28 Dec 2007
The Code of the West

Don't believe that our culture is infused with heathen values? Compare this secular list to the Nine Noble Virtues. Nary a difference.

If, on the other hand, you believe that we're more inspired by the "Judeo-Christian" ethic, I invite you to compare these to the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes or other Christian teachings. A few similarities, but lots of differences.

I'm just sayin'...

I use the term, "code of the west," a lot to signify all those things that are so great about our industry but are kind of unspoken intangibles. Of course, there never was a formal code truly defined, and I've read that Zane Gray first actually used the term, which has nothing to do with geography but rather a mindset.

(link) [Beef Magazine]

via Thoughts from the Middle of Nowhere

07:41 /Asatru | 1 comment | permanent link

Priests brawl at Jesus' birthplace

I gotta wonder what the "Prince of Peace" would think of this sordid tale...

Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests attacked each other with brooms and stones inside the Church of the Nativity as long-standing rivalries erupted in violence during holiday cleaning on Thursday.

(link) [CNN.com]

07:30 /Humor | 1 comment | permanent link

Credit Crisis? Just Wait for a Replay

There's a cloud on the horizon, that's for sure. And in the humble opinion of this non-banker, it has everything to do with financial institutions being allowed to "repackage" their loans as "derivatives" and foist them on unsuspecting investors.

If this plays out the way I think it will, pretty much everyone involved is going to get pretty much exactly what they deserve.

Just how different was subprime lending from other lending in the days of easy money that prevailed until this summer?

(link) [NYT > NYTimes.com Home]

07:23 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

Why I Canceled All My Music Subscriptions

The end is here for DRM'd music subscriptions.

With Warner Music ditching DRM, Listening Post blogger Eliot Van Buskirk decides to do the same. But leaving Napster and Rhapsody isn't as easy is it should be.

(link) [Wired: Top Stories]

07:19 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link