Comments on: From the Desk of Yahweh http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/ America's favorite blog Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:49:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Jim http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10165 Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:13:32 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10165 Murray, As I'm sure you're aware, it's known as "the placebo effect." Murray,

As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s known as “the placebo effect.”

]]> by: hedera http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10088 Sun, 21 Aug 2005 04:09:55 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10088 On the subject of negotiations and compromises, I heard this reminiscence of the late Mo Mowlam, on an NPR broadcast after her death: this was from someone who was at the Good Friday negotiations. He recalled Mo Mowlam coming into the room, taking off her wig and her shoes, putting her feet up, and stating flatly, "Nobody wins here. Everybody has to give up something." Now <i>there's</i> a negotiator! (I was especially charmed by the wig... ) On the subject of negotiations and compromises, I heard this reminiscence of the late Mo Mowlam, on an NPR broadcast after her death: this was from someone who was at the Good Friday negotiations. He recalled Mo Mowlam coming into the room, taking off her wig and her shoes, putting her feet up, and stating flatly, “Nobody wins here. Everybody has to give up something.” Now there’s a negotiator! (I was especially charmed by the wig… )

]]> by: Steve http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10078 Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:06:56 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10078 Murray: The study to which you refer has been debunked. http://www.somareview.com/blogcomment.cfm?datekey=20050722 Includes my snarky comment. Murray:

The study to which you refer has been debunked.

http://www.somareview.com/blogcomment.cfm?datekey=20050722

Includes my snarky comment.

]]> by: Murray http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10077 Sat, 20 Aug 2005 03:47:24 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10077 Scientifically prayer has been shown to help sick people in the hospital. Well kind of. Four groups were studied for how long they stayed and how their progress went. Group 1. Were told that a group was praying for them and the group did. Group 2. Were told that a group was praying for them but no one did. Group 3. Wasn't told that anyone was praying for them but a group did. Group 4. Wasn't told and no one prayed. Group 1 and 2 recovered earlier than 3 and 4. So it's important to THINK that you are being prayed for. Other than that it doesn't seem to help much. Scientifically prayer has been shown to help sick people in the hospital.

Well kind of.

Four groups were studied for how long they stayed and how their progress went.

Group 1. Were told that a group was praying for them and the group did.

Group 2. Were told that a group was praying for them but no one did.

Group 3. Wasn’t told that anyone was praying for them but a group did.

Group 4. Wasn’t told and no one prayed.

Group 1 and 2 recovered earlier than 3 and 4. So it’s important to THINK that you are being prayed for. Other than that it doesn’t seem to help much.

]]> by: Pete IVDL http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10072 Fri, 19 Aug 2005 21:54:48 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10072 Ambrose, good recap. What the UN declared (for so many reasons) was almost immediately hijacked by just about everyone with a vested interest. Of course, on the ground, things are always way more complicated. Some of the stories we got to hear (from both 'sides') in Bosnia, Serbia, Rwanda, etc, remind me now of many of the stories heard in the months following the British withdrawal from Palestine and Israel. The good <i>and</i> the bad. At least there are some individuals affected who know what it's going to take, day to day, to keep things working. Unfortunately, as you say, MSM only reports part of the information, and most of the rest is reported by groups so diametrically opposed to each other that it really isn't "news" at all. I guess you gotta be there. Steve - you don't want to get arrested for A Salt and Buttery! :) Ambrose, good recap. What the UN declared (for so many reasons) was almost immediately hijacked by just about everyone with a vested interest. Of course, on the ground, things are always way more complicated. Some of the stories we got to hear (from both ’sides’) in Bosnia, Serbia, Rwanda, etc, remind me now of many of the stories heard in the months following the British withdrawal from Palestine and Israel. The good and the bad.

At least there are some individuals affected who know what it’s going to take, day to day, to keep things working. Unfortunately, as you say, MSM only reports part of the information, and most of the rest is reported by groups so diametrically opposed to each other that it really isn’t “news” at all. I guess you gotta be there.

Steve - you don’t want to get arrested for A Salt and Buttery! :)

]]> by: Steve http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10068 Fri, 19 Aug 2005 15:14:50 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10068 This is to alert all True Believers in the One True Lobster that a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster" rel="nofollow">heretical cult</a> has sprung up in the hinterlands of the Internets. These Flying Spaghetti Monsterists must be driven from our sacred lands! Jihad! Jihad! With marinara sauce! This is to alert all True Believers in the One True Lobster that a heretical cult has sprung up in the hinterlands of the Internets. These Flying Spaghetti Monsterists must be driven from our sacred lands!

Jihad! Jihad! With marinara sauce!

]]> by: Pete IVDL http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10063 Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:21:05 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10063 Dee - Huitzilopochtli? Shit, I can't even <i>spell</i> Huitzilopochtli! But maybe - just maybe - that's Lobster's middle name? I wanna know how I can get included in WaterFouler's prayers... Who do I gotta blaspheme aginst? Ahuramazda? Yahweh? Jeezus? Chinchilago? Odin? Huitzilopochtli? Or is the suggestion itself the ticket in? Dee - Huitzilopochtli? Shit, I can’t even spell Huitzilopochtli! But maybe - just maybe - that’s Lobster’s middle name?

I wanna know how I can get included in WaterFouler’s prayers… Who do I gotta blaspheme aginst? Ahuramazda? Yahweh? Jeezus? Chinchilago? Odin? Huitzilopochtli? Or is the suggestion itself the ticket in?

]]> by: tess http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10062 Thu, 18 Aug 2005 21:45:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10062 Thanks, Ambrose, for the info. I understand that the situation's complicated, but I what I really meant to say that the economics of the situation just never seems to get any air play whenever it's in the news here because the "eternal religious struggle" probably seems far more sexy in print in getting people to read on the subject than to focus any real attention to the poverty that most Palestinians experience. I wasn't trying to undermine the religious or historical grievances on both sides, just that the economics makes the other two aspects of the conflict more desperate. I apologize that I wasn't making myself clear. Thanks, Ambrose, for the info.

I understand that the situation’s complicated, but I what I really meant to say that the economics of the situation just never seems to get any air play whenever it’s in the news here because the “eternal religious struggle” probably seems far more sexy in print in getting people to read on the subject than to focus any real attention to the poverty that most Palestinians experience. I wasn’t trying to undermine the religious or historical grievances on both sides, just that the economics makes the other two aspects of the conflict more desperate. I apologize that I wasn’t making myself clear.

]]> by: Keith http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10057 Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:23:16 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10057 George, As ambrose points out, it's about more than real estate, so I don't think compensation would suffice. Besides there is no infrastructure in the Palestinian territories to enable an equitable dissemination of any reparation package. See the article on Arafat in the latest issue of <b>The Atlantic</b> for some analysis of the rampant graft of the Palestinian leadership. Any compensation would be horded by the leaders of the PA, keeping the general population in poverty convinced that the reparations were inadequate and they were cheated by the Israelis, and the struggle would continue. I guess it gets back to hedera's point that there won't be any resolution until both sides have leaders committed to pursuing a compromise, rather than stoking fears and grievances of their people to maintain their positions in power. George,

As ambrose points out, it’s about more than real estate, so I don’t think compensation would suffice. Besides there is no infrastructure in the Palestinian territories to enable an equitable dissemination of any reparation package. See the article on Arafat in the latest issue of The Atlantic for some analysis of the rampant graft of the Palestinian leadership.

Any compensation would be horded by the leaders of the PA, keeping the general population in poverty convinced that the reparations were inadequate and they were cheated by the Israelis, and the struggle would continue.

I guess it gets back to hedera’s point that there won’t be any resolution until both sides have leaders committed to pursuing a compromise, rather than stoking fears and grievances of their people to maintain their positions in power.

]]> by: George http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10051 Thu, 18 Aug 2005 05:09:23 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2005/08/15/from-the-desk-of-yahweh/#comment-10051 Ambrose, Thanks for the insight. Why can't Israel compensate the Palestinians for the taking of their land? I suppose the answer is "but it wasn't <i>theirs,</i> because God said it was <i>ours.</i> Hmmm. kinda like "Yo Ambrose. God said your car was mine. I'll be comin' to pick it up on wednesday. Get your crap outta the trunk, OK?" I'm not a religious person, so that's what it sounds like to me. I can appreciate that a sizeable number of Israelis believe the religious argument. Here in America, a sizeable number of people think that George Bush is a great leader. Sizeable numbers of people are just wrong about a lot of stuff. So what about reparations? What might it take? $300 billion? If the Iraq quagmire was about stabilizing the middle east, maybe we should have just given the money to the Palestinians instead. Seems fair, given that it's in the ballpark of the present value of various forms of aid that we have already given to Israel (or Egypt so they wouldn't cause trouble for Israel). Ambrose,

Thanks for the insight. Why can’t Israel compensate the Palestinians for the taking of their land? I suppose the answer is “but it wasn’t theirs, because God said it was ours. Hmmm. kinda like “Yo Ambrose. God said your car was mine. I’ll be comin’ to pick it up on wednesday. Get your crap outta the trunk, OK?” I’m not a religious person, so that’s what it sounds like to me. I can appreciate that a sizeable number of Israelis believe the religious argument. Here in America, a sizeable number of people think that George Bush is a great leader. Sizeable numbers of people are just wrong about a lot of stuff. So what about reparations? What might it take? $300 billion? If the Iraq quagmire was about stabilizing the middle east, maybe we should have just given the money to the Palestinians instead. Seems fair, given that it’s in the ballpark of the present value of various forms of aid that we have already given to Israel (or Egypt so they wouldn’t cause trouble for Israel).

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