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Comments Posted By Khirad

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Will Abortion Debate be Democrats Civil War?

Well now, that’s consensual!

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:43 pm

Night.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:42 pm

Methinks the efficacy was even less so in many societies where it and public humiliation was just as much, if not more, for entertainment than reinforcing cultural norms or punishing crimes.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:41 pm

Does more harm than good in my opinion.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:36 pm

How did she become privy to such info??? This completely changes my picture of her. Seems uncharacteristic to me.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:32 pm

Well said. Ever have that feeling that brings up quotes in your mind, but you can’t place who said them? I’m feeling that right now, spurred by that comment. Matters not, what you wrote encapsulates them.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:27 pm

No kidding. Would be an interesting thread, but I’m not 100% against the death penalty, more like 98-99%. I would reserve it for mass-murdering dictators and such.

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:24 pm

I’m still trying to figure out what I missed!

» Posted By Khirad On November 10, 2009 @ 7:15 pm

HuffNo Friday, third time is the charm

It is irresistible to gossip in a safe refuge, but I agree, we should also be self-sustainable.

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 8:43 pm

Some Interesting Stats Re Congressional Reps/HC Industry Dollars

I go to this: http://www.kgw.com/livecams/popup_pioneersquare.html

Or the Smith Tower cam in my hometown across the bridge.

Yeah, I feel like whiny Goldilocks. Both are excessive in their respective dry/wet quotients.

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 8:42 pm

No worries, I know the feeling, but found it very striking in this format. Dr. OB/GYN Ron Paul was intriguing to me. Nearly a quarter!

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 7:13 pm

P.S. Southern Arizona (7th and 8th) voted for the bill. I don’t know how it fared up north. A bit more patchy, I suspect.

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 7:07 pm

Monsoon season has been tr

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 7:03 pm

A success, considering

Cubana is great!

» Posted By Khirad On November 8, 2009 @ 8:45 pm

HuffNo Friday Music Night: The Realm of Possibilities

I’m out, at least for now. One of the few TV shows I leave the computer for (and you guys) is on. 😉

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 9:05 pm

I found about this guy on a happy accident. If ever you wanted to know what a gay Roma singing in Bulgarian sounded like…

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 8:54 pm

Love ’em. I can dish out the electronica too.

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 8:50 pm

I knew the song but had never known the pleasure of watching the video before, I need a cold shower!

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 8:23 pm

A song about the wisdom of age, reflections on death, depth of soul, good beats, and a hot girl. Never a bad combo.

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 8:14 pm

Yes, agreed.

By the way, I use to hang out with witches a lot as well, and they would often speak of this kind of thing of M-Theory, only back then I believe it was Quantum Physics.

My theory is that not everything is necessarily superstitious. Why do we think we understand so much? Perhaps science has a lot further to go?

And fortunately, one of Ravi’s daughters chose to carry on the tradition.

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 8:05 pm

Tom is a genius, and just not on guitar.

I have never been scientifically inclined, so that only makes me more envious of those who are. Whenever I do read this kind of high theory, it does remind me of things for which I have more aptitude, namely the abstract – which I would like to feel are tackling the same idea with a different side of the brain.

It has long been understood that the first primitive religions sought to make sense of the world, thus the ubiquitous lightning god, alchemy sharing the same root as chemistry, etc. In this sense I must be careful into not falling into the trap of projecting modern knowledge on to older belief systems, but whenever I read about this level of theoretical physics it reminds me, if only because I am more familiar with it, of the metaphysics of Hinduism (or those schools within it that deal with philosophy deeper than folk worship), and even see the mind of the poet, particularly the surrealist or mystic sort in it. Now, I’m not trying to say anything, and I know this type of talk is easily ridiculed if taken too far. I’m merely expressing that this is perhaps the farthest I’ll ever get in comprehending the implications or grasping the complexity.

I must say, that when ever I do read such expositions, I can’t understand how such scientists wouldn’t feel a spiritual sensation come over them, as I’ve heard many do.

Some vids in this spirit:

Ravi Shankar – Tana Mana (very roughly Sanskrit for body and mind – physical and spiritual – being one)

Dead Can Dance – Yulunga

» Posted By Khirad On November 6, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

Twelve Shot Dead and Thirty One Wounded at Fort Hood.

No. Nothing of the sort. It was an educated guess though, considering they employ how much of Tucson?!

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 6:02 pm

Very interesting. I’m sure if there is a connection we’ll be seeing it beaten like a dead horse on cable news for a week.

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:24 pm

My first thought that came to me when I heard this story after registering how tragic it was was “please, please, don’t let him be Muslim!”

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:22 pm

Death to No One

You would have been there after the clamp-down of ’99, but still during Khatami’s first term, I think. It should be noted that the reference about ‘respect for other countries’ comes from him. But, visiting the country I’m not sure how much politically you would notice or not. I haven’t had the chance myself, and quite frankly, would be a little paranoid after all I’ve written online.

On another unrelated note – this has been nagging at me for some time. I should have done more on distinguishing between the “Leftist” overtaking of the embassy on Valentine’s Day (which Khomeini opposed and threw them out of), and the one which he gave his blessing to later that fall (taken by his Islamist faction). That was just lazy and careless on my part.

Plus a bigger correction, I had this cringing feeling when I realized I’d written Mossadegh was PM under Reza Shah Pahlavi, when he was under his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the difference of a dozen years (subconsciously I probably wanted to talk about the old man).

Okay, I feel a little better now to get that sorted out.

» Posted By Khirad On November 24, 2009 @ 4:52 am

I noticed the world section is a little sparse, and your Afghanistan article lonely. I loved the maps on that. 😉 A little encouragement is much appreciated. To think I was so nervous posting this!

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:59 pm

There are so many places in Iran I’d love to visit. All the historic sites, Persepolis at the top, tombs of the Poets, Mossadegh’s home, and even the two major pilgimages of the Fatima shrine in Qom and Imam Reza in Mashhad. From all I’ve ever read though, Qom is not a fun place to be.

That Ebadi book is now on my list. I don’t read much Christian material (I’ve been meaning to get around to stuff like St. John of the Cross, for example), but I’ve also heard people who like Spong. Sounds like you found a progressive Methodist church. I still can’t believe Bush was supposed to be one. I hadn’t heard of him but the blurb was what I’ve hated about the new Youth-oriented churches. Something which I think they nailed in the movie “Saved!”

With Iran, I’m just finishing up Nikki R. Keddie’s seminal “Roots of Revolution” which I will add to my stack and cross of one of many more I have on my list. I felt a little wrong writing this with 40 pages to go. There are so many more insights to be gained from the formulators of Revolutionary thought.

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:55 pm

Thanks for the support!

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:39 pm

The Assembly of Experts can dismiss the Supreme Leader and install a new one. The power of the clerics has been diminishing since the rapid rise of the IRGC into politics at the helm of Ahmadinejad though. Don’t get me wrong, the assembly and Qom (which is an amorphous power center, admittedly) still lean – sometimes reluctantly – with Ahmadinejad.

Funny thing, when Ahmadinejad had his “halo” experience at the UN it was actually some of the most conservative Ayatollahs who were furious. The reasoning being 1) it’s superstitious, 2) even if you believe in that sort of thing, it isn’t supposed to happen to a lay person!

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 5:38 pm

No one silences Rafsanjani without his approval. I suspect he’s been working Qom, the Assembly of Experts, and possibly bazaaris, whom are the one sector historically needed still with some more ulama for change to happen. Or he’s still working on a political coalition to form into an opposition party, like a shadow government. Parties as such don’t really exist. There are factions, ideological guilds sort of, but only three main streams of general camps: reformist, conservative, archconservative.

Whether or not his absence leading Friday Prayers was his choice or not is still to be worked out by me. He may have been silenced in that regard. I would say he brings hope in that he’s a powerful ally to have, and his children are decidedly pro-Reformist. Without him Mousavi and Karoubi might have been in the courtroom already. Although, one can never be certain the machinations going on – Khamene’i playing a little of both sides (though he made it clear which one expresses his views). I admit I have a little paranoia too about such things, it’s contagious.

In all honestly, I don’t know what’s going on, and Rafsanjani can be a shadowy figure for the richest man in Iran.

» Posted By Khirad On November 5, 2009 @ 4:58 pm