Naomi Wolf wrote a good How-To article on how to turn a democracy into a fascist state. However, her example of the 2006 Thailand Coup as an example of a process of turning Thailand into a fascist state is wrong. It's closer to the truth to view the coup as turning a proto-fascist government of Thaksin Shinawatra into a proto-democratic state. In this respect, the U.S.A. is in even more trouble than Thailand since there's nobody to stop the process of fascism. It might be wise to heed the advice of this retired soldier.
I wrote my voluminous impression of the coup in the past. After a year, I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with the result. There are so many things that could have been done by the people who seized power to prepare Thailand for a stable democracy. Instead, it's quite likely that Thailand will go into more vicious cycles of failed democracy after this coming election since many of the same politicians who bought votes will likely be in the parliament again.
BTW, you can see Naomi Wolf in talking about her book in this video clip.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
If You Have To Die, Try To Die In Chilled Liquid
It seems that injecting cold saline solution into the body after the heart stops can prevent enough cell death that you can be resurrected!
There is another related news article about reviving the dead here.
Here is an excerpt from the first news article:
61-year-old Bill Bondar is living proof that people can be brought back from the dead.
"I didn't know I died, I didn't feel anything, I still don't believe it," Bill said.
"I looked at his face, and I was looking at a dead man," Bill's wife Monica said.
It happened just after the couple left a jam session. Bill collapsed outside their home, lifeless.
"That was the most frightening thing I ever saw in my life and I knew my husband was gone. He was gone," said Monica.
Paramedics were able to restart his heart, but that's just part of the battle. Cells continue to die, and there can be damage to vital organs like the brain, that could be fatal.
There is another related news article about reviving the dead here.
Here is an excerpt from the first news article:
61-year-old Bill Bondar is living proof that people can be brought back from the dead.
"I didn't know I died, I didn't feel anything, I still don't believe it," Bill said.
"I looked at his face, and I was looking at a dead man," Bill's wife Monica said.
It happened just after the couple left a jam session. Bill collapsed outside their home, lifeless.
"That was the most frightening thing I ever saw in my life and I knew my husband was gone. He was gone," said Monica.
Paramedics were able to restart his heart, but that's just part of the battle. Cells continue to die, and there can be damage to vital organs like the brain, that could be fatal.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Bizarre Experiments
See how far people were willing to go in the name of science! Here are twenty very surprising/strange/horrifying/or just plain cool experiments collected by Alex Boese, the author of Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments.
I especially like #2, #7, #12, #16, #17, and #19.
I especially like #2, #7, #12, #16, #17, and #19.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The World Really Needs Peaceful Muslims' Help
These pictures left me speechless and very sad. We should all be able to live and let live, but fundamentalist nuts from various religions are spoiling it for everyone.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Top Censored Stories
Top 25 Censored Stories of 2008, of 2007, of other years. You can find out about Project Censored here.
It's good to hear news that didn't make it to the mainstream. It sharpens my conspiracy theory instinct and it is true quite often :-)
In Thailand, it seems that most mainstream news outlets exist only to make money and keep the population numb enough for the Pyramid of Capitalist System. We should have a list for Thailand too.
It's good to hear news that didn't make it to the mainstream. It sharpens my conspiracy theory instinct and it is true quite often :-)
In Thailand, it seems that most mainstream news outlets exist only to make money and keep the population numb enough for the Pyramid of Capitalist System. We should have a list for Thailand too.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A Few Useful Tips Forwarded To Me
How to use salt to tenderize steak,
Many uses of tennis balls,
Solar cooling and heating of your home,
How to make your own biodiesel, and
HOW TO BECOME INVISIBLE (for only $24.95, with free bonus books: SECRETS OF SEXUAL SEDUCTION and THE WIZARD'S BOOK OF ANIMAL SECRETS!!!)
If you buy the last one, please tell me how the it works. We can share a Nobel Prize, or two :-)
Many uses of tennis balls,
Solar cooling and heating of your home,
How to make your own biodiesel, and
HOW TO BECOME INVISIBLE (for only $24.95, with free bonus books: SECRETS OF SEXUAL SEDUCTION and THE WIZARD'S BOOK OF ANIMAL SECRETS!!!)
If you buy the last one, please tell me how the it works. We can share a Nobel Prize, or two :-)
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Superstition Is Not Limited To Human!
In 1948, there was an experiment by B.F. Skinner that showed that pigeons appeared to exhibit superstitious behaviors.
Full paper is here.
I think the result might be applicable to why human perform rituals, pray, bribe karma wheel, buy lotteries, etc. I also wonder whether animals have their religious thoughts too.
I like to collect these animal examples because, based on what we learn from animal and human behaviors, I believe that biology created human morals and religions through evolution of societal units and it's up to the us, not supernatural mechanisms, to make sure that bad deeds got punished and good deeds got rewarded. I don't believe that human require special treatment from nature in terms of mechanisms that shaped us.
A few books that shaped my thinking about this matter:
Full paper is here.
I think the result might be applicable to why human perform rituals, pray, bribe karma wheel, buy lotteries, etc. I also wonder whether animals have their religious thoughts too.
I like to collect these animal examples because, based on what we learn from animal and human behaviors, I believe that biology created human morals and religions through evolution of societal units and it's up to the us, not supernatural mechanisms, to make sure that bad deeds got punished and good deeds got rewarded. I don't believe that human require special treatment from nature in terms of mechanisms that shaped us.
A few books that shaped my thinking about this matter:
- Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes
- Peacemaking among Primates
- Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition
- Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong
- Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
- The Evolution of Cooperation
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