As many of you already know, HTML 5 was released a few days ago. Say goodbye to XHTML! (Finally!)
Here are a few resources for those of you who want to get an edge on the competition and see what is new in HTML 5 so you can implement it right away:
Also, here is a PDF cheat sheet from Smashing Magazine. Click on the image below to go to where you can download the full PDF:
My parents and I are on our way home today, so here are some photos I took yesterday. I suggest viewing the photos at a larger size by clicking on them.
First, here are my cousins Wyatt and Lindsay climbing a rock wall:
Next, here are the fireworks, sponsored by businesses around Kingston, TN. (Not government-run!)
There was once a dream that was America. And friends, this is not it. This is not it.” –Robert Hawes
As I noted earlier this week, today is Secession Day instead of Independence Day over at Let A Thousand Nations Bloom. The term “secession” takes into account the intense struggle that takes place when a group breaks away from another and no longer recognizes that other group’s authority over the land mass. In a broad sense, yes, America gained independence. In a stricter sense, however, America seceded.
This secession is a noble thing–one worthy of being celebrated across the country 233 years later. There is one problem: it appears to me that this is not what most people are celebrating today. So-called “Independence Day” parades look more like jingoism marches than celebrations of liberty. Instead of celebrating secession from England, religious and political autonomy, and freedom, I find a lot of flag wavers substituting government worship for actual patriotism. “And what,” you ask, “do you think actual patriotism is?” Standing up for what is right; standing up for freedom in the face of its aggressors.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot about America. I love its beautiful countrysides, booming cities, awesome mountains, vast plains, countless lakes and coastlines, and diverse cultures. I love its countless citizens who had the courage to stand against tyrannies of all forms. There are many more things I love about America, but the United States government is not one of them. Supporting the U.S. government is not being patriotic, and it is especially not following in the tradition of our founding fathers. The U.S. government is a terrible aggressor against freedom today and has been for quite some time. America is far from when we seceded from Great Britain. In fact, I think the founding fathers would think it is time for another revolution if they saw what was going on in the U.S. government today. We have ever-increasing taxes, unprecedented spending, interventions, takeovers in multiple industries, the world’s largest prison population (mostly for non-violent crimes), military presence in 63 countries, tariffs, trade restrictions, and fiat currency. The list goes on and on. The founding fathers risked their lives to fight against monarchical tyranny that did not make such grave offenses against freedom as I listed above. It is such a shame that the majority of us have “resign[ed] ourselves to the status quo of terrestrial democracy” and continue to let it and its governments aggress against freedom and human rights.
That is why I say flag-waving government worship is not patriotism. The offenses I listed above are wrong, and I will not support any government that commits them. Today, I am not waving any symbols of the U.S. government, or any coercive state for that matter. I am wearing a seasteading shirt to show my support for voluntary government.
By the way, it is not government itself I stand opposed to; it is the use of coercive force. Government, in the strict sense, will always exist, especially on the individual level. I cannot and will not stand against that. Since it is the use of coercive force I am against, the only kind of government I support is voluntary government. For a good primer to voluntary government, check out this post from Let A Thousand Nations Bloom.
The U.S. government, and other governments around the world based on the use of force, have a chokehold on most of the people on this earth. Starting today, I challenge you to join other lovers of freedom in fighting to loosen that chokehold. Make this day more than a day of government-praising parades and barbecues. Happy Independence Secession Day.
Today, my family and I went to Bass Pro Shops and the Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, then through Gatlinburg, and part way through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Wyatt wanted his picture taken with Captain Jack Sparrow:
Gatlinburg from the incline:
My grandparents on the incline:
A river in the Smokies:
In the mountains:
My grandparents, aunt, uncle, two cousins, parents, and I rented a boat and spent the day on Tellico Lake, one of the TVA lakes in east Tennessee. We had a wonderful time. We also bought along my kayak, and almost everyone tried it out. The weather was wonderful, and we had a full day of water, sun, and fun. Here are some photos. As always, click on the photos to view them at a larger size:
My cousin Wyatt:
Wide angle shot of the great weather (a little underexposed):
My cousin Lindsay trying out the kayak:
The Watts Bar Belle was cruising around on Tellico Lake:
Wyatt and Uncle Kevin try out the kayak. Wyatt later kayaked all by himself!
No telling exactly what we are doing tomorrow. For up-to-date info on what I am doing, check my Twitter.
Here is another shot from the outdoor jazz concert two weeks ago. Click on the photo to view it at a larger size.
My parents and I are on our way to my grandparents’ house in east Tennessee for the holiday. We will be back Sunday night.
To celebrate Independence Day (coming this Saturday), it is Secession Week over at Let A Thousand Nations Bloom. Here is a blurb from their intro post about why they are calling it secession rather than independence:
The Fourth of July is commonly known as Independence Day, but a better term for it is Secession Day. Secession almost always involves multiple groups of people, some small and local, others large and distant, who want to rule the same territory. And history tells us that large, distant rulers are often reluctant to grant independence. The word “independence” takes all the historical messiness involved in winning freedom from a hostile enemy and sweeps it under the rug, while the term “secession” puts this inherent tension right out into the open.
Here are the first two posts:
Upcoming topics:
In addition to the main topics, there are also guest posts being thrown in the mix each day. Visit Let A Thousand Nations Bloom to check it out!
The wonderful dorm I lived in this year at Hillsdale was Niedfeldt, at 86 E. College St. Here is a dorm photo, taken by William Clayton. Click on the photo to view it at a larger size.
Note: I chose the tight crop so everyone is easier to see when it is made large. William did not crop it this close.
I bought a kayak today! My parents, Amanda, and I took it up the the Oberlin above-ground reservoir to try it out. Here are photos of Amanda, my Mom, my Dad, and me trying it out. As always, click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
Today, my parents and I went to the Huron Herb Fair at the Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in Huron. I am not all that interested in herbs, so I wandered around and took photos.
A few of my friends played at Peabody’s in Cleveland tonight, so I went out to take some photos of them and another band. As always, click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
I came across a PDF version of Aesop’s Fables today, and I spent a while reading them. While reading them, I was struck by the economic principles his fables contained! Though the principles were not named until long after his time, some of his fables definitely contained some ideas that modern economics uses. I suspect that this is because Aesop, much like economists, tried to understand human action. Obviously the two differ immensely, I think the same foundation is there for both. By the way, don’t fall into the trap of thinking economics is all about numbers and money; it is, at its core, trying to understand human action.
The first two show the Subjective Theory of Value:
The Cock and the Jewel
A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious stone and exclaimed: “If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world.”
The Lioness
A CONTROVERSY prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence of the Lioness and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute. “And you,” they said, “how many sons have you at a birth?’ The Lioness laughed at them, and said: “Why! I have only one; but that one is altogether a thoroughbred Lion.”
The value is in the worth, not in the number.
This one shows the Prisoner’s Dilemma:
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
THE ASS and the Fox, having entered into partnership together for their mutual protection, went out into the forest to hunt. They had not proceeded far when they met a Lion. The Fox, seeing imminent danger, approached the Lion and promised to contrive for him the capture of the Ass if the Lion would pledge his word not to harm the Fox. Then, upon assuring the Ass that he would not be injured, the Fox led him to a deep pit and arranged that he should fall into it. The Lion, seeing that the Ass was secured, immediately clutched the Fox, and attacked the Ass at his leisure.
Here are some more of the fables that I like:
The Goat and the Goatherd
A GOATHERD had sought to bring back a stray goat to his flock. He whistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no attention to the summons. At last the Goatherd threw a stone, and breaking its horn, begged the Goat not to tell his master. The Goat replied, “Why, you silly fellow, the horn will speak though I be silent.”
Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid.
Hercules and the Wagoner
A CARTER was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: “Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain.”
Self-help is the best help.
The Raven and the Swan
A RAVEN saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan’s splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished.
Change of habit cannot alter Nature.
The Wolf and the Lamb
WOLF, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the Lamb the Wolf’s right to eat him. He thus addressed him: “Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me.” “Indeed,” bleated the
Lamb in a mournful tone of voice, “I was not then born.” Then said the Wolf, “You feed in my pasture.” “No, good sir,” replied the Lamb, “I have not yet tasted grass.” Again said the Wolf, “You drink of my well.” “No,” exclaimed the Lamb, “I never yet drank
water, for as yet my mother’s milk is both food and drink to me.” Upon which the Wolf seized him and ate him up, saying, “Well! I won’t remain supperless, even though you refute every one of my imputations.”
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.
Aside from reading fables, I had a nice day today. I got up and ran on the track at the high school (and ran a few sets of bleachers) this morning. Amanda brightened up my day by surprising me with bringing me lunch at work! 🙂 Later, I helped my Dad and uncle pick up something in North Olmsted. Then, I spent the rest of the evening getting some web work finished that I have been putting off.
A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about an anti-war protestor renouncing his U.S. citizenshipArchived Link in New Delhi. The man, Jeff Knaebel, declared independence from not just the U.S. government, but all governments, and made a speech about how non-voluntary citizenship is forced slavery. He afterwards destroyed his passport, birth certificate, and all other forms of government-issued identification. The local police then carried him out of the Ghandi national monument area and directed him to turn himself into the local police officials, which he did. Jeff Knaebel voluntarily walked three blocks and informed the police that he was trespassing and did not have a passport. His current status is unknown.
Here are my thoughts on Jeff Knaebel’s actions:
First, his speech laid out that he believes the governments of the world are illegitimiate, he will not obey them, and they have no claim over him. Yet, he voluntarily walked to the local police station and turned himself in. Maybe he thought that if he chose to go, the Delhi police wouldn’t have a claim over him, as he “chose freely”. I am skeptical of this, though. I just don’t get how a man who makes a speech about how he will not obey any government voluntarily walks to a police station and tells them what laws he is breaking.
Also, while I agree with his underlying idea that citizenship should be voluntary, the ugly reality is that we do not yet live in such a world. With Seasteading quickly growing and advancing, we may soon see a world where governments compete for citizens, but we are not there yet. If Mr. Knaebel wants to spread his ideas about the illegitimacy of government as we know it, is the best way renouncing citizenship and winding up in a New Delhi prison the best way to do that? Why not put up with the states’ schemes while taking advantage of the amount that it lets you speak out against it? I don’t think that doing that compromises his position at all. If he already believes that governments do not have control over him, why not out up with their gimmicks in order to be able to speak openly and get people to agree with him? right now he has no seastead or something similar to turn to, so why burn your passport, restrict your physical movement, get trapped in New Delhi, and (presumably) go to jail?
Jeff Knaebel claims that he will not participate in the U.S. government’s murder. So what did he do about it? Destroyed his passport and birth certificate, then walked to a police station. Where did that get him? Is he helping stop the destruction the U.S. is causing? (Not if he is in jail, and definitely not if he can’t come talk to the American people about it because he is stuck in New Delhi without a passport. I am not saying that freedom comes about from the government issuing a passport…I am simply saying that, in order to further the cause of liberty, it might be beneficial to go along with governments’ gimmicks in the short term. As long as you are not going to land in jail for speaking out against a coercive state and showing its major downfalls, inefficiencies, and evils, you might as well take advantage of that. Getting thrown in jail or stuck in New Delhi is not going to help very much if you want to advance liberty. You need to be active and teach those around you why an ever-expanding central state is not a good idea.
I think Mr. Knaebel buys into the false idea that people living in a country means they consent to it. This is simply not true. As of now, there are no other viable options. For one, our property is immobile. Also, there are currently no alternatives. When there are, I will rethink my position. For now, we need to live with what we have, while always working to improve the situation, whether through trying to build cities on the ocean, or spreading the ideas of private property rights and non-aggression to those around you. If the lovers of liberty all simply burn their passports and get thrown in jail, the government is going to keep on functioning as it did before. Jeff Knaebel was right that non-violent action needed to be taken, but not the kind that restricts his movement and lands him in jail. This does not allow him to spread the cause of liberty.
Buying into gimmicks like passports and birth certificates in order to be able to travel and speak out about liberty is a small short-term cost that I think will pay off in the long term. After all, you cannot change peoples’ minds if you are sitting in a jail cell under lock and key. I have a problem with people who believe in no compromise, such as Jeff Knaebel. I think compromising in the short-run can pay off tremendously for their cause in the long run.
Then again, maybe Jeff Knaebel does not actually want to promote liberty. Maybe he just wants to be a martyr.
I took photos at the Amherst Youth Soccer Camp this morning for the Amherst school system. Here is a nice shot I took of a boy leaning up against the goal net. View the rest of the gallery.
P.S.- Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen comes out at midnight tonight! I already have my ticket.
I decided to cook dinner for my parents tonight, so I made a spicy chicken stir fry, spinach salad, and vegetables with dip. This was my first serious try at cooking entirely by myself. (The photos above were an afterthought, so they are composed of the left-overs, not single portions. The portions were much bigger than this.)
I orginally started following a Thai recipe, but I broke away from it. I also did a lot of guessing about how much to use of each ingredient. Here was the outcome:
Spicy Chicken Stir Fry (Feeds 3-4):
1lb chicken breast, cut in small cubes
4 cups of cooked rice
a handful of fresh pea pods, cut in half
a handful of fresh green beans, cut in half
2 tbs dried basil
4 or 5 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs chili paste (you can get this in the asian section at your grocery store.)
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, cut in strips
Cook the chicken, green onions, basil, and garlic in a large pan/wok with some oil, salt, and pepper. Add in the pea pods, beans, and red peppers about half-way through the chicken cooking. Fry this all for a few minutes until the chicken is done, then add in the soy sauce and chili paste. Be careful – the chili paste is some pretty intense stuff. If you don’t like very spicy food, you might want to only put in a tiny bit of this. Stir this all together in the skillet, then stir in the cooked rice. Brown it up a little, and serve!
Spinach, Tomato, Red Pepper, and Feta Cheese Salad (Feeds 3-4):
2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 of a red bell pepper, cut in pieces
1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese
Dressing:
Olive oil
balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper
feta cheese
(I don’t know the quantities for this. I just mixed it until it looked like enough!)
Feel free to add any side dishes to this you would like. I just cut up some fresh vegetables, but I am sure other things can work, too.
First of all, Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I love you!
This morning, my parents and I went down to Fin Feather Fur in Ashland to let my Dad pick out his Father’s Day gift. We wanted to get him a good CCW handgun, so he picked out the Walther PPS. Great pistol!
Then, I took photos for an hour in Oberlin before my Grandma, aunt, and uncle came over for dinner. Oberlin had a Chalk Walk going on from 10-4 today, and there were some beautiful pieces of art! The colors were so vibrant! Of course, there were also lots of families and children just having fun drawing on the sidewalk. So, I worked on some of my photojournalistic skills.
View the full gallery from the 2009 Oberlin Chalk Walk.
Here are some samples from the gallery. Click on the photos to view them at a larger size:
Today was a day of cleaning for me. Amanda came over and helped me clean out my room and we took a few bags of trash out and reorganized things significantly. Then, after she left, I helped my parents take the cover off of the pool and start the cleaning process to get the big in-ground pool, which is up the street at my grandma’s house, ready for swimming. I estimate that by next weekend it will be ready! We usually open it up earlier than this, but the weather has been unusually cool for this time of year, so we held off.
Here is something interesting for everyone to look at. This guy is a pretty good photographer with some very interesting photo ideas: http://photoboothguy.blogspot.com/Archived Link
Also, this is for any photographers in the northern Ohio area: The Erie Shores Photography ClubArchived Link is having a social (everyone getting together and taking photos) at the Sandy Ridge Metropark in North Ridgeville at 5p.m. on Wed. June 24. Anyone interested in going with me?
Today, I worked in the morning, then went to visit David Wagner. We decided to go canoeing on the Huron River, which was quite an adventure. The weather was excellent when we started out, but by the time we got about a mile and a half up the river, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. Around that same time, the river was blocked by about 5 fallen trees, so we were out of the river searching for a way around when the lightning started, so we stayed on shore during the storm (which, lucky for us, passed quickly). We got soaked, but we managed to keep David’s camera dry, so there are a few photos of me below.
After the adventure, we washed the mud off of ourselves back at David’s house, then went to Quaker Steak & Lube in Vermilion for dinner, played putt-putt, and went to Huggy’s Coffee Bar to hang out.
It is always nice seeing David. I will miss him when he is teaching in France this fall and next year!
Photos by David Wagner:
This summer, the Amherst Rotary Club is sponsoring live music on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the park that it maintains in front of Amherst Hospital on Cleveland Ave. Tonight the LCCC Jazz Band was playing. I took the opportunity to go out and take some photos. Let me know what you think.
As always, click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
Over the past few years, I have had numerous conversations with people on property rights and why I believe property owners should be able to use their property as they see fit, as long as it does not involve aggressing against another’s person or property.
Here is a usual response I get:
Friend – “So you don’t believe in zoning laws?”
Me – “No.”
Friend – “So I can make my yard in a residential area a parking lot, or build a restaurant on my property in the middle of a neighborhood, or paint my house, which is in a historical neighborhood, chartreuse green with orange and pink stripes?”
Me – “Sure, as long as you have not contractually agreed to do otherwise. The government should not be able to tell you what you can and cannot do with your property.”
Friend – “What about eminent domain? Shouldn’t the government be able to annex your property, with compensation of course, for the greater good of society?”
Me – “Of course not! If you do not agree to sell your property, the government is engaging in pure theft.”
Anyway, I have not had time to write up my views on zoning laws and eminent domain. Today, however, I came across two very good articles on zoning laws over at the Mises Institute. I do not share these authors’ views 100%, but they make some pretty good arguments. Check these two articles out:
How Zoning Rules Would Work in a Free Society by Ben O’Neill
Zoning is Theft by Jim Fedako
A week from when I am writing this, I will be standing in line waiting to get in to the midnight showing of Transformers 2 – Revenge of the Fallen. In order to celebrate this and get everyone excited about the upcoming movie, here are two desktop wallpapers that my friend Sean Nelson made last year when Michael Bay released high quality images of Optimus Prime and Ironhide on his website. Sean laid them overtop of Apple Aqua backgrounds. I currently have Optimus Prime as my desktop background. You can download the two backgrounds in a .zip file right now.
Here are previews:
Here is a shot of the Sosnowski family (my aunt, uncle, and cousins) at OU’s graduation:
Also, if you are looking for some entertainment, watch Hillsdale College President Dr. Arnn’s interview on CSPAN’s Q & A.
First of all, thank you Joe Teets (nonarchist) for doing my updates for the past two days on such short notice. I flew home from New York on Friday, come home for 20 minutes to repack, then drove south to Ohio University for the weekend for my cousin’s graduation. We stayed in a cabin, which I assumed was going to have internet access. On the way down, I found out it was not going to, so I called Joe and asked him if he could do two guest updates while I was gone. Thanks, Joe!
Anyway, the graduation ceremonies at OU were nice, including an excellent speaker, renowned photographer Herman Leonard, who delivered an impromptu speech. The ceremony was a little strange, however; nearly all of the lights were off! All of the lights were on when people were filing in, but as soon as commencement started, they were all turned off, and spotlights were used to direct attention to certain areas. Here is a shot I took while the graduates were filing in:
Also, here is a candid shot I took of my wonderful Grandma while we were taking family photos outside with the graduate:
As always, click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
To finish off my weekend, I went to Amanda’s graduation party, then went to see the new Star Trek movie with Amanda and her best friend Amanda. Tomorrow, I have a dentist appointment at 10:30 a.m., then I am spending the day around the house getting some work done.
Hey, it’s Joe again posting in the place of Chuck, who is out of town probably shoving his camera in the faces of unsuspecting strangers. Thanks again for letting me post the last 2 days, thereby making my contribution .547945% of Project 365!
I saw The Hangover last night (overrated in my opinion), so that got me thinking about summer blockbusters in general. So I decided to look up what other summer movies we can look forward to, since the ones so far haven’t been all that great (I guess Star Trek was pretty good). The remaining ones I am looking forward to are:
Year One (June 19)
Public Enemies (July 1)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (July 15)
Those are the only ones I can think of that I might see. I know I left out Transformers 2, but I think Robot Chicken summed up every Michael Bay movie quite nicely. What other good summer ’09 films am I forgetting?
Unfortunately, Chuck is MIA today, so the Nonarchist will be filling in for him today and tomorrow in order to keep Project 365 alive.
I have posted some comments here on the CAG Blog in the past, always signing as the Nonarchist, but I figure in the interest of full disclosure, I will reveal myself (don’t cover your eyes, I didn’t mean it like that). My name is Joe, and I have been a friend of Chuck’s for 4+ years now as a former coworker and fellow freedom lover. Chuck and I have had many a discussion on the vast benefits of a free society, and I hope we have many more in the years to come.
My life isn’t nearly as interesting as Chuck’s, so I will leave it at that for now. One more post from me tomorrow, and you will be back to your regularly scheduled programming on Sunday. Thanks for reading.
Joe
