Somewhat at Random, An Appology to Alan Turing

So this is a bit of a random bit to blog, I picked up the story from TWIT, and followed it over to homepage of the British Prime Minister. The site does a better job then I will, but here is a bit of a synopsis, Alan Turing, father of computers, and British WWII hero,without whom the Alias may never have cracked Enigma or the myriad of other Nazi codes.

After the war, Turing was persecuted by the government for being gay, which was illegal in his era. In the end he was used by his government and then discard, treated monstrously, and finally committed suicide.

A grass roots movement started by programmer and author John Graham-Cumming brought to the Prime Ministers attention this long standing injustice, not just against Turing, but thousands of other gay men, including Oscar Wilde.

On the 10th the Prime Minster released a formal apology that was uncharacteristically earnest and honest from the government. I'm not usually a fan of the posthumous apology, but for a group still largely persecuted even to this day, and for Turing whom made possible so many of the technological things we use today, it is fitting.

Do Not Call

Hey folks, just a heads up the Canadian DO NOT CALL registry is up and running, I've already put my number in, but it should cut down on your telemarketer calls significantly!

You have to register a number every 3 years, and political parties, charities, and a few other groups are exempt.

enjoy.


On the topic of Do Not Call, telemarketers and others who call between 8:30 - 9:30 have to come over and put the baby to bed!

Definition of a hero...

Just wow, this cop really did an act of heroism, no if and or buts. I appreciate how the article doesn't pad or elaborate as it isn't needed.

I don't know why I read this article, and now I'm offended.

Still, the fact is, there is no way for Vick to win here. Even if he wins in court, the damage will be severe. A bar fight, a substance abuse problem, all of that can be dealt with. But in the public's mind, dogfighting is somewhere between wife-beating and the ultimate sin, point-shaving.

I came upon this by accident, read it by freak coincidence, and had to pause before I fully grasped what the author was saying. Perhaps the author Mark Kriegel's idea of the public's mind is actually his readership, and perhaps he assumes that the readers of a sports column indeed think fixing a game is more sinful then spousal abuse. I take objection to that opinion. To add to that that he firmly puts animal abuse as more less sinful then point-shaving, but less the spousal abuse.

Am I missing something here? I love my cats, I really do, but I actually happen to love my wife more. In the more general case, yes I value human life over animal life. I find both forms of abuse reprehensible, but the people abuse more so then animal. In both cases on some grand scale of sins, I put physical hurt of a living creature as far worse than any gambling, or game fixing. Cheating, sure its wrong, but its just not in the same freaking league! Perhaps I am just not a good bell weather for the "public's mind" but something inside me says that Mark Kriegel owes women, and dogs a big apology, and that his wife (if there is a woman who suffers him) should probably give him a swift kick in the nuts (I do recognize the hypocrisy of that statement.)

Why so harsh? Well its not like he has actually done these deeds (I hope,) but its the casual degradation and dehumanizing of these crimes that worries me, these shouldn't be bandied about in public discourse as quaint inconveniences. We should firmly plant our feet and say "this is wrong," otherwise we are just implicitly endorsing it, and that should not be acceptable in our society.

Because these things our WRONG!

*edit, puts here can't write a title, what the hell is an artcile?*

The words escape me...

Quite literaly the words I'm looking for are lost on the internet. This morning on the CBC there was a story about the escaped terrorism suspects in the UK. There was a quotation from either a police officer or politician that was very enlightened and I wanted to share it, and praise the insight of the individual. Alas it has eluded all attempts at citation. Hopefully the various CBC archives and audio feeds will be updated by tonight and I can exert a more lengthy search.

In the mean time I will try and share the spirit of what he said, the essence was that, in a knee jerk reaction to terrorist threats there was a series of laws that pushed an already disenfranchised set of youth further away, and helped radicalize them. More over the answer is not more laws.

That was the thrust, but the guys saying it was more real, and more British, but I think it was 'spot on' social policy that stigmatize a group, and laws that strip them of there rights isn't a great way to on board them with civil society, but in fact pushes them to the fringes. Fighting terrorism isn't about always fighting, but we have to make sure that the crimes we punish aren't thought crimes, but real transgressions.

Ciao

News Bag Schadenfreude

Well maybe its because of the Germany, but this one tickled my funny bone. I suppose when the police tell you to tidy your room, its time to tidy your room.

Dinosaur Influenza?

So I'm wandering the internet, and I stumbled upon this great article about the resurrection of the Spanish flu. Actually I'm full of it, I was not wandering the internet, the link was sent to me by the author, lovely gal that she is, and it's actually Erin's article she wrote for Genome BC.

Enjoy!

Virginia Tech

I would like to send out some condolences to the families of the victims of Virginia Tech, and well wishes to those who are wounded and recovering. I wish I could give meaning or justification for there suffering, I wish I could tell them that their loved ones didn't die in vain, or that they died with some redeeming noble dignity.

And short of a few who died perhaps delaying or impeding the gun man, I can give no such words of, as I'm afraid they did die in vein, and there is no redemption of these events, and things will likely get worse before they get better.

Much like the last madman whom I refused to enshrine, ennoble or even dignify with a name, I will do not such thing with this sicko. I do not in fact no who he is, but I'm sure that will come out in your more reputable news sources.

Instead I would like to condemn this man, this monster, for what he is. A selfish, narcissistic coward. It takes conviction and courage to deal with life's problems, not super human measures of these virtues, but measures none the less. We all have it in us, the capacity to grit our teeth and continue, for some, whose lose there way, they choose a personal sacrifice, and we know we have failed them. Others, others who have had everything taken from them, whose lives know only pain and suffering, and yet they manage to rise each morning and meet the day, we have also failed them, for they shouldn't have to be so strong. For most of us, the trials are not so hard, but they define us, the lows give contrast to the highs and we know the value of ourselves, and others defined by these differences. This is life, and its worth living.

Some, some don't have this perspective, all things are negative, and all acts aggrieve them. These people are so self centered that they see all actions as spite to them, and themselves a victim of the world. They choose the cowards way. Its not easy to lose someone close to you, so I can only imagine its most difficult to lose yourself, and so when one finds that they thing they are lost, but cannot end it themselves, they chose some vainglorious death, one in which they are painted the victim not the villain. So I suspect our killer started his day with two eggs, bacon, toast and a side of revolver. Unable to bear the gun oiled barrel he elected to to find solace in the death of others, and his inevitable end by his own hand or the police.

The story to follow will be fleshed out in the media as time progresses, but we know how it eventually ends, our coward dead in an orgy of death, perhaps imagining he can slip through the pearly gates in amongst the crowd. Well I spit on him, and I spit on his grave, and I spit on his memory. Let him be forgotten and nameless, don't turn his name in to a crusade against school violence, don't politicize the event, forget him. The events should clearly be marked, those who died should be honoured, and not as heroes or as paragons, but as regular people, who had the courage to live. Once a list of them is available, I'll share it here, because they deserve notice.

As for the police, and the university or are taking a lot of flack for inaction. The truth, and I say that with little knowledge of "the truth" but a strong gut feeling, is that the shooting incident of the morning, while tragic, probably had all the hallmarks of domestic violence, and procedure was standard. Sadly these events seem all to common, when a jelous spouse, or a spurned lover or perhaps just an abusive monster, should take the life of there partner in heat of a rage. Its probably the most classic reason for murder on the books. So when something like this should happen there is rarely an expectation of a following murderous rampage. Police contained the dormitory, and processed the scene, and school officials thought it best to try and maintain normality. Neither could have had the for site to expect what would come (I am assuming that no note was left on the bodies indicating that the killer would just pop out for a coffee and then resuming killing anon.)

In the end the police perhaps could be criticized for not taking initiative once the second shootings were underway and sieging the building to end it. This is perhaps there failure, but they that is all.

Anyways, I think I have come around to my point, and that is for the record, fuck the coward, and spit on his grave. Remember the victims for who they are, and for the sake of civilization lets wait until the dust settles before we point fingers (Jack Thompson, I'm looking at you!)

Ben Stein Digests Our Terrifically Broken Economy

I'm just going to chuck out the text from the digg submitter scoreboard27, because it was a cobbled together bite of the story, and more sensationalizing, then meaningful. Ben Stein of "Win Ben Stein's Money" and "Ferris Bueller" fame, and notable for as well for his monthly column, and generally regarded as an intelligent fellow often wields a sword of dry humour. So dry in fact that while forging his sword he sought to quench it a bath of water, the water literally dehydrated itself to avoid contact with his blade.

This article is a jab at rich America, and while he does criticize them soundly, I think he better raises the point that the poor are getting profoundly poorer. America the prosperous seems almost cruel brand, to the many who make prosperous the few. What I find most intriguing is how bizarre some of the economic behaviour is, where vast sums of money change hand, and yet very little value is created. I actually consider myself in favour of capitalism, although not completely free market capitalism, and I find this manner of profiteering very short sighted. It seems in the short term individuals prosper, but the country as whole slides further and further from its economic superiority. Canada is inexorably tied to America, so much so that we can not help but suffer when she does.

I have no solution forthcoming, just concern.



read more | digg story

Something interesting

In an effort to be more blogbos, and get back to the fundamentals of blogging, I've decided to share a story from The Star. While I don't think I have anything that I need to be particularly penitent about of late, except perhaps blogging, I found the spirit of the article quite positive, and I think a lesson for us all. Do not seek to justify or excuse your actions, own your mistakes, and move on. In that spirit, I haven't been blogging, and I'm sorry.

Anyways enjoy the story.