Here is a mapping of the various prejudices and stereotypes attributed to various countries. Seen from this perspective it shows that the opinions that are not based on knowledge appear arbitrary and random.

 
Lord Buckley was a comedy character whose unique persona and performance style influenced later comics such as Lenny Bruce. He is in fact an example of the small pieces of Americana that are not world famous but make twentieth century history and life unique.

 
The author J.R.R. Tolkien was known for his great detail of his works in geography, culture, and myth. One example is the description of the Shire which recalls a planned community. It is a type of community that has a strong connection with nature, which was part of the ordering of planned communities. But there is no strict order in the Shire which has an organic growth in response with nature.

 
Here are my predictions for the winners of the Academy Awards on March 5th. There is a pretty good selection, and Jon Stewart is going to be hosting. But I think that "Me And You And Everyone We Know", "Broken Flowers", and "Three Burials" were unfairly ignored. There really should be a Best Independent Film category in order to give lesser known and higher quality films a chance.

Best Picture:
GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE

Best Supporting Actor:
Jake Gyllenhaal, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Best Actress:
Felicity Huffman, TRANSAMERICA

Best Supporting Actress:
Frances McDormand, NORTH COUNTRY

Best Animated Film:
TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE

Best Art Direction:
GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

Best Cinematography:
THE NEW WORLD

Best Costume:
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

Best Director:
Ang Lee, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Best Documentary:
MURDERBALL

Best Documentary Short:
THE MUSHROOM CLUB

Best Film Editing:
MUNICH

Best Foreign Film:
PARADISE NOW

Best Makeup:
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

Best Score:
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

Best Song:
HUSTLE & FLOW

Best Animated Short:
ONE MAN BAND

Best Short Film:
SIX SHOOTER

Best Sound Mixing:
WALK THE LINE

Best Sound Editing:
KING KONG

Best Visual Effects:
KING KONG

Best Adapted Screenplay:
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Best Original Screenplay:
MATCH POINT

 
Libertarian Municipalism" is the community ownership of all economic enteprises that are managed by citizen assemblies within a city. It recognizes that the political and economic are intertwined and that one must strive toward economic justice outside of the workplace as well as within it. It combines decentralization and the ability for individuals to control their economic destiny.

 
The problem with representaiton of a group is that the larger the group, the less effective are representatives in reflecting the collective will. Using a social network method one can assign a value to each member of a group then find the average value and see if it matches the average value of the representatives of that group. It gives a precise mathematical structure to the finding of a collective will that is helpful to actual representation.

 
The nominations for the Oscars were announced this week. The following were my predictions, with an asterick next to the movie I thought would win in each category, which seemed to be most accurate in the lower categories. The real nominees are good movies in themselves, but my choices were a more eclectic group that welcomed independent films.

Best Picture:
Good Night And Good Luck*
The Squid And The Whale
Three Burials
Broken Flowers
Me And You And Everyone We Know

Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Capote”*
Joaquin Phoenix, “Walk The Line”
Bill Murray, “Broken Flowers”
David Strathairn, “Good Night And Good Luck”
Tommy Lee Jones, “Three Burials”

Best Supporting Actor:
Keanu Reeves, “Thumbsucker”*
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Squid And The Whale”
Jack Black, “King Kong”
Ed Harris, “A History Of Violence”
Peter Dinklage, “The Baxter”

Best Director:
David Cronenberg, “A History Of Violence”*
Jim Jarmusch, “Broken Flowers”
George Clooney, “Good Night And Good Luck”
Ang Lee, “Brokeback Mountain”
Miranda July, “Me And You And Everyone We Know”

Best Actress:
Laura Linney, “The Squid And The Whale”
Felicity Huffman, “Transamerica”*
Reese Witherspoon, “Walk The Line”
Miranda July, “Me And You And Everyone We Know”
Ziyi Zhang, “Memoirs Of A Geisha”

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, “Junebug”
Catherine Keener, “Capote”
Sandra Bullock, “Crash”
Michelle Williams, “Brokeback Mountain”
Frances McDormand, “North Country”*

Best Foreign Film:
Paradise Now*
Oldboy
Memory Of A Killer
Cache
L’Enfant

Best Documentary:
March Of The Penguins
Murderball*
Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
Grizzly Man
Gunner Palace

Best Original Screenplay:
The 40-Year Old Virgin*
Crash
Good Night And Good Luck
Walk the Line
Brokeback Mountain

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Constant Gardener
A History Of Violence
Jarhead*
King Kong
Memoirs Of A Geisha

Best Costume:
Memoirs Of A Geisha*
Kingdom Of Heaven
Cinderella Man
Pride And Prejudice
The Brothers Grimm

Best Visual Effects:
War Of The Worlds
King Kong*
The Brothers Grimm
Serenity
The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe