be a "slump".

Meanwhile, there's opinions published at the Globe about how "Global capitalism teeters on the brink". Meaning that economies everywhere aren't just slumping or flirting with recession or depression. Nope. Economies are teetering. On the brink of what? Destruction? Annihilation? Obliteration?

Fair enough. Nobody knows how bad the economic news will get. In Toronto everything seems fine. Across Canada inflation is down while consumer demand, housing starts and home prices are all up. But by this time next year? Who knows.

Other than soothing present anxiety, there's not much point even trying to predict economic futures. However. Is it possible to avoid economic disasters? Can we learn anything from this one? Who is to blame?

Back in August 2007, the Globe ran a piece suggesting we ought to blame our economic disasters on 77 year-old widows living on social security and refinancing their homes in order to pay for medical bills. Because, by unwittingly stepping into the arcane world of subprime lending, Ms. Barron was, in fact,

.. helping to set in motion a chain of events that has rocked financial markets around the world and left few investors untouched.

And it didn't sound like they were kidding. But why would Globe editors run any story insinuating "The face of the global credit crisis" belonged to Ms. Barron? As if any global crisis should ever get blamed on elderly widows? As if refinancing homes to pay for medical bills happened so frequently often as to demolish whole economies? Why, other than as a truly sad joke, would Globe editors run stories blaming Ms. Barron's demographic?

No clue. Ought to call and ask why. Except, going by what happened last time -- better not to call or ask them anything at the Globe.

Best guess? Globe editors prefer blaming anyone but those actually responsible. They’d blame medically distressed elderly widows living on social security if it meant turning blind eyes to the real source of North-American irresponsibility.

It wasn’t the medically distressed elderly poor. Nor was it just the rich getting too greedy. Let's stop pointing such false fingers. Regardless whether in illness or good health, for richer or relatively poorer -- it continues to be across every North-American demographic that we’ve become irresponsibly and obscenely greedy.

Whether using our home equities as ATM machines. Or lending no money down. Or securitizing bad lending practices. North-Americans across every socio-economic spectrum are fully to blame.

Not to say all speculating is wrong. To the contrary. But liquidating our own homes? Securitizing our debts? Hedge-funding our obligations? When we agree to do so across every demographic? How can consequences not assume biblical proportions when we so shamelessly rob and sacrifice the future to our all-consuming, devouring greed?

The irresponsibility of North-American greed. It is not just natural or regular greed. Economically, ecologically, personally and culturally -- it is obscene. And while I fear the pragmatic consequences like anyone else -- in principle, I am glad. Almost eager to observe the spillage from this tempest we’ve been brewing in each and all our cups. Just maybe we’ll learn something.

[Peter Fruchter teaches in the Division of Humanities at York University.]

Image above screenshot from here.