TIME Magazine has published a photo essay, “Al Gore’s American Life,” which shows former U.S. Vice President and current Apple Inc. Board of Directors member Al Gore’s personal computer setup which features no less than three 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays which are each capable of 2560 x 1600 resolution:
See the full image, which includes Gore’s very cluttered office, here.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, Gore enjoys (screen) real estate, but you’d think that massive monitor setup would help Gore achieve something much closer to a paperless office (see full image). Think of the trees, Al. Although we’re hardly ones to talk, we hereby nominate Gore for TLC’s “Clean Sweep” TV program.
What do leftist, mostly secular elites share with medieval sinners?
They feel bad that the way they live sometimes doesn’t quite match their professed dogma.
Many in the medieval church were criticized by internal reformers and the public at large for their controversial granting of penance, especially to the wealthy and influential. Clergy increasingly offered absolution of sins by ordering the guilty to confess. Better yet, sometimes the well-heeled sinners were told to pay money to the church, or to do good works that could then be banked to offset their bad.
Of course, critics of the practice argued that serial confessions simply encouraged serial sinning. The calculating sinner would do good things in one place to offset his premeditated bad in another. The corruption surrounding these cynical penances and indulgences helped anger Martin Luther and cause the Reformation.
Maybe it was inevitable that the old practice of paid absolution would appeal to elite baby boomers — a class and generation that always seems to want it both ways by compartmentalizing their lives. The only difference is that the new sinners are not so worried about God’s wrath as they are about their reputation among their judgmental liberal gods.
Take the idea of “carbon offsets” made popular by Al Gore. If well-meaning environmentalist activists and celebrities either cannot or will not give up their private jets or huge energy-hungry houses, they can still find a way to excuse their illiberal consumption.
Instead of the local parish priest, green companies exist to take confession and tabulate environmental sins. Then they offer the offenders a way out of feeling bad while continuing their conspicuous consumption.
You can give money to an exchange service that does environmental good in equal measure to your bad. Or, in do-it-yourself fashion, you can calibrate how much energy you hog — and then do penance by planting trees or setting up a wind generator.
Either way, your own high life stays uninterrupted.
Some prominent green activists pay their environmental penance in cash, barter, or symbolism to keep the good life. Al Gore, for example, still gets to use 20 times more electricity in his Tennessee mansion than the average household.
Take also the case of Laurie David, the green activist and wife of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. She has recently generated plenty of publicity for her biofuel-powered bus tour to promote environmentalism. But in other circumstances, David still flies on gas-guzzling private jets.
The best thing about this medieval idea of penance is that it can now be repackaged as politically correct “offsets.” During the last few decades, the return of these modern indulgences has caught on in a variety of ways.
Liberal presidential candidate John Edwards, for example, lives in a 30,000-square-foot home, gets $400 haircuts, and recently made a lot of cash by working for a profit-driven, cutthroat hedge fund. How’s he supposed to alleviate his guilt over this? Presto! He can lecture others about the inequity of an American system that unfairly created two unequal societies — his rich nation and many others’ poor one.
Don Imus was serially warned that his foul and sometimes racist banter would eventually get him into big trouble. Still, as he kept up his trash talking aimed at Jews, women, and blacks, Imus also generously donated to, and even set up charities for, wounded veterans and poor children.
Thus, when his slurs inevitably crossed the line one too many times, Imus not only confessed and apologized, but, inevitably, claimed his indulgences of past good deeds in hopes of offsetting the present bad ones.
These varieties of contemporary offsets could be expanded. But you get the picture of the moral ambiguity. Penance, ancient and modern, was thought corrupt because it was not sincere apology nor genuine in its promise to stop the sin.
Thanks to carbon offsets, Al Gore keeps his mansion — and still feels good while warning others we all can’t live as he does.
John Edwards chooses to offset his own privileges by sermonizing about unfairness in America.
And who can forget George Soros? The billionaire can lavishly fund liberal causes such as left-wing think tanks, websites, and ballot initiatives — and thereby offset his millions made speculating on exchange rates and bankrupting small depositors. He’s become a hero to those who ordinarily demonize such financial piracy.
In other words, “offsets” is merely a euphemism for words like cynicism and hypocrisy. So by all means help save the planet, worry about the poor, establish charities. Just spare us the medieval idea that such penance ever excuses your own excess.
“Osama Bin Laden is in Iraq?
Terrorists (al Queda, etc.) were in Iraq?”
We went into Afghanistan to fight directly with Bin Laden. We went into Iraq because Saddam Hussein funded terrorists and refused to follow the seize fire that he agreed to after the first Gulf War. It also doesn’t hurt that Iraq and Afghanistan are on either side of Iran.
“Or, do you mean that the Sunni & Shitte are going to board planes and come to America to fight their turf war?”
No, they won’t fight their turf war here, but we didn’t go to Iraq over that turf war. Since the statement of, “fighting them there instead of here” refers to why we went to Iraq, your question is illogical.
Well, color me an ‘idiot’ by some rules set down here.
I vote for President Bush twice and have no regrets.
I don’t agree with everything he does, but I also didn’t agree with everything President Reagan did.
The absolute worst president of the 20th century is the one who is now trying to call Bush the worst of all time. That would be Carter.
He used to be a nice guy who happened to be a dismal failure at leading America. Now he is just a bitter old man.
As far as Gore’s global warming claims, once again I present some counter thoughts.
http://www.wecnmagazine.com/2007issues/may/may07.html#1
http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2007/04/11/global_warming/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17997788/site/newsweek/
It really would be nice to get some opinions on these articles. Informed opininions, that is.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/osu-atd021207.php
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming020507.htm
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST01ENV051207.htm
That last one deals greatly with how Gore’s film jumps to conclusions.
And for those who haven’t completely lost faith in our government
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=927b9303-802a-23ad-494b-dccb00b51a12&Region;_id=&Issue;_id=
http://www.epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257909
No one with any sense doubts global warming occurs.
I mean, wouldn’t that explain why the Ice Age passed?
And if man IS responsible for it, where is the DIRECT evidence, not the the circumstantial?
As I noted, (along with most of the rest of the world). G.W. Bush is obviously stupid. My own Son observed that when he was 10!
Your son, and the rest of the world, have mistaken an awkward on-camera manner with stupidity. Anyone who’s ever met Bush in person will tell you he’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for.
And while there a lot of stupid Bush supporters, there are a lot of smart ones too.
My my my, the right-wing cockroaches have scurried from beneath the cabinets, haven’t they?
If you voted for Bush twice and you’re proud of yourself, you really are a dolt. He is unquestionably the worst president in history.
Whenever the right-wingers take government, it begins to drift toward fascism. The witch trials of the 1950s come to mind. The only good thing about this awful war, fought against the wrong country (“Doh!”) is that it has probably ruined the Republican Party for another twenty years. Start getting the spaces beneath the counters ready for reoccupancy, guys!
By the way, terrorism is a tactic, not a state, so you can’t make war on it any more than you can make war on stupidity. That’s why we aren’t making war on the NeoCons.
Mission accomplished, boys! Mission accomplished.
By the way, when I spent two tours of duty in Vietnam (hence making me neither rich nor Republican), the neo-cons of that day would say the same thing — fight them there or you’ll have to fight them here. Still waiting.
Get the terrorists. It’s a police/intelligence operation. Bin Laden wants us to provide a force he can rally all of Arabia against, to create an Arab superstate on a magnitude of the old Soviet Union, and what do the NeoCons do, they give it to him.
As Bugs Bunny used to say, “What a bunch of maroons.”
I understood arguing opinion is a waste of time, once.
Which to get?
Charcoal? Or gas?
Richard, or Dick for short-
Thanks for reminding everyone that Vietnam was a Democrats war.
And calling Bush the worst president ever either shows your ignorance of history, or your disreguards for facts.
And Facism is not a conservative wing, it is closer to socialism. Nice try.
And although terroism is a tactic, when it is sponsored by a state, then it is a type of warfare.
Also you seem to be counting on getting the White House a little too early. From what your ‘proud’ party has managed to NOT accomplish since they took over, and hence we will see more of the same, you might want to spend even more time watching cartoons than reality, although it it might be hard to differentiate at times.
-A. Dolt
Seriously. I’m going to Lowes tonight.
Any opinions?
Perhaps one is more environmentally friendly?
“If you voted for Bush twice and you’re proud of yourself, you really are a dolt. He is unquestionably the worst president in history.”
Imagine that a left-winger that resorts to name calling and using “unquestionable” as their argument…..who would’ve thought.
Whenever the right-wingers take government, it begins to drift toward fascism.
Fascism is extreme socialism, and a far left-wing ideology.
“The only good thing about this awful war, fought against the wrong country (“Doh!”)”
I could’ve sworn it was Iraq that signed and broke a peace treaty with us….
“…is that it has probably ruined the Republican Party for another twenty years.”
Except that the newly elected democrats now have a lower approval rating than the Republican president.
“Start getting the spaces beneath the counters ready for reoccupancy, guys!”
I have never had to hide my conservative beliefs and never will.
Connor-
C’mon. Those are camera gaffes?
Quadcore- I type fast, and sloppily. Not concerned with sentence structure in an “internets” post.
Surely, I am 10 times smarter than Bush?
The only reason Al Queda is in I raq is because we are there.
Yes, there ARE differing opinions, but the truth, I believe , is that the attempt to link 9/11 & Iraq was disingenuous.
Let’s sign him up!
http://draftgore.com/
Wow, I was just reading my latest TIME on the toilet a few hours ago when I came across the article and picture (didn’t have enough time to read it).
I used to try to change peoples’ opinions by yelling at them until I realized it was futile and largely masterbatory. Once.
MDN “they” as in “Yeah, shut up.”
“I was just reading my latest TIME on the toilet a few hours ago when I came across the article and picture”
R2
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I sincerely hope you mean you ‘stumbled upon’ when you said ‘came’.
If not, I would suggest a different magazine…..
C’mon. Man up! Somebody please attemp here to refute the fact that we, as a nation, elected a fucking moron.
Twice.
Bill Clinton? Sure.
And, next year, we’ll elected his wife.
MDN Magic Word: “rather” … as in Dan?
The worst U.S. President of the twentieth century in terms of scandal, corruption and incompetency was Warren G. Harding. He’s possibly the worst of all time although Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan are right in there.
Always
As far as grills go, I prefer the flavor of charcaol, and the convenience of gas.
So, how about a hybrid?
Of course, you can always go solar……Tin foil and a magnifying glass!
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Well it’s nice to see that you’re all still as thoughtful and mature as I’d suspected.
-c
I look forward to your brilliant and lettered responses.
My breath smells like bin Laden’s ass.
This is for the all the right wing-nuts posting.
Say what you will about Al Gore.
I’d just get used to saying President Gore, if i were you.
Your current President has all but assured a Democrat as president.
Republicans cannot win in 08′ with the troops still in Iraq.
Can’t and won’t happen.
Gore 08′
The total power consumption for all three monitors is 450 watts, according to Apple’s tech specs. This is about what one gaming PC would use.
Anybody else got anything thing enlightened to say?
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
“The administration of Warren G. Harding followed the Republican Party platform approved at the 1920 Chicago convention.
Harding pushed for the establishment of the Bureau of Veterans Affairs (later organized as the Department of Veterans Affairs), the first permanent attempt at answering the needs of those who had served the nation in time of War.
In April 1921 speaking before a joint session of congress he called for peacemaking with Germany and Austria, emergency tariffs, new immigration laws, regulation of radio and trans cable communications retrenchment in government, tax reduction, repeal of wartime excess profits tax, reduction of railroad rates, promotion of agricultural interests, a national budget system, a great mercant marine and a department of public welfare plus that he called for abolition of lynching. But he did not want to make enemies in his own party and with the Democrats and did not fight for his program.”
“And for those who haven’t completely lost faith in our government”
Sorry, hon. If you ever had ‘faith’ in government, you already lost. The founding fathers that everyone likes to talk about had no such faith, and they designed a system that did not require it. But hey, we’ve done a pretty good job of dismantling it lately.