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Friday, September 28, 2007Sim Web 2.0 CompanyHow to Build a Web 2.0 Firm and Have It Bought By Google: Step 1: Create idea. Step 2: Step 3: Profit. I'm tellin' ya... the formula is boilerplate! (Of course, the designer of this simulation is clearly a jaded and bitter developer... you'll figure it out if you give the game two or three runs....) Tuesday, September 25, 2007Sarkozy Stands TallI've said it before in 2003: While America provided the muscle, it was the United Kingdom that made the case for liberating Iraq. Now that Blair is gone, it seems as if the new articulator against terror regimes is none other than France's President Nicolas Sarkozy. It's a welcome voice from America's oldest ally. Friday, September 21, 2007OT Israel: Constitutional Monarchy?So sayeth the Acton Institute PowerBlog, and it's an interesting argument. Viva la Notebook!I have to admit, carrying the notebook to keep all things under wraps sure as heck beats some hippie, high-tech (and unbearably costly) iPod. Um... well, no it doesn't. But the moral superiority I feel carrying my hefty tome of notes sure is great! Others seem to feel the same way, as the ol' moleskine notebook continues to be the latest fad you probably haven't heard about. This... Is Popular in France
I rest my case. Don't worry if you're confused -- so am I. UK Guardian: Moral Relativism Died with Daniel PearlThis is an absolute, must read article (and it's short, so it'll keep one's attention): I used to believe that the world essentially divided into two types of people: those who were broadly tolerant, and those who felt threatened by differences. If only the former ruled the earth, I reasoned, the world might know some measure of peace. But there was a problem with my theory, and it was never clearer than in a conversation I had with a Pakistani friend who told me that he loathed people like George Bush who insisted on dividing the world into "us" and "them". My friend did not realise that he was in fact falling straight into the camp of people he loathed.The author is Daniel Pearl's father. Pearl was the reporter captured then eventually beheaded by Pakistani terrorists in Karachi on 31 Jan 2002. Read it all. It's certainly a compelling argument for a value-based society as opposed to the more secular "lowest common denominator" approach. (h/t to Elizabeth Blackney) Wednesday, September 19, 2007OTB: Dying Languages - Cause for Concern?James Joyner argues no, but from a linguistics perspective (or a philosopher's perspective in the tradition of Wittgenstein) the loss of a language is a tremendous blow, because it is the loss of a perspective. Read the article . It's very well written, and in a language and perspective slated to last many, many years. Tuesday, September 18, 2007Barticles: On WoodpilesSadly, after many summer bonfires I have done none of this. Which means I will probably have to buy (eek) a cord or two of good seasoned oak to run the woodstove this year. Still, knowing that my friendly neighbor will be cutting down many trees and the equally friendly do-it-all handyman is willing to help me cut the wood is a good sign for next year. Provided I can build a wood shed for said wood pile. Best part of the article? It ends with a Robert Nozick quote. Come to think of it, when you mix the ingredients (fire, smiting objects, and Nozick) this may stand as the best article ever written in the history of mankind. Monday, September 17, 2007Acton: C.S. Lewis on Moral TyrranyBetter known as what happens when government tells you what's best for you: Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.Hence the downfall of most social engineering experiments, whether it is under the so-called "nanny state" or her modern cousin the avuncular state. Saturday, September 15, 2007Bridges In Massachusetts Have A Fever... And Do You Know What The Prescription Is?Yes. More cowbell. (h/t to Fark.com) Wednesday, September 12, 2007Thawing OutYou can't keep a good blogger down... so if it's not about politics (or if it's just about culture and such), expect something short and brief here. For political red meat where I get to be unleashed a bit and run around the yard, the Republican Party of Virginia website continues to be the forum -- yesterday's post there was on September 11th: We could talk about a president embattled, about a president being attacked by the Democratic Party. We could discuss former generals criticizing America's foreign policy.Much thanks to Bart Hinkle over at the RTD for noticing... as well as others who have commented and welcomed my brief, non-political forays back into Virginia's public square. A List Apart: The 36 Hour Work WeekSt. Thomas More was the advocate of the original six-hour work day. The Jesuit Reductions seen in movies such as "The Mission" employed such a method, before they were torn apart by the colonial empires of the Portuguese and Spanish. Of course, in today's modern world a six-hour workday is utopian in the purest sense. But what of a nine-hour, four day a week schedule? I realize the four day, 36-hour work week isn't in the minds of most, but think of what one day less on the roads could do for our transportation network? One day more to reflect, do yard work, freelance for your own small business, take those college courses, or for those salaried types -- carry your work home. A nutty idea, but one that always comes to mind on beautiful days like today. Tuesday, September 11, 2007FIRST THINGS: Mother Teresa RememberedFr. Benedict Groschel remembers Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Our readers may find it interesting to know that I personally observed this joyfulness the day before Mother returned to Calcutta. I was asked by her sisters to offer Mass for her. She was so weak that she could not stand, but attended Mass lying on a cot. My confrere Fr. Andrew Apostoli and I were utterly astonished after Mass when she was “bubbly.” She laughed and told us with great joy the number of sisters and convents they had throughout the world. Mother never spoke about this before, and she was not doing so in any boastful way. Rather, she was rejoicing “with triumphant exultation” at the great blessings God had been able to grant through the Missionaries of Charity. Many memorable events took place during the thirty years I knew Mother Teresa, but this by far was the most remarkable.I always found it fascinating that Mother Teresa's death was eclipsed by the death of Princess Diana in the press. A fitting shadow, given the way Mother Teresa quietly and with great humility lived her life. Monday, September 10, 2007Bearing Drift: Flat-Earth RepublicansJim Hoeft seems to be on a roll recently, this time taking on the "flat-earth Republicans" epithet. Friday, September 07, 2007OBL Hearts ChomskyFrom a transcript acquired by ABC News: He goes on to call Noam Chomsky "among one of the most capable of those from your own side," and mentions global warming and "the Kyoto accord."Good God... Thursday, September 06, 2007How to Get the Most Out of Your BooksI read constantly, as my extensive library and Mrs. Kenney's threats to buy Borders stock testify. As a young man, I perfected the art of "scanning" a book quickly just long enough to get the toplines... only to ignore some of the finer details. Reading in depth I have found to be a much more profitable exercise, but that comes at the cost of time. As a college student, time wasn't exactly a luxury. So when I see things entitled "How to Get the Most Out of Your Books" that incorporate the best of scanning with all the advantages of reading in depth (and hopefully retaining the information), I like that. Only downside? Marking up your book... and I can't stand doing that to a good book! When someone invents a highlighter that fades in six months to a year, I'm golden. Monday, September 03, 2007They Call it Labor Day for a Reason...My nephew William Arthur Kenney II -- Liam for short -- was born this morning at 3.30am, 7lbs. 8 oz. Welcome to the world, little one! This recaps a week of good news. Last week, my soon-to-be-godson Sebastian Alexander Hichborn made it into the world, while our cat Radar gave birth to a kitten, which the kids have named "Bucky" after the presumptive father (which Matthew named "Buckle Up" -- I have no idea why). Sunday, September 02, 2007Mushin Mahdi Dead at 81Steven Lenzer over at the Weekly Standard laments not only the loss, but the total lack of attention given to liberal Islamic philosopher Mushin Mahdi's passing. Read the article here. Though I'm not entirely familiar with his work, Mahdi is of a certain clique of Islamic philosophers (mostly identified with the Cairo school) who are working on a theory of a "development of doctrine" for Islam. This is important for several reasons, Pope Benedict XVI's Regensberg address and the controversy over whether Islam can have a development of doctrine notwithstanding. Saturday, September 01, 2007Throwing Fame to the WindsThere's an old philosophy question: Between writing a book resolving a long debated philosophical question, or writing something you knew was wrong but would be debated for the next 100 years, which would you choose? Renaissance Ruminations briefly laments the loss of Chad Dotson to promotion to better things. For one, I wholeheartedly agree... though I wonder if the venerable Mr. Dotson had been forced to wait one more year whether he (and his blog) could have survived today's blog climate. There was a time when I could have argued "the Virginia Way" would triumph. The blogosphere that was a forum for nuanced argument and competing ideas has yielded to the "splash and trash" style organizations like the Sorenson Institute and Blog United were originally attempting to curb. True, there are some really outstanding competitors out there... but how quickly they are drowned out by the get-attention-quick blogs who scramble for the leftovers the MSM offers them. I'm not ranting... but I'm quickly realizing that the fragile porcelian of our digital public square has very few champions. I have always believed individual responsibility would trump collective action. Is it? Is the attention of the MSM too terrible to resist? Have we sold out so badly to visits and hits that we've lost our authenticity? Answering the old philosophy question, many freshmen opt for the latter... they opt for fame. Everyone wants their 15 minutes, but few are astute enough to realize the consequences. Only the rare few are content enough with themselves to throw fame to the winds. After all, isn't that the nobility so many respect in people like Senator Warner, despite how vociferously they disagree with him? Perhaps that's what I'm realizing. Have a great Labor Day weekend!
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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