The Mental Abyss

Last weekend a sociopath by the name of Anders Behring Breivik murdered 76 people in Norway. Without a shred of doubt a horrible act. Personally, I wonder how a person can reach a point in his mind where brutal, senseless violence and murder is perfectly justified. Because disagreeing with an ideology or politics and taking extreme violent action are two separate points widely apart on a linear scale. Disagreeing is one thing but making your disagreement known in barbaric fashion is quite something else. I truly wonder how a person can fall into the mental abyss like that.

Breivik seemed to disagree with the social-liberal policies of the Norwegian Labour Party. He is very much anti-Islam and against a multi-culture society which of course involves non-Christians. Yet in all that widespread hate he picked out his fellow countrymen, the young and the innocent of the Labour Party. Clearly we're dealing with a full blown psychopath here who wants to make a statement and maybe leave some sort of legacy behind for the like-minded. The latter is what scares me the most because what he is advocating on some level is that people should become a terrorist like him if they really want to change anything.

This we must avoid.

What scares me somewhat is that on a Dutch newspaper website 'de Telegraaf' (the Telegraph) similar to identical right-wing sentiments can be found in the commentary section of articles. Often these people are advocates of Geert Wilders' right-wing party PVV, which Anders Breivik listed as 'the only true conservative party in Europe.' That kind of makes you wonder since some of the commentary on the newspaper website is not that different from Breivik's rhetoric. Wilders also aims his sights on Islam and protecting the Christian identity, combined with verbal attacks on left-wing parties. Make no mistake, similarities are there.

The mental attitude of some people can be quite disturbing. Void of critical thought a number of Wilders supporters often make the shallow comment; 'he's right!' Another seemingly constant thrust of critique is to put blame on left-wing parties and also make them responsible for political decisions decades ago. 'It was leftist policies that got us into this mess!' Never mind of course that there never was a full left-wing government. The Dutch Labour Party, when it was in control, always had to share power with right-wing parties such as the CDA (Christian Democrats) and VVD (Liberals). Right wing influence was always there in the Netherlands but these people seem to be in denial over this fact.

That kind of mindless finger pointing and assigning blame is really scary. It displays a lack of insight and ultimately if we are not careful radicalization. Breivik apparently showed us the next step after becoming radical and extreme. I sincerely hope that a lot of disgruntled folks agree that we should not go there. Continuing the dialogue and re-examining our positions is the way to go.

Sketchzoid #36

Money Volume

Check out this website in order to find how much volume there is in physical money that is being owed to banks (etc.) in the United States. While you're at it, it's also sobering to view the U.S. debt clock. Are we watching the end of capitalism?

Pink Tigridia

These came out looking amazingly beautiful. Bought a bag of Tigridia bulbs earlier this year and they were mixed colors so it was still a wait and see what I'd get. Normally pink isn't my color. In my country it can be associated with being gay which is just one of those cultural peculiarities (in Italy guys wear pink without the cultural baggage). So, just thought it was a nice flower.

TZM Not A Cult

Good news. Even the most vocal critics of the Zeitgeist Movement have now largely concluded that it is not a cult. Despite the fact that several members of the Skeptic Project forums have maintained the 'cult claim' for a few years now and repeated it many times on their own respective blogs and/or YouTube channels, practically all of them seem to agree that TZM doesn't meet the criteria of a cult (although a few seemingly still have a problem with it). The (now closed) topic over at Skeptic Project forums can be found here. Here are a few quotes;

Matt: "So is TZM a cult? I would say no, it is not. Its certainly an ideology/religion with some cult-like qualities, but I don't think it would be accurate to call it a cult."

Kaiser Falkner: "I agree with this evaluation pretty hardily. Its not a cult, but maybe only because its so useless it cannot even achieve that dubious distinction."

Anticultist: "Yeah I know me too I dont believe they are a destructive/negative cult. But they do exhibit enough markers to be close to other less dangerous cults, like cults of personality, cults of politics etc.."

2012 CT: "After considering TZM as being a possible internet cult I started to do my own research checking through academic journals and using google of course. I realized that their was almost ZERO credible academic research on internet cults. [...] When I say TZM is a cult it's purely based more on opinion and to a lesser extent on academic criteria evaluation (that is based on academic research). Their simply isn't enough academic research to say that internet cults are even possible."

CyborgJesus: "In conclusion, I don't think TZM classifies as a real cult, but I don't think that should be the question anyway."

JimJesus: "The Zeitgeist Movement is as much of a cult as Trekkies or Bronies. [...] To call them a cult now is a stretch."

Vasper85: "As a former member I can't see TZM as being a cult."

It's ironic that some of the people who started creating waves on the internet by claiming the Zeitgeist Movement was in fact a cult now abandon their previous position. Better late than never I suppose. Lets take the positive approach; at least we've got it cleared up.

Aftermath: The World Without Oil

Just a moment ago I watched a show on television called 'Aftermath: The World Without Oil.' It aired on and is produced by the National Geographic Channel. This show, being part of a series of "what if's?", revolves around a hypothetical scenario when the oil runs yet it isn't set in the future but in the present day. The show explores ramifications in the short and long term. How long do the oil reserves last? How does it affect food production? In an economy totally depended on fossil fuels the ramifications are enormous and could potentially lead to many casualties, lawlessness and mass migration from the cities to the countryside and warmer regions.

Fortunately, It's not all doom and gloom. Even with todays standard of technology (and resources) substitutes are available yet the show correctly points out that these are not adequate enough to power a nation such as the U.S. or continue the present way of life and consumption. A massive change in energy infrastructure would need to occur and people would have to adapt to products being more scarce. When oil runs out alternatives need to be manufactured. The diesel engine can in fact run on vegetable oil made from soybeans, peanuts and even algae. Producing large quantities of biodiesel requires a whole new infrastructure which also needs to be planned and crops planted.

Gasoline engines can run on a substitute; ethanol. Which is produced by fermenting corn or sugarcane. Another alternative, hydrogen, is something I missed in this NGC show and the technology to produce it has been around for a while. Lastly, the show also points out that lithium, a mineral that goes in (car) batteries, will become just as or even more valuable than gold. Keeping all these alternatives in mind, the show points out that a society without oil is far more depended on agriculture since crops would be planted for both fuel and consumption.

It's a good show to watch since it should be clear to anyone that the global oil reserves are diminishing each year and could drop even faster when other economies in the world such as China and India continue to grow. There will come a time when there's not enough oil to meet the consumption. Having alternatives seems like a sound plan. Ultimately you have to find something more sustainable. Maybe at this point in human evolution people will start to consider something like the Venus Project.

Dear Matt

Why thank you Matt for that total honest post. Maybe you have noticed that I hardly commented on your actions on my blog, here and there in passing if my memory serves me right. Did comment on the CS forums in general of course. Let me say that I appreciate your honesty and if more people would simply state their true intentions the easier it is to make some sort of progress. You know what the downside is of the animosity between CS and TZM? It restricts the exploration of finer issues. When we enter the arena as "conspiracy theorist" vs "troll" defensive positions are quickly erected, on an intellectual level of course.

While I see in the topic over at the CS forums that some people are eager to label me as a conspiracy theorist let me prove that I don't want to be that myself. Besides, I don't recall making the claim that you, Muertos or Anticultist are paid disinformation agents. Trolls? Yes. Government agents? No. Hope you don't mind me using the word troll on this occasion and I believe you personally have no problem with the word. The label is also on your YouTube account and you admitted engaging in trolling if I'm not mistaken so I'm guessing you're not as quickly offended as the others. (In the topic on CS Anticultist also admits he engaged in trolling.)

Right. Proving I'm not the conspiracy theorist some people may think I am. A while back I installed a piece of software on my blog called a 'sitemeter.' It's in the bottom left of my blog. At the time blogger itself didn't have many options regarding how many people visit and so on. I also got some inspiration from "i.p.-hunter" Paul Jones (Anticultist) and I must admit I was curious who visits my blog (from time to time). The sitemeter lets you see the i.p. number, from which country people originate, sometimes which companies or organizations they work for. It shows how long visitations last, how many pages they visit and maybe the most informative matter is how they visit, meaning through which link they enter the blog (referring url).

Couple of months back, May to be precise, I did a piece on Muertos. The latter opened a topic on the CS forums. I watched my sitemeter and this one came up;



Quite strange actually. Navy Network Information Center. The city is listed as Maysville which I looked up on Google and it's a small village just a stones throw away from Camp Lejeune, a U.S. Marine Corp facility. The thing is Matt and I hope this proves I'm not the conspiracy theorist some people may think I am, I didn't do anything with this information. I didn't make a blog about it claiming CS is connected to a military agency or intelligence. Didn't run over to the Zeitgeist forums and yell you guys are paid disinformation agents and here's the connection. I just sat on it, because maybe it's simply some guy in the office checking your website out. (By the way, I also have a screenshot of a visit from Scott Air Force base.) Maybe you have even a better explanation for it. So here's to detente.

Wake Up Mr Green

Sorry for the late reply Muertos but I was busy doing other things. It's fascinating to see you would go as far as stating that I have an obsession with you while you're the one constantly putting the Zeitgeist Movement in a negative light. First it was a conspiracy movement full of cranks and nuts (which you display above once again) and that is simply a generalization since not everyone supports conspiracy theories (like 9/11), don't care or have moved on already. Next you tried desperately to make an association between Destini and TZM like they are one and the same thing, or something close to it.

It seems to me that you are the one with an obsession since "conspiracy nuts" and "cult members" are fixed in your lexicon. You know what my part in all of this is? I simply confront you on your bullshit. That's it. If you like to visit concerts and get drunk - rock on brother. I couldn't care less. Yet when I perceive things that I consider plain falsehoods I speak up. And yes I called you a "troll" because in my book you fit the definition. When you direct other forum users over at CS to "harass and ridicule Zeitgeist members" than you've lost credibility as an objective critic. Can't make it any simpler than that.

In the rant above you display another falsehood. You claim I never took on any specific criticism you had. That's strange. I seem to recall having discussions with you last year where I didn't dismiss every criticism you had and I even agreed with some. Here's an excerpt from August last year;
"I agree with you that theories have to be proven yet I can also understand why some people would make such claims. They base it on 'circumstantial evidence', like you see with the 9/11 truthers."
We had long winded debates about conspiracy theories where I met you at the very least halfway;
"I actually watched Addendum first and later on Zeitgeist 1. Personally, I view that first film as a personal project of Peter Joseph. Even I see some faults with Zeitgeist 1 - hijackers or a plane that weren't there - a group of businessmen behind every war in history. The bashing of Christianity was also not very smart and a guarantee to upset religious folks. It's more entertainment than a documentary, but I believe it was intended to provoke thought."
And another one;
"I have no disagreement with the statement you made, in fact generalizations serve little purpose other then to label the opposition as inadequate."

I didn't dismiss all of your objections although here you are pretending I did exactly that. Maybe it is fairer to say Muertos that in the discussions with me you simply didn't get what you want, total agreement. Maybe that is why you started feeling you weren't getting anywhere and finally getting upset and giving up. "Conspiracy theorist!!"
But I will admit that a game is being played here. You play it (according to your convictions) and so do I. You have a weakness Muertos, when someone mentions a conspiracy theory you go on tilt and for someone who recognizes this, it is remarkably easy to push your buttons in order for you to make a mistake. "Wake up Mr Green." If you have followed the previous link you may get a glimpse of who your real adversary in all of this is.

Quote Explained

Couple of days ago I posted this screenshot which I took from the comment section of a video from YouTube. Now, I've already seen some people giving it some attention and focusing on the first sentence of the comment which is of course conspiracy theory oriented. Personally, I found the other sentences and text far more powerful in meaning but of course critics quickly look over that section since it's seemingly not very helpful to their cause.

Let me be clear though. I don't believe in a Jewish banking conspiracy. In fact I believe not all bankers are Jewish or are part of some cabal. The bottom line is that it is totally irrelevant if bankers in the modern (western) world are Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Hindu. At the very top of financial institutions they have only one mindset and that is to think about the money. Religion has little to nothing to do with it. I also dislike this kind of focus as if Jewish bankers are at the fault of everything in the financial world. It can easily lead to anti-semitism which I reject on principal alone.

I found the phrase "in China the state controls the banks and corporations while in the USA corporations and banks control the state" rather fitting. It brings up the debate of 'isn't control always there in a monetary market?' 'The free market ideology meaning profit above all else.' 'Individual greed regulating one another?' Those are far more worthy matters to discuss.

Hardcore Flagraiser

This article is a grave reminder of how many people are doing these days financially-wise and the situation where politicians are trying to cut spending on Medicaid and social services. Fascinating to see that some unemployed persons still raise the flag while it should be obvious to them that their leaders threw them over board starting many years ago. Really hardcore.

Quote Of The Month

Munger - Muertos - Troll

Troll: (1) Someone who criticizes CTs, especially on the Internet. (2) Term used specifically by adherents of the Zeitgeist Movement to refer to persons who publicly oppose the cult. Trolls are often the scapegoats for whatever is wrong in the Zeitgeist Movement—essentially the Zeitgeist equivalent of Scientology’s “suppressive persons.”

This is Muertos' definition of the word "troll" and while his version is partially correct, adherents of the Zeitgeist Movement do call him a troll (with good reason I might add), it is largely lacking accuracy otherwise. In his definition is also the derogatory word "cult" which immediately should raise some concerns to the objective reader. In typical lawyer style, or should I say National Enquirer style, trolls are scapegoats in Muertos' book and last but not least one final association is made with the notorious Church of Scientology.

Alas, trying to make someone seem guilty by associating them with other negative elements in our society/culture is one of the hallmarks of a troll. Clearing yourself of any wrongdoing in the process is another one since Muertos seemingly takes no hard look at his own actions while it can be easily proven he is not as clean as he pretends here to be. But first lets take a look at the accurate definition of a troll. From Wikipedia;

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

The version of Wikipedia seems to differ quite a lot from Muertos'. The main motivation of a troll is to solicit for an emotional response from whoever is on the receiving end. Often this is done under a false identity yet this is not the case with Muertos whose real name is known. Provoking others into reacting is very much at the center of his game and as mentioned before it can be easily proven. I took the liberty of capturing some screenshots of internet venues where Muertos communicates with his ilk.


Here we have Muertos advising another forum participant to join Twitter just for the sake of [and I quote] "abusing and ridiculing Zeitgeist members." How does this fit in with Muertos' version of a troll? It doesn't, it does fit in with the Wikipedia version where readers are provoked into an emotional response. There can be little doubt that this is also the intent of Muertos' actions. Inflammatory messages by Muertos on the internet regarding the Zeitgeist Movement are simply there to create havoc .


Here we have Muertos on Twitter confirming the notion why Zeitgeist members refer to him as a troll. Apparently he likes Zeitgeist members getting upset over negative articles on the internet. Does this constitute as wanting/hoping to see an emotional reaction in other people? Does this fit Wikipedia's version of a troll? Personally, I already see enough justification for why Muertos is seen as a troll by members of the Zeitgeist Movement.


Here's some damning evidence. Here's Muertos giving advice to other forum contributors on "how to troll a dating site." When you give others advice on how to troll a website, aren't you one yourself? Isn't a bomb-maker who instructs terrorists how to make a weapon also regarded as a terrorist? Again this has nothing to do with Muertos' definition of a troll, it only confirms Wikipedia's version where other people on the internet are deliberately harassed by people who seemingly enjoy infusing others with negativity.

Clearly the labeling of Muertos as a troll is perfectly justified, it's in his words and for everyone to see. His version where it is used as some sort of scapegoat theory is disingenuous in every way. Seeing how Muertos lambasts Zeitgeist members for being conspiracy theorists while he shows no reservations theorizing about the Zeitgeist Movement, labeling it as a cult and using guilt by association tactics, we are fully entitled to call him a hypocrite and bigot as well. There's one last thing about trolls; they wont admit any wrongdoing, they can't because it disempowers them. Denial extents their game. There's one thing they hate though since trolls tend to hide out in the dark, and that is exposure to the (lime)light.

Frogger

Found this fellow (or gall) in my garden when I was weeding the place out a bit and trimming bushes. Never seen a frog before in my garden and checking Wikipedia I can't definitively state what species it is. Doubt though if it is an exotic, meaning escaped from someones terrarium. Quite unusual to find this type of frog in my garden since the nearest canal is over a few hundred meters away and there's a busy freeway in between. Could be that someone has a pond in their garden nearby and that this fellow thought it was time to move on.

Sketchzoid #35

Jackdaws

I should stop feeding the Jackdaws my old bread, more and more live in the neighborhood each year.

Picture Anomaly? (2)

Last weekend I took some shots in my garden, mostly of plants and birds. We had a northwestern wind which meant cool temperatures and vibrant air since the wind comes from the North Sea which also means less pollution. Since the sky was so clear I took this shot. Viewing the pictures later I was a little surprised to find an object in the upper left corner. Here's it enlarged.


Didn't see anything when I took the picture and I'm not claiming it's a UFO or anything. I'm just wondering what it is. Insect maybe? Probably a bird. Sometimes we have a flock of swallows cruising the skies although I didn't see any that day and they are "v" shaped - plus they make a high pitched noise you can even hear on the ground. My best bet is a seagull way up in the sky. Shots like these can easily be mistaken for UFOs.

Zeitgeist Charity

The (main event of the) Zeitgeist Media Festival is being held in Los Angeles on the 11th of September. Naturally this is done to create awareness for the need of social change. In this case it is done through artistic means and many artists make an appearance in Los Angeles as well as other venues. (See website for further information.)

Yet this particular blog is not exclusively about the Zeitgeist Media Festival although I do recommend people should visit and learn everything about the Zeitgeist Movement. In the past a number of critics have accused the Zeitgeist Movement of not doing anything for charity. Regardless of the fact that these critics possess a habit of finding fault with practically everything the movement does simply because they don't like what it stands for, they also made the bald statement that 'we' were against charity while nothing could be farther from the truth.

This misconception originated from discussions where some Zeitgeist members forwarded the notion that while charity is a good thing - it doesn't solve problems in the long run and it also doesn't addresses the root causes of poverty and homelessness to begin with. Some detractors developed a hissy fit at this point and interpreted it in such a way that the Zeitgeist Movement was not doing anything for charity and was even against it. Well, at least this portion of their critique can be put to rest since the Zeitgeist Media Festival simultaneously organizes a charity event in conjunction with the Food Bank;

CHARITY FOOD DRIVE:
The Zeitgeist Media Festival is partnering with The Temple of Conscious Giving of LA & the LA Foodbank to pair in a Food Drive to help the many homeless and suffering people in Los Angeles. Entrance to The Zeitgeist Media Festival REQUIRES Dry/Can food to be personally brought to the event by all attendees!

Tigridia

Bought a bag of Tigridia bulbs in early spring and planted them right away. All of them (6) came out of the ground but only one of them has bloomed so far. Their leafs also tend to snap and fall over after a strong breeze, resulting in the leaf dying off. Plant lice also tend to attach themselves to the leafs the moment they spring out of the ground. While the flower of the plant is gorgeous, I was a little bit disappointed to find out it only bloomed for one day. It's an ok plant for the garden as far as I'm concerned but personally I'd recommend something else - plants that bloom for a longer period.


I must vindicate the Tigridia. After watching the plant some more I'm not that disappointed anymore. While its flowers bloom for one day it does keep on making new ones, so it's not 1 flower per plant but many. The picture above is the second flower and a third one is underway right now. That certainly makes up for the short blooming period.