Doesn’t any one read history anymore?
I’m sort of curious about this because all the classics are being turned into movies. Some of them are OK but they also twist things a bit to make it sell to the audience.
Troy for example, yes the Iliad is a bit dry to read but it is worth a look.
The latest dive into the classics is the movie 300. The Trailer for this looks awesome, but do you know this is a real story of ancient Greece.
The battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans hold back an army of millions of Persians and their Allies until the rest of Greece can get their shit together and form an army and prevent Greece from being over run. The 300 was more like 4000 to 5000 Greeks against the Persian Army of perhaps 200,000. These are still not really good odds but the Greeks did have the advantage of territory and the Persians the disadvantage of moving such a large army through a narrow mountain pass and that doesn’t happen quickly.
All of this is a bit over 100 years before Alexander, I’m not going to get into Mr. Stone’s account of the great one, and not to spoil the end of 300 but the Spartans all die. But then again the books about that have been lying around for a few thousand years just begging to be read.
Ciao,
invisible don
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Can you hang?
New Years Eve 2006 to New Years Day 2007 was pretty uneventful. Doodle went to a friends house and she hung out there.
Stunt-boy and I watched the Disney Channel Rock and Bowl New Years Eve something or other.
With the actors on Suite Life, Hannah Montana, Corey in the House and High School Musical.
Stunt boy loves those shows and they had little skits in between it all.
We switched it over to watch the ball drop on Times Square. Then back to the Disney Channel action
Oh yeah I can hear you thinking it now these two are the biggest party animals on the planet
Yup yup that’s what you are thinking.
And you know what - no hang over the next day either.
Jonzo called to see what I was up too and I laid out the whole plan before it had become the most awesome night in history - He was impressed but was afraid his spouse wouldn’t let him have that much fun in a single evening.
We are heading to DC later this week or more correctly this weekend. Doodle is on her way to LA for the week.
Yeah I know she has such the social life but nothing compared to stunt-boy and I.
Ciao,
invisible don
Stunt-boy and I watched the Disney Channel Rock and Bowl New Years Eve something or other.
With the actors on Suite Life, Hannah Montana, Corey in the House and High School Musical.
Stunt boy loves those shows and they had little skits in between it all.
We switched it over to watch the ball drop on Times Square. Then back to the Disney Channel action
Oh yeah I can hear you thinking it now these two are the biggest party animals on the planet
Yup yup that’s what you are thinking.
And you know what - no hang over the next day either.
Jonzo called to see what I was up too and I laid out the whole plan before it had become the most awesome night in history - He was impressed but was afraid his spouse wouldn’t let him have that much fun in a single evening.
We are heading to DC later this week or more correctly this weekend. Doodle is on her way to LA for the week.
Yeah I know she has such the social life but nothing compared to stunt-boy and I.
Ciao,
invisible don
Monday, January 1, 2007
Hang 'em High??????
This is something we have gotten away from in the US is the use of public punishment for convicted wrongs in the criminal justice system. Public hangings were part of criminal justice system as well as a lot other non-lethal punishments designed to deter wrong doing. The Middle East has not given up as well as many other countries in Asia, Africa and even with in South and Central America. Even parts of Eastern Europe use public punishment.
Public punishment is part of the criminal justice system in many, many nations around the world. Much of the rest of the world doesn't see this as entertainment but an extension of the justice system. While the execution of Saddam may be released on a world wide scale it was the justice system of Iraq which carried out the trial and the execution. I personally don't want to see it but I certainly understand the reason it was released and that there would be those who will exploit it as well.
However, the US is likely to return to a public execution system and legislation has been put forth to have executions broadcast on pay per view to off set the millions of dollars it costs to execute someone in the US criminal justice system.
It doesn't seem like there is a lack of people who would say that the death penalty is wrong and should be banned as a form of punishment. So why sweep it to the background if a society is going to uphold the death penalty as a form of punishment then it should be done in full light of public eye rather than hidden in dark corners.
My opinion on it is very mixed
Spiritually I see it as a waste, no matter how much pain you inflict on a criminal it will not erase their deeds. Better to put that person to some use in society and extract public good from them. This is my problem with the US correctional system we lock people away and the fester and rot within a micro-social structure associating with people who are as negative about the social structure. Then as a society we wonder why we fail to rehabilitate persons.
As a father, if anyone harmed my children I would want to see that person suffer, but I know no matter what it doesn't change the harm. I've lived with the loss of a family member from murder. The person sawed my aunts’ head off with a kitchen knife. Would the death of this person change that? No, would it make me feel better. Not really it would only mean that person was dead as well. So even to feed my own sense of vengeance it falls short. I prefer to remember my aunt for who she was rather than how she died.
Still there is an underlying gut feeling that anyone who takes the life of another person through the act of murder forfeits their life. However, I don't know that they should be executed.
Politically I think that if we are going to uphold capital punishment as a part of justice system it needs to be out in the public eye. If we are ashamed of it in any manner, then that begs the question why do it at all.
Punishment should serve to better society rather than extract revenge. To quote Gandhi, "an eye for eye makes the whole world go blind" Our laws are written to better society our corrections system should do the same thing. .
Ciao,
Public punishment is part of the criminal justice system in many, many nations around the world. Much of the rest of the world doesn't see this as entertainment but an extension of the justice system. While the execution of Saddam may be released on a world wide scale it was the justice system of Iraq which carried out the trial and the execution. I personally don't want to see it but I certainly understand the reason it was released and that there would be those who will exploit it as well.
However, the US is likely to return to a public execution system and legislation has been put forth to have executions broadcast on pay per view to off set the millions of dollars it costs to execute someone in the US criminal justice system.
It doesn't seem like there is a lack of people who would say that the death penalty is wrong and should be banned as a form of punishment. So why sweep it to the background if a society is going to uphold the death penalty as a form of punishment then it should be done in full light of public eye rather than hidden in dark corners.
My opinion on it is very mixed
Spiritually I see it as a waste, no matter how much pain you inflict on a criminal it will not erase their deeds. Better to put that person to some use in society and extract public good from them. This is my problem with the US correctional system we lock people away and the fester and rot within a micro-social structure associating with people who are as negative about the social structure. Then as a society we wonder why we fail to rehabilitate persons.
As a father, if anyone harmed my children I would want to see that person suffer, but I know no matter what it doesn't change the harm. I've lived with the loss of a family member from murder. The person sawed my aunts’ head off with a kitchen knife. Would the death of this person change that? No, would it make me feel better. Not really it would only mean that person was dead as well. So even to feed my own sense of vengeance it falls short. I prefer to remember my aunt for who she was rather than how she died.
Still there is an underlying gut feeling that anyone who takes the life of another person through the act of murder forfeits their life. However, I don't know that they should be executed.
Politically I think that if we are going to uphold capital punishment as a part of justice system it needs to be out in the public eye. If we are ashamed of it in any manner, then that begs the question why do it at all.
Punishment should serve to better society rather than extract revenge. To quote Gandhi, "an eye for eye makes the whole world go blind" Our laws are written to better society our corrections system should do the same thing. .
Ciao,
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Who me? I'm not him
So I took the arch angel quiz thing the other day and was told by the test thing that I was most like the arch angel of light, Lucifer. Well what do those test things really know about us anyway right?
Well it would seem a lot more than we may think.
Seems that somewhere in christendom there is the phrase, lead us not into temptation.
Well that, as of late, is part or my life functions.
Anyone who has given up some vice all of a sudden is coming to me like I'm their connection. Smoking, drinking, eating, vows, et al.
You need your fixx come on over to invisible don's place he'll hook you up.
I won't get into all the details of it all but it's all very strange to say the least.
I'll be changing my phone number to, 666-6666 soon so I'll be easier to reach
Well it would seem a lot more than we may think.
Seems that somewhere in christendom there is the phrase, lead us not into temptation.
Well that, as of late, is part or my life functions.
Anyone who has given up some vice all of a sudden is coming to me like I'm their connection. Smoking, drinking, eating, vows, et al.
You need your fixx come on over to invisible don's place he'll hook you up.
I won't get into all the details of it all but it's all very strange to say the least.
I'll be changing my phone number to, 666-6666 soon so I'll be easier to reach
Hey
I got nothing to say ... well that isn't true but I just thought you would like to read these lyrics and since most of you who read here are ubercool anyway you probably already know the song and would rather hear about the girl I like or something more interesting.
too bad not today but the song relates to all that anyway so it might make a good intro to that huh
"Hey" by the pixies
video by tasha
Lyrics by the pixies
hey
been trying to meet you
hey
must be a devil between us
or whores in my head
whores at my door
whores in my bed
but hey
where have you
been
if you go i will surely die
we're chained
uh
said the man to the lady
uh
said the lady to the man she adored
and the whores like a choir
go uh
all night
and mary ain't you tired of this
uh
is the sound that the mother makes when the baby breaks
we're chained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_CSo1gOd48
too bad not today but the song relates to all that anyway so it might make a good intro to that huh
"Hey" by the pixies
video by tasha
Lyrics by the pixies
hey
been trying to meet you
hey
must be a devil between us
or whores in my head
whores at my door
whores in my bed
but hey
where have you
been
if you go i will surely die
we're chained
uh
said the man to the lady
uh
said the lady to the man she adored
and the whores like a choir
go uh
all night
and mary ain't you tired of this
uh
is the sound that the mother makes when the baby breaks
we're chained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_CSo1gOd48
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Welcome to the handbasket, next stop hell
Pop culture is really fucking stupid, yes I know that really goes without saying but the buzz words that seem to fill this realm are getting out of hand.
The latest in this is extremely long line of these inane are becoming more and more completely beyond my understanding.
"the baby bump" god typing it is almost too revolting
And if I hear or see one more head line about Angelina Jolie's pregnancy I think I'm going to fucking barf.
I'm done and I'm reminded again why I don't watch a lot of TV - I'm off to read a book.
The latest in this is extremely long line of these inane are becoming more and more completely beyond my understanding.
"the baby bump" god typing it is almost too revolting
And if I hear or see one more head line about Angelina Jolie's pregnancy I think I'm going to fucking barf.
I'm done and I'm reminded again why I don't watch a lot of TV - I'm off to read a book.
Did this right before lunch because I didnt' have time to do something else
Q: WHAT WERE YOU D0ING AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT?
A: I was killing river pirates on SOCOM3 and kicking ass too I might add.
Q: WHATS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE ON YOUR CELL PHONE SAY
A: It just ended
Q: WHOSE BED DID YOU SLEEP IN LAST NIGHT?
A: Mine
Q: WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
A: sky blue or periwinkle
Q: MOST RECENT MOVIE THAT YOU WATCHED?
A: The Barber
Q: NAME 2 THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ON YOU AT ALL TIMES?
A: silver earrings in my left ear
Q: WHAT'S THE COLOR OF YOUR BEDSHEETS?
A: a dusty green color
Q: HOW MUCH CASH DO YOU HAVE ON YOU RIGHT NOW?
A: 15 or so I'm not looking
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE CHICKEN?
A: The egg I quess I don't eat them much either but I don't eat chicken
Q: WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE TOWN/CITY?
A: Rio
Q: YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DO WHAT?
A: I'm not sure
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM?
A: last week
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR DAD?
A: about a week or so before he died three years ago
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO THEM?
A: Sunday
Q: WHO GOT YOU TO JOIN MYSPACE?
A: a few people on other blog site moved over here so I followed ... yeah I'm just part of the herd.
Q: WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
A: Tofu
Q: IS TOM ON YOUR FRIEND LIST?
A: I think so hey a guy comes up with it he deserves props
Q: LOOK TO YOUR LEFT, WHAT'S THERE?
A: phone and files
Q: WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BORROWED?
A: t-shirt from the other one at my grandmothers funeral
Q: WHAT WEBSITE DO YOU VISIT MOST DURING THE DAY?
A: myspace
Q: DO YOU HAVE PLANTS IN YOUR ROOM?
A: in my room no in my house yes
Q: DOES ANYTHING HURT ON YOUR BODY RIGHT NOW?
A: yes, my head (I have a headache), my left eye - I'm not sure why , my right thumb(I cut it the other day and burned it last night on a match) my right knee (years of skiing and rugby) and my right leg (burned it a few days ago against an oil heater.
Q: WHAT CITY WAS YOUR LAST TAXI RIDE IN?
A: New York City about a year ago
Q: DO YOU OWN A PICTURE PHONE?
A: yes
Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE STARBUCKS DRINK?
A: Cafe Latte (large)
Q: WHEN WERE YOU LAST REALLY UPSET?
A: a few days ago
Q: WOULD YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IF YOUR FRIEND DATED YOUR EX?
A: Yeah because I don't like my ex very much and she really hates me so that would mean my friend and I would have to stop hanging out not because I would be all that upset that they were dating I just wouldn't want to be around when they were together - I would be very tempted to say rude things
Q: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF SOMEONE PUNCHED YOU IN THE FACE?
A: Well the last person to hit me in the face was my ex wife and she broke my nose, I didn't do anything but say you broke my nose and tried to keep blood from going all over my shirt.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
A: Peanut butter cap't crunch - but I only get it once a year so its way special when I do
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV CHANNEL?
A: IFC or Sundance
Q: IF YOU COULD MEET ANY ONE DEAD PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE?
A: Wow out of all the really cool dead people ever? too many to even just pick one. I'd like to see if either Helen of Troy or Cleopatra were really worth the wars that are attributed to them.
Q: DO YOU LIKE TO DRINK MILK?
A: Not really but I do sometimes drink it
A: I was killing river pirates on SOCOM3 and kicking ass too I might add.
Q: WHATS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE ON YOUR CELL PHONE SAY
A: It just ended
Q: WHOSE BED DID YOU SLEEP IN LAST NIGHT?
A: Mine
Q: WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
A: sky blue or periwinkle
Q: MOST RECENT MOVIE THAT YOU WATCHED?
A: The Barber
Q: NAME 2 THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ON YOU AT ALL TIMES?
A: silver earrings in my left ear
Q: WHAT'S THE COLOR OF YOUR BEDSHEETS?
A: a dusty green color
Q: HOW MUCH CASH DO YOU HAVE ON YOU RIGHT NOW?
A: 15 or so I'm not looking
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE CHICKEN?
A: The egg I quess I don't eat them much either but I don't eat chicken
Q: WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE TOWN/CITY?
A: Rio
Q: YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DO WHAT?
A: I'm not sure
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM?
A: last week
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR DAD?
A: about a week or so before he died three years ago
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO THEM?
A: Sunday
Q: WHO GOT YOU TO JOIN MYSPACE?
A: a few people on other blog site moved over here so I followed ... yeah I'm just part of the herd.
Q: WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
A: Tofu
Q: IS TOM ON YOUR FRIEND LIST?
A: I think so hey a guy comes up with it he deserves props
Q: LOOK TO YOUR LEFT, WHAT'S THERE?
A: phone and files
Q: WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BORROWED?
A: t-shirt from the other one at my grandmothers funeral
Q: WHAT WEBSITE DO YOU VISIT MOST DURING THE DAY?
A: myspace
Q: DO YOU HAVE PLANTS IN YOUR ROOM?
A: in my room no in my house yes
Q: DOES ANYTHING HURT ON YOUR BODY RIGHT NOW?
A: yes, my head (I have a headache), my left eye - I'm not sure why , my right thumb(I cut it the other day and burned it last night on a match) my right knee (years of skiing and rugby) and my right leg (burned it a few days ago against an oil heater.
Q: WHAT CITY WAS YOUR LAST TAXI RIDE IN?
A: New York City about a year ago
Q: DO YOU OWN A PICTURE PHONE?
A: yes
Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE STARBUCKS DRINK?
A: Cafe Latte (large)
Q: WHEN WERE YOU LAST REALLY UPSET?
A: a few days ago
Q: WOULD YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IF YOUR FRIEND DATED YOUR EX?
A: Yeah because I don't like my ex very much and she really hates me so that would mean my friend and I would have to stop hanging out not because I would be all that upset that they were dating I just wouldn't want to be around when they were together - I would be very tempted to say rude things
Q: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF SOMEONE PUNCHED YOU IN THE FACE?
A: Well the last person to hit me in the face was my ex wife and she broke my nose, I didn't do anything but say you broke my nose and tried to keep blood from going all over my shirt.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
A: Peanut butter cap't crunch - but I only get it once a year so its way special when I do
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV CHANNEL?
A: IFC or Sundance
Q: IF YOU COULD MEET ANY ONE DEAD PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE?
A: Wow out of all the really cool dead people ever? too many to even just pick one. I'd like to see if either Helen of Troy or Cleopatra were really worth the wars that are attributed to them.
Q: DO YOU LIKE TO DRINK MILK?
A: Not really but I do sometimes drink it
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