Diary of the Mad Pigeon

Always in motion, the future is

The World of Tomorrow....perhaps....

No, the picture doesn't really have all that much to do with the article, but it does help inspire that sense of foreboding doesn't it?  :)

Of course I've often wondered why the future couldn't be a little more...like...well, this View this photo

Hamas TV kills off Mickey Mouse double

Nothing like wholesome family entertainment!

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Thursday Open Roost

Have a post to share?  Trackback it here!  Note I have to manually approve trackbacks, so there'll be a delay before I add your ping to the list:

Post-Mortem on the Second Coming of the Immigration Bill from Conservative Cat
The Knucklehead of the Day award from The Florida Masochist
The NY Times Editors Deceitful Ways from DeMediacratic Nation
The US Is No Longer Number One from Committees of Correspondence

Want to participate?  You can read the rules here, and a discourse on the point of open trackback sessions here.

Don't have trackback capability, or just want to submit a link you found?  Email your post to thebigpigeon-at-yahoo.com and I'll add your submission to the list!

Palestine: The Pigeon's Response

FIRST, THE ADMIN NOTE:  I won't be running the OPEN TOPIC OF THE WEEK for the month of July; per my note on 22 June I've simply got too many deadlines in the next few weeks to afford writing myself into a corner with a Pigeon's Response deadline (like I did today).  On the plus side, that'll give me some time to consider fresh topics.

Now back to the topic:

Canuckistani writes:  "let them war amongst themselves, it distracts them from us."

Perhaps.  But what happens if Hamas also seizes the West Bank and consolidates their power?  I'd rather get involved now and ensure Fatah rules the roost.

Fatah being the lesser of two evils, of course.  But the fundamental (pardon the pun) difference is Fatah's evolved with the times.  Sure, they want a state, but Fatah's also willing to negotiate with Israel--and both sides MUST be willing to sit at the table together to extract this thorn from their sides.

As for Hamas,  they don't leave much room for negotiation:  as will Iran, when your foreign policy foundation's built on the destruction of Israel, how do you change course?

I'll tell you what I DON'T think worked:  the embargo.  All it did was enhance the conditions for violence.  For a young Palestinian with few educational opportunities, no job prospects, and otherwise nothing to lose, hate and blame are powerful motivators.

(Frankly, I don't think embargoes are EVER effective policy tools; but I'll save that for another day).

So, what to do...

Give the Gaza strip back to Egypt and make the West Bank the bona fide Palestinian state?  It'd be quick and efficient, but it'd take away Palestinian access to the Mediterranean, and I'm sure the Israeli settlers and Palestinians would just love to become Egyptians.

Israel could make some conciliatory gestures by opening borders, roads, trade, and other paths to reestablishing trust, let alone improving economic opportunity on both sides of the fence.  But such gestures are easy for me to recommend, considering I don't have to worry about buses blowing up in my neighborhood (although it's probably only a matter of time).

Intervene and take Hamas down.  That'd also be quick and efficient, but would sink our already deplorable reputation in the Middle East (of course, it doesn't HAVE to be the US stepping in...).

I don't know.  I can identify all the problems but can't think of any viable solutions.  Given a choice, though, I'd rather jump start the Palestine economy than strangle it:  that'd take the big ace out of Hamas' sleeve.

I'm open to ideas...

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, DeMediacratic Nation, Right Truth, Big Dog's Weblog, The Pet Haven Blog, Stuck On Stupid, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Planck's Constant, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Old School ASCII Strategy Gaming Goodness

check this [PIGEONED] out... I read about this nifty game the other day called Dwarf Fortress, a strategy game crafted by two brothers in Washington state.

What's the punchline?  The game is a massive, persistent strategy game.

With ASCII graphics.

That's right:  ASCII.  The acronym stands for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, but in layman's terms it means the graphics are nothing but letters, numbers and special characters.  Check out these screen shots to see what I mean.  We're talking a step above Atari 2600 here, not quad-core Pentium.

The duo's spent so much time on the underlying story and artificial intelligence that hardcore strategy grognards swear by the gameplay:  for example, even on a dual-core processor it takes 15 minutes or more to generate a new map.  Yeah, they're that big.  Indeed, the minimalist graphics allow the player to imagine their own idea of what the game looks like, as opposed to a graphics-intensive virtual movie set gamers have come to expect.

Anyways, I don't know how many of you are gamers, let alone are gluttons for strategic punishment:  but since I find the game intriguing - and it's 100% free of charge - I figured I had nothing to lose by passing it along!

Dwarf Fortress article at Everything2

ASCII-based Dwarf Fortress is the future of video games?

The Dwarf Fortress Wiki

>>>>> Download the game here! <<<<<

Judge Owned in the Case of the Missing Pants

A judge ruled Monday in favor of a dry cleaner that was sued for $54 million over a missing pair of pants.

The owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's consumer protection law by failing to live up to Roy L. Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store window, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled.

Pearson, an administrative law judge, originally sought $67 million from the Chungs, claiming they lost a pair of trousers from a blue and maroon suit, then tried to give him a pair a pair of charcoal gray pants that he said were not his. He arrived at the amount by adding up years of alleged law violations and almost $2 million in common law fraud claims. CONTINUED

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I'm glad the cleaners won, but how did this case make it to trial in the first place?

Excess litigation aside, the plantiff should be ashamed of himself; for Pete's sake, he's a [PIGEONED] judge!   Hopefully this crybaby of a judge gets replaced on the bench by someone with actual charater.

One of Iwo Jima "First Flag" Raisers Dies

Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.

CONTINUED 

U.S. kids turning to fitness trainers

Nearly a million American youngsters, some as young as 6, rely on Personal trainers to shape up, lose weight or improve in sports, according to figures from the nation's leading sports club association.
 
Many parents, worried about their children's weight and fitness, say working with a trainer motivates their kids and helps build confidence. So they are willing to spend the $40 to $60 an hour that trainers generally charge.  CONTINUED

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May be it's just me, but isn't playing outside free?

With that, here's a jingle to match the story...

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Violent Video Game Suspended

AP:  The decision by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. to suspend distribution of the violent video game "Manhunt 2" could actually end up boosting demand from curious gamers, industry analysts said Friday. "Manhunt 2," initially slated for a July release on Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, depicts the escape of an amnesiac scientist and a psychotic killer from an asylum and their subsequent epic killing spree. 

Following bans by Britain and Ireland, as well as a ratings flap in the United States, Take-Two said late Thursday it was reviewing its options.  "We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment," the company said.  CONTINUED

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Creative expression and responsible marketing? I've seen and played many video games in my 34 years, and have enough experience to conclusively say I'd never, NEVER buy a game designed solely to showcase vivid gore for vivid gore's sake.  I've seen enough real gore for my tastes.  Frankly, the game doesn't sound very fun, let alone creative or responsible.

For that reason I've never played the Grand Theft Auto series:  I spend my days studying human depravity, and the last thing I need is to come home and play a game that blatantly recreates the casual criminal brutality I avoid in real life.

I don't subscribe to the idea violent video games are a DIRECT cause of violence; rather I think they're just one of many potential catalysts (I think bad parenting is the worst catalyst).  It's like saying everyone who drinks is destined for alcoholism.  And just look at me for example:  I play games an drink whiskey, sometimes at the same time, and I'm a pillar of the community .

It's not that I DON'T play violent games--unless you live on Tetris, video games have pretty much been based on conflict since the first pong cursor crossed the screen.  What sells me, though, is a story-driven game, narratives of right versus wrong played out like a book on the LCD.  Games that make me think and feel.  From a personal decency's sake I can't abide by games that simply glorify excess violence.   

Maybe it's because I know what real violence looks like and don't think it's a game. 

Admin Note: Priority Crunch

Many apologies for my spotty posting over the past week, but between my research paper and a major department project I've been swamped.

As mentioned a few days back, I MUST complete at least my research abstract and submit it to the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association before 20 July. 

I don't mean to let down my readers, but I hope you will understand I can't let the Diary take priority over my professional commitments.

I'll try not to go more than a day without posting, though; after all, there's simply too much news buffoonery out there for this pigeon to ignore!

Regards,

Capt Mad Pigeon, USAF
Spc - Sgt, USA 1994-1999