"I came under the influence of Karl Popper (ph). His philosophy of open society sort of came home to me because he made the point that there is a similarity between a Nazi regime and communist regime because they both believe that they have the ultimate truth. .... [The alternative is] an open society, which is based on the recognition that nobody has -- is in possession of the truth [radical fallibility, human uncertainty principle], and therefore you need a critical process. And you have to respect other people`s opinions and interests and find a way for people with different views to live together, which is, of course, democracy. And that`s the society we live in."

-- George Soros, Booknotes interview re The Bubble of American Supremacy: Correcting the Misuse of American Power. I supply an extended review of the book here.

Cohen Strikes Again: During the lead-up to the war, I was annoyed that Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen was particularly snarky [I'm overusing this word lately around here -- can't help it] about France and leaning toward the war. He's doing his penance lately writing column after column against the President, this time in response to Bob Woodward's book on the war (the second one, this time less sympathetic). The article is a powerful brief against the President, arguing Richard Cheney is basically pulling the strings [John Dean argues Cheney is basically co-president].

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Shoutout: I signed a guestbook of a good site and many have clicked my site url, and I want to return the favor. A word of warning -- it is a naturalist site, which is kind of how people use "erotic" to mean "good dirty stories." The thing that struck me was its use of poetry and nice photography (many, um, nature scenes) to give it all a sense of class and was a good job in general. Point is, though it's not quite my cup of tea, naturalists have as much class as people in general -- yet another example how "normal people" show their bodies in ways "normal society" are somewhat uncomfortable about. The site also links to some well shot photography; good use of b&w prints. So, thanks for visiting y'all, and leave some comments if you'd like!