Everyone should be kicking up a stink about this.
Call Seven right now and demand they pull ‘Path to 9/11’. (I phoned earlier tonight.)
Why bother? The show is riddled with factual errors, not the least of which is that it deflects blame from Bush, and blames the Clinton Administration for the attacks. More here.
In the USA, this is being fought out vigourously, but here in Australia, it’s flying under the radar. Don’t let it.
I just knew BYU wasn’t going to be happy about one of its faculty taking after the US Government.
Steven Jones is a physics professor at the Y, and he’s been active in promoting the idea that 9/11 was sabotage. In this view, the Bush Administration (at the very best) knew of the attacks beforehand, but did nothing to stop them because it fit into their take-over-the-Middle-East agenda. Or, at the very worst, explosives were planted by Dick Cheney and Osama bin Laden personally.
Accordingly, BYU has put the Perfesser (who also does work in ‘cold fusion’; ’nuff said) on ‘paid leave‘ while they decide what to do wth him.
Brigham Young University placed physics professor Steven Jones on paid leave Thursday while it reviews his involvement in the so-called “9/11 truth movement” that accuses unnamed government agencies of orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
BYU will conduct an official review of Jones’ actions before determining a course of action, university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. Such a review is rare for a professor with “continuing status” at BYU, where Jones has taught since 1985.
My thoughts are kind of tangled about this, but I’ll put them down in no particular order.
Number 1. Is the circle-jerk of neo-cons that Bush listens to evil enough to try this kind of thing? Without question. Do I think they had any intention of doing this? No. Remember, this is the gang that lost the war in Iraq, lost the War on Terror, and got absolutely everything wrong. How would they have the capability to arrange airlines, explosives, and controlled demolitions with such split-second precision?
Number 2. Religious people (say, the kind that teach at BYU) aren’t the best critical thinkers. Oh, they may know about it, but they consistently fail to apply it to the tender parts of the mind, the parts that hold cherished beliefs. Utah has a lot of followers, but there are a lot of conspiracy theorists among the rest of them. It could be a manifestation of the ‘persecuted believer’ syndrome, which Latter-day Saints hone every Sunday.
Number 3. BYU hates to be the focus of national attention, and Dr Jones has unwisely forced this situation by going public. The University tends to act badly in these situations — just look at Cecilia Konchar Farr, fired for her feminism 10 years ago. Oh, hell, look at the whole page. This is a university that holds a deep suspicion of its faculty and what they might do to its image. Back to the Deseret News story:
BYU does not grant tenure, generally regarded as a permanent position, to professors. However, it does give continuing status to professors found worthy after six years on campus.
‘Worthy’ is the newspaper’s word, but it’s well-chosen for its religious connotations.
“Continuing status,” Jenkins said, “grants the expectation that faculty members will have continuing employment at the university, although it is not a guarantee. They still need to meet satisfactory performance levels for scholarship, citizenship and teaching.”
That ‘citizenship’ is the kicker. You’re a bad citizen if you don’t play ball. Jones didn’t play ball.
Number 4. What’s wrong with Jones’ assertions? The fact that the ‘demolition theory’ amounts to a ‘conspiracy theory’ is a really bad sign. The other bad sign is that they fall back on paucity of imagination. Here’s how that one looks: ‘There was no way that could have happened without my theory being true.’
Religious believers say ‘There was no way I could have passed that test on my own; it must have been God.’
Creationists say ‘There was no way things could have evolved by pure chance like they have; my theory must be true.’
And Dr Jones and co. say ‘There was no way the towers could have fallen like that; our theory must be right.’
Well, it’s an amazing world, and if you can’t think of a way, you might not be trying hard enough. Paucity of imagination is a classic blunder.
On the other hand, I’m happy to have him present his ideas to the scientific community for airing. That’s the way it works. Someone presents a view, others present a rebuttal. Which the NIST has done. Since I lack the necessary knowledge of physics and metallurgy, I’ll read what I can and wait for a consensus to form among the scientific community. It’s not perfect, but in the long-term, it’s a good way to go.
I think it’ll come down on the side of the NIST, though, and I can tell that because, well, I gained psychic powers from the experiments the CIA performed on me. But I’ve said too much.
Because of extreme slackness (or could it be I’m actually working?), the Friday Random Five is being moved to Saturdays. Fridays are always too busy for me.
Oristano Sojourn by Scott Cossu Album: Windham Hill: The First Ten Years
I’d like to say as little as possible about this one. It’s very instumentally and musical, with flutes, piano, and drums. It comes from Windham Hill, which was a great label, except that some of their more modern stuff grew into a genre which was known as ‘adult contemporary’, which today is known as ‘shit’. It’s all a bit Teshy, which I know sounds dismissive, but I don’t care. Skip, and maybe uncheck.
God’s Gift by Lush Album: Nothing Natural (Single)
‘Nothing Natural’ was the first Lush song ever I heard. X96 in Salt Lake gave it loads of airplay. This b-side’s good too. Has Miki ever overcome her ‘man issues’? Because the trajectory between this song and ‘Ladykillers’ is pretty much a straight line, and that may not be good.
Heavy fingerprints of Robin Guthrie here — as producer, he even made Chris drum on pads so the beats could be quantised. Even so, nothing could mask the sullen jangle of Lush guitars.
Get Off the Stage by Morrissey Album: Piccadilly Palare (Single)
I had the worst time trying to figure out who Morrissey was talking about in this song. I had an idea that he’d turned his gift for relentless parody on himself, as the ‘silly old man’ who should hang up the musical career. But ‘mascara’ and ‘Fender guitar’ (which rhyme) doesn’t describe our Moz. Could it have been Robert Smith of the Cure, in one of their famous fights?
Thank the FSM for the Internets, which makes it all clear: it’s Mick Jagger. I quote:
As a verse drags on like a month drags on
It’s very short, but it seems very longAnd the song that you just sang
It sounds exactly like the last one
And the next one
I bet you it will sound
Like this one
It was true twenty years ago, and it’s even more true today.
Take On Me by A-ha Album: Hunting High and Low
Pity the extreme A-ha fan. A-ha has had a long and honourable music career for the last twenty years, but does anyone think of the acclaimed ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’? Or the new live album? No, it’s always bloody ‘Take On Me’ from 1985! The completist will be spitting chips. “They’ve done a lot more than that!” he’ll say.
Oh, calm down and watch the video, which is still amazing for its narrative style and animation technique. And Morton’s wounded-deer eyes.
No really. Go watch it. I’ll wait.
This song should never be chosen for karaoke. You think you can hit the high notes, but you can not. You will suck.
Babooshka by Kate Bush Album: Never For Ever
I always think of this song in the same category as ‘The Piña Colada Song’ by Rupert Hines, but in reverse. You see, in his song, the guy gets bored of his girlfriend, and tries to find someone else using a personal ad. (Warning: spoiler!) The new girl turns out to be his old girlfriend, who was just as bored of him. But it works out because now they realise that they have more in common than they thought, e.g. piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.
This song’s the disasterous mirror image. The wife decides to tempt the husband into an affair, with herself in disguise as bait. He goes for it, but only because this ‘new’ woman reminds him of his wife when she was young and beautiful. That it’s her he loves matters not one whit to the wife, who now knows her husband is potentially unfaithful. Ah, cruel irony! Leave it to Kate to find the dark side of a potentially hilarious situation.
‘Babooshka’ means ‘grandmother’ in Russian, but many English-speaking people have gotten the odd impression that it’s some kind of voluptuous nickname. I cannot explain how this might have happened.
And a sixth, to cleanse the palate:
Paris by Pérez Prado Album: Our Man in Havana: The Very Best of Pérez Prado
Could mambo be the best Latin music there is? Is there better music to give a party that atmosphere of festive weirdness? In the hands of Cuban bandleader Pérez Prado and his orchestra, the correct answers are yes and no, respectively. Uurgh!
Out: ‘torture’.
In: ‘alternative interrogation methods‘.
Though Bush said the United States never tortures suspects, “alternative” interrogation methods are used to glean information from them. These procedures “were tough, and they were safe and lawful and necessary,” he said.
I think we can get more mileage out of this term.
The new movie ‘Path to 9/11‘ isn’t pure fiction; it’s ‘alternative history’.
Religion and new-age fakeism can be ‘alternative science’.
The Bush team doesn’t tell lies; they’re offering an ‘alternative reality’.
Remember how much you enjoyed ‘alternative music’ back in the 90s? You were listening to Better Than Ezra while everyone else was doing the Macarena, but who’s laughing now? This’ll be just like that. You’ll love it.
After all, what does it matter if it’s true, as long as you’re happy?
Conservative columnist Piers Akerman probably thinks he doesn’t have much in common with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but he does. Intense and seething hatred of liberal secular academics.
“Today students should protest and shout at the president asking why some liberal and secular professors are still present in the universities,” he told a gathering of young scientists. “Our educational system has been under the influence of the secular system for 150 years. Colonialism is seeking the spread of its own secular system.” While acknowledging it was difficult to change this system, he said: “Such a change has begun.”
In like manner, LSA’s have been one of the American right’s favourite targets for years, and Akerman from the Daily Telegraph likes to take a few snipes now and again. He doesn’t even seem to pause for breath when making this rather tangential and pointless jibe.
Over the past three days “our” ABC, the al-Jazeera of the South Pacific, has given a platform to every civil rights lawyer and academic willing to protest against the Government’s control orders on self-confessed wannabe terrorist Jihad Jack Thomas.
He’s probably decided that if it’s only the fifth-worst item in a paragraph full of distortion and hyperbole, no one will have the energy to protest.
Why do conservative authoritarians hate liberal secular academics so? Is it our tough-minded and uncompromising intellect? (Yeah, it’s probably that.) Did they have a rough time at school, picked on by the smarter kids? No, can’t be that. I never picked on bigger dumber kids, preferring to let them eat their paste in peace. Perhaps it’s as simple as this: authoritarians can’t stand it when someone refuses to kowtow to their line of crap. People whose opinions are grounded in facts don’t need to seek converts for affirmation. People grounded in falsehood and faith do.
I feel bad for Iranian university students. Having attended BYU, I’m well aware of what happens when religionists crack down on academia. Believers in imaginary friends need to take lessons from universities, not dictate what should be taught there. At least Akerman’s not a president; just a crank who uses my profession like a swear word.
P.S. Check this link for the Hackerman getting the takedown. It’s a beaut. Don’t you wish there were something like MediaWatch in the USA? Or journalistic oversight?
Farsi caused a bit of a problem last month. Naughty writing system.
Midwest Airlines canceled a flight ready to take off for San Francisco after a passenger found Arabic-style handwriting in the company’s in-flight magazine and alerted the crew.
The plane, carrying 118 passengers and five crew members, had already pulled away from the gate at Mitchell International Airport on Sunday evening. It returned to the gate, the passengers got off, security authorities were notified, all luggage was checked and the aircraft was inspected. Nothing was found.
The passengers were put up in nearby hotels and booked on a Monday morning flight.
The writing was in Farsi, the language used in Iran, said airline spokeswoman Carol Skornycka. She said she didn’t know exactly what the writing said but was similar to a prayer, “something of a contemplative nature.”
Holy shit, it’s foreign letters! In a magazine! It could be some sort of plot to blow us up or take over our minds! Clear the plane!
Good work, Mr Bush. Rummy, take a bow. Your work at scaring the American public has borne fruit. They’re so worked up about flying that they’re scared of water.
I know that Iran is the new Iraq and all, but there’s no reason to be scared of Farsi, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Anyway, Farsi’s cool-looking!
So here’s a guide for all of you the next time you’re flying.
This is Farsi. It’s not scary. Yet.
This is Arabic. Very very scary. Run!
Doing my part to prevent chaos on airlines since 2006.
It’s Fathers’ Day here in Australia. My two boys made me breakfast in bed. An egg fried to perfection, and soy-bacon, extra crispy. I mean extra crispy.
My dad and I were pretty different in some ways. He liked to read John Birch literature, and Benson back when he was a fire-breathing anti-Communist. He hated it when I tried to explain what I’d learned about Communism in my PoliSci classes. Me, I was an anti-militaristic liberal who thought Reagan sucked. Reagan was Dad’s favourite president because he talked about God.
My dad voted for Nixon. I told my family I was going to vote for McGovern. I was five. I didn’t even know what voting was. I thought everyone went to a big room and stood next to the person they were voting for. There’s my whole family over there standing next to Nixon (making finger Vs), and here’s me and George McGovern all by ourselves.
Once I found a pamphlet in Dad’s desk detailing the dangers of secular humanism. I was hooked. I thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard of.
You’d think I was a contrarian, but I wasn’t really. I just saw things a bit differently from dear old Dad.
But sometimes in unexpected ways, we’d find something in common. He hated noisy crowds like I did, and we both loved barbecue potato chips and cream soda.
We also had the same favourite spot. It’s this place out in the country where you can look out at the undulating hills. I didn’t even realise it was his favourite spot. I used to like going there on my bicycle. My friends and I would go there and talk, light firecrackers, and hang out.
If you’re curious, there’s a slightly blurry image of the place here.
Dad and I went out to the spot the last time I was in town. We talked about stuff like always, but this time it was a little different. I told him about my postgraduate work, and the difficulty of completing a thesis. He told me about what his was like, and for a while we were just a couple of guys talking. Equals.
I never got to see Dad again after that visit because he passed away. But I didn’t feel like anything was left unsaid. We left it good.
Mixed Bizness by Beck Album: Midnite Vultures
Would it be a FR5 without some Beck? Well, it would, but it would be a slightly diminished one. This song comes from the album with the off-putting cover, but don’t be deterred. By playing this song, you can get the party started. And make all the lesbians scream.
Paint a Vulgar Picture by The Smiths Album: Strangeways, Here We Come
Morrissey was haunted by the image of the fading celebrity. ‘Little Man, What Now?’ shows the young celebrity, now old and unremembered by former fans. Most striking is ‘Rubber Ring’, where Morrissey implores, “Don’t forget the songs that made you cry, and the songs that saved your life.” During the bridge, the drumwork cuts to half tempo, and he arrests the listener by slowly singing ‘Do you love me like you used to?’
So it is with ‘Paint a Vulgar Picture’ in which Morrissey stalks The Star of his youth, and fast-forwards to the joy of the record company when The Star dies and the re-issuing and the re-packaging can begin.
The fastest way to get troll-rated on Morrissey-Solo is to quote this song when another Smiths ‘best-of’ compilation comes out.
Day of the Lords by Joy Division Album: Unknown Pleasures
I found this CD used and made the mistake of listening to it on a sunny day at the park. I should have known it wasn’t that kind of album. It’s got an oppressive mood, with Ian Curtis’s strange baritone. Where will it end? Where will it end?
A Masterpiece by Stephen Tin Tin Duffy Album: The Ups and Downs
The Refresh button has chosen Mr Duffy again, and who am I to complain? A soulful ditty. “Tomorrow we’ll be hand in hand,” he promises, “voting in the election.”
Wings of a Dove by Madness Album: The Heavy Heavy Hits
Not my favourite Madness track, but the church choir is a nice touch.
Yay! They recovered ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch. It was stolen two years ago, but has now been returned.
One of my favourite paintings, although I prefer the black and white version. (The colour one was the one that got stolen.)
It’s a perfect set of images: the suffocating sky, the sheer drop of the cliff, the indifferent walkers, the ghost-like body that looks like it might blow away, and above all the mouth and eyes of a skull-like figure set in a silent scream that won’t stop.
Disturbing and great.
Held up by a secret service bodyguard in his dying moments after being shot in the stomach, this is President Bush being assassinated.
…
But rather than a repeat of JFK’s shooting or Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination, this shocking image is part of a new Channel Four show.
The dramatic scene, which has caused outrage among Americans, has been created by a British film company for a programme about the effect of the War On Terror.
The Malkin wing is all over this. They think we’ll be watching the scene on loop over and over again.
Not me, and not any lefties I’ve talked to. I don’t want to see the guy shot. I may want to see him impeached and frog-marched off to the International Criminal Court in the Hague for his crimes. But not murdered.
Allahpundit asks:
Here’s the thing: if they really do believe Bush is a monster worthy of assassination — and some of them surely do — how can they stand it?
…
If you think Bush is Hitler, how the hell do you not take a shot at him?
I’m against capital punishment, that’s why. And unlike Bush cultists, I think the rule of law is worth keeping around. Potshots are for the gun nuts on the right.
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