ayn rand orcs

Question:  What was that quote about Ayn Rand and Orcs?

Answer: This often quoted quip predates the internet but probably has been around since the 1970's.

 

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

Reference:

• Atlas Shrugged

Blood Libel

Question:  What is Blood Libel?

Answer:   Historically,  Blood Libel refers to a false accusation or claim that Jews or other minority groups kill children and use their blood for various religious ceremonies.  Blood Libel was used by anti-Semitic groups to justify killing Jews and discriminating against them.

In January of 2011,  Sarah Palin used it to describe the accusations against her for inciting political violence. 


Links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel_%28U.S._political_term%29
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel

Middle Names Of Shooters or Assassins

Question: Why do shooters in the news have middle names?

Question:  It's Jared Lee Loughner,  It's Mark David Chapman, It's Lee Harvey Oswald, Why do these assassins all have middle names?

Answer:  It's a form of Newspeak.  Our news media likes to frame the news in a short hand language.  By using the words 'Alleged', 'Authority say', 'expert think', they can express more or less of what they can.

The use of middle names is for assassins is just like that.   It's the convention that the news media uses.  It came about so that when people hear the news they know it's not just any "Mark Chapman" that committed a murder, but a specific one 'Mark David Chapman'.

Jared Lee Loughner

Question:  What's the motivation behind Jared Loughner's action?

Answer:  It is complex.  When tragic events happen, we like to look for simple answers.  It helps us find meaning in an complex and confusing world.

People may disagree, but I think there are three co-factors all playing into this incident.

1. Jared Loughner was mentally ill and it was not being treated correctly.
2. Jared Loughner had means to access a deadly weapon even though he was not qualified.
3. Jared Loughner internalize the political rhetoric and made an outward event out of his internal conflict. 

For further information, I would just monitor these Wikipedia entries.

• Jared Lee Loughner 
• 2011 Tucson shooting

Jade Duell

Question: Who is Jade Duell?

Answer:   Jade Duell is Owen Wilson's Girlfriend.  In January 2011,  Owen and Jade announced that she is pregnant and is expecting her first child.

tom delay

Who is Tom Delay?

Tom Delay is a ex-member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006.

Tom Delay was convicted of money laundering in late 2010. In January 2011, he was sentenced to three years in prison but is free on bail while appealing his conviction.

area code 303

What is telephone area code 303 used for?

Area codes 303 is one of the area codes serving the state of Colorado. It is for the front range area including Denver, Boulder, Longmont and Aurora.