I finally gave in and watched “The Secret” movie online a few nights ago. Essentially, this movie claims one can have/acheive/become anything one wants by using the “law of attraction.”  This entails visualizing yourself where you want to be and eliminating negative thoughts and doubts.  I found several things to like and several more to dislike about this The Secret: Read the rest of this entry »

On July 3rd, 2007 my natural gas powered Ford Contour broke down beyond any hope of repair. I bought in 2002 at a government auction as a way to reduce my oil consumption and hopefully my emissions, too. In retrospect, I’d like to offer the following thoughts on natural gas as a gasoline alternative:

1. There is no reason to use ordinary gasoline (or petrol) other than that everyone already does and that we are all used to it. If you used natural gas you could fill up your house in your own home (it is the same gas used for a gas range), save money, cut maintenance costs, and reduce emissions.

2. Natural gas is probably not the best technology out there: electric cars and plug-in hybrids are now a realistic alternative. However, combining natural gas with a hybrid could be a great idea.

3. Regardless of innovative fuel technologies, Fords suck. After 120 thousand miles they will inevitably break.

While neither the Middle East nor suicide bombers are strong interests of mine, The Attack by Yasmina Khadra (aka Mohammed Moulessehooul) was an interesting and entertaining book, if not always an enjoyable and uplifting one.  The topic is certainly relevant to recent events: Amin Jafaari, an Arab physician and a naturalized Israeli citizen, tries to piece together the reasons that led his wife to commit a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.  The author juxtaposes Jafaari’s humanist ethics with the fatalism of the Palestinian militants he encounters, and in doing so offers Western readers a chance to do the same.

As an increasing amount of media attention is devoted to the psychological makeup of suicide attackers, The Attack may interest many readers.  Others might find the portrayal of Islamic militarism in Palestine rather simplistic.  If nothing else, the author paints a humanizing and somewhat ironic depiction of his characters and the viewpoints they embody.