The Weird, Random, and Interesting things that Fit Nowhere Else Thread

[Blarghagh]

Continued from here:

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/70007-the-weird-random-and-interesting-things-that-fit-nowhere-else-thread/page-25

 

Last posts:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTnS2YbFBkA

 

 

Posted this on reddit....

 

It's clear as day that depressive, and often maleficent behaviour, is the source of a majority of people's depression; but it's also a source of release for a majority of the depressed. Therefore, there is a perspective wherein this behaviour is supported, and another where it's opposed.

 

For the purposes of this thread I have split the concept of depression into two categories: short-term depression and long-term depression. A 'short-term depression' is a depressed feeling for a few minutes or hours, whereas 'long-term depression', is more severe, and lasts up to a lifetime. Not ALL depression is coming from depressive behaviour of others; inter alia, ugliness, anxiety and poverty, can spur depression.

 

Reddit itself acts as a mediator of depression. Reddit allows the depressed to find their release through the system of, never fair or just, down-votes and up-votes, and causes depression in others by the very same means. The people who use, and admins who run, Reddit, claim that they want to help depressed people, posting links to support and so on, but neither would put their own profits or reputation below the mental health of others - that comes first no matter what problems they cause in the process. Admins want to keep the voting system as it is because the various bandwagons, as the moderators and admins call them, led by the depressive, keep money in the owners pockets.

 

Reddit even restricts users from posting if they've accumulated enough down-votes; a fine example that shows that Reddit supports depressive behaviour. People with depressive attitudes are given a seat of power, they get to dictate your experience on Reddit; they may always think that they can get rid of a user, and down-vote on that basis. All intelligence and originality is lost in emotional pandemonium, of held in laughter and general bigotry, not to mention the lazy and opinion-based moderation.

 

The conspiracy here goes on into other websites and social circles, but occurring more prominently on the internet. An example: GTA V received many good reviews on steam. A lot of, good and intelligent, people, put in effort to write their reviews, only to have them ruined by emotional wrecks in a train of petty, behind-a-computer-screen, hatred. Many good reviews at 85-90% up-votes, were down-voted to 50%, primarily because these out-of-control steam users were annoyed with aspects of the game. I wrote a good review, and I never changed my mind. Here, good, intelligent people, had their vision clouded by unintelligent and evil people, causing them short-term depression.

 

Ruins are easily created, but the house that was once built wasn't so easy and simple. We shouldn't have to live in a world where hypothetical houses, are made into ruins, because a person was emotionally, touched. I know it doesn't bother the average reader, because you weren't the owner of the house.

 

I'm not here for the up-votes, or recognition. I have faith that no matter how little attention this receives, because what I'm saying is of the utmost intelligence, it will pass through silently anyway. I see myself as a type of father figure - someone has to make a sacrifice...

 

Thank you!

 

 

[Bartimaeus]

I have faith that no matter how little attention this receives, because what I'm saying is of the utmost intelligence, it will pass through silently anyway. I see myself as a type of father figure - someone has to make a sacrifice...

I cannot even begin to fathom why your posts, if they're anything like the ones you post here, might get downvotes on reddit.

[BruceVC]

 

I have faith that no matter how little attention this receives, because what I'm saying is of the utmost intelligence, it will pass through silently anyway. I see myself as a type of father figure - someone has to make a sacrifice...

I cannot even begin to fathom why your posts, if they're anything like the ones you post here, might get downvotes on reddit.

 

 

Stop ass-kissing Barti...unless you are being obsequious around my posts...then its okay 

[Bartimaeus]

I thought italicizing would be sufficient, but alas, I should've stuck with my initial instinct to bold instead.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[s13ep]

I thought italicizing would be sufficient, but alas, I should've stuck with my initial instinct to bold instead.

To be honest, do not show weakness about these people ( depressive ). An act of kindness is pounced upon and inverted ( color-wise ).

 

I may have said before, but "two wrongs don't make a right, so what does two rights make? A greater right, a greater good. All it takes is someone to pick up the phone at the other end and a discussion emerges, being met with stupidity at every sentence, destructive nature, is suppressing potential and imagination of others. I also wrote today, in response to : The only thing it suppresses is nonsense and ignorance ( on a science forum under the discussion; are scientists nihilistic somewhat? )

This nonsense and ignorance includes, envisioning the world non-scientifically, that's maybe up in flames, or perhaps as a utopia, things that aren't real. You can conceptualize it, you can visualize it in the near space; this is non-scientific. The nonsense side of things, can be just that, nonsense, but there are parts of creativity that are smart... If I imagine myself in the near space, I do not have to draw every circle or edge. Now I'm not saying this is true but I guess our creativity has evolved since we were in the sea; we can probably imagine more things, or the things we can imagine are effected by our environment, and we have a more exquisite environment ( there are many good-sounding theories that I don't know if are correct ). It's utility in itself, it helps to form ideas, it's free fun, and many of other things; scientific nihilism therefore is the neglect of creativity through covert 'set in stone' discrimination [ such as above ], followed by held in laughter, and being on the edge of the seats or more commonly perversity.

 

I'm trying to be kind but you come at me with an angered tone because I don't agree with you - I'm not addressing moderation, by the way, just you. You're not being fair in any way, and you've been unfair for a while - this is not a complaint, be unfair. I find it annoying when you're critical about my writing, because it's not in the jest with the common view, even though there's nothing you can say to dismiss what I'm saying makes my ideas right; I'm not talking about the original topic, but prior ones, where people have claimed I have been 'challenged' - and what you're referring to with your angered tone.

 

Maybe people have submissive mentalities because of scientific nihilism, it's in the people's nature to skim read my writing and pay attention to yours, weighting the discussion or debates in the favored direction, in this case the minority power. It's a case of "with power comes responsibility", yes we can do science but we should do it correctly, for it is dangerous at times, it causes death and destruction. You wouldn't tell your kids to touch a fire, so why would you go by the logic, nothing "should" be done? If you can't eat do you deserve to be in the minds of people, as a person, simply, a model of a person or someone who wasn't worthy? (Unless by illness for that must be luck; of course, I am saying by choice). At times things should be done.

Edited June 28, 2015 by s13ep

[Hurlshort]

I feel like we are really only hitting the first two verbs in the thread title.  

[s13ep]

I'm interested in this topic at the moment. Nihilism in society and, what I think the source is, scientific nihilism. It's a big conspiracy.

[Bartimaeus]

I feel like we are really only hitting the first two verbs in the thread title.

From the previous topic.

 

 

I'm interested in this topic at the moment. Nihilism in society and, what I think the source is, scientific nihilism. It's a big conspiracy.

Why not make your own topic?

 

(edit) Look, if you're hesitant to post your own thread because it will not receive its due notice or whatever...consider the fact that other posters often make semi-ridiculous threads with very limited scope/focus, and are still able to get some replies at the very least. You think yours is better than that at the very least, right? Maybe you won't get the replies you want...but after like 3 or 4 posts in this topic (and the previous iteration of it) without any real discussion on what you're posting, you clearly aren't getting that in here, either.

 

(e): I also hate feeling like I'm being mean and trying to mini-mod or something...but I just don't feel like your posts are appropriate for this topic. If others disagree, speak up and start discussing now!

Edited June 28, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[Raithe]

io9 - Ray Bradbury's Demolished Home Turned Into Bookends

 

 

 

 

Ray Bradbury’s home was demolished earlier this year, but the home will live on in a very fitting manner: parts of his house were turned into bookends and sold to support Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University.

 

Sadly, the bookends have since sold out - only 451 were made. Bradbury’s home was torn down by The Reuse People, who specialize in salvaging building materials from homes in order to reuse them.

 

A portion of the sale proceeds will be donated to the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University to help fund the re-creation of Bradbury’s home office, a major milestone in the Center’s ongoing efforts to preserve his works and legacy.

 

While you can’t buy them now, it is nice knowing that some part of Bradbury’s home will live on in an exceedingly nice way.

 

 

 

[ManifestedISO]

The TV just told me that the average cumulus cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds. 

[BruceVC]

I'm interested in this topic at the moment. Nihilism in society and, what I think the source is, scientific nihilism. It's a big conspiracy.

 Dude, I enjoy your posts. I may not understand most of what you say but thats not the point ...they fit perfectly into the weird   and interesting thread 

[BruceVC]

 

(e): I also hate feeling like I'm being mean and trying to mini-mod or something...but I just don't feel like your posts are appropriate for this topic. If others disagree, speak up and start discussing now!

 

 Nah his posts are perfectly acceptable for this thread, it wouldn't be necessary for him to create his own thread to discuss these types of topics

[s13ep]

There's always the conspiracy theories thread.

 

What I write is like ruins, more so than a house, because it's destructive of a personality that's enjoyable in a non-religious sense. We like nihilism, in games, in stories, in social circles, but I'd hate it if the world became truly nihilistic - like, South Africa conditions. I could write perfectly antipodal, even justify my text, this would have a more profound effect.

[Raithe]

For the helpful ...

 

I haven't been paying attention, what's going on in Greece?

 

 

 

Crisis? What crisis?

There’s a big crisis in Greece.

 

The country?

Yes, Greece. You might have heard of it. It’s a smallish country in the Mediterranean. It borders on Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey. Also, it’s the cradle of western civilization.

 

Oh, right, they invented the Olympics. But why should I care about it now? Is it invading America?

Don’t be silly.

 

Is it an economic powerhouse?

Greece’s economy is about $240 billion, which puts it somewhere between Alabama and Louisiana, in terms of total might.

 

You’re not exactly scaring me, here.

But there are lots of people, especially in European financial markets, who are scared.

 

Why are they scared, if Greece is so small and powerless?

Well, Greece also has about $350 billion in debt. Admittedly, that’s roughly the amount of money that the US government borrows every seven months. (The total US national debt, at $18.3 trillion, is about 50 times the amount that Greece owes.)

 

Still, $350 billion is a lot of money. Can Greece afford to pay it back?

No.

 

Greece’s lenders must have been pretty stupid, eh? I’ll bet they’re kicking themselves now.

Well, they did have a cunning plan.

 

Which was?

Lend Greece all the money it needed to pay them back.

 

So, the idea was, they would just lend Greece a bunch more money, most of which will come straight back to them in the form of debt payments?

Hey, it works for the USA.

 

But it’s not working in Greece?

Correct.

 

Why not?

Because the power dynamics are all wrong. The USA can borrow as much as it likes, no questions asked, because it’s the USA. The borrower calls all the shots. Greece, on the other hand, can’t really borrow from anybody, which means the lenders have all the power. So they’re making various demands of Greece, and the Greek government is very unhappy with those demands.

 

But can’t Greece just refuse to pay? Isn’t that what it did in 2012, when it restructured its debts and forced lenders to take losses of 70 cents on the dollar?

Not with these lenders it can’t.

 

These are different lenders?

Oh yes. Very different.

 

What’s the difference?

The lenders that Greece defaulted on in 2012 were bondholders: financial lenders. They were in it for the money, and they took a risk, and the risk didn’t pay off, and they lost money. The institutions that Greece owes money to now, on the other hand, are political institutions, who lend for political reasons.

 

Throw an alphabet soup at me.

IMF! ECB! EU! EC! ELA! EFSF!

 

Stop, please!

OK, but trust me, there’s a lot more where those came from.

 

Presumably, being political institutions, all of these entities are entirely sensible, rational, and predictable, and want only what’s best for themselves and for Europe in the long run.

Don’t get snarky with me, young lady. But you’re right to be suspicious of the Eurocrats. There’s a huge amount of fighting within and between Greece’s lenders, before you even start looking at the fraught negotiations with Greece itself.

 

“Greece”, of course, being a well-defined political entity with clearly-delineated positions and perfect internal consistency.

I’m warning you, three strikes and you’re out. But again your suspicions are on the nail. The Greek people elected a ragtag coalition of leftists, most of whom ran under a vaguely-defined “Syriza” umbrella, but few of whom can actually agree on much. It’s not even clear that the prime minister and the finance minister are on the same page – and the prime minister had lost the support of a lot of his party, after his latest attempt to appease his creditors, which helps explain the most recent crazy gambit.

 

#Tsipref, the Tsipras referendum.

Rather than do the job for which he was elected, and negotiate with Greece’s creditors, prime minister Alexis Tsipras has decided to simply put Europe’s proposal to a referendum. He thinks that Europe is asking too much, and is going to campaign for a no vote. But if Greece votes no, then it will probably end up being forced out of the euro. On the other hand, if Greece votes yes, then Tsipras will probably end up being forced to resign, sparking a whole new election campaign right in the middle of the most fraught time in the country’s finances. Either way, the chances of Greece managing to get through this without a lot of further chaos are very, very slim.

 

Like, all the banks closing.

Yeah, that happened. If you have money in a Greek bank account, there’s no a very high probability that your money will be forcibly converted into drachmas, or some other new currency, and will be worth much less than it is in euros. So the sensible thing to do is to move those euros to Germany, or some other country which isn’t about to devalue its currency. But Greece can’t afford to see all of the money in its bank accounts simply leave the country. So it closed the banks.

 

So politically, this is a mess. And it’s horrible for the Greeks. But why does any of it really matter beyond Greece’s borders?

Because the eurozone never really made sense as an economic entity, and it was only political will which held it together. If Europe’s politicians can’t come to an agreement in Greece, then that could spell the beginning of the end of the great European project.

 

Which is?

Peace in our time.

 

I thought you said not to be snarky.

I’m not being snarky! The European Union, the single European currency, the entire idea of Europe as a political entity – all of it was born of two world wars and the conviction that only through ever-closer political and economic union would future wars be averted.

 

How’s that working out?

For the first few decades after the war, it worked very well. But today the different European countries are deeply suspicious of each other. There’s an especially deep divide between the rich/creditor northern, Germanic countries and the poorer/debtor Mediterranean countries. Europe as a coherent political entity exists more in theory than in practice. And without political will, the economics simply doesn’t work.

 

What does that mean for Greece?

It’s looking increasingly likely that it might end up being forced out of the euro.

 

#Grexit.

Greece would immediately suffer devaluation, inflation, and default: the consequences would be very painful. On the other hand, staying in the euro isn’t obviously better. Greece’s creditors are demanding severe austerity policies for decades to come, under which it’s hard to see any hope for future economic growth. At least with devaluation and default Greece can have something of a fresh start, much as Argentina did in 2002.

 

But the financial markets can’t really be concerned about what happens to Greece’s domestic economy, it’s tiny.

Correct. Europe’s institutions are easily big and rich enough to be able to cope with the losses from a Greek default. But they’re not big and rich enough to be able to cope with the losses from a Spanish default, let alone an Italian default. The worry is “contagion”: that if Greek savers find their euros suddenly converted to crappy drachmas, then Spanish savers and Italian savers will decide that they should probably move their euros to Germany, just to be on the safe side. The resulting bank runs could bankrupt those countries, and that would be the end of the European Union as we know it.

 

Is that likely?

No. It’s certainly much less likely today than it was four years ago, the last time that markets were jittery about Greece. But that doesn’t mean that European leaders want to take the risk. Especially since a Greek departure from the euro would be a grave symbolic and political blow to the entire project of ever-closer European union. The euro was designed to be a roach motel: once you joined, you could never leave. If Greece leaves regardless, then the world will never again be able to take at face value the promises of any European leaders.

 

So, no big change then.

I told you, three strikes. You’re out.

 

 

[Agiel]

Boeing Will Pay High Price For McNerney's Mistake Of Treating Aviation Like It Was Any Other Industry by Richard Aboulafia

 

Yesterday’s announcement that Jim McNerney was retiring as Boeing BA -2.63% CEO wasn’t a major surprise – everyone knew he’d leave within a year or so – but it was rather abrupt and the timing was unexpected. He probably jumped, but there are certainly reasons to believe that he may have been nudged along in his move.

 

Under McNerney, Boeing’s stock price did very well. Cash flow was generally strong, and investors like short-term metrics like these. But he also leaves behind a toxic legacy that future leadership will need to deal with.

 

The company continues to lose tens of millions of dollars on each 787 it builds. These recurring production losses (on top of 787 development costs) stood at over $26 billion in January and will likely reach $30 billion, and possibly beyond.

 

Boeing is using a 1,300 aircraft accounting block for the 787. Let’s assume that 1,000 future 787s will bear this burden (that is, let’s assume the company starts breaking even on each jet it builds just after it delivers its 300^th Dreamliner). That means a $30 million tax on each of these 1,000 planes, in order to break even on the program.

 

This terrible drag on profitability would have been partly avoided if Boeing management had taken a different approach to labor. Rather than the McNerney formula of eliminating pensions, cutting wages, and shifting production to new facilities, the company could have proposed a partnership with their workers. After all, productivity improvements often come from the shop floor. That means getting the people who build aircraft to figure out ways to reduce scrap, improve work flow, and eliminate defects.

 

To encourage the process improvements that happen in a factory, a workforce should be incentivized with profit sharing or other compensation. At a minimum, machinists and engineers need to feel that their work is valued. Taking away pensions at a time of record sales is a terrible way to motivate workers to go the extra mile.

 

McNerney’s focus on the company’s stock price and cash flow at the expense of the long term wasn’t merely due to short-sightedness and greed. It was also likely due to a misunderstanding of how the aviation industry works. If a CEO comes from a different industry and doesn’t try to learn what makes aviation distinct, he’s likely to apply a one-size-fits-all template. For example, he might conclude that, as in many other industries, competition from China and other low cost manufacturers is creating tremendous cost pressures. McNerney’s previous CEO post was at 3M  a company that does face pressures from lower-cost producers. During tough labor negotiations, Boeing executives often cited competition from China as a rationale for their hard line on terms.

 

Yet aviation is not like other industries. There are certainly cost pressures, but this is a capital-intensive business with very high barriers to entry. Labor costs just don’t matter as much compared with other industries, and most producers and major subcontractors are domiciled in high cost countries.

 

China has been trying to enter the aircraft business for decades, with exactly zero signs of progress at the prime level (or even the major subcontractor level). Last year, China was the ninth largest supplier of aircraft components to the US, just behind Australia. Instead, this is an industry based on experience. This is why nobody, except Brazil’s Embraer , has successfully entered this business since World War Two.

 

An experienced and motivated workforce, therefore, is the most important asset a company has. McNerney failed to recognize this important fact, and the company has suffered as a result.

 

Dennis Muilenberg, the incoming CEO, is an aerospace industry veteran and a respected engineer. He needs to learn the unique dynamics of the commercial side of the business, but given his very strong industry background he should be able to make Boeing a better company. But he will also need to cope with that $30 billion 787 deferred costs overhang and a Boeing jetliner labor-management relationship that’s worse than anywhere else in the aerospace industry.

 

I've worked for a company owned by Bain Capital in my college years and after graduating worked at a company in which the difference in atmosphere was night and day, and I have to tell you: People can say what they like about Obama, but if Romney was going to "run the US like it was a business," and if the place I worked at was any indication of how he runs a business (non-constructive management approach, poor treatment of workers, fixation on short-term numbers), then I want absolutely no part in that business.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Agiel

[ShadySands]

This from last year but I hadn't heard of it until now

 

A Texas minister set himself on fire and died to ‘inspire’ justice

 

Sad

[Gromnir]

This from last year but I hadn't heard of it until now

 

A Texas minister set himself on fire and died to ‘inspire’ justice

 

Sad

suicide as a form o' protest just doesn't have the same cache here in the US as it does elsewhere.  christianity is part o' the difference.  until recent times, christian faiths has been universal in condemnation o' suicide.  given that suicide were considered the one sin that were a guaranteed ticket to hell, it carried a certain stigma.  thankfully, most christian faiths has relaxed their stance on suicide.  even so, while many folks, even devout christians, has come to accept that it is up to an individual to decide when a life is no longer worth living, suicide itself is a regrettable act.  with no other alternatives available, we may sympathize with the suicide who chooses death over unendurable pain... perhaps.

 

also, self-immolation, while tragic, makes a kinda sense in those parts o' the world where open protest is criminalized.  get thrown in jail for protesting leaves folks with only dramatic alternatives.  the thing is, particularly in the USA, open protest is the right o' saints and sinners alike.  given how much effort Gromnir has personally expended to promote and preserve an individual's right to protest while still breathing, we have difficulty accepting suicide as a meaningful expression o' protest.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[s13ep]

http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3blsm4/ask_lucifer_the_light_bringer_anything/

[Raithe]

You've Got To Be A Man Before You Can Be A Gentleman
 

“Over-sentimentality, over-softness, in fact washiness and mushiness are the great dangers of this age and of this people. Unless we keep the barbarian virtues, gaining the civilized ones will be of little avail.” –Theodore Roosevelt
 
Sometimes when young men begin their journey into manhood, they start in on the gentlemanly side of things.
They dress in stylish, classic attire, don a fedora, and focus really hard on manners and etiquette. They hope that by doing so, others will recognize them as grown men, good men.
 
Yet oftentimes others cringe and chuckle at these would-be gents instead, and they become the fodder for “m’lady” memes on the internet.
Why do these well-meaning but hapless guys elicit this reaction?
 
The best answer to that question comes from — who else? — the Duke himself.
In one of my favorite John Wayne movies — McLintock! — he drops this incredible line:  “You’ve got to be a man first before you can be a gentleman.”
 
Gentlemanliness presupposes manliness. It’s a softening, a harnessing of the core characteristics of masculinity: strength, courage, mastery, and honor. A gentleman, as scholar Harvey Mansfield put it, is a manly man with polish.
 
The respect given a gentleman is thus premised on constraint.
 
A gentleman has the ability — the power, cleverness, confidence, and even the desire — to ride roughshod over your interests, muscle you aside, and manipulate you…but, he has instead voluntarily chosen to restrain himself to follow a more moral course. He’s a coiled spring, and his self-control showcases one of the timeless markers of manhood: will.
As anthropologist Paul Friedrich puts it: “The highest praise that one can give a man is that he is capable of doing harm but chooses not to.”
 
Gents of the “m’lady” persuasion, however, get the equation backwards. They try to be a gentleman before becoming a man. Without the structure of the hard, tactical virtues of manliness behind them, the gentle virtues shapelessly droop and sag, and fail to engender the same kind of respect.
 
This is because the exercise of the gentle virtues in such men requires little to no constraint or will. If an inherently mild-mannered man demonstrates mildness, it is not an act of self-mastery, but of following the path of least resistance. As 17^th century writer and philosopher Francois de La Rochefoucauld put it:

“Nobody deserves to be praised for goodness unless he is strong enough to be bad, for any other goodness is usually merely inertia or lack of will-power.”

In Roman Honor, Dr. Carlin Barton points out that in antiquity, a man who lived in involuntary poverty was not respected for his frugality, and the “impotent man got no credit for continence. Rather, self-control was most to be praised where it was least expected.” Cicero got at this idea when he said: “To the degree that moderation is more rare in kings, to that degree it is more to be lauded.”
 
In other words, it is most impressive for a man to demonstrate virtues that he will struggle to achieve, and be sorely tested to violate.
 
If an awkward man who goes about his life very quietly and privately stays faithful to his wife for 50 years, we think it’s nice and praiseworthy. But, if say, a prime minister, who will have ample temptations to stray, exhibits the same loyalty, we are quadrupely impressed. In the first case, the man’s goodness may have more to do with a lack of opportunities than active restraint. In the latter case, we see clear evidence of the demonstration of energy and will.
 
Barton brings this distinction home by having the reader imagine a person who is trying to swear off junk food and decides to test their will by passing by a vending machine without making a purchase. If this man feels the pull towards getting a candy bar, but doesn’t act on it only because he doesn’t have the money, this will not constitute an exercise of his will, and the man will thus not feel empowered. Likewise, if he doesn’t buy a candy bar simply because he doesn’t know how to operate the machine, he will leave “not with a feeling of increased energy but with embarrassment and a feeling of inadequacy.” To enhance his willpower, the man must “approach the machine with both the necessary change and full knowledge of how to work the machine.” To gain credit in his own eyes, and in the eyes of others, he must “have both the desire and the ability to transgress.”
The man who could effectively exercise his baser and primal instincts but chooses not to, is the one who wins our honor and respect.

Conclusion
There’s definitely nothing wrong with cultivating gentlemanly behaviors — we’re obviously huge advocates for it! And in many ways learning how to tie a bow tie and mind your p’s and q’s is an easier and more accessible place to start improving yourself than developing things like strength, courage, and mastery.
 
But the real power behind manners and decorum lies in restraint. You have the ability, the raw thumos, and the desire to further your own interests to the greatest extent possible. But, you intentionally decide to harness that energy in order to act civilly, do good, and respect the interests of others. You could bulldoze and manipulate your way through each day and all the way to the top, but you don’t.
 
In the absence of this power, of this demonstration of manly will, gentlemanliness often reads as mealy — the gilding of one’s innate timidity. The lion who allows someone to pet him elicits respect; a house cat in a lion’s costume, only giggles. As Nietzsche put it, “I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws.”
Gentlemanliness without manliness fails to be empowering for its possessor, as it robs him both of the self-respect developed by winning the struggle between desires, and the honor of others who recognize the stakes of that contest.
 
I do disagree with the Duke on one thing though: you don’t have to prioritize manliness over gentlemanliness. It’s quite possible to work on both at the same time: opening doors for ladies and your mind to masculine philosophy, practicing your table manners and your krav maga; lifting weights, and the downtrodden.
 
Be a gentleman.
And a scholar.
And a beast.

[BruceVC]

There's always the conspiracy theories thread.

 

What I write is like ruins, more so than a house, because it's destructive of a personality that's enjoyable in a non-religious sense. We like nihilism, in games, in stories, in social circles, but I'd hate it if the world became truly nihilistic - like, South Africa conditions. I could write perfectly antipodal, even justify my text, this would have a more profound effect.

Sorry I meant to ask you this yesterday, what do you mean by "  like, South Africa conditions "

[s13ep]

 

There's always the conspiracy theories thread.

 

What I write is like ruins, more so than a house, because it's destructive of a personality that's enjoyable in a non-religious sense. We like nihilism, in games, in stories, in social circles, but I'd hate it if the world became truly nihilistic - like, South Africa conditions. I could write perfectly antipodal, even justify my text, this would have a more profound effect.

Sorry I meant to ask you this yesterday, what do you mean by "  like, South Africa conditions "

 

I should have been more direct, parts of South Africa are in bad condition, people suffer there. There's almost nothing ( nil ) there to support these people. I, for one, would not enjoy it beyond the artistry.

[BruceVC]

 

 

There's always the conspiracy theories thread.

 

What I write is like ruins, more so than a house, because it's destructive of a personality that's enjoyable in a non-religious sense. We like nihilism, in games, in stories, in social circles, but I'd hate it if the world became truly nihilistic - like, South Africa conditions. I could write perfectly antipodal, even justify my text, this would have a more profound effect.

Sorry I meant to ask you this yesterday, what do you mean by "  like, South Africa conditions "

 

I should have been more direct, parts of South Africa are in bad condition, people suffer there. There's almost nothing ( nil ) there to support these people. I, for one, would not enjoy it beyond the artistry.

 

You mean people live and die  in poverty and survive on social grants. Yeah that's true, one of the indictments of most countries  on the African continent 

 

But we do what we can to help 

[Barothmuk]

Good-looking gorilla has crowds going gaga at Higashiyama Zoo

 

 

A western lowland gorilla from Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chikusa Ward, Nagoya, is becoming a celebrity, thanks to Twitter. Dubbed an ikemen (colloquial phrase for “hot guy”) due to his well-defined facial features, 18-year-old Shabani has attracted throngs of visitors to the gorilla habitat on weekends.

 

“He’s got the attitude down pat,” one visitor said, while another commented that “he looks better in real life than in the photos.”

 

The attention has generated a buzz especially among female visitors. As people lined up around the gorilla cage on a Sunday afternoon earlier this month, one young woman shouted loudly, “There! There’s the ikemen,” when Shabani came out and started gobbling up his food.

 

“He is indeed handsome. Unlike other gorillas, he has a strong presence,” a 34-year-old housewife from Kita Ward said.

 

According to one of the zoo employees, Shabani has nearly doubled the crowds at the gorilla habitat on weekends. In fact, the indoor passage is often so packed it’s almost impossible to walk along the corridors. Shabani was born at Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands and was moved to Taronga Zoo in Sydney shortly afterward. He was brought to Higashiyama Zoo for breeding in June 2007. He has fathered offspring with each of the two female adults and is the leader of the five gorillas in the habitat.

 

His soulful but sharp eyes give weight to his presence.

 

Yasushi Shibutani, 50, who is in charge of the gorillas, said Shabani is in his late 30s or early 40s in human years. He said Shabani looked youthful when he first arrived but has matured in appearance since his babies were born.

 

“He is a father protecting his herd. You can say that he has become a man, behaving appropriately for his age,” he said.

 

Shabani weighed about 100 kg when he first arrived but has gained 90 kg since, giving him an authoritative presence. He started gaining fame after a visitor tweeted a photo of him in March. It was actually a photo of Shabani’s mate, Ai, 12, from a panel in the zoo that first went viral. It showed her pumping her fist in the air.

 

The conversation soon turned to Shabani, with people posting comments such as “He looks like a nihilist,” and “What a glum face!”

 

Since then, Shabani has been featured in several media reports and even appeared on the front page of a major Internet portal. He quickly became a household name and drew offers to make a photo book.

 

The zoo was initially not aware that one of its charges had become the main topic of conversation on the Internet.

 

“We used to get only a few young women as visitors, but they have increased recently,” one staffer said.

 

The zoo hopes those who come to visit Shabani will also discover the facility’s other charms.

I guess Ivanov had the right idea.

[ManifestedISO]

Batman and Elektra are calling it quits. Does anyone stay together. 

[ShadySands]

Can't help but think they would still be together if he was still Daredevil