The Contrarian

Tibet Still Needs Freeing.

In case you were wondering. . .

Sexy Spitzer. . . By James P. Caldwell

I've been to a couple of Eliot Spitzer press things at City Hall, and let me just tell you — there were prostitutes everywhere. I mean, it was unbelievable. Behind him at the podium? Prostitutes. Walking in the hallway with him? Prostitutes. Waiting in his SUV? Prostitutes. And God forbid you got stuck in the men's room with him. Good Lord, it was like the JFK White House.

Just kidding, I've never seen any prostitutes at City Hall. Unless you count Mike Bloomberg.

But it's been interesting over the last year to watch this guy in whom an overwhelming number of New Yorkers saw a legitimate political gunslinger, a genuine bad-ass who was tearing up to Albany to eff some shit up and maybe mess up Joe Bruno's hair while he's at it. But despite Spitzer's own famous (and not denied) declaration that "I'm a fuckin' steamroller," there was no denying from early on he was getting beat up by what is widely viewed as the most dysfunctional state government in the country. Apparently cracking heads on Wall Street and pissing off the Mob as Attorney General is easier than busting up Albany's three-men-in-a-room mentality as governor. Who knew?

Point being, his star may have been falling, or it never got off the ground, or his own ego took a torch to it, but this is just one hell of a way to go out. Hope it was worth it Eliot! Did you at least get her number?   

In Defense of Lobbying.

And, somewhat secondarily, John McCain:

Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, February 29, 2008.

Let's agree to frown upon bad lobbying, such as getting a tax break for a particular industry. Let's agree to welcome good lobbying -- the actual redress of a legitimate grievance -- such as protecting your home from being turned to dust to make way for some urban development project. . .

. . .free advice to the K Street crowd: Consider a name change. . .

That's exactly what our Policy Director and I were talking about the other day. What should we call the perfectly legitimate activity of petitioning representatives on behalf of their constituencies?

Too Much Fun. . . By Jebson Interlandi

"The 5,000-capacity park will be the first of its kind in Britain, but not in the world. In Orlando, Florida, hundreds of thousands of visitors make pilgrimages to the Holy Land Experience, where they can see a bloodied Jesus forced to carry his cross by snarling Roman soldiers."

This is, without doubt, my favorite planet. Perusing the Guardian today, I came across Big News. To challenge Darwin's theory of evolution, the AH Trust (Christian Businessmen) have tactfully decided to erect a Creationist Theme Park somewhere in Northwest England. Brilliant.

3.5 million dollars spent, in true Christian fashion, on things people need. I immediately wondered if this Genesis-based fantasyland was in response to an existing Evolution Theme Park. Turns out, this is not the case. [ED - too bad; we could've taken a staff field trip!]

Now, I don't care whether a person bases their understanding of the world on evolution or creationist theory, but come on. . . let's at least be fair. The major problem I have with creationists is their blatant pro-Genesis bias. If you want to teach creationism, go for it. Just keep in mind there's a plethora of creation myths, each one deserving equal attention. If the Apaches exist, surely they were created as they say they were. A valid creationist curriculum should contain origin legends for EVERYBODY — Babylonian, Egyptian, Chinese, Maori, Hopi, Aztec, Norse and so forth. The list is long and remarkably detailed: in the beginning there were blood clots, clay, dust, ribs, eggs, the Big Sneeze, water, chaos, the sky raining semen into the vaginal seas. . .

So why the explicit need for a Genesis Theme Park? Well, according to the AH Trust's website, this "revolutionary scheme" is crucial because:

"On television today there is so much sex and violence, it is no wonder our youth are binge drinking. . . This is a revolutionary scheme requiring innovative people with the vision to bring about change and a new direction."

I have a better solution for culture warriors intent on edifying art and entertainment: Eunuch Camp.  Sexual temptation ceases to be a problem, and the vulnerable children can peacefully surrender to the lukewarm allure of Audio Adrenaline and Sonicflood. Believe me, I'm tired of the corrupting influence secular-progressives have on our culture. I believe in preserving tradition. Whose tradition?  Which tradition?  Uh. . . whichever one worked out for the best. Take your pick.

I'm off to the carnival in two days.  Brussels, Germany, then New Years in London. I wish you all happy holidays.  Please feast and drink. Be excessive. Remember, merrymaking isn't a hobby: it's a way of life.

Buddhism vs. Transhumanism.

After yesterday's long-ass post about the Dalai Lama, I figured we might as well stay on the Buddhist tip.

Found an interesting article at thinkBuddha.org about Transhumanism — another abiding interest of mine.

The blogger at thinkBuddha was forthright in admitting his relative ignorance of Transhumanism; the reason he was writing about it at all was because of a seemingly unfavorable New Scientist article about cognitive scientist and Transhumanist Marvin Minski.

As a practicing Buddhist with a layman's interest in technological development and its impact on culture and civilization, I read the post with great interest.

According to current definitions, Transhumanism is an "intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human mental and physical abilities and aptitudes, and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as stupidity, suffering, disease, aging and involuntary death."

A lot of that seems at odds with the basic tenets of Buddhism, which regards the sloppy bad crap of life as the fertile manure from which the lotus of enlightenment sprouts. Of course, one could counter that Buddhism itself is a self-improvement trip. But that's somewhat off the mark. Buddhism seeks to improve conditions not through transcendence, but rather acceptance. This acceptance is hardly an ignorant, "oh well" approach to things, however. There's an almost scientific approach to the examination of consciousness, until the neurosis brought on by attachment to ego is exposed under the all-encompassing light of realization.

I'm also interested in Transhumanism, but recognize the enormous ethical implications human enhancement will bring about. We never really reconciled the last century's misguided stabs at eugenics, and I dare say that DNA tweaking and bio/nanotech "add-ons" will create a political shitstorm the likes of which humanity has never seen.

And this technology isn't in some far-off sci-fi future, either. Given technological measures such as Moore's Law, some observers suggest we're at the cusp of a Singularity. But that's another story. Kind of.

I haven't yet reconciled my personal Buddhist practice with possible technological "improvements" to my biological self. Like the Christian philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, I do believe that the universe (or God) seeks to know itself, and technological progress is a function of evolution. Hell, everything can be expressed by data.

Of course, it's probable that everything can also be expressed by feeling and karmic connectivity. You know, like, rocks having souls an' shit.

Are they both sides of the same coin? Is the universe an infinitely macro and micro orderly chaos machine? Are the mandalas of Buddhism actually spiritual representations of fractal expression?

Are you there, George Dvorsky? It's me, Casey.

Bye, Bye Dalai?

Photo by Phil Borges

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, wants his followers to decide whether or not he reincarnates. Sorta like "American Idol," but with monks.

Unfortunstely, the Chinese government has declared authority in choosing the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Seems they're not satisfied with micromanaging the lives of their more than 1 billion citizens (including those in Tibet) — they want to meddle in their afterlives, too. That's right, those tainted-toy making commies r in ur Nirvana pickin ur Lamas.

But the 14th and current Dalai Lama — believed to be the reincarnation of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion — isn't taking it sitting down, in full-lotus position or otherwise. From The Buddhist Channel website:

The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader proposed yesterday to hold a referendum among his 13-14 million followers around the world — before his death — on whether he should be reincarnated or not.

If the majority vote against it he said he would simply not be reborn, ending a lineage that tradition dictates dates back to the late 14th century, when a young shepherd was appointed the first Dalai Lama.

If the vote was in favour he said that he might appoint a reincarnation while he was still alive, breaking the 600-year-old tradition of being reborn as a small boy after his death.

His proposals not only raise some mind-bending metaphysical questions: they put China’s atheist Communist leaders in the unusual position of claiming to be the protectors of Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The 72 year-old Lama is in excellent health, but wants to ensure that Tibet has a say in its spiritual leadership. How can you not love this guy? He's a Progressive Democrat! Could you imagine Pope Benedictine XVI allowing the world's Catholics to vote for their next Funny Hat Guy? Never happen.

As the Dalai Lama himself says:

"As early as 1969 I made it clear that [whether] the very institution of the Dalai Lama continue or not, is up to the Tibetan people. So [if] the majority of the Tibetan people should feel the centuries old institution of the Dalai Lama [is] no longer much relevant then the Dalai Lama institution automatically will cease. . . The very purpose of reincarnation is to carry the task which started by previous life, which is not yet accomplished. If my death comes while we are still as refugees then my reincarnation logically will come outside Tibet, who can eventually carry the work which I started."

What's amusing to me is how the Chinese government is fighting to preserve the traditions of a nation they refuse to recognize:

“The reincarnation of the living Buddha is a unique way of succession of Tibetan Buddhism and follows relatively complete religious rituals and historical conventions,” the Foreign Ministry statement said. “The Dalai Lama’s statement is in blatant violation of religious practice and historical procedure.”

This from the country that, a handful of decades ago, tried to wipe out Buddhist monks like the Empire eradicated Jedi.

I like that the Dalai Lama is placing the choice before worldwide practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism.

Does this mean I get to vote?

Will Anyone Ever Buy Music Again?

Free streaming music service Qloud may spell more insecurity in an already insecure industry. Qloud, which debuted as a Facebook-based application a few months ago, is now ready to merge with other social networking sites. I think I'm on Facebook. . . aw, who even cares?

Those filthy pushers in the music industry, that's who.

Qloud functions as a "streaming jukebox" with music, videos and embedded content from providers such as YouTube, Revver and Brightcove. I know nothing of the last two, but I'm sure geeks are down.

Here's the hook: Qloud features its own built-in social networking tools and a "music discovery system" made possible by an iTunes plug-in (or widget, or whatever they're called these days).

This means you can listen to all of your friends' music libraries whenever you want. No, you can't download songs. But new mobile devices with streaming capacity mean you can rock out anywhere, so what does ownership even matter?

The service was co-founded by former AOL (yikes!) execs Toby Murdock and Mike Lewis. Board members and investors include Chris Blackwell of Island Music (also known as the man who brought Bob Marley to pot-smoking college kids), and industry string-pullers Paul Vidich (Warner Bros.) and Tom Ryan (EMI). Bet this crew use words like "innovate" and "saturation" a lot. They probably do yoga with Rick Rubin, too.

See, the geniuses behind Qloud believe that once people are hooked on their friends' jamz, they'll actually purchase music of their own. I predict the endless streaming of stuff already jacked from *the tubes.*

Still, the concept is pretty cool. But ask yourself: do you really want your "friends" to know everything you have in your iTunes folder? Or maybe that's just the Hall & Oates fan in me talking.

The soon-to-be-relaunched Lala.com promotes the same basic theory: offer people free streaming access, and they'll purchase more product. Or maybe they'll just steal more.

Our pals at Highgate wrote a bit about the shuttering of invite-only torrent site Oink, which, while patently illegal, was certainly beloved. (The post also mentions the death of the online rag Stylus). I offered the following wisdom in the comments:

Somewhere between the music industry's colossal betrayal of the consumer and the immense promise of the internet lies a model through which artists can get paid for their work without being ripped off by either the record labels or an unethical public conditioned to believe that all music should be free.

I'm guilty of wishful thinking, too.

Nine Inch Nails No Longer Find Happiness in Slavery.

Still can't get over dude's guns. Why did The Rock eat Reznor?

It's already all over the internets: Trent Reznor is the latest major recording artist to give the big labels a fat middle finger. That's right, Nine Inch Nails have severed their industry ties. Interscope is probably feeling more than a little hurt, if you'll pardon the pun. But you can only put up with so many terrible lies before you're broken. Hopefully this brings Reznor & co. closer to their fanbase. OK, OK, I'll stop. I do not want this.

Here's the statement from Mr. Self Destruct:

Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed.

I'm of two minds about the phenomenon. Superstar acts that have been around for a couple of decades have of a loyal enough fanbase to safely cut the apron strings. But not every artist can afford to operate completely independently. At least not until the entire industry model changes, which it will. But that's gonna be a pretty bumpy ride for everyone from the smallest imprints to the biggest entertainment conglomerates. Me, I'm in the musician's corner as usual. Yes, even the lame-ass jam bands.

I have a feeling we'll be discussing this topic a lot more in the future.

Gettin' Relijun.

Good Morning, fellow Contrarians.

Here at HQ, we've been engaging in ongoing discussions concerning religion, spirituality and what constitutes faith. If, like me, you're one of those people who naturally recoils at the idea of conventional (re: dogmatic) belief, religion offers plenty to make fun of.

But, as has been pointed out by a handful of peers and associates, underneath the trappings of ritual, myth and superstition, there is usually an aspect of numinous experience — a transformative and spontaneous flash of insight that can spring from many sources, most often during meditation or trance states. (Our Foreign Correspondent Jebson Interlandi would include the drug experience, but that's like, his trip, man).

As a practicing Buddhist, I regularly and wholeheartedly subject myself to the superficially bizarre act of sitting on a cushion and not thinking about shit. Weird, I know. But it actually has gone a long way towards making me realize that I'm not the center of the universe, which, I assure you, is no small breakthrough.

I don't want to get into an extended discourse on what constitutes spirituality. At least not right now — I have a lot of other crap to do. But you can still enjoy these links:

Our hero George Dvosrsky  takes atheist firebrand Christopher Hitchens to task for his dissing of Buddhism. The comments are worth reading, too — and not just mine.

I agree with a lot of what Hitchens has to say regarding religion, but he's way off the mark on Buddhism. Also, he's generally kind of an asshole. Hitch and a handful of his less obnoxious contemporaries will be appearing at the Atheist Bonnarroo Secular Society and Its Enemies Conference, which takes place at New York's 9/11 site next month. Provocative! Raging Islamic autocrats are clearly not welcome at the memorial, but the Godless are still OK. . .

It's nice to know folks are paying attention to the bullshit in Burma.

The Holy Bible has been translated into LOLCat! The Three Wise men never sounded wiser: "And wen dey saw teh star dey was liek "FUCK YEAH STAR!"

Killing is a sin, unless it's a popular video game. Whatever it takes to get 'em in the door right?

Saw Wes Anderson's supposed spiritual travelogue The Darjeeling Limited. Not great, not good, pretty much unfun. For the first quarter of the movie I was actively enraged, then bored to the point of almost walking out. But the final act had its moments. A few of the heavy-handed metaphors were actually soulful and/or profound. A few. The San Francisco Chronicle has my back on this one:

Anderson is too talented to make a film without memorable moments. As a visual stylist alone, his work is impossible to dismiss. Yet cut around the substantive bits in Darjeeling Limited, and you'd be left with 20 minutes of disparate, unconnected scenes. The film is eye-popping and gorgeous but vacant, a diversion and a deflection pointing to a meaning that never arrives.

Enlightenment isn't a moment of realization but the product of commitment, and spirituality is expressed in action - it's not an acquisition. If a man throws away his suitcase in order to run fast and catch a train, it doesn't mean that he's finally discovered his priorities. It probably means that he's got enough money to replace whatever was in the bag. Like the characters in Darjeeling Limited, Anderson sets the bar too low for himself.

Read the rest here. There's also an excellent Slate piece that examines Anderson's White Shoe way with race and culture. Plenty of fine points are made. Still, his flicks would hardly be the same without that little Indian guy.

End Transmission. Stay tuned for a ProgBlog update and our annual Halloween Podcast!

PS: I reviewed the new Beirut record.

Filthy Morrocans and the Diseased... By Jebson Interlandi.

Shocking news from abroad, I'm afraid. Native Dutch crime organizations are diminishing in their influence, as a new wave of migrant hooligans are taking over the robbery/theft market. 

This reprobate infestation is composed of young Morrocan males. They are infiltrating our beloved country with their thieving, treacherous tendencies. At the moment, the only hope is that the current police department develops better intelligence to sniff out these thugs, along with acquiring more effective weaponry — i.e., guns.

In other news, the present Dutch health-care system is being looked at as a potential model for US modifications. To be more specific, the Netherlands gives priority to those already affected with illness or chronic disabilities. In the US, insurance companies avoid those with existing illness, like, um, the plauge. My prediction is that nothing will change whatsoever, and the recent article I read on the subject was merely a way to fill column space.

Did you know there's a Dutch group called De Zonnebloem (the Sunflower) whose task it is to combat Loneliness? Social isolation has been a recurring problem for many industrialized nations; the Netherlands' dilemma emerged in 1945, prompting the immediate construction of the Sunflower. I apologize if it seems I'm making light of this subject, for I do admit that many elderly and handicapped persons are unable to maintain friendships as I do, via the internet and post.

But being a seasoned recluse myself, I figured I'd offer a few personal methods for defeating Loneliness.

Firstly, there's nothing wrong with befriending the dead. I have many friends amongst the living whom I rarely get to see face-to-face, so I often depend on the companionship of the deceased. There are a handful of dead writers whose words are a particular comfort, for they remind me that there have been others with temperaments similar to my own. These friendships can be highly meaningful but, alas, conversation is limited.

Secondly, practice martial arts in front of a mirror. Not only does this get you in shape, it also builds your confidence, preparing you for that situation we all fear: being a chef on a battleship overrun by terrorists in search of Tomahawk missiles. Jesus.

Indeed. . . music, television, food, alcohol, books, etc.  These are all excellent substitutes for human companionship. So, if you're feeling lonely, don't call the Anti-Loneliness Squadron. . . just have discussions with yourself aloud. The louder your voice, the more at ease you are with your solitude. If you can make eye contact with yourself in the mirror and prompt yourself to laugh, you're on the right path. 

If any fellow readers have their own suggestions for combating loneliness, please share. Cheers.