The Recreational Nihilist

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	...and Compassion for All By Frederik Sisa @ 3:00 PM March 02, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist In light of the outpouring of support towards victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, it is comforting to consider the human capacity for compassion and generosity. But if you’ll forgive the narcissism that comes with me quoting myself, compassion is only as meaningful as its consistent practice. Whether it’s Johnny Weir and his fox fur or the GOP filibustering a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to the jobless, that silver lining in the human condition comes with a cloud. After finally watching that most excellent documentary The Cove, the cloud is surely an angry black thing with thunder and lighting aplenty.read
	Praise for a Conservative Manifesto By Frederik Sisa @ 12:00 PM February 22, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist I love manifestos — sleek, sometimes sexy statements of principles that distill fuel for a philosophical treatise into something that goes down smooth — neat, without rocks. In an age of verbosity and endless information delivered across multiple media, we certainly need manifestos to lay down the foundation. read
	Free Markets and Chained Minds By Frederik Sisa @ 11:00 AM February 15, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist We repeatedly hear from Republicans and libertarians about “free markets.” Despite the deregulation ushered in by Reagan and continued through Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 — and what is deregulation if not a “freeing” of markets? — the catastrophic near-failure of the economy hasn’t been enough to get rid of the more virulent strains of this ideology. But what happens when market challenges are confused with political challenges? read
	When Money Isn’t Honey: Lessons From Vegas  By Frederik Sisa @ 3:00 PM February 08, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist A peeved city of Las Vegas has apparently rolled up the welcome mat, shuttered the doors, and hid the children – at least insofar as President Obama is concerned. read
	The Fur May Now Be Faux, but So is Johnny Weir’s Conscience By Frederik Sisa @ 1:00 PM February 01, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist Figure skater Johnny Weir is caught up in a well-deserved furor over his now-withdrawn intention to wear fox fur at the Olympics. The whole affair not only is a slap in the face of compassionate living but also a strike against the ideals of sportsmanship.read
	When Voters Play Ping Pong By Frederik Sisa @ 2:00 PM January 25, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist If the so-called upset in Massachusetts, in which Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in the race for the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, teaches us anything, it is this: just as youth is wasted on the young and wealth is wasted on the wealthy, voting is wasted on voters. read
	Idle Thoughts After a Movie By Frederik Sisa @ 10:00 PM January 18, 2010 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist Well, I’ve done it. I’ve finally succeeded in squeezing into my schedule a little 2 hour and 40 minute long film (excluding previews) you may or may not have heard about called Avatar. And surprise, surprise, it turns out to be an anti-colonial tirade. This isn’t especially notable, as Avatar isn’t the first or only film to draw blood from politics. Yet I can’t help but wonder what the point of it all is. Is a movie just a movie?read
	CAPS' Peaceful Protest at Bark Works Reminds Us to Adopt From Shelters By Frederik Sisa @ 4:00 PM December 21, 2009 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist Note: My discussion of climate change will continue in January. This week, I take a detour to a protest that took place outside of Bark Works at the Westside Pavilion mall. If you’ve been to Westside Pavilion, chances are you’ve seen them. Cute little balls of fur frolicking in the storefront displays or snoozing peacefully in their cages, priced at hundreds of dollars. Puppies! But the Companion Animal Protection Society, an organization devoted to investigating pet shops and puppy mills, wants you to know something about Bark Worksread
	Why Won’t Climate Change Deniers Accept the Science? By Frederik Sisa @ 4:00 PM December 14, 2009 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist There is the view – recently expressed by TFPO’s fearless editor Ari Noonan – that the word “denier” is colloquially reserved for Holocaust deniers. This is news to me. A denier, unless my command of the English language is faulty, is simply someone who denies, which seems pretty straightforward. read
	Climate Change Denial, Science, and the Burden of Proof By Frederik Sisa @ 12:00 PM December 07, 2009 Found in: The Recreational Nihilist The ongoing controversy of climate changes illustrates a rather important relationship in science and reason: The relationship between claims and the burden of proof. We’ve all heard Carl Sagan’s observation that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. In the bigger picture, the issue is whether it’s reasonable to doubt climate change enough to do nothing or whether that doubt is irrational to the point we are compelled to act decisively to forestall disaster. The question is whether the fundamental concept of climate change, specifically human-caused climate change, is an ordinary claim subject to an ordinary burden of proof or an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence. read