May 18, 2005
Yoghurt Debate
I've been obsessed lately with Wikipedia lately. Writing articles and contributing to a massive joint effort is incredibly fun.
However, I got involved in a rather silly debate over how yogurt should be spelled. My final comments are as follows:
There are ten users here who are members of the UK Board. Of those ten, only 2 voted to support it. The remainder voted to oppose it. Furthermore, from what I can determine of the users, it appears that between 15 and 20 of the people voting here are from the UK, Ireland or British Commonwealth nations (except Canada). This vote is hardly representative a neutral point of view on the matter. However, the vote is finished, it's obvious. Abuse the rules, and you can turn the vote any way you want, in spite of what common decency would dictate. We all know by now that more people spell it yogurt, are more likely to spell it yogurt, more companies are marketing it as yogurt. But you just cannot be wrong, Derek; you refuse to look at simple facts, and instead prefer to twist words and have all your friends on your side of the pond come join in and vote with you. And for the rest of you, isn't it just fun of you Brits to put one over on the Yanks--to have your way this one time? What a pitiful and pointless little victory.
Derek changed an article that was written in American English, contrary to style guide. Saying the title is not literally the article is complete rubbish. You've twisted the rules to get your way, Derek--I sincerely hope it makes you feel good. But ultimately, the facts will come out and prove you all wrong, another vote will occur, and this entire debate, having taken so much out of our Wikipedia-obsessed little genius minds, shall all have been for naught. I'm taking this off my watchlist--it's taken too much of my time.
I get pretty obsessed sometimes, don't I? This stuff has been eating my time like crazy for quite some time now, and I have to back off and start limiting my time there.
The entire debate may be found here: Talk:Yoghurt
Posted by Bastique at 10:16 PM | Comments (5)
May 17, 2005
Something good.
I hate the war. I wish our troops would come home already. My feelings that 1,500 American men and women have died so that Saudis and American oil barons could steal Iraqi oil are as strong as ever.
But my mother sent me the following about my stepbrother, and it made me feel very proud of him:
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you about an outstanding Soldier, your son. I am SPC Kinard Platoon leader; LT ***** and I have served with him since the start of this deployment. I have served eight years in the United States Marine Corp and ten years in the United States Army and I can say without a doubt, that your son is one of the finest Soldiers I have ever served with. There is not a day that I am not requiring many difficult tasks from him and he has always accomplished what I have asked of him. Recently we were ambushed on the MSR Tampa by several teams of insurgents, with my Gun truck engaging first. Your son immediately assisted me in the attack and we won the battle with no US casualties. Your son showed great Valor, but that is only one example of many that I could tell you about your son. He has always been there to assist me and followed my orders without question. I cannot express enough as a Platoon leader or as a Soldier, how much that has meant to me. I wanted you to know what I (His Platoon Leader) and the Soldiers around him think of your son. Therefore, in closing. I want to Thank you and your family for your support of him and all he does. This is a difficult mission and SPC Kinard has been an asset to allow me to be rated as having the best Platoon in the Battalion. He is a credit to his family, the US Army and to our Nation. He is a "great" Soldier.
Brings a tear to yer eye, don't it?
Posted by Bastique at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2005
Not making any promises
But I feel like getting back and doing some writing again. Yeah, yeah, we've heard that before. Hense the phrase, "I'm not making any promises!" But sometimes it may just be a matter of copying something and providing my opinion on it.
And there's the death penalty. Was listening to Morning Sedition this morning, an Air America program with Marc Maron and Mark Riley. This morning's guest was Dan Zegart, a journalist and staunch anti-death advocate, (shouldn't we all be), whose startling revelations lately point out that our lethal injection method is not as humane as we'd like to believe. What do you expect when you've got prison employees performing duties that a doctor should, in methods that not even a veterinarian would employ?
While there are so many cases against the death penalty—while the only case for it stems from a desire for REVENGE. He does point out that in nations where euthanasia is legal, a massive dose of barbituates is indicated.
The death penalty is in itself barbaric, it used far more frequently against minorities and the poor, Unless it happens to be an African American male murdering an African American—which our prosecutors seem to find more acceptable. It provides no deterrant to killing, and, there is little evidence that shows that the families of victims of death-row inmates actually receive any kind of psychological closure. Furthermore, more Americans oppose the death penalty than ever before.
Many of those who protest against the death penalty, notably the ones standing outside the prison holding signs on executation days, are not your garden-variety liberal. A great majority identify as being Christian, and a number of them are, in fact, Conservatives, for instance, Catholics, who do hold to the higher standard of God's will over man's.
Posted by Bastique at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)