Checksum Arcanius

I must admit that it sure appears that Israel is giving a serious beating to Lebanon, including its civilian population. However, something I heard my Dad say prompted me to look a little closer. Consider the following, published at many a major news outlet (emphasis added):

The level of damage inflicted by Israel appeared finely calibrated. For example, a missile punched a hole in a major suspension bridge on the Beirut-Damascus road but did not destroy it, unlike less expensive bridges on the road that were brought down. An Israeli strike hit fuel depots at one of Beirut’s two power stations — sending massive fireballs and smoke into the sky — but avoided the station itself.

Throughout the morning, Israeli fighter-bombers pounded runways at Beirut’s airport for a second day, apparently trying to ensure its closure after the Lebanese national carrier, Middle East Airlines, managed to evacuate its last five planes to Jordan. One bomb hit close to the terminal building.

Israel is very capable of bringing down expensive suspension bridges and destroying power plants, but all they do it make the bridge unusable right now and make the power plant unable to supply power right now. They want to put pressure on Lebanon — including its civilian population — but they don’t want a long-term humanitarian crisis.

For all of the “opponents” that the Lebanese could be facing, they better be glad they are facing an enemy that cares enough to avoid wholesale destruction. Unfortunately, I believe that it is likely that very few will ever understand Israel’s tremendous restraint.

Go get ’em.

I’m a little embarrassed at how long it took me to figure out the I-90 express lanes. Having grown up on the Eastside, I thought all express lanes were like I-90’s: always going the wrong direction, generally space that could be better used for traffic going both directions (by adding an additional lanes to each side), or perhaps not even there at all. Later on, I learned that I-5’s express lanes generally work better. But this still left me confused about the real purpose behind I-90’s express lanes.

A while back, I figured it out. An image I saw in the Seattle Times today confirmed what I had been thinking. From Sound Transit via the Seattle Times:

This digitally manipulated photo by Sound Transit shows a proposed light-rail system that would run alongside I-90 across Lake Washington.

(Further edited by yours truly.)

And I even like the walkway.

The Seattle Times’ Danny Westneat wrote about a “Glaring gap in Sea-Tac security”

At the end of the article, he asks a question which led me to believe that Danny doesn’t have a firm grasp of economics. So, I attempted to provide some analysis for him. My response:

In your article, you ask: “Shouldn’t homeland security make more sense by now?”

No.

Why not, you ask?

– Who loses their job if those cameras aren’t turned on? (Nobody)
– Does SeaTac lose customers over this? (Nope, they are a monopoly on air travel in the region)
– What is the ultimate response? (SeaTac security – the very people who screwed up — get more money.)

In fact, it’s amazing that the right thing ever happens under these circumstances.

On the other hand:

– “Super” mall owners probably gave a bonus to the manager that secured this government money for the cameras. (This manager has a strong incentive to get the cameras to the mall)
– If something like this happens at the super mall, the negative press scares some customers away. (The mall has no monopoly, so they have to get it right or lose customers)
– Malls want to avoid theft to be more attractive to current and prospective tenants (The mall has a strong incentive to have cameras turned on)

Is it any wonder that the mall gets it right and that homeland security and the airport once again get it wrong?

Of course, its a whole lot easier as a journalist to simply ask “Shouldn’t homeland security make more sense by now?” and not provide any reasons. Much more striking article that gets people running around in “Do Something Syndromeland,” virtually ensuring that the end result is more tax money going towards the airport’s security. Sometimes I hate being right.

The Daily, the University of Washington’s student newspaper, published a letter to the editor that I wrote — somewhat to my surprise.

The most interesting thing, perhaps, is that the title “Discrimination a sad fact of life” — is not mine (it was added by the editor). Also interesting is that I toned down the rhetoric quite a bit (ie, “as worthy as his cause may be”) to have a chance of being published — which is exactly the issue I was talking about.

The letter, published as far as I can tell in its entirety:

Discrimination a sad fact of life

“UW obligated to allow military recruitment on campus despite discriminatory policies against gays.” For me, this begs the question, is the UW also obligated to allow liberal professors on campus despite discriminatory policies against conservatives? This might explain why I, like many gays, always shy away from telling people what I really am and who I really voted for.

Although my experience here at the UW is limited (I am a transfer student), I have encountered through my years in the educational establishment several occasions where my grade was lowered for reasons that can only amount to political disagreements with professors.

I also know that my experience is not isolated, as many of my friends have reported similar abuses here at the UW and at other universities. I see this as a civil liberties issue. I feel that I am not free to express myself in this “you can hold any opinion as long as it agrees with mine” environment upheld by much of the faculty and student body.

When all discrimination — even “politically correct” discrimination like I face — is taken as seriously as the military’s discrimination against gays, maybe then we can have work on real solutions to the issue.

Until then, I can’t help but think of crusaders like Bryce McKibben — as worthy as their cause may be — as nothing more than political hacks, unable to see the forest through the trees.

— Ryan McElroy, Senior, bioengineering and computer enginering

Props to Hannah for letting me know it happened.

Google launches Google Romance.

Post yours in comments, or something.

LMFAO… “Someone is Provoking Us!”

The BAF (Brigade for the money of the French Taxpayers) standing up to the crybaby Muslims in Europe. This little stunt took some real balls!