Who’s a Failure?
This is too funny…
Click on this link:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=who+is+a+failure
I assume google will eventually “fix” this so here’s what I see:
And, by way of a bonus, check this out:
http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=serial%20killer&l1=
Marius the Epicurian
The introduction to this book states that it is the best novel ever written in the English language. With an endorsement like that I had to buy it. It was written in Victorian times and so the language is quite complex. Initially I thought that it would be unreadable for me, but with some persistence I found it quite eloquent. Some bits I had to read several times but in the end they all paid off.
According to other net sources, Pater was promulgating his asceticism and “cult of beauty” which influenced the Aesthetic movement and people such as Oscar Wilde. I guess I can see this, he wouldn’t be writing about Epicurians if he wasn’t interested in beauty and satisfaction of the senses. But he was hardly the originator of either asceticism or a love of beauty. The term “cult” is probably pejorative, unless they were actually donning cloaks, secret rituals and mixing up cool-aid.
The book pulls together philosophical and religious thought from the ancient Greeks to Victorian England, contrasting the early Cyrenaics and Cynics with the Epicurians and Stoics of the Roman era and with modern sentiments and Christianity. He shows how the Stoics and Epicurians take different paths and end up meeting with the ideal of Temperance. Stoicism and Epicurianism are contrasted in a practical sense by the description of a day at the “games”, i.e. gladiatorial, where the events are described in all of their gore and the effects they cause on Marius and Aurelius, who represent the two philosophies.
I guess the book is kind of a comparison of religion from the early worship of natural forces, to the Philosophical schools of ancient Greece and the later semi-dogmatic schools of Roman times and then to Christianity. The author seems to knock one down after the other by showing where they fall short. I found the section where Marius finds Christianity to be reminiscent of a kid at his first rock concert. Also the attempt to show the failure of Socrates, which humorously takes the form of a Socratic dialog, is interesting only as humor. How can one use logic and reason to prove that logic and reason are useless as tools to find truth?
Anyway, if anyone wants my copy, let me know. Its quite beautifully written, a pain to get through though and I’d be bragging to say I understood half of it.
George Bush (jr.)
George Bush is my favorite president of all time. His wit and wisdom go far beyond what most people can understand and I think this is the cause of most of the complaints people have with this great man. Its all just a misunderstanding. The intellectual gap is worsened when a translation of languages is involved. Texan is notoriously difficult to translate into American, let alone whatever gibberish one might find in one of those foreign countries.
Bush On Philosophy:
“It’s no exaggeration to say that the undecided could go one way or another.”
“You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”
“You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.”
“Well, I think if you say you’re going to do something and don’t do it, that’s trustworthiness.”
“[T]hat’s just the nature of democracy. Sometimes pure politics enters into the rhetoric.”
On being Bush:
“I have opinions of my own-strong opinions-but I don’t always agree with them.”
“I’m the commander — see, I don’t need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being president.”
“I don’t particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it.”
“I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn’t here.”
“I’m honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein.”
“I love to bring people into the oval office…and say, this is where I office.”
On Public Policy:
“We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.”
“Haven’t we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?”
“We don’t believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans.”
“The thing that’s wrong with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur”
“I was going to say he’s a piece of work, but that might not translate too well. Is that all right, if I call you a ‘piece of work’?”—To Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2005
Smart Ass
Oh those pesky troublemakers!
Give generously to support Bill’s defense.
Real Fake vs. Fake Fake
Don’t be fooled by imitation fake Rolexes, get the REAL thing.
