Comments on: Around the Web

Comments on: Around the Web http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/ Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:06:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Darwinist http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440699 Darwinist Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:57:38 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440699 I don't think Africa will be "burying" anyone (economicly) anytime soon. No infrastructure, and not alot of 'prudence', as it is so delicately put.) China is in there now taking advantage of its abundant resources. Africa is mentally still in the stone age. Take away Western technology, (they produce little if any of it on their own) and it would revert to its more natural state. South Africa and Zimbabwea are 2 social disasters that give us an exellent glimps of how Africans can take down an economy, Zimbobby actually killing or exiling its (White) farmers, and .....starving itself over racism. Not the ........most prudent use of resources. South Afrca is right behind it with the ethnic cleansing...gosh, media silence is sure deafening on that... Even Oprah Windfree has a segregated school project, $40 million for 300 students, ALL female. We'll get back on that one. China has a history of civilization that mirrors the west, low and behold, with our technology they are competing with us, at our expense, with no complaints from the com-pliant population. The right ignores global warming, the left ignores its cornerstone issue of over-population. The Earth will not ignore either. Yes, we have a global food crisis, and a global warming crisis, and a few others. How is this better than 20 years ago? Its not, its worse. Even the UN came out and said there are too many people. Maybe Obama can tell them to start acting responsible, take that Bill Cosby line to 'the people'. Yea baby...! I don’t think Africa will be “burying” anyone (economicly) anytime soon. No infrastructure, and not alot of ‘prudence’, as it is so delicately put.)
China is in there now taking advantage of its abundant resources. Africa is mentally still in the stone age. Take away Western technology, (they produce little if any of it on their own) and it would revert to its more natural state.

South Africa and Zimbabwea are 2 social disasters that give us an exellent glimps of how Africans can take down an economy, Zimbobby actually killing or exiling its (White) farmers, and …..starving itself over racism. Not the ……..most prudent use of resources. South Afrca is right behind it with the ethnic cleansing…gosh, media silence is sure deafening on that…

Even Oprah Windfree has a segregated school project, $40 million for 300 students, ALL female. We’ll get back on that one.

China has a history of civilization that mirrors the west, low and behold, with our technology they are competing with us, at our expense, with no complaints from the com-pliant population.

The right ignores global warming, the left ignores its cornerstone issue of over-population. The Earth will not ignore either.

Yes, we have a global food crisis, and a global warming crisis, and a few others. How is this better than 20 years ago? Its not, its worse.

Even the UN came out and said there are too many people. Maybe Obama can tell them to start acting responsible, take that Bill Cosby line to ‘the people’.

Yea baby…!

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]]> By: Prudence http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440541 Prudence Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:07:53 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440541 Aaaaaawww, shucks [blush]. Aaaaaawww, shucks [blush].

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]]> By: Carl http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440525 Carl Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:46:18 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440525 Lol! Nope, couldn't be that. Not even a little. Having as many kids as we want is a sacred right, end of story. So I'll stick to Europe - for kicks watch again Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life," the part with the Protestants who never have sex although they could anytime they wanted. Captures something hideous and provocative about the disciplining of culture and the body that enables the generation of surplus and the focusing of power. It's useful to see this as part of the backstory of how whities got into the position to generate political and economic crises to their advantage. Or we could just go look at China, always astute students of power. The developed world's increasing lack of that discipline will be its undoing, and perhaps our all's. Questions include whether that's the only way to get leverage, whether Africans will discover it and bury us, or if they'll find a third way. As long as they're waiting for us to bail them out sometime the pressure's off on those questions, phew. In the meantime, it's always dicey to ask one set of people to pay for the consequences of other people's bad decisions, and of course that's intricately reciprocal at this point. Sorry for the big wavy pronouns. They work as long as the conversation is about moral generalities. Prudence is a genius, including the name. Lol! Nope, couldn’t be that. Not even a little. Having as many kids as we want is a sacred right, end of story. So I’ll stick to Europe – for kicks watch again Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life,” the part with the Protestants who never have sex although they could anytime they wanted. Captures something hideous and provocative about the disciplining of culture and the body that enables the generation of surplus and the focusing of power. It’s useful to see this as part of the backstory of how whities got into the position to generate political and economic crises to their advantage. Or we could just go look at China, always astute students of power.

The developed world’s increasing lack of that discipline will be its undoing, and perhaps our all’s. Questions include whether that’s the only way to get leverage, whether Africans will discover it and bury us, or if they’ll find a third way. As long as they’re waiting for us to bail them out sometime the pressure’s off on those questions, phew. In the meantime, it’s always dicey to ask one set of people to pay for the consequences of other people’s bad decisions, and of course that’s intricately reciprocal at this point.

Sorry for the big wavy pronouns. They work as long as the conversation is about moral generalities.

Prudence is a genius, including the name.

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]]> By: peanut http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440483 peanut Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:29:51 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440483 oh, also, neither do subsidies. nor the fact that many african countries have been forced out of food production by imf (and 'market') enforced dumping of low quality, highly subsidized, first world food waste, introduced at low prices and now that local production is dead, selling at 2-3x the price of first quality goods in the 1st world. it's just about poor brown people having too many kids. (and clearly not about the fact that funding for birth control and family planning have been cut and oddly censured by this american administration...no...and not that much of the birth control in developing countries is of low quality, and seems to often lead to reproductive health problems...not ever that...nor is it's price prohibitive even for american women, when they haven't got insurance that covers it....i know my university's insurance doesn't...) sorry, about poor people wanting to have sex and have lots of kids. and we know that poverty is probably genetic anyway. or maybe it's ambition. the global food crisis--and growing possibility of riots and famine caused not by lack of food, but by the lack of means to buy it---will is about none of the above. the crisis is not political or economic. thanks darwinist for calling it what it is: brown people just wanna have sex and have too many children. [oh my dear god.] oh, also, neither do subsidies. nor the fact that many african countries have been forced out of food production by imf (and ‘market’) enforced dumping of low quality, highly subsidized, first world food waste, introduced at low prices and now that local production is dead, selling at 2-3x the price of first quality goods in the 1st world.

it’s just about poor brown people having too many kids.
(and clearly not about the fact that funding for birth control and family planning have been cut and oddly censured by this american administration…no…and not that much of the birth control in developing countries is of low quality, and seems to often lead to reproductive health problems…not ever that…nor is it’s price prohibitive even for american women, when they haven’t got insurance that covers it….i know my university’s insurance doesn’t…) sorry, about poor people wanting to have sex and have lots of kids. and we know that poverty is probably genetic anyway. or maybe it’s ambition.

the global food crisis–and growing possibility of riots and famine caused not by lack of food, but by the lack of means to buy it—will is about none of the above.

the crisis is not political or economic.

thanks darwinist for calling it what it is:

brown people just wanna have sex and have too many children.

[oh my dear god.]

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]]> By: peanut http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440479 peanut Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:16:45 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440479 uh..totally....um...waste and ethanol have nothing to do with it. though i wish people would stop calling it the food crisis and start calling it the food price crisis. uh..totally….um…waste and ethanol have nothing to do with it. though i wish people would stop calling it the food crisis and start calling it the food price crisis.

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]]> By: ckelty http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440466 ckelty Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:34:29 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440466 I was going to delete the above comment as spam, but I realized just in time that it's fucking awesome. So I've just promoted Prudence to Head Blogger at SM. I was going to delete the above comment as spam, but I realized just in time that it’s fucking awesome. So I’ve just promoted Prudence to Head Blogger at SM.

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]]> By: Prudence http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440463 Prudence Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:27:08 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440463 Equalize the global distribution of bellywobble through the liposuction pipeline! Open-source double-blind peer-reviewed merit-based citizenship redistribution! I'll agree to viva your revolution survivalating the fittest, if you'll agree to drop a dilly dollop of brain grease into retrofitting the vivalscape. Mens sana in corpore sano! David Harvey Rules, OK! Somebody get a hose on that armchair, its threatening to burn the whole library down! Equalize the global distribution of bellywobble through the liposuction pipeline! Open-source double-blind peer-reviewed merit-based citizenship redistribution! I’ll agree to viva your revolution survivalating the fittest, if you’ll agree to drop a dilly dollop of brain grease into retrofitting the vivalscape. Mens sana in corpore sano! David Harvey Rules, OK! Somebody get a hose on that armchair, its threatening to burn the whole library down!

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]]> By: Kate G http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440115 Kate G Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:59:27 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440115 Hi, Darwinist. You could! Hi, Darwinist. You could!

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]]> By: Darwinist http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-440070 Darwinist Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:15:13 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-440070 I don't think there is a global food crisis, I think there is a population bomb, that is, an overpopulation crisis. Funny, overpopulation was a cornerstone of Liberal ideology, until the Political Correct police noticed that Western countries HAVE population control, its the non-white countries who are "out of control", and that would be politically incorrect, or racist to say so, or apparently to even think it, so lets call it a global food crises, and hey, why not send all them good nitric fertilizers and GM seeds, free for the first 5 years. Yea, ok, but even the UN has come around to say that there are too many people, the PC thought police have terrorized the new liberal left, (the right wants MORE babies, I believe, to sell more crap, diapers, etc to) Anyway, why don't we call it for what it is, a people crisis, and start dealing with reality. Anyone want to risk his name and job by doing this? George Orwell, wow, good call. I don’t think there is a global food crisis, I think there is a population bomb, that is, an overpopulation crisis. Funny, overpopulation was a cornerstone of Liberal ideology, until the Political Correct police noticed that Western countries HAVE population control, its the non-white countries who are “out of control”, and that would be politically incorrect, or racist to say so, or apparently to even think it, so lets call it a global food crises, and hey, why not send all them good nitric fertilizers and GM seeds, free for the first 5 years.

Yea, ok, but even the UN has come around to say that there are too many people, the PC thought police have terrorized the new liberal left, (the right wants MORE babies, I believe, to sell more crap, diapers, etc to)

Anyway, why don’t we call it for what it is, a people crisis, and start dealing with reality. Anyone want to risk his name and job by doing this?

George Orwell, wow, good call.

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]]> By: NNYet http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-439065 NNYet Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:08:55 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-439065 Wow, that's really fun, fun stuff. Here's how the online Latin translator rendered that: "Lorem itself pain he is amet consectetuer to come up to elit. But to hate. Sickness and not skirmish he is amet to hate fringilla a quiver. To suspend might. Tomorrow but before when a hollow person responsible to congeal. Fusce in fact fear , to make fit but , person responsible blandishments porttitor and diam. Nulla urna how , to grow strong good , to add to a heap this consectetuer not , to set free. To suspend laoreet dui a to hate seneschal price. To suspend not augue when now viverra vestibulum. Sickness to grow strong elit anyone to extreme poverty lacinia , to hate ligula avenging how , and avenging bow dui when unseemly. Upon when lorem. When fellowship natoque penatibus and magnis rich parturient Mons nascetur facetious mouse. Now this unseemly. Nulla rhoncus. Up to the time when to add to a heap , before and sometimes to lay , skirmish magna a race lion eget tincidunt lorem nulla when bed. Eneus before lorem , crime anyone , some or , sometimes upon nulla. Upon worthless lorem , person responsible and , some life laoreet good , before. But and mauris. Nulla venenatis pain upon wise. Phasellus or to set free." Wow, that’s really fun, fun stuff. Here’s how the online Latin translator rendered that: “Lorem itself pain he is amet consectetuer to come up to elit. But to hate. Sickness and not skirmish he is amet to hate fringilla a quiver. To suspend might. Tomorrow but before when a hollow person responsible to congeal. Fusce in fact fear , to make fit but , person responsible blandishments porttitor and diam. Nulla urna how , to grow strong good , to add to a heap this consectetuer not , to set free. To suspend laoreet dui a to hate seneschal price. To suspend not augue when now viverra vestibulum. Sickness to grow strong elit anyone to extreme poverty lacinia , to hate ligula avenging how , and avenging bow dui when unseemly. Upon when lorem. When fellowship natoque penatibus and magnis rich parturient Mons nascetur facetious mouse. Now this unseemly. Nulla rhoncus. Up to the time when to add to a heap , before and sometimes to lay , skirmish magna a race lion eget tincidunt lorem nulla when bed. Eneus before lorem , crime anyone , some or , sometimes upon nulla. Upon worthless lorem , person responsible and , some life laoreet good , before. But and mauris. Nulla venenatis pain upon wise. Phasellus or to set free.”

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]]> By: LFB http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-438576 LFB Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:44:51 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-438576 Oh, Seth, you have been so inspiring. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio. Morbi nec velit sit amet odio fringilla pharetra. Suspendisse potenti. Cras at ante ut lacus auctor congue. Fusce enim metus, commodo at, auctor blandit, porttitor ac, diam. Nulla urna quam, convallis eu, accumsan id, consectetuer non, libero. Suspendisse laoreet dui a odio dapibus pretium. Suspendisse non augue ut nunc viverra vestibulum. Morbi convallis, elit quis egestas lacinia, odio ligula ultrices quam, ac ultrices arcu dui ut turpis. In ut lorem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nunc id turpis. Nulla rhoncus. Donec accumsan, ante ac interdum posuere, velit magna cursus leo, eget tincidunt lorem nulla ut lectus. Aenean ante lorem, scelerisque quis, aliquam vel, interdum in, nulla. In neque lorem, auctor ac, aliquam vitae, laoreet eu, ante. Sed ac mauris. Nulla venenatis dolor in sapien. Phasellus vel libero. Oh, Seth, you have been so inspiring. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio. Morbi nec velit sit amet odio fringilla pharetra. Suspendisse potenti. Cras at ante ut lacus auctor congue. Fusce enim metus, commodo at, auctor blandit, porttitor ac, diam. Nulla urna quam, convallis eu, accumsan id, consectetuer non, libero. Suspendisse laoreet dui a odio dapibus pretium. Suspendisse non augue ut nunc viverra vestibulum. Morbi convallis, elit quis egestas lacinia, odio ligula ultrices quam, ac ultrices arcu dui ut turpis. In ut lorem. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nunc id turpis. Nulla rhoncus. Donec accumsan, ante ac interdum posuere, velit magna cursus leo, eget tincidunt lorem nulla ut lectus. Aenean ante lorem, scelerisque quis, aliquam vel, interdum in, nulla. In neque lorem, auctor ac, aliquam vitae, laoreet eu, ante. Sed ac mauris. Nulla venenatis dolor in sapien. Phasellus vel libero.

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]]> By: seth edenbaum http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-437707 seth edenbaum Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:21:29 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-437707 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXFTG893daM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXFTG893daM

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]]> By: Johny Appleseed http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-437655 Johny Appleseed Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:33:41 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-437655 Just for you Seth - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKSC5h7kYno Just for you Seth -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKSC5h7kYno

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]]> By: seth edenbaum http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-437044 seth edenbaum Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:52:18 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-437044 "Although I hate to change the topic…" But you haven't. How can you change what you make manifest? Michael Wesch's lecture is like a lecture by a plumbing enthusiast without a discussion of shit. What is the philosophy [the esthetic] of information other than an esthetic of complex mechanism? Why are systems "like, cool"? "The printing press is awesome!" No, it's just a technology. Networks are systems. Why not a study of the nature of enthusiasm in the 21st century? And LFB thinks the Marx seminar is [cool] I have to assume because of an academic interest in Marx rather than an interest in what Marx had to say about the world. An interest in the latter might bring us back here: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2008/07/biologist-myers.html PZ Myers is an idiot. Most of you would agree. How has it gotten to this point? Out of respect for Kerim I'm done here. But as far as discussions of culture are concerned I'd love a discussion of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang. The arts are a mode and a methodology. Outside of that, any sense of ironic self-awareness seems beyond comprehension. What made you people what you are? That's the question. I'm gone. “Although I hate to change the topic…”
But you haven’t. How can you change what you make manifest?
Michael Wesch’s lecture is like a lecture by a plumbing enthusiast without a discussion of shit. What is the philosophy [the esthetic] of information other than an esthetic of complex mechanism? Why are systems “like, cool”? “The printing press is awesome!” No, it’s just a technology. Networks are systems. Why not a study of the nature of enthusiasm in the 21st century?

And LFB thinks the Marx seminar is [cool] I have to assume because of an academic interest in Marx rather than an interest in what Marx had to say about the world. An interest in the latter might bring us back here:
http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2008/07/biologist-myers.html
PZ Myers is an idiot. Most of you would agree. How has it gotten to this point?

Out of respect for Kerim I’m done here. But as far as discussions of culture are concerned I’d love a discussion of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang.
The arts are a mode and a methodology. Outside of that, any sense of ironic self-awareness seems beyond comprehension.
What made you people what you are? That’s the question.

I’m gone.

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]]> By: Derick http://savageminds.org/2008/07/13/around-the-web-21/comment-page-1/#comment-436390 Derick Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:17:54 +0000 http://savageminds.org/?p=1289#comment-436390 Well....precolonial subsistence activities in SA were a bit more complex and historically/regionally varied than that picture (see e.g. William Beinart, The Political Economy of Pondoland); the point that SA's societies were not primarily cattle-keepers is accurate enough as a summary. But the claim that "if you don’t use your field, it is allotted to another person, since the land is owned communally by the tribe" is an administrative fiction, which hasn't been reflected in practice in much of SA since the 1960s at least, and even early 20th C ethnographers (e.g. Monica Hunter, PAW Cook) note that reallocation of disused land was infrequent and more a threat than a reality. Jay's point about inputs and training is well-taken -- the SA Dept of Ag remains focused on large-scale farming and costly technological fixes like Boinkie proposes, while rural distribution and marketing facilities in the so-called communal areas are scarce. Current redistribution policies favor highly capitalized commercial farmers, not smallholders. Despite a push in the early 1990s (spearheaded by the Liptons' work) for support for smallholder farming, ag. policy and practice and increasingly land reform policy have remained oriented towards large-scale, mechanized commercial farms. Well….precolonial subsistence activities in SA were a bit more complex and historically/regionally varied than that picture (see e.g. William Beinart, The Political Economy of Pondoland); the point that SA’s societies were not primarily cattle-keepers is accurate enough as a summary. But the claim that “if you don’t use your field, it is allotted to another person, since the land is owned communally by the tribe” is an administrative fiction, which hasn’t been reflected in practice in much of SA since the 1960s at least, and even early 20th C ethnographers (e.g. Monica Hunter, PAW Cook) note that reallocation of disused land was infrequent and more a threat than a reality.

Jay’s point about inputs and training is well-taken — the SA Dept of Ag remains focused on large-scale farming and costly technological fixes like Boinkie proposes, while rural distribution and marketing facilities in the so-called communal areas are scarce. Current redistribution policies favor highly capitalized commercial farmers, not smallholders. Despite a push in the early 1990s (spearheaded by the Liptons’ work) for support for smallholder farming, ag. policy and practice and increasingly land reform policy have remained oriented towards large-scale, mechanized commercial farms.

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