Moody834

This piece from October of 2007, was co-authored by Sam Harris and Salman Rushdie, and is an excellent introduction to the world and work of Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

"Hirsi Ali may be the first refugee from Western Europe since the Holocaust. As such, she is a unique and indispensable witness to both the strength and weakness of the West: to the splendor of open society and to the boundless energy of its antagonists. She knows the challenges we face in our struggle to contain the misogyny and religious fanaticism of the Muslim world, and she lives with the consequences of our failure each day. There is no one in a better position to remind us that tolerance of intolerance is cowardice."

This is a very straightforward, step by step guide to setting up and using a Posterous account, including hooking it up to Google Analytics. Everything you might want to know about using Posterous is covered clearly and concisely. You will learn exactly what you need to do in order to post music, pictures, videos, Google Maps, and so on. In other words, this guide is indispensable. Check it!

"Ever since Lazyfeed's debut two weeks ago, I have been a frequent user of one of the more innovative tools to hit the worlds of realtime Web and information discovery - two of my favorite topics. Many people, getting acquainted with the service, have asked me how I use the product. So, this evening, I put together a quick demo. Still don't have access to Lazyfeed? Let me know in the comments here, and together, we'll make sure you get access."

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I have been enjoying Lazyfeed for about a week now, and I have to say that it is certainly one of the best things to hit the Web in some time. Old fashioned RSS feeds? Forget about 'em! This is all real-time. It's a very useful tool, and just plain fun to use.

"A thorough perusal of the history of human development will disclose two elements in bitter conflict with each other; elements that are only now beginning to be understood, not as foreign to each other, but as closely related and truly harmonious, if only placed in proper environment: the individual and social instincts. The individual and society have waged a relentless and bloody battle for ages, each striving for supremacy, because each was blind to the value and importance of the other. The individual and social instincts,--the one a most potent factor for individual endeavor, for growth, aspiration, self-realization; the other an equally potent factor for mutual helpfulness and social well-being.

"The explanation of the storm raging within the individual, and between him and his surroundings, is not far to seek. The primitive man, unable to understand his being, much less the unity of all life, felt himself absolutely dependent on blind, hidden forces ever ready to mock and taunt him. Out of that attitude grew the religious concepts of man as a mere speck of dust dependent on superior powers on high, who can only be appeased by complete surrender. All the early sagas rest on that idea, which continues to be the Leitmotiv of the biblical tales dealing with the relation of man to God, to the State, to society. Again and again the same motif, man is nothing, the powers are everything. Thus Jehovah would only endure man on condition of complete surrender. Man can have all the glories of the earth, but he must not become conscious of himself. The State, society, and moral laws all sing the same refrain: Man can have all the glories of the earth, but he must not become conscious of himself.

"Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination. Anarchism is therefore the teacher of the unity of life; not merely in nature, but in man. There is no conflict between the individual and the social instincts, any more than there is between the heart and the lungs: the one the receptacle of a precious life essence, the other the repository of the element that keeps the essence pure and strong. The individual is the heart of society, conserving the essence of social life; society is the lungs which are distributing the element to keep the life essence--that is, the individual--pure and strong."

~ Emma Goldman, "ANARCHISM: WHAT IT REALLY STANDS FOR"

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Happy 4th of July everyone. ;-)

"Art by the blind will be on view in Reflections, an exhibit presented by The Lighthouse of Houston at Vaughan Christopher Gallery."

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Twelve images. Amazing work.

As you might have already guessed: "Reiki has no substantiated health value and lacks a scientifically plausible rationale. Science-based healthcare settings should not tolerate its use, and scarce government research dollars should not be used to study it further." But do go read the rest!

"Speaking at a London girls' school, Michelle Obama makes a passionate, personal case for each student to take education seriously. It is this new, brilliant generation, she says, that will close the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be."