THE SUPERPOWERS OF TODAY

This is the intro to a new series here at Instant Martians: TSOT (The Superpowers Of Today). We are going to look into the possibility of thermonuclear war and of course who will win. Most people will immediately shout the US of A or China. However, don't forget Japan -with their advanced technical know-how and a determined population- or maybe Russia - once the USA retires the Space Shuttle, the ruskies will have a stranglehold on space with their Soyuz rocket. We will factor in alliances, terrorists, and even financial play; all in an effort to find the victor(s). The competitors (subject to change):

• USA
• China
• Russia
• Britain
• The European Union
• Israel
• Russian Satellite states (Kazakastan etc.)
• Both halves of Korea
• The Islamic/middle-eastern states
• Terrorist organizations (no they are not the same)
• India
• The World Bank
  

Advice or additions to the list are welcome. My plan is that me and Clay will debate the strengths of each; Red, you can join in on the comments. Areas of discussion will include:

• Population (minorites, ethnic groups, etc.)
• Religion
• Type of government (stability)
• Army size / pop. %
• Budget and international debts
• Nukes (stockpiles, development, etc.)
• Resources
• Are arms deployed?
• Tech. level
• Public opinion
• Strategic experience (disicpline)
• Natural defences, terrain
• Trade (survival without, obligations, etc.)
• International relationships, treaties
• Leader type (dictator, king, elected official, religious leader, etc.)
• Mutually Assured Destruction: M.A.D.
  

The Apocalypse? dude...

apocalypse |əˈpäkəˌlips|
noun (often the Apocalypse)
the complete final destruction of the world, esp. as described in the biblical book of Revelation.
• an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale : a stock market apocalypse | an era of ecological apocalypse.
• ( the Apocalypse) (esp. in the Vulgate Bible) the book of Revelation.

Everyone believes in it.
Every religion predicts it.
Scientists try to reproduce it.
Nerds watch out for zombies.
Chickens run from falling sky.
Everyone kinda believes in it.
Before predicted apocalypses, stores routinely sell out their entire stocks.
On October 30, 1938; over a million people fled from imaginary martians.
On March 26, 1997; 39 people killed themselves to flee the soon-to-be destroyed earth and advance to a "higher level".
At 11:11 pm, December 21, 2012 (only 40 months away!) the world will (supposedly) be destroyed. [countdown clock]
-Note: this bears remarkable similarity to the 2k apocalypse, when the world was also supposed to end.


The truth is, our earth will be destroyed... in about 5 and a half billion years. So sleep easy, people like Glenn (check the picture) are only fear mongers trying to pry a buck out of your pocket.

To help spread the word, consider donating your life savings to me and living a life of prayer. If the apocalypse is coming, what do you have to lose?

List of the Week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plvpV9p0ywg

The problem with being smart (note how I didn't use the term intellectual, there is a difference.) is you tend to take a rather pessimisstic view on stuff. Take (http://fanaticavocados.blogspot.com/2009/07/facts-of-life.html) as evidence. So, with that said, let's lighten up.

Da-da-du-da-du-duuhhh-du-du-da.

Top 7 Times to Be an Average Joe

7. Mongolia, 1206-1227

Think about this: every male in Mongol society was a horse archer. Assuming you were competent (hence average) you were a lethal fighter, and you were actually in minimal danger of being killed. Just be sure to avoid Japan or Egypt.

6. Roman Republic: 146-57 BC


An obvious one. Democratic government, a chance to join the famed legions as they pretty well steamroll Europe. None of those embarrassing defeats by Carthage, either.

5. Inca Empire: 1438-1533

The Incas didn't have many major opponents, so life was devoted to arts, commerce, and religion. Good for people who like that sort of thing. I'll take Mongolia any day.

4. British Empire: 1813-Onward

After the threat of Napoleon was gone, life in England gets quite cushy. Thge worst parts of the Industrial Revolution are over, and now you can work, without being killed. Life for inventors and people who are good employees is like it is now.

3. Medieval France

Just kidding. Running low on ideas.

2. Phoenecia 1200-539 BC

The merchants paradise. A country built on shellfish. Related? Yes. If you look at Syria in 1300 BC, you notice a lack of 3 major things: trees, metals, and really good farmland. What is there? Shells that spurt out purple mess when you press them. What is one to do? Convince other country's royalty that purple is a godly colour, and they're shelling out big bucks. Queen Elizabeth today wears purple. Imagine getting a piece of that monopoly.

1. Athens, 480

Like Republican Rome, but with the added bonus of taking the relaxing (relatively) farmer route. Of course there are the grouches who say "But the women couldn't vote. The system is flawed." (You'll notice you can't type a nasal voice.) Anyhoo, assuming if you possessed today's logic, you would collaborate with her to get her vote counted, if only technically.

And that's it. Thank yew.

A mysterious portal opens...

...in front of you. You see twisted shapes, coming into focus. You see... you see yourself grown up, robots, your children. But even as you recognize these things the portal shifts, bringing new images to bear. Out of the ether comes a strange shape. What is that? Your mind races as it quickly disappears.

My Faith in Capitalism

I was always naive with interest (interest in banks dummy, not like in "vested interest"). You see, for the longest time, I thought it was calculated monthly. Silly torwch you say, it is calculated monthly. No, I thought that if you had a rate of 2% and a balance of $1000, you would get $20 the first month, $20.40 the next month, etc. I quickly went off, did some clever things with Excel and got a figure: if I put $1000 in one of those TFSA (tax-free savings accounts for the non-financial savvy) at BMO which has a rate of 2.4%, in 25 years I would have a MILLION BUCKS!!! And in 42 years I would be a billionaire.

WRONG!!!

Interest is calculated per month by dividing the rate (2%) by 12, and adding that to the balance. Thus, with 2.4% per year (0.2% a month) I would only have $3000 after 50 years.

This proof that free money is not floating around shook me to the core. More so than even during the recession, I doubted the power of capitalism.

However, I then learned that some stocks yield gains as high as 300%, and my faith was returned.

Praise the almighty invisible hand!

Public Transit

... is way underrated. If you are an artist looking for inspiration, a writer looking for a plot, a blogger needing a post (me), or you just want to go people watching; grab A BUS downtown.

Couple things:

Those prepaid tickets you get (usually in bunches of 10)... ya don't fold them. The machine doesn't recognize them and they metamorph into junk.

The personal space levels of people vary dramatically. I had two asian ladies sort some of their change out over my lap as they sat on either side of me. Some people move away from you (or maybe I just look suspicious), even going as far as standing up and walking to the back.

Exact change only sucks.

There is a bus stop every like 2 inches, so pull the yellow cord only when you are SURE your stop is next.

Strike up conversation with everyone, its like anonymous chatting online, but in the real world.

Yes, all that for two dollars and 50 cents ( $3.75 if you move between zones). Why go to an amusement park or a movie when THE BUS is right there?

Targeter-Targetee

The blog's been quiet lately. (Did YOU notice?) I've been on vacation for a week and spent some of it thinking of this post. Enjoy.

Anyone here listen to a little-known band by the name of Rise Against? Anyone have friends who play it so much you can spell out every lyric backwards? No?

If you listen to any of their stuff, chiefly Re-Education Through Labour or Hero of War, you tend to notice a theme? What theme? Mostly incessant whining.

Way back in 2004, there was a little get together of intellectuals to discuss the current political climate and offer solutions. Wait, no it wasn't. It was Rock Against Bush. A whine-fest of epic porportions. Did it accomplish anything? No. Where they really trying to? No. These folks were attatching themselves to the most recent protest they could find.

Perhaps you know of some other groups who won their victory, found their lives was empty, then kept pushing? I can name a big one. You know it well, I should think. Hollywood. These movie stars and starlets are never lacking in HI-larious things to say. For example. Megan Fox, famous from such films as Transformers, and err... Transformers 2, said that, should Megatron actually exist, he should be pointed at the Christian folk in the south U.S. Yeah. Heard of that one? Try another.

Brad Pitt. Regular crusader (pun intended) for anti-Christianity. Did you know that? Of course not! Then, there is a bishop in Alberta, who is strongly Catholic, and as such, opposed to gay marriage, wrote in to a newspaper voicing himself, and got sued. Oh, the hypocracy. Why is it that the conservative, white folk are so demonized?

I guess the point that ties this whole piece together is this: if you listen closely (i.e. not to the mainstream) you can really see some of the crude seams at today's elites. They are not squeeky clean, in fact, quite the opposite. They are perhaps just as much a bigot as anyone you might care to name today. Thank yew.

More on this subject at the brilliant Andrew Brietbart's http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/. Most of the stuff cited in this post comes from this blog.

The BEST of:

We're looking back, at some of the better posts here on instantmartians, and a few other sites I read semi-frequently. Feel free to comment on the older posts, you will be heard! And we might even follow up with a sequel.

Its a long post, but did evolution completely "debug" us?

The one, the original (with an ever-postponed sequel) FAWRE!!!

Frozen Worlds - one of my favorite posts on eraticwisdom - explores the "total freeze".

T E X T F I L E S, a huge collection of stories, plans, ect. going back more than 15 years containing everything a comedian to a backyard anarchist would need.

The epic Infinite Space Saga: 1 2 3 4 5 *groan*

Claymore and Anonymous's duel over the bygone days of W. Bush. Its in the comments section.

For those who feel optimistic: Angst, angst, angst.

Which is has the longer (or more important) Wikipedia page? You decide: Christianity -or- Nukes ???

I get a little obsessed with fear: check it out.

And who could forget FanaticAvocados??? With my favorite post being "Non-Being" (confu-lol!)

In conclusion: let some numbers blow your mind.

List of the Week: The Shameless Sequel

At last, a L.O.W. that I can publish without a single pause for research. Enjoy.

Top 7 Craptastic Obama Moments

7. Hiring Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State (Or Joe)

6. Basic Ineptitude of Geo-Politics, Regularily Displayed (Speaking Austrian/Visiting 57 States)

5. Apologizing for Every American War Effort Since the 100 Years War (see #6.)

4. Calling Sgt. Crowley "Stupid" for Arresting His Good Buddy Mr. Gates

3. Buying Out GM and Starting to Run the Company

2. The Health Care Infomercial

1. Getting Elected (Snigger)

I'd like to give a nod to Andrew Klavan for the first bit of the title. I'll consider your fan loyalty shredded. Bring on the fury.

Fear...

Fear is always rational...

...Paranoia isn't.

Fear exists in two states.

The first is the original jitter or jump you get during a scary moment. This is your body's flight or fight response. Sudden movements or sounds are interpreted directly by your brain-stem as dangerous, so it triggers the release of - among other things - adrenaline into your blood and lymphatic system. Because all this is done unconsciously, it is very hard to control, or to LEARN from past experiences. This is why roller-coasters trigger repetitive feelings of excitement and fear; your upper brain knows you can't fall off, but you brain-stem or "gut feeling" doesn't consult with it before making you wet yourself.

The second state of fear always occurs AFTER the first. It consists or the memory of the first state of fear. When you experience something scary, your brain immediately stores the memory of it as a warning in the future. This memory, and the state of fear that it brings, can surface at ANY time, even when NO DANGER is present. Because the fear is based on memory, it is subject to interpretation by your conscious self. In some sad cases, the fear gets worse, and becomes paranoia, or even a phobia. This bodes in ill in today's society; as often, most of our memories of fear are not our own. I don't mean brainwashing, I mean the media. The number of real accidents compared to the number reported is way out of proportion. We interpret this as say, an increase in crime; however, statistics show CRIME IS DROPPING.

This transmission of fear between the media and ourselves has become an epidemic of its own today.

The interpretation of our memories of fear is causing paranoia's to develop without reason, leading people to live unhappy lives...

...fraught with fear.