beoblog

Quote of the Day...Fascism in America

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 22:49:26 -0700

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
-- Sinclair Lewis, American novelist and playwright (February 7, 1885 — January 10, 1951)

9/11: Five Years Later and the U.S. is Still in Distress

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:00:00 -0700

A few days ago I received an email from a friend. It was one of those, let's-do-something-totally-symbolic-that-will-make-us-feel-good-but-have-absolutely-no-impact, messages that people like to send around during holidays and other not-so-festive occasions like the five year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington D.C. This message urged everyone, on 9/11/2006, to make a statement. A perfectly safe, non-threatening statement that will let your family, friends, and neighbors stay blissfully in their Faux News bubble, oblivious to the fact that the U.S. democracy is being highjacked just like those airliners on 9/11/2001. Here's the forwarded text of the message along with the little animated GIF flag that accompanied it:

Quote of the Day...Inhumanity, Computers, & Honesty

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 00:15:57 -0700

"Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest."
-- Isaac Asimov, scientist and science fiction writer (January 2, 1920 - April 6, 1992)

Quote of the Day...Morality, Theology, & Authority

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:11:13 -0700

"Whenever morality is based on theology, whenever right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified and established."
-- Ludwig Feuerbach, philosopher (1804-1872)

Quote of the Day...Optimism

Sun, 03 Sep 2006 00:01:49 -0700

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead."
-- Robert Brault, software developer, writer (1972- )

Quote of the Day...Standards

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 23:57:26 -0700

"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from."
-- Andrew S. Tannenbaum, computer science professor (1944- )

Quote of the Day...Governing

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 23:53:58 -0700

"The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind."
-- Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809)

Quote of the Day...News & Publicity

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:49:20 -0700

"News is what people want to keep hidden; everything else is publicity."
-- Bill Moyers, journalist (1934- )

Quote of the Day...Planning

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:45:53 -0700

"If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. It it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
-- E.B. White, writer (1899-1985)

Quote of the Day...Ignorance, Power, & Justice

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:20:05 -0700

"Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."
-- James Baldwin, writer (1924-1987)

Quote of the Day...Civilization

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:02:45 -0700

"Civilizations in decline are consistently characterised by a tendency towards standardization and uniformity."
-- Arnold Toynbee, historian (1889-1975)

Quote of the Day...Maturity & Nature

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:56:28 -0700

"It takes a certain maturity of mind to accept that nature works as steadily in rust as in rose petals."
-- Esther Warner Dendel, writer and artist (1910-2002)

Quote of the Day...Consciousness & Pain

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 14:15:59 -0700

"There is no coming to consciousness without pain."
-- Carl Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)

Quote of the Day...Wisdom & Power

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 13:50:28 -0700

"I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."
-- Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

Quote of the Day...Flattery

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 14:09:46 -0700

"Flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it but don't swallow it."
-- Hank Ketcham, comic artist (1920-2001)