Arthmodeus' Records

IT TOOK ME 7 HOURS TO WRITE THIS MOTHERFUCKER. SOMEONE BETTER FUCKING READ IT.

2009-12-08T05:27:48Z

The North Caucasus Insurgency
By Miles Larson

The North Caucasus Insurgency is one of the more turbulent conflicts plaguing the world today; with nearly four hundred individuals killed this year alone [1]. This conflict is actually part of a greater war that has been fought off and on since the breakup of the Soviet Union known as the Russo-Chechen War. While the Russian government continues to say that it has the situation under control, attacks continue to occur against government buildings and public areas alike. Although the conflict has expanded to the entirety of the North Caucasus, much of the fighting is concentrated in the republic of Chechnya. The Russian military has been largely ineffective against Chechen rebels. Russian and Western media currently downplays their actions as ‘terrorism’ and ‘Islamic fanaticism’; assuming the issue is covered at all. The journalists and human rights activists who have attempted to cover events in the region have been abducted and ‘disappeared’ by mercenaries funded by the Russian government. Thus, assassinations are common in Chechnya. The republic has been notoriously dubbed ‘the most dangerous place on earth’ [2]. Its capital, Grozny, was dubbed by the United Nations as the ‘world’s most destroyed city’ in 2003 [3].

The North Caucasus region is located just north of the Georgian border and is made up of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia. All of these are autonomous Russian republics and are predominantly Muslim. There are a large variety of languages that are spoken and are virtually unique to each province; though they all belong to the same language family; Caucasian. Thus, the region is culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and religiously distinct from the rest of Russia.

Conflict against foreign powers in Chechnya has been almost constant since the 15th century, when the Ottoman Empire sought to expand into the Caucasus Mountains. After a brief period of fighting, the Chechens agreed to convert to Sunni Islam in exchange for peace. Soon afterward, they were subject to conflict with Georgians, Cossacks and Kalmyks. Russian influence began in the 16th century; with Ivan the Terrible setting up border forts in the region. The Russian Empire eventually incorporated Dagestan in the early 19th century. This caused the Caucasian Wars in 1817, which were fought by various tribes that united into the Caucasian Imamate against the Russian Empire. The Caucasian Imamate was the first instance that the tribes of the Caucasus united into a single entity. Having no single commander, each respective tribe was led by its own leaders. After forty-seven years of fighting and the use of over 200,000 soldiers [4], the Russian Empire barely managed to absorb the Caucasus region in 1864. It promptly expelled over 500,000 native Caucasians into the neighboring Ottoman Empire; representing the first of three acts of attempted genocide committed against the Chechens and other tribes [5]. A large amount of those deported died of disease during the transport [6]. A few were offered relocation to other parts of Russia, but this offer was usually rejected. This led to the ethnic cleansing of the Northwest Caucasus that lasted until 1911.

The October Revolution brought massive changes to Russia; bringing forth its first democratic government. However, this failed to end inherent racism against indigenous peoples. Soviet Rule was certainly not an improvement over imperial rule. Chechen children were taught Russian over their native language and Chechen libraries were destroyed [7]. Shortly after World War II, the Soviet government accused the Chechen people of collaborating with Nazis and proceeded to deport the entire population of Chechnya to Kazakhstan and the gulags in Siberia via freight train. 500,000 people; half of them children were loaded onto these trains. Those who lived in remote areas, far from train stations, were executed on the spot. About 150,000 Caucasians died during the transport due to inhumane conditions [8]. The Chechens were allowed to return twelve years later in 1957. This mass deportation is in direct violation of the Hague Convention of 1907; which specifies that forced deportation is an act of genocide. This was Chechnya’s second extermination attempt and was formally recognized as attempted genocide by the European Parliament in 2004.

It was these events that led to the present situation; and the collapse of the Soviet Union was the catalyst. Chechnya, along with numerous other nations, declared its independence in 1991 when Dzhokhar Dudayev, a former general of the Soviet Air Force, and a group of militants belonging to All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP) seized the Supreme Soviet building. The leader of the Communist Party in Grozny was killed after being thrown out of a window during the takeover [9]. Chechnya was renamed Ichkeria (the term the Ottomans used for Chechnya) with Dudayev as president. He was faced with staunch opposition by both Russia and the pro-Russian Chechen parliament; who questioned the legitimacy of the unofficial election in which he held. Chechnya was, at this point, a de-facto independent state that was only recognized by Georgia. Non-Chechens were expelled from the republic and industry began to shut down due to the fact that ethnic Russians were typically employed in more integral occupations in the industrial sector [10]. This anti-Russian sentiment proved detrimental to both Russians and the Chechen economy. Sporadic fighting in the territory between pro-Russian and pro-Chechen factions occurred frequently. Dudayev, faced with increasing paranoia from the chaos of the revolution, dissolved parliament in 1993 in order to avoid a referendum that would depose him. He then travelled to various Islamic countries to win popular support for his revolution.

In 1993, the Russian government funded a coup by the Provincial Council for the Chechen Republic, an alternative government for Chechnya. Their assault on Grozny was an abysmal failure, with seventy opposition troops held as political prisoners [11]. This failed attack was a blow to Russia’s image as a legitimate user force and was an embarrassment for President Boris Yeltsin.

This sparked the First Chechen War in 1994 when Yeltsin proclaimed that he would restore constitutional order by force. Russia was, at first, quite confident in its ability to take Grozny - it was initially believed that the war would only last a couple weeks. The First Chechen War is a perfect example of asymmetrical warfare. Russian forces were faced with guerilla tactics conducted by indigenous Chechens. The mountainous topography of the region gave them a distinctive advantage over national troops who were not used to such terrain. Also, morale for the Russian military was extremely low; with the general of the main offensive resigning in protest; stating that “it is a crime to send the army against its own people” [12]. At least eight-hundred Russian soldiers also refused to take part in the war. In fact, the offensive on Chechnya was extremely unpopular with much of the Russian people. The Deputy Minister of Defense Boris Gromov resigned in protest saying that the Chechen War will be “another Afghanistan”. It was common for troops to ignore orders and even sabotage their own equipment. Russian soldiers were also poorly trained and were largely conscripts from neighboring provinces. Nonetheless, civilian deaths were very high regardless of where their loyalties were. A large section of civilians who, at first, were pro-Russian switched sides due to Russia’s conduct. The federal forces resorted to indiscriminate carpet bombing that caused massive civilian casualties (both Chechen and Russian) and left much of Grozny in ruins. The assault was the heaviest air bombing raid since the destruction of Dresden in World War II [13]. Federal forces were barely able to take Grozny in 1995 after losing 2,000 soldiers and one general. About 35,000 civilians were killed by Russian forces, including 5,000 children; a majority of them being ethnic Russians [14]. The assault was condemned by the international community; with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev condemning the attack as a “disgraceful, bloody adventure”.

Dudayev was assassinated by a guided missile in 1996; prompting Yeltsin to officially proclaim “victory” in the taking Grozny. Russian forces continued to expand out into rural areas conducting brutal massacres of civilians; including the Samashki Massacre; in which at least a hundred civilians were killed and hundreds more detained and tortured [15]. Brutality and torture were largely tolerated by commanders. Civilians were tortured, raped, and killed seemingly at random and with no regard to their ethnicity. This extreme violence was broadcasted uncensored by the Russian media; stimulating a steep loss of popular approval for Yeltsin. Minorities in other parts of Russia began to fear the brutality of the Russian military. In short, the war was a human rights disaster. The war ended with up to 14,000 Russian military deaths [16]. Chechen casualties added up to around 100,000 – roughly 10% of the total ethnic population [17]. Over 500,000 people, half of Chechnya’s population, were displaced due to the destruction of various cities. A peace treaty was signed after hours of negotiation; giving both soldiers and rebels amnesty for their conduct in the war. It can be said that the war ended in a Chechen victory, although it was pyrrhic due to widespread devastation and a complete collapse of its infrastructure. Chechnya was given greater autonomy and regulation over its own armed forces; in addition to its already autonomous status as a republic.

It is all of the above events that would lead to the current conflict that began in 1999; known as the Second Chechen War, also known as the War in the North Caucasus and the North Caucasus Insurgency. Although peace accords were signed in 1996, the whole of Chechnya was in ruins and was effectively a collapsed state. Of the 11,000 buildings that were destroyed in Grozny, less than 900 were rebuilt in this period. Radical Islamist warlords belonging to an organization known as the International Islamic Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB) took control of rural areas and the newly elected Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, failed to retain control over the republic. The IIPB stated that its ultimate goal was to unite Chechnya and Dagestan into the North Caucasus Emirate and all ethnic Russians would be expelled. Thus, the interwar period was marked with sporadic attacks by Islamic fundamentalists [18]. In 1999 Maskhadov conceded to their demands; parliament was abolished once again and Islamic Sharia Law was imposed. Public executions became more common as a result of this. Despite this, the IIPB continued to defy the government and a split was formed between secular nationalists and Islamic fundamentalists. Numerous assassination attempts were conducted against Maskhadov; possibly by the IIPB, by crime syndicates, or by the Russian government [19].

In 1999, the IIPB declared war on the Dagestani government in an attempt to liberate it from Russian rule and to establish an Islamic emirate. The invading force consisted of around 2,000 Islamic militants from both Chechnya and Dagestan and many from other countries, as well [20]. The Russian government was slow to react to this invasion, however; resulting in much of the resistance being conducted by local police and militias [21]. The IIPB saw very little popular support; with much of the (predominantly Muslim) population seeing them as religious fanatics [22]. The invading forces were eventually pushed back into Chechnya in 1999 and federal forces proceeded to bomb Grozny yet again; killing numerous civilians. Putin eventually gained full control over Chechnya in 2000, eliminating most of its autonomy, killing Maskhadov in 2005, and installing a pro-Moscow regime.

Since then, the war has deescalated into an ongoing low-level insurgency. Chechnya is still considered to be one of the most dangerous places on earth. Its president, Ramzan Kadyrov, has proven to have a very poor human rights record. There have been 5,000 kidnappings since the beginning of the war (many of them are believed to be conducted by Russian mercenaries contracted by Kadyrov) and countless suicide bombings conducted by the IIPB. With the utter failure of Chechnya as a functioning state and the extremely violent history of the Chechen people; it is no wonder that a small number of Chechens would turn from secular nationalism to religious fanaticism. The almost opposing motivations between the First and Second wars clearly outline cycles of violence and different methods in which to confront a coercive structure. The Chechen people draw similarities to other historically oppressed ethnic groups; such as Native Americans, Armenians, Palestinians, and even Israelis. Oppression and genocide contribute to this sort of “ethnic paranoia” and, like a cornered dog striking back, can eventually create extremist reactionary nationalism and religious fanaticism. The story of the Chechen people does not necessarily provide a justification for their actions, but it does explain their reasoning: 500 years of oppression and three extermination attempts.

SOURCES
[1] http://chechnya.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/159998
[2] http://www.worst-city.com/Grozny-Chechnya-world-s-most-dangerous-towns-cities-to-live.htm
[3] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6414603.stm
[4] Mackie, John Milton. 1856. Life of Schamyl: and narrative of the Circassian War of independence against Russia.
[5] Shenfield, Stephen D. 1999. The Circassians: a forgotten genocide?. In Levene, Mark and Penny Roberts, eds., The massacre in history. Oxford and New York: Berghahn Books. Series: War and Genocide; 1. Pp.149-162
[6] King, Charles. 2008. The ghost of freedom: a history of the Caucasus. Oxford Univ. Press.
[7] Burds, Jeffrey. The Soviet War against ‘Fifth Columnists’: The Case of Chechnya, 1942–4. pp.39
[8] Dunlop, John B. (1998). Russia confronts Chechnya: roots of a separatist conflict. Cambridge University Press. pp. 67-70
[9] Gall, Carlotta and De Waal, Thomas. Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus pp. 96
[10] Smith, Sebastian. Allah's Mountains: Politics and War in the Russian Caucasus pp.134
[11] http://www.bdcol.ee/fileadmin/docs/bdreview/07bdr299.pdf
[12] Gall, Carlotta; Thomas de Waal (1998). Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus. New York University Press pp. 177-181
[13] Williams, Bryan Glyn (2001).The Russo-Chechen War: A Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Eurasia?
[14] Faurby, Ib; Märta-Lisa Magnusson (1999). "The Battle(s) of Grozny". Baltic Defence Review (2): 75–87
[15] http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1996/WR96/Helsinki-16.htm
[16] http://www.cdi.org/russia/245-14.cfm
[17] http://www.crimesofwar.org/chechnya-mag/chech-felgenhauer.html
[18] Richard Sakwa, ed (2005). "Robert Bruce Ware: Mythology and Political Failure in Chechnya". Chechnya: From Past to Future. Anthem Press. pp. 79-115.
[19] http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/persontext/engperson/id/560900.html
[20] Murphy, Paul (2004). The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror. Potomac Books Inc.
[21] Richard Sakwa, ed (2005). "Robert Bruce Ware: Mythology and Political Failure in Chechnya". Chechnya: From Past to Future. Anthem Press. pp. 79-115.
[22] http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2005/issue4/jv9no4a4.html

arthmodeus @ 2009-10-31T11:12:00

2009-10-31T15:17:17Z

So thanks to midterms, I have 0 homework this weekend, which leaves time for doing some Halloween-related partying. Thank god. I need it after the way the last couple of weeks went. Obviously, I'm going as Comrade Red, the spirit of the worker's state. One of my friends is Fidel Castro and another one of my friends is Mussolini (combo-breaker?). Should be fun.

arthmodeus @ 2009-10-29T23:30:00

2009-10-30T03:37:57Z

I'm seriously considering going to Law School and getting my Masters in Public Policy or something. I'm finding myself fascinated with how governments work and how the State is structured. Obviously, I'd be going to U of M's Law School since the University of Michigan is the best university in the country. Hands down. Plus, a Law Degree goes great with an Urban Planning Degree if you want to go into the International scene. And since I'll have GIS skillz on top of those degrees, I'm pretty much set. UNDP FTW.

Copenhagen, here I come.

arthmodeus @ 2009-10-13T21:26:00

2009-10-14T02:26:53Z

Dry, Boring, Urban Planning Stuff

2009-10-06T17:48:11Z

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research: A Review

I picked up the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (IJURR) under the pretense of a global perspective. I do not consider myself a US citizen nearly as much as I consider myself a human being on this planet Earth so it was only fitting that I picked an international journal. The unapologetically crimson cover immediately stood out to me; which perhaps intentionally highlights its populist viewpoint. Whatever the symbolic meaning, the simple red cover efficiently uses the space provided; with a bulleted list of contents.

I was disappointed in its aversion to the less developed nations of the world. The particular volume I have covers Italy, Brazil, Spain, United Kingdom, Soviet Russia, and China. All of these are industrialized countries. I believe that a truly global perspective should include developing nations. After all, the most rapidly urbanizing nation in the world is Burundi. Granted, I have so far only looked at the most recent issue available to me – Volume 27 from 2003. Plus, this is a peer review journal and I do understand that the “First World” sets the example for the “Third World” and, besides, “First World” issues are simply more popular than issues of the less developed world.

To the journal’s credit, however, it does outline significant issues in the developed world and has a surprisingly populistic, humanitarian tone. It tackles issues such as worker’s rights, the growing consumerist culture, and the LGBT community’s relation to planning. Of course, there are also pro-globalization articles and reviews, but differing viewpoints are what make the academic world beautiful. This is illustrated in their debate section, which contain intelligent responses to works by other individuals. . I particularly enjoyed David Harvey’s “The Right to the City” argument, in which he critiqued the Free Market’s attack on human rights.

Despite the gripes above, I really do appreciate this journal and I will definitely be an active reader of this periodical. It contains valuable book reviews, a mostly global perspective, and intelligent debates useful to any argument. Overall, this is a fine periodical and I appreciate its critical tone of conventional planning practices that, unfortunately, are still perpetuated by much of the planning community.

arthmodeus @ 2009-09-18T09:27:00

2009-09-18T13:40:56Z

Well, the thing with Sarah didn't go well thanks to "That Guy" deciding to invite himself and like 10 other friends to go to the movies with us. We never really got to speak. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway, since I don't have a car and I live in the next city. But at least it wasn't my fault this time.

Classes are alright, but I did find out that urban planners are some of the most boring people on the planet. I'm definitely putting my focus on GIS. Oh and my history teacher is a fascist pig; he talked about the Haymarket Riots like they were a bad thing on the part of the rioters and ignoring the Railroad Trusts and police brutality that triggered the workers to riot in the first place. The Haymarket Riots are the reason we still have MayDay Marches today.

I'm reading books again, since I have like 4 novels to read for my Political Violence class: The Lemon Tree is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of an Israeli and a Palestinian. It's pretty solid so far and shows that the citizens are not at fault for this clownshoes conflict; it's the Israeli extremist government.
I'm also reading All Things Censored, by Mumia Abu-Jamal; Mexico Unconquered; and Son of the Revolution, a book about a former Red Guard from the Cultural Revolution. Pretty interesting shit.

I really want to read 1984 and Animal Farm. In fact, I think I'll check them out from the library today.

Moovey Tyme

2009-09-01T13:40:18Z

That's it. I've decided I'm leaving the country when I get out of grad school. I just can't take the US government's bullshit and I can't take our society's bullshit. This isn't some incident that happened today or yesterday; this is something I've been thinking long and hard about my whole life. I'm getting my bachelor's degree in GIS and Political Science (or Urban Planning) at Eastern; then transfering to U of M to get my PhD. After that, I'm securing a career in Europe, selling my possessions, and hopping on a flight to Denmark, Spain, or Ireland. Ambitious? Yes. Difficult? Yes. Totally fucking worth it? Fuck yes.

I like low murder rates, free healthcare, and sustainable urban planning. Oh, and a reasonably intelligent and effective ruling body isn't so bad, either. Hell, maybe I'll attend grad school in Europe. It's free, after all. I mean, what's the point of living here? We've got increasing tensions between liberals and conservatives; a possible war with fucking Iran on the horizon; a coercive, militarized government powered by bribes from corporations; and a society fueled by fucking and sexism. I'm not saying that these problems aren't present in Europe, but I am saying that things aren't nearly as bad over there as they are over here. And I want to pull out before the shit really hits the fan.

Well, on a lighter note, I saw Inglourious Basterds yesterday. All I can say is that it is a Holocaust survivor's wet dream. Holy shit.

arthmodeus @ 2009-08-25T10:03:00

2009-08-25T14:20:15Z

My future's looking really good right now. I got 40 hours at my kickass job until January (at $10/hour), a very nice house (for a bargain price of $350/month), and a bunch of government grants for college (including Work-Study so that even if I lose my job, it'd be easy to find a new one). I can safely say I'm doing better than my parents did when they were my age. I'm taking my driver's exam this week and hopefully getting car before the end of the year. College is starting up next week and I'll be taking:

Tuesdays and Thursdays
*Intro to Urban and Regional Planning
*Political Violence and Revolution
*Principles of Geographic Information Systems
*Public Administration
*Readings in Urban Planning

Apparently, my friend Malik has connections to all the professors in my field which is pretty badass. Damn, I'm excited. I should post pics of my office later.

arthmodeus @ 2009-08-16T23:36:00

2009-08-17T03:42:39Z

I can see some rough waters coming my way. This is what my schedule looks like in the next two weeks:

August 17 - Work full time and go to Phil's 22nd birthday at Seva's.
August 18 - Interim starts, which means I have to clean parts of the house I live in. Oh and work full time.
August 18-September 4 - Find an apartment, take a Driver's Test and work full time
September 5 - Bacc 2 Skool

So I have to find an apartment within two weeks. Ain't life great?

Writer's Block: Don't You Forget about Me

2009-08-08T04:54:23Z

RIP John Hughes. In honor of the master of the teen movie, what is your favorite teen flick?

View 506 Answers

Any Kevin Smith movie if you consider those to be 'teen movies'. Clerks just reminds me so much of my childhood; me, the kid who tagged along with his parents when they were touring. They were in a metal band called the Pterodactyls so I got a full-frontal introduction to 90's culture. When people were listening to 'Wheels on the Bus', I was listening to Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. It's kind of ironic that I don't listen to as much metal as I used to. Hah, after checking my iPod, 'Stan' by Eminem is my most listened to song. That's kind of depressing since that song is really sad. But yeah, Jay and Silent Bob fucking rule.

Survey Time.

2009-08-03T22:52:58Z

001. Real name → Miles Larson

002. Nickname(s)→ None

003. Zodiac sign → Gemini

004. Male or female → Male

005. Elementary → Thurston Elementary School - Ann Arbor, MI (1995 - 1996),

Dukate Elementary School - Biloxi, MS (1996 - 1997),

バンタンデザイン研究所 - 大阪市, 大阪府, Japan (1997 - 1998),

Harrison Central Elementary School - Gulfport, MS (1998),

Oak Park Elementary School - Ocean Springs, MS (1998 - 1999),

Magnolia Park Elementary School - Ocean Springs, MS (1999 - 2000),

D'iberville Elementary School - D'iberville, MS (2000),

St. Martin Upper Elementary School - Ocean Springs, MS (2000)

006. Middle School → D'iberville Middle School - D'iberville, MS (2000 - 2001),

Taconi Elementary School - Ocean Springs, MS (2001),

Ocean Springs Middle School - Ocean Springs, MS (2001 - 2004)

007. High School → Ocean Springs High School - Ocean Springs, MS (2004 - 2005),

Adrian High School - Adrian, MI (2005 - 2008)

008. Hair color → Dark brown with some other assorted colors.

009. Long/Short → Past shoulder length.

010. Loud or Quiet → Eh.

011. Sweats or Jeans → Jeans with sweats underneath sometimes.

012. Phone or Camera → To take pictures with? Camera. To communicate with people? Phone.

013. Health freak → You'd think, but no.

014. Drink or Smoke? → Haaah, not answering that.

015. Do you have a crush on someone? → Nope.

016. Eat or Drink → What? Both?

017. Piercings → None yet.

018. Tattoos → Maybe, when I'm old and wealthy, I'll travel to a Polynesian island and get a full body tattoo.

HAVE YOU EVER?

019. Been in an airplane→ Many times.

020. Been in a relationship → Nope.

021. Been in a car accident → Two.

022. Been in a fist fight → Yes.

FIRSTS:

023. First piercing → It'll either be my ears or my nose.

024. First best friend → Some kid named Caleb back in Kindergarten.

025. First award → I got Honorable Mention in a science fair.

026. First crush → Melissa Manning back in Middle School.

028. First big vacation → Germany, if you can call that a vacation. My parents were studying abroad.

LASTS:

029. Last person you talked to → My boss.

030. Last person you texted- Person who had my friend's phone.

031. Last person you watched a movie with → Steve, Adrian, and Joe last night.

032. Last food you ate → Crushed Ramen.

033. Last movie you watched → A really good Wes Anderson film about India.

034. Last song you listened to → Cool Guys Dont Look At Explosions by SNL.

035. Last thing you bought → A cup of Coffee.

036. Last person you hugged → I don't remember.

FAVES:

037. Food → Potatoes.

038. Drinks → Mah Ballbustin' Shake.

039. Clothing → Shirt n' Jeans.

040. Flower → Magnolia.

042. Colors → Red.

043. Movies → Lord of the Rings and Kevin Smith movies.

044. Subjects → History.

IN 2008.....

045. Kissed someone → Nope.

046. Celebrated Halloween→ Lots of times.

047. Had your heart broken → Oh very much so.

048. Went over the minutes/texts on your cell phone → Texts.

049. Someone questioned your sexual orientation → Yes.

050. Came out of the closet→ Nope. I'm pretty confident of my sexuality.

051. Gotten pregnant → Nope.

052. Had an abortion → Uh nope.

053. Done something you've regretted→ Nothing major.

054. Broken a promise → I don't make promises.

055. Hidden a secret → Haha, yep.

056. Pretended to be happy → No, I'm honest about my emotions.

057. Met someone who changed your life → Many people.

058. Pretended to be sick → Way back in the day.

059. Left the country → Many times.

060. Tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it → Yep.

061. Cried over the silliest thing → Not that I know of.

062. Ran a mile → Biked 40.

063. Went to the beach with your best friend(s)→ Yep.

064. Got into an argument with your friends → Oh yeah.

065. Hated someone → Not on a personal level.

066. Stayed single the whole year → Hell yeah. 19 and counting, motherfuckers.

CURRENTLY:

067. Eating → Nothing.

068. Drinking → Nothing.

069. I'm about to → Go downstairs and find something to eat.

070. Listening to → Rammstein.

071. Plans for today → Eh. Fuck around.

072. Waiting for → Dinner.

YOUR FUTURE:

073. Want kids? → Nope.

074. Want to get married? → Nope.

075. Careers in mind → GIS specialist.

WHICH IS BETTER WITH A GUY OR GIRL

076. Lips or eyes → Eyes.

077. Shorter or taller?→ I don't care.

078. Romantic or spontaneous → Spontaneous.

079. Nice stomach or nice arms → Stomach. Why arms?...

079. Boobs or Bum → Eh, an equal balance of both. Nothing excessive.

080. Sensitive or loud → Nothing excessive.

081. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship.

082. Trouble-maker or hesitant → Trouble-maker.

HAVE YOU EVER:

083. Lost glasses/contacts → Proud to say that I haven't.

084. Snuck out of your house → Nope.

085. Held a gun/knife for self defense → Rake.

086. Killed somebody → Haha, no.

087. Broken someone's heart → I wish.

088. Been arrested → Almost.

089. Cried when someone died → No, it was more of a drawn-out depression.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

090. Yourself → Mostly.

091. Miracles → Nope.

092. Love at first sight → Fuck that.

093. Heaven → Nope.

094. Santa Claus → Why would anyone?

095. Sex on the first date - Depends.

096. Kiss on the first date → Again, it depends.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → A group of people.

098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? → It's better than it could be.

099. Do you believe in God → Nope.

100. Post as 100 truths and tag 20 people → Tagging's for SQUARES.

Writer's Block: Birthday Shout-out

2009-07-31T12:43:50Z

Happy birthday, J.K. Rowling! Which of her seven Harry Potter novels do you think is the most satisfying read?

The first one. I don't remember much from the second or the third one. The fourth one was depressing; the fifth one pissed me off; the sixth was a letdown; and by the time Deathly Hallows came out, I stopped caring and read it purely out of obligation. Yeah, Philosopher's Stone had the wonder and magic. The rest of them were just an exploration of the angsty teenage psyche.

arthmodeus @ 2009-07-28T15:47:00

2009-07-28T20:03:24Z

    Yeah, turns out my PC had a virus that fucked with the fundamental workings of Windows so that's why my Internet was screwed like a loose prom date. It's getting fixed right now by a friend of mine (he's basically wiping the system while preserving my life's work, which is nice of him).
    It sucks, but I'm probably going to go back to the dorms this Fall. $500 per month is a misleading number that belies and additional $250 in various fees. It would have been nice to learn these things when I was still in High School, but no, I'm supposed to figure all this shit out on my own. Like Credit Scores. Why does this country see fit to force me to use a credit card when I've been getting along just fine paying in cash? I dunno; hopefully I can get a two-bedroom job in Ypsi and split the rent.
   Oh, I found out that if you took the Wikipedia entry for the Supreme Leader of Iran (forgot his name) and replaced all instances of 'Islam', 'Muslim', and 'Islamic' with their Christian counterparts, you get something that looks very similar to what you'd hear about in the South or Utah. Just sayin': take a look at your own country before you go and label Iran and the Near East as a barbaric region full of religious fanatics. The only difference is that the religious crazies over there are in power and the ones here just lost the presidential elections.

arthmodeus @ 2009-07-03T11:47:00

2009-07-03T15:49:51Z

What's new?

-I rode my bike 40 miles and got sunburnt to shit.
-I'm getting paid again (finally) and got my hours extended to 15 per week.
-Oh and I'm Torrenting like a madman ever since I figured out how Torrenting actually works. So I DL'd Fallout 3 and the Sims 3 and I am pretty much enjoying life at the moment.

arthmodeus @ 2009-06-18T01:19:00

2009-06-18T05:22:09Z

I'm fucking depressed as shit. Someone give me a reason to be happy about myself.

Just thought I'd post this essay. It pulled my grade in Political Philosophy from an D to a B-. =)

2009-05-15T18:53:31Z

Golden Rule

Ethic of Reciprocity – “Nothing which breathes, which exists, which lives, or which has essence or potential of life, should be destroyed or ruled over, or subjugated, or harmed, or denied of its essence or potential.” – Acaranga Sutra

This is the Golden Rule: the foundation of all ethics and the ultimate expression of kindness, and of our State of Nature. In a world based on the Golden Rule, there can be no true hierarchy, no coercive superpowers, and no concept of a separate government. No government, so far, has achieved this Golden Rule. With the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago, early civilizations needed a way to distribute limited resources among the tribal populations and thus the Government was born. It then evolved throughout the centuries having growth spurts here and there until it became what it is today: a conflict between two very confused ideologies.

Golden Rule => Tribal State => City State => Imperialism => Capitalism/Communism => Golden Rule

Golden Rule can be re-achieved in a number of ways: it could happen through the cleansing flames of natural disaster; it can be brought forth via nuclear warheads; or we can preserve our well-being and simply bring change via policy. Since I assume most people would not like a nuclear or climatic holocaust, I will explain the steps to a better world:

1. The downsizing of Europe, North America, China, Russia, and other large, powerful countries into their component cultural hearths, states, or provinces to form confederations of states; effectively eliminating superpowers.

2. The dismantling of nuclear and other mass-destructive armaments.

3. The emancipation of subjugated or unrecognized ethnic groups.

4. The establishment of Regional Trade Blocs to prevent the formation of global corporate empires and to encourage intra-regional trade.

5. A reimagined design philosophy for urban planning that incorporates the teachings of urban planners such as Ebenezer Howard to form “social garden cities”.

6. A complete overhaul of how we manage our resources.

Geometry of Government

Now, one might be tempted to ask: “Why do we need this? Isn’t Capitalism/Socialism the best system?” The answer is ‘no’ and I will tell you why. Imagine for a moment that all forms of government are a series of distinct, three-dimensional shapes. Capitalism is a pyramid: a small elite ruling over a hierarchy of increasingly worse off populations. Although production under this system is accelerated to godly proportions, it is inherently immoral, exploitive, and utterly imperialistic if it is left unchecked. This system is often misconstrued as a ‘democracy’, but is in actuality an aristocracy with the illusion of equality of opportunity. Che Guevara speaks of Capitalism:

“In capitalist society individuals are controlled by a pitiless law usually beyond their comprehension. The alienated human specimen is tied to society as a whole by an invisible umbilical cord: the law of value.This law acts upon all aspects of one's life, shaping its course and destiny. The laws of capitalism, which are blind and are invisible to ordinary people, act upon the individual without he or she being aware of it. One sees only the vastness of a seemingly infinite horizon ahead. That is how it is painted by capitalist propagandists who purport to draw a lesson from the example of Rockefeller — whether or not it is true — about the possibilities of individual success. The amount of poverty and suffering required for a Rockefeller to emerge, and the amount of depravity entailed in the accumulation of a fortune of such magnitude, are left out of the picture, and it is not always possible for the popular forces to expose this clearly.” –From Socialism and Man in Cuba, by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Communism would be a disc with a raised plateau; representing the State. Like capitalism, communism has an illusion of its own: equality of outcome. A group of individuals typically seize power and, similar to contemporary Christianity with Jesus, glorify Karl Marx, but do not follow his teachings. Usually, it ends up as an oligarchy: the People’s Republic of China is the prime example of this. Numerous other examples include the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the Republic of Cuba.

The irony is that the de facto founders of these two systems (Adam Smith and Karl Marx, respectively) warned that corruption and abuse could possibly come out of these opposing ideologies. To rectify this, a perfect form of government must be achieved; seeking a balance between capitalism’s production and communism’s distribution (the Middle Way, as Siddhartha Gautama called it). My ultimate goal is to invent a system that sheds ideas of hierarchy altogether. There are seven billion humans on this planet: if each one had the same opportunities as the other, more stuff would get done and we would ultimately live in a better world. That is why both the pyramid and the disk must be shed in favor of a third shape: a collection of spheres linked by a string; a pearl necklace. This model has no beginning and no end, has no tangible center, and each component is essential to the whole.

Ethical Urban Planning

As it stands right now, civilization as we know it isn’t declining; it’s over. The degree in which superpowers consume resources has rendered human society to be unsustainable. If the entire world used as much resources as the United States alone, it would take eight earths to sustain them. In order to rectify this, our urban and societal design must be reimagined. The best way to do this is to build in, not out. Our current policy of urban sprawl and post-WWII suburban design is not only detrimental to the environment; it also rips apart the human community by isolating individuals and creates socioeconomic castes as a result. Residential sectors must be moved into the center of the city and take the form of multi-residential cooperatives with an outer ring of manufacturing districts to provide a wall of sorts - preventing further growth. Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City of To-Morrow is a brilliant example of an ethical urban district:

fthats.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/20071018-garden_city_detail.jpg

Notice that the city is divided into six “Wards” with a central community garden. The garden is surrounded by a civic ring including a Town Hall (where public democratic elections are held), a museum (which is linked to other museums worldwide in terms of research ventures), an opera house, a hospital (obviously with free universal healthcare), and police and fire stations (consisting of volunteers). Surrounding this is a rather large central park; representing the most important aspect of the city: it’s interaction with the environment. The central park will be intentionally left completely alone in pure Zen Buddhist tradition – a nod to Siddhartha. Encircling the Central Park is the Crystal Palace, a glass structure containing the business district. Locally manufactured products are sold in this area, which is conveniently located across the street from the Residential Districts (which consist cooperative housing, but also with enough privacy to be satisfactory for those who enjoy their own space). The Grand Avenue is the city’s greenbelt and consists of schools and multi-religious centers. It is enclosed by two rings of residential districts. The outermost ring is dedicated to manufacturing; which is dependent on resources both local and imported from the Regional Trade Bloc.

Interstate highways running on the outskirts of cities have caused the death of cities such as Detroit, New York, and Seattle and have allowed unchecked monopolies to flourish. Therefore, interstates are largely eliminated; being replaced by six boulevards running through the city and intersecting hexagonal counties of 66000 acres each. Intercity highways and defined districts for businesses, on the other hand, will keep the core of the city alive and minimize human trespass into the environment. An inter-municipal railway serves as the main transportation between cities; as well as cargo transport. Surrounding the city (which only takes up around 1000 acres for a population of thirty-two to fifty-eight thousand) are sustainable farms and pastures that are built as required. Derelict farms are demolished and replaced with forests and factory farming is nonexistent. This area is also occupied by sources of alternative energy: wind, solar, and hydro; depending on the surrounding physical geography.

While these ideas may come off as ‘utopian’ or ‘unscientific’ to detractors of the Renaissance Socialist movement (including individuals such as Karl Marx); this is actually the most scientific planning principle, as it directly applies the Scientific Method to sociology and humanism. I’ll close with a quote from Serj Tankian:

“As a kid, you see something that you know in your heart is true. It’s such a huge hypocrisy that it makes you think, ‘Well, if this is a truth that I know about that’s not officially accepted, at least in this country, then how many other truths are there that are under the surface that need to come out?’”

arthmodeus @ 2009-05-11T18:09:00

2009-05-11T22:14:04Z

Well, my GeForce 8800GT came in the mail today. It's one sexy beast, but there's one problem: my power supply wires are blocking it so I can't install it. I have to get an extender or something for my power supply. Or is there a better way?

I got 4 job aps today; all to restaurants. Hopefully, I can be a dishwasher or something. You know, job hunting can be seen as a job all in itself; a really shitty job that doesn't pay.

arthmodeus @ 2009-05-09T09:11:00

2009-05-09T13:20:35Z

Money is fucking tight. I've reduced myself to going outside and digging for cans in trash bins. My hours got cut at the museum due to the economy, so I can only work 10 hours a week. A little arithmetic:

*I make $10 per hour

*10 hours per week = $100

*4 weeks per month = $400

*My rent is $350

Therefore, I make a monthly profit of....$50.

I'm strongly considering starting an historical cartography company. Like, I'll get commissions to make a map of a certain location at a certain period, take the file to Kinko's and enlarging it to a laminated poster and selling to the buyer for a profit. And the price would be figured by the hour I labor to make it; which includes time spent researching and the price of mailing the map itself.

Or I could buy and sell on craigslist. I dunno, it's virtually impossible to nab a job in Ann Arbor. I can't even get a shitty dishwashing job. Oh well, I'm going to hunt for some more jobs today. Wish me luck.

arthmodeus @ 2009-05-05T13:59:00

2009-05-05T18:09:10Z

From Wikipedia:

Thought-terminating clichés are sometimes used during political discourse to enhance appeal or to shut down debate. In this setting, their usage can usually be classified as a logical fallacy.

* "That’s just a (liberal/conservative/libertarian/communitarian/etc.) argument." (association fallacy).
* "Socialism or Barbarism!" (false dichotomy)
* "'Anarchist organisations', isn't that an oxymoron?" (equivocation)
* "If you are not with us, you are against us." (false dichotomy)
* "Love it or leave it." (false dichotomy)
* "Support our troops." (ignoratio elenchi).
* "...or the terrorists win." (false dichotomy).
* "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." (false dichotomy)
* "Better Dead than Red!" (false dichotomy)
* "Better Red than Dead!"
* "That's a conspiracy theory."
* "Freedom is not free."
* "Live free or die."
* "Fascist arguments need no comments." (weasel words)
* "If we gave it to you, we'd have to give it to everyone."

^I've had to deal with all of these.

Anyway, I'm finally living on my own; in a co-op, anyway. Maybe now I can actually live a simple life of work, home, and good fellowship and not have to worry about school shit for 4 months.

My mom broke up with her boyfriend and moved to Tunica. I'm really happy that she's standing up for herself now and not letting people push her around.

You know what pisses me off? People who call Myanmar Burma. It's Anglo-Centric and basically like calling Manju Manchuria. What's more annoying is people who call it a Socialist Dictatorship. Its a MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. Literally, the Military has absolute control over everything there. It doesn't even claim to be socialist! It openly states that it is a military dictatorship. I acknowledge the existence of State Socialist Dictatorships but Myanmar is NOT an example of it. The DPRK, Turkmenistan, Libya, former USSR, and (possibly) Cuba are good examples, but not Myanmar. Just wanted to get that off my chest so that I don't get into a YouTube argument.

arthmodeus @ 2009-04-15T00:28:00

2009-04-15T04:31:52Z

http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/comparison3rdway.htm

^Renaissance Socialism, ladies and gentlemen.

arthmodeus @ 2009-04-14T17:54:00

2009-04-14T21:55:01Z

My teacher brought the Zombie Survival Guide to history class and was able to tie it to World War I. He is now my favorite teacher of all time.

arthmodeus @ 2009-04-12T14:36:00

2009-04-12T18:41:49Z

So my mom broke up with her boyfriend last month. That's like the first act of independence I've ever seen her do. She now lives in Tunica, Mississippi and she seems to be enjoying herself. Hopefully now, I can finally connect with her since she is now her own person and not a submissive tool. Oh and she plays Mass Effect.

Anyway, Happy Easter - the co opted pagan holiday that now represents the martyrdom of an anarcho-socialist, anti-imperialist, Jewish political activist.

arthmodeus @ 2009-02-23T16:11:00

2009-02-23T21:11:26Z

Fallout III is amazing.

arthmodeus @ 2009-02-12T22:57:00

2009-02-13T04:06:16Z

Shit, I'm looking at my old entries. I'm completely different from the way I was in '04. Like, seriously. Damn, nostalgia's kicking in.

I can safely say that moving to Michigan had the single most dramatic effect on my personality. Just so everyone knows, I was never happy in Michigan; and college made me realize this. I always wonder if, looking at the way I was, people would guess how I'd turn out: a vegan animal/human rights activist. Haha, it's fun to think about this kind of thing.

arthmodeus @ 2009-02-10T00:50:00

2009-02-10T05:57:27Z

As much as I love my MS peeps, I'm seriously considering cutting my summer vacation in half since 4 months in my mom's apartment in MS could drive me nuts. There's a commune in Ann Arbor that I could stay that actually costs less than the dorm I'm staying in. And with my job, I could pay for it up front. Well, lets see; what have I been through the past month or so? I'm over MI Megan; she is the submissive type and if she is interested in me she can tell me herself. I don't feel I need to advertise myself in order to make people like me. I'm making more money than most in my age group, anyway. Tomorrow, I'm getting my proof of residency from my dad so that I can get myself a State ID finally. After that, I'll nab a bank account so my money can be directly deposited. My first paycheck is getting me an iPod. Seriously. I can't live without my music.