Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Herbert Spencer
For what is meant by saying that a government ought to educate the people? Why should they be educated? What is the education for? Clearly, to fit the people for social life — to make them good citizens. And who is to say what are good citizens? The government: there is no other judge. And who is to say how these good citizens may be made? The government: there is no other judge. Hence the proposition is convertible into this — a government ought to mold children into good citizens…. It must first form for itself a definite conception of a pattern citizen; and, having done this, must elaborate such system of discipline as seems best calculated to produce citizens after that pattern. This system of discipline it is bound to enforce to the uttermost. For if it does otherwise, it allows men to become different from what in its judgment they should become, and therefore fails in that duty it is charged to fulfill
Who Rules America ?
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/
by G. William Domhoff
My book, Who Rules America?, presents detailed original information on how power and politics operate in the United States. The first edition came out in 1967 and is ranked 12th on the list of 50 best sellers in sociology between 1950 and 1995. A second edition, Who Rules America Now?, arrived in 1983 and landed at #43 on the same list. Third and fourth editions followed in 1998 and 2002, and the fifth edition, upon which most of this web site is based, came out in 2006.
The sixth edition of WRA was released in 2009, and is available at Amazon.com (and other bookstores). This new edition has information on the rise of Barack Obama, his campaign finance supporters, and the nature of his administration. The last chapter focuses on the potential for serious challenges to class and corporate dominance. It does not have answers, but it raises the key questions and states the possibilities, noting that the strategies and tactics adopted by activists are an essential part of the power equation.
You'll find the following in this site: supplementary information and updates for readers of WRA; an overview of the American power structure at the national level and an in-depth look at power at the local level; a look at the wealth and income distribution in the U.S. and how this relates to power structures; an overview of the Four Networks theory of power, which provides the best general theory of power and social change within which to situate the class-domination theory I've developed specifically for the United States; commentaries on alternative theories of power; a special section on the Bohemian Club & Bohemian Grove, including pictures of the club in San Francisco and the encampment in the redwoods; suggestions for activists on what they can learn from social science research; links to Web sites and books about power and social change in the United States; and much more. You can use the menu on the left side of the page to navigate through the site.
WhoRulesAmerica.net
by G. William Domhoff
My book, Who Rules America?, presents detailed original information on how power and politics operate in the United States. The first edition came out in 1967 and is ranked 12th on the list of 50 best sellers in sociology between 1950 and 1995. A second edition, Who Rules America Now?, arrived in 1983 and landed at #43 on the same list. Third and fourth editions followed in 1998 and 2002, and the fifth edition, upon which most of this web site is based, came out in 2006.
The sixth edition of WRA was released in 2009, and is available at Amazon.com (and other bookstores). This new edition has information on the rise of Barack Obama, his campaign finance supporters, and the nature of his administration. The last chapter focuses on the potential for serious challenges to class and corporate dominance. It does not have answers, but it raises the key questions and states the possibilities, noting that the strategies and tactics adopted by activists are an essential part of the power equation.
You'll find the following in this site: supplementary information and updates for readers of WRA; an overview of the American power structure at the national level and an in-depth look at power at the local level; a look at the wealth and income distribution in the U.S. and how this relates to power structures; an overview of the Four Networks theory of power, which provides the best general theory of power and social change within which to situate the class-domination theory I've developed specifically for the United States; commentaries on alternative theories of power; a special section on the Bohemian Club & Bohemian Grove, including pictures of the club in San Francisco and the encampment in the redwoods; suggestions for activists on what they can learn from social science research; links to Web sites and books about power and social change in the United States; and much more. You can use the menu on the left side of the page to navigate through the site.
WhoRulesAmerica.net
God and Logic
http://www.smallings.com/LitEng/Essays/NatureOfLogic.html
Logic is also a primordial reality, and bares the same relationship to existence as time does to matter. Logic is intrinsic to reality. It requires no justification for its existence, because reality itself is the initiator of logic. The mere fact of the existence of anything at all, automatically puts existence into a relationship with non-existence. This relationship is logic. Existence versus non-existence, is the foundation of logic.....As time and space need no validation, since there is no existence without them, so logic needs no validation outside of itself. One would be foolish to try to disprove the existence of time, because he must take time to do that. No less of a fool is one who tries to invalidate logic. One must use logic itself to do so.
Logic is also a primordial reality, and bares the same relationship to existence as time does to matter. Logic is intrinsic to reality. It requires no justification for its existence, because reality itself is the initiator of logic. The mere fact of the existence of anything at all, automatically puts existence into a relationship with non-existence. This relationship is logic. Existence versus non-existence, is the foundation of logic.....As time and space need no validation, since there is no existence without them, so logic needs no validation outside of itself. One would be foolish to try to disprove the existence of time, because he must take time to do that. No less of a fool is one who tries to invalidate logic. One must use logic itself to do so.
Michael Parenti
Parenti stresses the role of class in all societies, particularly the purportedly classless US one. He extends the definition of class as a demographic trait relating to status, education, lifestyle, and income level to include the effects of social interrelationships. He observes that there can be no rich slaveholders without poor slaves, no powerful feudal lords without serfs, no corporate bosses without workers. The interrelationship is highly asymmetrical. It centers on the organized wealth of the society.
Parenti also believes that there is a third factor involved in class relationships, specifically the productive resources (land, agriculture, herds, natural resources, factories, technology, etc.). The dominant group in class relationships owns or controls these economic resources. The weaker class historically has had only its labor to sell. Hence the “dominant money classes” exercise a preponderant influence over workforces, markets, major investments, consumption patterns, media, and public policies. Parenti concludes that when discussing class; class power, how it is used, for whose interests, and at whose expense, must also be discussed.
Parenti also believes that there is a third factor involved in class relationships, specifically the productive resources (land, agriculture, herds, natural resources, factories, technology, etc.). The dominant group in class relationships owns or controls these economic resources. The weaker class historically has had only its labor to sell. Hence the “dominant money classes” exercise a preponderant influence over workforces, markets, major investments, consumption patterns, media, and public policies. Parenti concludes that when discussing class; class power, how it is used, for whose interests, and at whose expense, must also be discussed.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
100 Most Influential Sociological Books
http://www.isa-sociology.org/books/vt/bkv_000.htm
Here are the first 30:
1 Weber, Max Economy and Society 95
2 Mills, Charles Wright The Sociological Imagination 59
3 Merton, Robert K. Social Theory and Social Structure 52
4 Weber, M. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 47
5 Berger, P.L. and Luckmann, T. The Social Construction of Reality 45
6 Bourdieu, Pierre Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste 43
7 Elias, Norbert The Civilizing Process 30
8 Habermas, Jürgen The Theory of Communicative Action 29
9 Parsons, Talcott The Structure of Social Action 28
10 Goffman, Erving The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life 25
11 Mead, George Herbert Mind, Self and Society 23
12 Parsons, Talcott The Social System 23
13 Durkheim, Emile The Elementary Forms of Religious Life 22
14 Giddens, Anthony The Constitution of Society 21
15 Wallerstein, Immanuel The Modern World-System 21
16 Foucault, Michel Discipline and Punish : the Birth of the Prison 17
17 Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions 14
18 Simmel, Georg Sociology 14
19 Beck, Ulrich Risk Society 13
20 Braverman, Harry Labour and Monopoly Capital 13
21 Adorno, Theodor W. and Horkheimer, Max Dialectic of Enlightenment 12
22 Gramsci, Antonio Prison Notebooks 12
23 Coleman, James Samuel Foundations of Social Theory 11
24 Habermas, Jürgen Knowledge and Human Interests 11
25 Moore, B. The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy 11
26 Polanyi, Karl The Great Transformation 11
27 Blau, Peter Michael and Duncan, Otis Dudley The American Occup 10
28 Gouldner, Alvin W. The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology 10
29 Luhmann, Niklas Social Systems 10
30 Mannheim, Karl Ideology and Utopia
Here are the first 30:
1 Weber, Max Economy and Society 95
2 Mills, Charles Wright The Sociological Imagination 59
3 Merton, Robert K. Social Theory and Social Structure 52
4 Weber, M. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 47
5 Berger, P.L. and Luckmann, T. The Social Construction of Reality 45
6 Bourdieu, Pierre Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste 43
7 Elias, Norbert The Civilizing Process 30
8 Habermas, Jürgen The Theory of Communicative Action 29
9 Parsons, Talcott The Structure of Social Action 28
10 Goffman, Erving The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life 25
11 Mead, George Herbert Mind, Self and Society 23
12 Parsons, Talcott The Social System 23
13 Durkheim, Emile The Elementary Forms of Religious Life 22
14 Giddens, Anthony The Constitution of Society 21
15 Wallerstein, Immanuel The Modern World-System 21
16 Foucault, Michel Discipline and Punish : the Birth of the Prison 17
17 Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions 14
18 Simmel, Georg Sociology 14
19 Beck, Ulrich Risk Society 13
20 Braverman, Harry Labour and Monopoly Capital 13
21 Adorno, Theodor W. and Horkheimer, Max Dialectic of Enlightenment 12
22 Gramsci, Antonio Prison Notebooks 12
23 Coleman, James Samuel Foundations of Social Theory 11
24 Habermas, Jürgen Knowledge and Human Interests 11
25 Moore, B. The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy 11
26 Polanyi, Karl The Great Transformation 11
27 Blau, Peter Michael and Duncan, Otis Dudley The American Occup 10
28 Gouldner, Alvin W. The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology 10
29 Luhmann, Niklas Social Systems 10
30 Mannheim, Karl Ideology and Utopia
Bertrand Russell
"I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is mass psychology. Mass psychology is, scientifically speaking, not a very advanced study [...] This study is immensely useful to practical men, whether they wish to become rich or to acquire the government. It is, of course, as a science, founded upon individual psychology, but hitherto it has employed rule-of-thumb methods which were based upon a kind of intuitive common sense. Its importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda. Of these the most influential is what is called ‘education’. Religion plays a part, though a diminishing one; the Press, the cinema and the radio play an increasing part." - Bertrand Russell, 1952
Fichte on Education
"Education should aim at destroying free will so that after pupils are thus schooled they will be incapable throughout the rest of their lives of thinking or acting otherwise than as their school masters would have wished."
James Clerk Maxwell Quote
I think men of science as well as other men need to learn from Christ, and I think Christians whose minds are scientific are bound to study science that their view of the glory of God may be as extensive as their being is capable. But I think that the results which each man arrives at in his attempts to harmonize his science with his Christianity ought not to be regarded as having any significance except to the man himself, and to him only for a time, and should not receive the stamp of a society.
Emulation of the Prussian education system in the United States
American educators were fascinated by German educational trends. In 1818, John Griscom gave a favorable report of Prussian education. English translations were made of French philosopher Victor Cousin's work, "Report on the State of Public Education in Prussia." Calvin E. Stowe, Henry Barnard, Horace Mann, George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell all had a vigorous interest in German education. In 1843, Mann traveled to Germany to investigate how the educational process worked. Upon his return to the United States, he lobbied heavily to have the "Prussian model" adopted.
Mann was largely responsible for the introduction of compulsory public education, Prussian-style, in the United States. In 1852, he supported governor Edward Everett in the decision to adopt the Prussian education system in Massachusetts. Shortly after Everett and Mann collaborated to adopt the Prussian system, the Governor of New York set up the same method in 12 different New York schools on a trial basis.
Mann was largely responsible for the introduction of compulsory public education, Prussian-style, in the United States. In 1852, he supported governor Edward Everett in the decision to adopt the Prussian education system in Massachusetts. Shortly after Everett and Mann collaborated to adopt the Prussian system, the Governor of New York set up the same method in 12 different New York schools on a trial basis.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Heaven Worship
Heaven worship is a Chinese religious belief that predates Taoism and Confucianism, but was later incorporated into both.
The Ancient Chinese believed in a non-corporeal entity called Shangdi, an omnipotent, just, and monotheistic supreme being. Over time, Shangdi became synonymous with Tian, or Heaven. The worship of Heaven is highly ritualistic and requires that the emperor hold official sacrifices and worship at an altar of Heaven, the most famous of which is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Idols are not permitted in Heaven worship.
Heaven worship is closely linked with ancestor veneration, as the ancestors are seen as a medium between Heaven and man. The Emperor of China, also known as the Son of Heaven, derived the Mandate of Heaven, and thus his legitimacy as ruler, from his supposed ability to commune with Heaven on behalf of his nation.
Early Abrahamic missionaries saw similarities between Shangdi/Tian and the Abrahamic God, and therefore rendered "God" as "Shangdi" in Chinese. Some Chinese Christian scholars assert that the Christian God and the Chinese Shangdi are in fact the same entity.
The Ancient Chinese believed in a non-corporeal entity called Shangdi, an omnipotent, just, and monotheistic supreme being. Over time, Shangdi became synonymous with Tian, or Heaven. The worship of Heaven is highly ritualistic and requires that the emperor hold official sacrifices and worship at an altar of Heaven, the most famous of which is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Idols are not permitted in Heaven worship.
Heaven worship is closely linked with ancestor veneration, as the ancestors are seen as a medium between Heaven and man. The Emperor of China, also known as the Son of Heaven, derived the Mandate of Heaven, and thus his legitimacy as ruler, from his supposed ability to commune with Heaven on behalf of his nation.
Early Abrahamic missionaries saw similarities between Shangdi/Tian and the Abrahamic God, and therefore rendered "God" as "Shangdi" in Chinese. Some Chinese Christian scholars assert that the Christian God and the Chinese Shangdi are in fact the same entity.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Notable Requiems
Many composers have written Requiems. Some of the most notable include the following (in chronological order):
* Ockeghem's Requiem, the earliest to survive, written sometime in the mid-to-late 15th century
* Victoria's Requiem of 1603, (part of a longer Office for the Dead)
* Mozart's Requiem in D minor (Mozart died before its completion)
* Cherubini's Requiem in C minor
* Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts
* Verdi's Requiem
* Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, based on passages from Luther's Bible.
* Fauré's Requiem in D minor
* Dvořák's Requiem, Op. 89
* Duruflé's Requiem, based almost exclusively on the chants from the Graduale Romanum.
* Britten's War Requiem, which incorporated poems by Wilfred Owen
* Penderecki's Polish Requiem
* John Rutter Requiem, includes Psalm
* Ockeghem's Requiem, the earliest to survive, written sometime in the mid-to-late 15th century
* Victoria's Requiem of 1603, (part of a longer Office for the Dead)
* Mozart's Requiem in D minor (Mozart died before its completion)
* Cherubini's Requiem in C minor
* Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts
* Verdi's Requiem
* Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, based on passages from Luther's Bible.
* Fauré's Requiem in D minor
* Dvořák's Requiem, Op. 89
* Duruflé's Requiem, based almost exclusively on the chants from the Graduale Romanum.
* Britten's War Requiem, which incorporated poems by Wilfred Owen
* Penderecki's Polish Requiem
* John Rutter Requiem, includes Psalm
Eleganceless
Which is worse, ignorance or apathy?
I don't know and I don't care.
Form a class of all classes which include themselves. Does it include itself? The answer is yes, it includes itself, therefore it must be included in the class of all classes which include themselves.
- Bertrand Russell
http://www.niquette.com/books/sophmag/elegance.htm
I don't know and I don't care.
Form a class of all classes which include themselves. Does it include itself? The answer is yes, it includes itself, therefore it must be included in the class of all classes which include themselves.
- Bertrand Russell
http://www.niquette.com/books/sophmag/elegance.htm
Monday, August 2, 2010
Bertrand Russell Quotes
Awareness of universals is called conceiving, and a universal of which we are aware is called a concept.
Boredom is... a vital problem for the moralist, since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.
Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.
Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.
I like mathematics because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with this planet or with the whole accidental universe - because, like Spinoza's God, it won't love us in return.
In the revolt against idealism, the ambiguities of the word experience have been perceived, with the result that realists have more and more avoided the word.
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
Boredom is... a vital problem for the moralist, since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.
Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.
Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.
I like mathematics because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with this planet or with the whole accidental universe - because, like Spinoza's God, it won't love us in return.
In the revolt against idealism, the ambiguities of the word experience have been perceived, with the result that realists have more and more avoided the word.
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
Supreme Defined
–adjective
1.
highest in rank or authority; paramount; sovereign; chief.
2.
of the highest quality, degree, character, importance, etc.: supreme courage.
3.
greatest, utmost, or extreme: supreme disgust.
4.
last or final; ultimate.
Is there a Supreme Being or a Supreme Intelligence?
1.
highest in rank or authority; paramount; sovereign; chief.
2.
of the highest quality, degree, character, importance, etc.: supreme courage.
3.
greatest, utmost, or extreme: supreme disgust.
4.
last or final; ultimate.
Is there a Supreme Being or a Supreme Intelligence?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Brahman
n the Hindu religion, Brahman is the eternal, unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe.[1] The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different philosophical schools. In the Rig Veda, Brahman gives rise to the primordial being Hiranyagarbha that is equated with the creator god Brahmā. The trimurti can thus be considered a personification of Brahman as the active principle behind the phenomena of the universe.
Matter
Ordinary matter, in the quarks and leptons definition, constitutes about 4% of the energy of the observable universe. The remaining energy is theorized to be due to exotic forms, of which 23% is dark matter and 73% is dark energy.
Max Planck Quote
As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.
Max Planck
Planck was a devoted and persistent adherent of Christianity from early life to death, but he was very tolerant towards alternative views and religions, and so was discontented with the Nazi church organizations' demands for unquestioning belief.
The God in which Planck believed was an almighty, all-knowing, benevolent but unintelligible God that permeated everything, manifest through symbols, including physical laws. His view may have been motivated by an opposition like Einstein's and Schrödinger's against the positivist view. Planck was interested in truth and a Universe beyond observation, and objected to atheism as an obsession with symbols.
Planck regarded the scientist as a man of imagination and faith, "faith" interpreted as being similar to "having a working hypothesis". For example the causality principle isn't true or false, it is an act of faith. Thereby Planck may have indicated a view that points toward Imre Lakatos' research programs process descriptions, where falsification is mostly tolerable, in faith of its future removal.
The God in which Planck believed was an almighty, all-knowing, benevolent but unintelligible God that permeated everything, manifest through symbols, including physical laws. His view may have been motivated by an opposition like Einstein's and Schrödinger's against the positivist view. Planck was interested in truth and a Universe beyond observation, and objected to atheism as an obsession with symbols.
Planck regarded the scientist as a man of imagination and faith, "faith" interpreted as being similar to "having a working hypothesis". For example the causality principle isn't true or false, it is an act of faith. Thereby Planck may have indicated a view that points toward Imre Lakatos' research programs process descriptions, where falsification is mostly tolerable, in faith of its future removal.
Max Planck
I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.
As quoted in The Observer (25 January 1931)
As quoted in The Observer (25 January 1931)
Mythopoeia (poem)
Mythopoeia (mythos-making) is a term coined by J.R.R. Tolkien as a title of a poem.
Tolkien wrote Mythopoeia (the poem) following a discussion on the night of 19 September 1931 at Magdalen College, Oxford with C. S. Lewis and Hugo Dyson. Lewis said that myths were "lies breathed through silver". Tolkien's poem explained and defended creative myth-making. The discussion was recorded in the book The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter.
The poem is addressed from "Philomythos" (myth-lover) to "Misomythos" (myth-hater) and takes a position defending mythology and myth-making as a creative art about "fundamental things". The poem begins by addressing C. S. Lewis as the Misomythos, who at the time was sceptical of any truth in mythology:
"To one who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'".
Tolkien chose to compose the poem in heroic couplets, the preferred metre of British Enlightenment poets, as it were attacking the proponents of materialist progress ("progressive apes") on their own turf:
"I will not walk with your progressive apes,
erect and sapient. Before them gapes
the dark abyss to which their progress tends --..."
The poem refers to the creative human author as "the little maker" wielding his "own small golden sceptre" ruling his subcreation (understood as genuine creation within God's primary creation):
"your world immutable wherein no part
the little maker has with maker's art.
I bow not yet before the Iron Crown,
nor cast my own small golden sceptre down..."
The reference to not bowing before "the Iron Crown", and later reference rejecting "the great Artefact" have been interpreted as Tolkien's opposition and resistance to accept what he perceived to be modern man's misplaced "faith" or "worship" of rationalism, and "progress" when defined by science and technology:[2] It must be stated though that Tolkien believed in rationalism, however, he did not believe that the modernist project was actually based on rationalism.
"man ...keeps the rags of lordship once he owned,
his world-dominion by creative act:
not his to worship the great Artefact."
Mythopoeia takes the position that mythology contains spiritual and foundational truths, while myth-making is a "creative act" that helps narrate and disclose those truths:
"...There is no firmament,
only a void, unless a jewelled tent
myth-woven and elf-patterned; and no earth,
unless the mother's womb whence all have birth."
Tolkien wrote Mythopoeia (the poem) following a discussion on the night of 19 September 1931 at Magdalen College, Oxford with C. S. Lewis and Hugo Dyson. Lewis said that myths were "lies breathed through silver". Tolkien's poem explained and defended creative myth-making. The discussion was recorded in the book The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter.
The poem is addressed from "Philomythos" (myth-lover) to "Misomythos" (myth-hater) and takes a position defending mythology and myth-making as a creative art about "fundamental things". The poem begins by addressing C. S. Lewis as the Misomythos, who at the time was sceptical of any truth in mythology:
"To one who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'".
Tolkien chose to compose the poem in heroic couplets, the preferred metre of British Enlightenment poets, as it were attacking the proponents of materialist progress ("progressive apes") on their own turf:
"I will not walk with your progressive apes,
erect and sapient. Before them gapes
the dark abyss to which their progress tends --..."
The poem refers to the creative human author as "the little maker" wielding his "own small golden sceptre" ruling his subcreation (understood as genuine creation within God's primary creation):
"your world immutable wherein no part
the little maker has with maker's art.
I bow not yet before the Iron Crown,
nor cast my own small golden sceptre down..."
The reference to not bowing before "the Iron Crown", and later reference rejecting "the great Artefact" have been interpreted as Tolkien's opposition and resistance to accept what he perceived to be modern man's misplaced "faith" or "worship" of rationalism, and "progress" when defined by science and technology:[2] It must be stated though that Tolkien believed in rationalism, however, he did not believe that the modernist project was actually based on rationalism.
"man ...keeps the rags of lordship once he owned,
his world-dominion by creative act:
not his to worship the great Artefact."
Mythopoeia takes the position that mythology contains spiritual and foundational truths, while myth-making is a "creative act" that helps narrate and disclose those truths:
"...There is no firmament,
only a void, unless a jewelled tent
myth-woven and elf-patterned; and no earth,
unless the mother's womb whence all have birth."
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Ceremonial Chemistry - Szasz
In Ceremonial Chemistry (1973), Szasz argued that the same persecution which has targeted witches, Jews, Gypsies or homosexuals now targets "drug addicts" and "insane" people. Szasz argued that all these categories of people were taken as scapegoats of the community in ritual ceremonies. To underscore this continuation of religion through medicine, he even takes as example obesity: instead of concentrating on junk food (ill-nutrition), physicians denounced hypernutrition. According to Szasz, despite their scientific appearance, the diets imposed were a moral substitute to the former fasts, and the social injunction not to be overweight is to be considered as a moral order, not as a scientific advice as it claims to be. As with those thought bad (insane people), those who took the wrong drugs (drug-addicts), medicine created a category for those who had the wrong weight (obeses).
Thomas Szasz Quote
The struggle for definition is veritably the struggle for life itself. In the typical Western two men fight desperately for the possession of a gun that has been thrown to the ground: whoever reaches the weapon first shoots and lives; his adversary is shot and dies. In ordinary life, the struggle is not for guns but for words; whoever first defines the situation is the victor; his adversary, the victim. For example, in the family, husband and wife, mother and child do not get along; who defines whom as troublesome or mentally sick?...[the one] who first seizes the word imposes reality on the other; [the one] who defines thus dominates and lives; and [the one] who is defined is subjugated and may be killed.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Marcus Aurelius II
Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time. The twining strands of fate wove both of them together: your own existence and the things that happen to you.
Marcus Aurelius
When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own—not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Education
"Schools teach you to imitate. If you don't imitate what the teacher wants you get a bad grade." - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Einstein
"The power of resistance which has enabled the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years is a direct outgrowth of Jewish adherence to the Biblical doctrines on the relationship among men."
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Absolute Infinite
The Absolute Infinite is mathematician Georg Cantor's concept of an "infinity" that transcended the transfinite numbers. Cantor equated the Absolute Infinite with God.
Godel's Philosophical Viewpoint
My philosophical viewpoint
-- Kurt Friedrich Godel, c. 1960.
1. The world is rational.
2. Human reason can, in principle, be developed more highly (through certain techniques).
3. There are systematic methods for the solution of all problems (also art, etc.).
4. There are other worlds and rational beings of a different and higher kind.
5. The world in which we live is not the only one in which we shall live or have lived.
6. There is incomparably more knowable a priori than is currently known.
7. The development of human thought since the Renaissance is thoroughly intelligible (durchaus einsichtige).
8. Reason in mankind will be developed in every direction.
9. Formal rights comprise a real science.
10. Materialism is false.
11. The higher beings are connected to the others by analogy, not by composition.
12. Concepts have an objective existence.
13. There is a scientific (exact) philosophy and theology, which deals with concepts of the highest abstractness; and this is also most highly fruitful for science.
14. Religions are, for the most part, bad-- but religion is not.
Comments by Hao Wang:
"Godel lists fourteen items which appear to be an attempt to outline his fundamental philosophical beliefs. These are optimistic beliefs and conjectures. They go far beyond `what is possible before all new discoveries and inventions' as Wittgenstein requires of philosophy. Unfortunately we know very little of Gödel's reasons for holding them. Undoubtedly the centrepiece is his belief that the world is rational. This key belief is an empirical generalisation from his interpretation of human experience, but what is known of his arguments is hardly convincing."
Published: Hao Wang: Section 9.4: `The meaning of the world: monadology and rationalistic optimism' in Chapter IX: `Godel's approach to philosophy' of `A logical journey: from Godel to philosophy', The MIT Press, Cambridge, USA, 1996, p. 316.
-- Kurt Friedrich Godel, c. 1960.
1. The world is rational.
2. Human reason can, in principle, be developed more highly (through certain techniques).
3. There are systematic methods for the solution of all problems (also art, etc.).
4. There are other worlds and rational beings of a different and higher kind.
5. The world in which we live is not the only one in which we shall live or have lived.
6. There is incomparably more knowable a priori than is currently known.
7. The development of human thought since the Renaissance is thoroughly intelligible (durchaus einsichtige).
8. Reason in mankind will be developed in every direction.
9. Formal rights comprise a real science.
10. Materialism is false.
11. The higher beings are connected to the others by analogy, not by composition.
12. Concepts have an objective existence.
13. There is a scientific (exact) philosophy and theology, which deals with concepts of the highest abstractness; and this is also most highly fruitful for science.
14. Religions are, for the most part, bad-- but religion is not.
Comments by Hao Wang:
"Godel lists fourteen items which appear to be an attempt to outline his fundamental philosophical beliefs. These are optimistic beliefs and conjectures. They go far beyond `what is possible before all new discoveries and inventions' as Wittgenstein requires of philosophy. Unfortunately we know very little of Gödel's reasons for holding them. Undoubtedly the centrepiece is his belief that the world is rational. This key belief is an empirical generalisation from his interpretation of human experience, but what is known of his arguments is hardly convincing."
Published: Hao Wang: Section 9.4: `The meaning of the world: monadology and rationalistic optimism' in Chapter IX: `Godel's approach to philosophy' of `A logical journey: from Godel to philosophy', The MIT Press, Cambridge, USA, 1996, p. 316.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Word Power
per·ni·cious
/pərˈnɪʃəs/
–adjective
1.causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2.deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease.
3.Obsolete . evil; wicked.
—Synonyms
1. harmful, detrimental, deleterious, destructive, damaging, baneful, noxious, malicious. 2. lethal.
mag·nan·i·mous
/mægˈnænəməs/
–adjective
1.generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2.high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3.proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
—Synonyms
1. big, liberal, unspiteful. 2. See noble.
in·sip·id
/ɪnˈsɪpɪd/
–adjective
1.without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid: an insipid personality.
2.without sufficient taste to be pleasing, as food or drink; bland: a rather insipid soup.
—Synonyms
1, 2. flat, dull, uninteresting. 2. tasteless, bland.
in·sid·i·ous
/ɪnˈsɪdiəs/
–adjective
1.intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan.
2.stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy.
3.operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect: an insidious disease.
—Synonyms
1. corrupting. 2. artful, cunning, wily, subtle, crafty.
in·noc·u·ous
/ɪˈnɒkyuəs/
–adjective
1.not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
2.not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3.not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.
du·bi·ous
/ˈdubiəs, ˈdyu-/
–adjective
1.doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: a dubious reply.
2.of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable: a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.
3.of uncertain outcome: in dubious battle.
4.wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doub
—Synonyms
1. equivocal, ambiguous, obscure, unclear. 4. undecided, uncertain, hesitant, fluctuating. See doubtful.
os·ten·si·ble
/ɒˈstɛnsəbəl/
–adjective
1.outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended: an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
2.apparent, evident, or conspicuous: the ostensible truth of their theories.
/pərˈnɪʃəs/
–adjective
1.causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2.deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease.
3.Obsolete . evil; wicked.
—Synonyms
1. harmful, detrimental, deleterious, destructive, damaging, baneful, noxious, malicious. 2. lethal.
mag·nan·i·mous
/mægˈnænəməs/
–adjective
1.generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2.high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3.proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
—Synonyms
1. big, liberal, unspiteful. 2. See noble.
in·sip·id
/ɪnˈsɪpɪd/
–adjective
1.without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid: an insipid personality.
2.without sufficient taste to be pleasing, as food or drink; bland: a rather insipid soup.
—Synonyms
1, 2. flat, dull, uninteresting. 2. tasteless, bland.
in·sid·i·ous
/ɪnˈsɪdiəs/
–adjective
1.intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan.
2.stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy.
3.operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect: an insidious disease.
—Synonyms
1. corrupting. 2. artful, cunning, wily, subtle, crafty.
in·noc·u·ous
/ɪˈnɒkyuəs/
–adjective
1.not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
2.not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3.not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.
du·bi·ous
/ˈdubiəs, ˈdyu-/
–adjective
1.doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: a dubious reply.
2.of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable: a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.
3.of uncertain outcome: in dubious battle.
4.wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doub
—Synonyms
1. equivocal, ambiguous, obscure, unclear. 4. undecided, uncertain, hesitant, fluctuating. See doubtful.
os·ten·si·ble
/ɒˈstɛnsəbəl/
–adjective
1.outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended: an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
2.apparent, evident, or conspicuous: the ostensible truth of their theories.
Additional Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Dimensions
Time
A temporal dimension is a dimension of time. Time is often referred to as the "fourth dimension" for this reason, but that is not to imply that it is a spatial dimension. A temporal dimension is one way to measure physical change. It is perceived differently from the three spatial dimensions in that there is only one of it, and that we cannot move freely in time but subjectively move in one direction.
The equations used in physics to model reality do not treat time in the same way that humans commonly perceive it. The equations of classical mechanics are symmetric with respect to time, and equations of quantum mechanics are typically symmetric if both time and other quantities (such as charge and parity) are reversed. In these models, the perception of time flowing in one direction is an artifact of the laws of thermodynamics (we perceive time as flowing in the direction of increasing entropy).
The best-known treatment of time as a dimension is Poincaré and Einstein's special relativity (and extended to general relativity), which treats perceived space and time as components of a four-dimensional manifold, known as spacetime, and in the special, flat case as Minkowski space.
[edit] Additional dimensions
Theories such as string theory and M-theory predict that physical space in general has in fact 10 and 11 dimensions, respectively. The extra dimensions are spatial. We perceive only three spatial dimensions, and no physical experiments have confirmed the reality of additional dimensions. A possible explanation that has been suggested is that space acts as if it were "curled up" in the extra dimensions on a subatomic scale, possibly at the quark/string level of scale or below.
A temporal dimension is a dimension of time. Time is often referred to as the "fourth dimension" for this reason, but that is not to imply that it is a spatial dimension. A temporal dimension is one way to measure physical change. It is perceived differently from the three spatial dimensions in that there is only one of it, and that we cannot move freely in time but subjectively move in one direction.
The equations used in physics to model reality do not treat time in the same way that humans commonly perceive it. The equations of classical mechanics are symmetric with respect to time, and equations of quantum mechanics are typically symmetric if both time and other quantities (such as charge and parity) are reversed. In these models, the perception of time flowing in one direction is an artifact of the laws of thermodynamics (we perceive time as flowing in the direction of increasing entropy).
The best-known treatment of time as a dimension is Poincaré and Einstein's special relativity (and extended to general relativity), which treats perceived space and time as components of a four-dimensional manifold, known as spacetime, and in the special, flat case as Minkowski space.
[edit] Additional dimensions
Theories such as string theory and M-theory predict that physical space in general has in fact 10 and 11 dimensions, respectively. The extra dimensions are spatial. We perceive only three spatial dimensions, and no physical experiments have confirmed the reality of additional dimensions. A possible explanation that has been suggested is that space acts as if it were "curled up" in the extra dimensions on a subatomic scale, possibly at the quark/string level of scale or below.
Dimensions in Literature
Perhaps the most basic way in which the word dimension is used in literature is as a hyperbolic synonym for feature, attribute, aspect, or magnitude. Frequently the hyperbole is quite literal as in he's so 2-dimensional, meaning that one can see at a glance what he is. This contrasts with 3-dimensional objects which have an interior that is hidden from view, and a back that can only be seen with further examination.
Science fiction texts often mention the concept of dimension, when really referring to parallel universes, alternate universes, or other planes of existence. This usage is derived from the idea that to travel to parallel/alternate universes/planes of existence one must travel in a spatial direction/dimension besides the standard ones. In effect, the other universes/planes are just a small distance away from our own, but the distance is in a fourth (or higher) spatial dimension, not the standard ones.
One of the most heralded science fiction novellas regarding true geometric dimensionality, and often recommended as a starting point for those just starting to investigate such matters, is the 1884 novel Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. Isaac Asimov, in his foreword to the Signet Classics 1984 edition, described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions."
The idea of other dimensions was incorporated into many early science fiction stories, appearing prominently, for example, in Miles J. Breuer's “The Appendix and the Spectacles” (1928) and Murray Leinster's “The Fifth-Dimension Catapult” (1931); and appeared irregularly in science fiction by the 1940s. Some of the classic stories involving other dimensions include Robert A. Heinlein's 1941 ' —And He Built a Crooked House ', in which a California architect designs a house based on a three-dimensional projection of a tesseract, and Alan E. Nourse's "Tiger by the Tail" and "The Universe Between," both 1951. Another reference would be Madeleine L'Engle's novel "A Wrinkle In Time" (1962) which uses the 5th Dimension as a way for "tesseracting the universe," or in a better sense, "folding" space in half to move across it quickly.
Science fiction texts often mention the concept of dimension, when really referring to parallel universes, alternate universes, or other planes of existence. This usage is derived from the idea that to travel to parallel/alternate universes/planes of existence one must travel in a spatial direction/dimension besides the standard ones. In effect, the other universes/planes are just a small distance away from our own, but the distance is in a fourth (or higher) spatial dimension, not the standard ones.
One of the most heralded science fiction novellas regarding true geometric dimensionality, and often recommended as a starting point for those just starting to investigate such matters, is the 1884 novel Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. Isaac Asimov, in his foreword to the Signet Classics 1984 edition, described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions."
The idea of other dimensions was incorporated into many early science fiction stories, appearing prominently, for example, in Miles J. Breuer's “The Appendix and the Spectacles” (1928) and Murray Leinster's “The Fifth-Dimension Catapult” (1931); and appeared irregularly in science fiction by the 1940s. Some of the classic stories involving other dimensions include Robert A. Heinlein's 1941 ' —And He Built a Crooked House ', in which a California architect designs a house based on a three-dimensional projection of a tesseract, and Alan E. Nourse's "Tiger by the Tail" and "The Universe Between," both 1951. Another reference would be Madeleine L'Engle's novel "A Wrinkle In Time" (1962) which uses the 5th Dimension as a way for "tesseracting the universe," or in a better sense, "folding" space in half to move across it quickly.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Quotes....with no theme
I joined the Navy in June 2010 and it is currently July 2010. I am not supposed to ship out to basic training until next summer (but hopefully this date will be shortened) but it seems unlikely that I will ship out before the end of 2010.
As a result, I have some free time on my hands and have been checking out a lot of books from the Ventura County Library System and jotting out quotes and passages I like on a notepad I keep with me when reading.
Here are a few of the shorter ones (no time to type out the lengthier ones):
"But though all knowledge begins with experience it doesn't follow that it arises out of experience." - Kant
"Our current modes of rationality are not moving society forward into a better world. They are taking it further and further from that better world."
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
"Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive."
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
As a result, I have some free time on my hands and have been checking out a lot of books from the Ventura County Library System and jotting out quotes and passages I like on a notepad I keep with me when reading.
Here are a few of the shorter ones (no time to type out the lengthier ones):
"But though all knowledge begins with experience it doesn't follow that it arises out of experience." - Kant
"Our current modes of rationality are not moving society forward into a better world. They are taking it further and further from that better world."
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
"Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive."
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Friday, July 23, 2010
Passage from "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"
If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government. There's so much talk about the system. And so little understanding.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Philip K. Dick Quote
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."
- Philip K. Dick
Reminds me a lot of NEWSPEAK in Orwell's 1984.
- Philip K. Dick
Reminds me a lot of NEWSPEAK in Orwell's 1984.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
EINSTEIN
The abstract concept "society" means to the individual human being the sum total of his direct and indirect relations to his contemporaries and to all the people of earlier generations. The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself; but he depends so much upon society—in his physical, intellectual, and emotional existence—that it is impossible to think of him, or to understand him, outside the framework of society. - Einstein
Einstein
"I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate (the) grave evils (of capitalism), namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow-men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society."
Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?
Albert Einstein, Why Socialism?
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Here's What I Am Looking At Now...
http://mises.org/literature.aspx?action=author&Id=280
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2562579153681604039# (Akira Kurosawa)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_%28TV_series%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_and_Opinions_of_Tristram_Shandy,_Gentleman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2562579153681604039# (Akira Kurosawa)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_%28TV_series%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_and_Opinions_of_Tristram_Shandy,_Gentleman
In The Mood For Love Nat King Cole Quizas Quizas Quizas
I saw this movie recently and what impressed me most about it was the soundtrack. This particular song was featured at least twice, possibly thrice, throughout the film and I thought it was interesting to have a Spanish song in a Chinese romantic movie.
I'm definetly interested in listening to some more tunes from Mr. Nat King Cole.
expelled no intelligence allowed (part 1of10) PL
Interesting to see Ben Stein go toe to toe with Richard Dawkins....this documentary received terrible reviews and maybe it has a few flaws but, all in all, I think it makes a fairly good case about intelligent design in academia.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Buckethead's Effects
Effects
* Digitech Whammy II
* Digitech Whammy IV
* Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q
* Vox V845 Wah Pedal
* Alesis MidiVerb II
* BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor[42]
* BOSS RC-2 Loop Station
* BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
* BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay
* BOSS RV-5 Digital Reverb
* Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer[46]
* Snarling Dogs Mold Spore Wah Pedal
* Roger Mayer Octavia
* DOD Electronics FX-25B envelope filter
* AnalogMan Bicomprossor
* MXR EVH Phase 90
* MXR Phase 100[42]
* Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 MM4 Modulation Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 X2 XDR95 Wireless
* Digitech Whammy II
* Digitech Whammy IV
* Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q
* Vox V845 Wah Pedal
* Alesis MidiVerb II
* BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor[42]
* BOSS RC-2 Loop Station
* BOSS TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
* BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay
* BOSS RV-5 Digital Reverb
* Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer[46]
* Snarling Dogs Mold Spore Wah Pedal
* Roger Mayer Octavia
* DOD Electronics FX-25B envelope filter
* AnalogMan Bicomprossor
* MXR EVH Phase 90
* MXR Phase 100[42]
* Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 MM4 Modulation Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler Effects Pedal
* Line 6 X2 XDR95 Wireless
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
John Stockwell
John R. Stockwell is a former CIA officer who became a critic of United States government policies after serving in the Agency for thirteen years serving seven tours of duty. After managing U.S. involvement in the Angolan Civil War as Chief of the Angola Task Force during its 1975 covert operations, he resigned and wrote In Search of Enemies, a book which remains the only detailed, insider's account of a major CIA "covert action."
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Vienna Philharmonic Coin
The Vienna Philharmonic coin[3] is struck in pure gold, 999.9 fine (24 karats). It is issued every year, in four different face values, sizes and weights. It is used as an investment product (bullion coin), although it inevitably ends up in private collections. According to the World Gold Council, it was the best-selling gold coin worldwide in 1992, 1995 and 1996.[3]
A design of musical instruments representing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the text Wiener Philharmoniker ("Vienna Philharmonic"), can be seen on the reverse of the coin.
The subject of the obverse is the great organ in the Golden Hall in Vienna's Musikverein, the concert hall of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The face value in euros, the weight, alloy purity and year of issue are also inscribed on this side of the coin.
Since 1 February 2008, the coin has also been minted in silver. The design of the silver coin is identical to that of the gold coin, except for its face value of 1.50 euro.
Silver Vienna Philharmonic bullion coins are available from Monex in units of 100 one-ounce coins, for personal delivery only. (About $2,000 USD)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
William J. Bernstein
William J. Bernstein is an American financial theorist. He is known for his research in the field of modern portfolio theory and for his self-help finance books for individual investors who wish to manage their own equity portfolios.[1] He lives in North Bend, Oregon.
[edit] Biography
Bernstein is a proponent of the equity or index allocation school of thought, believing that all equity selection strategies should be focused on allocating between asset classes, rather than selecting individual stocks and bonds, or from the timing of their sales. Bernstein's first book, The Intelligent Asset Allocator, makes this case in detail; his second book, The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio (McGraw-Hill, 2002; ISBN 0071385290), is aimed for those less comfortable with statistical thought. It also puts asset-class returns into long-term historical perspective.
Bernstein is a proponent of modern portfolio theory, which stands in stark contrast to the view that skilled managers can succeed in picking particular investments that will outperform the market, whether through market timing, momentum investing, or finding assets whose future value have been underestimated by the market. He argues that the financial research literature shows that most return is determined by the asset allocation of the portfolio rather than by asset selection.
Bernstein's third book, The Birth of Plenty, is a history of the world's standard of living; it proposes four conditions that have historically been necessary for it to rise. His fourth book, A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, published in April 2008 by Grove Atlantic, is a history of trade.
Bernstein holds a PhD in chemistry and an MD; he practiced neurology until retiring from the field.
[edit] Biography
Bernstein is a proponent of the equity or index allocation school of thought, believing that all equity selection strategies should be focused on allocating between asset classes, rather than selecting individual stocks and bonds, or from the timing of their sales. Bernstein's first book, The Intelligent Asset Allocator, makes this case in detail; his second book, The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio (McGraw-Hill, 2002; ISBN 0071385290), is aimed for those less comfortable with statistical thought. It also puts asset-class returns into long-term historical perspective.
Bernstein is a proponent of modern portfolio theory, which stands in stark contrast to the view that skilled managers can succeed in picking particular investments that will outperform the market, whether through market timing, momentum investing, or finding assets whose future value have been underestimated by the market. He argues that the financial research literature shows that most return is determined by the asset allocation of the portfolio rather than by asset selection.
Bernstein's third book, The Birth of Plenty, is a history of the world's standard of living; it proposes four conditions that have historically been necessary for it to rise. His fourth book, A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, published in April 2008 by Grove Atlantic, is a history of trade.
Bernstein holds a PhD in chemistry and an MD; he practiced neurology until retiring from the field.
Jim Rogers
* 1995: Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers. - ISBN 1-55850-529-6
* 2003: Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip. - ISBN 0375509127
* 2004: Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market. - ISBN 140006337X
* 2007: A Bull in China: Investing Profitably in the World's Greatest Market. - ISBN 1400066166
* 2009: A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons For Life And Investing. - ISBN 1400067545
* 2003: Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip. - ISBN 0375509127
* 2004: Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market. - ISBN 140006337X
* 2007: A Bull in China: Investing Profitably in the World's Greatest Market. - ISBN 1400066166
* 2009: A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons For Life And Investing. - ISBN 1400067545
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana)
Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin).[3] According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other machine, and may be no more than 3 mm (⅛ in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire.[4] When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. There are three official variants: pizza marinara, which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil (although most Neapolitan pizzerias also add basil to the marinara), pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil, and pizza Margherita extra made with tomato, mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
The pizza napoletana is a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, STG) product in Europe.[5][6]
The pizza napoletana is a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (Specialità Tradizionale Garantita, STG) product in Europe.[5][6]
Info for future job applications
Last 3 jobs (in America)
September 2009 - Present - Unemployed
July 2007 - August 2009 - Taught English in Thailand and China
1.) Oaks Christian High School - Emergency Substitute Teacher
Karen Coyle Dean of Students
31749 La Tienda Dr.
Westlake Village, CA 91362
(818) 575 9900
Feb. – June 2007
2.) 2K Games – QA Technician
Greg MacCauley Lead Tester
4373 Park Terrace Drive
Westlake Village, CA 91361-4631
(213) 707-7063
August 2006 – January 2007
2003 - July 2006 - Taught English in China
2001 - 2003 - Attended College in TN
3.) Best Records - Cashier
Albert Coscia Owner/Manager
1725 Moore St,
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(805) 526-7180
Feb. 1999 – 2001
September 2009 - Present - Unemployed
July 2007 - August 2009 - Taught English in Thailand and China
1.) Oaks Christian High School - Emergency Substitute Teacher
Karen Coyle Dean of Students
31749 La Tienda Dr.
Westlake Village, CA 91362
(818) 575 9900
Feb. – June 2007
2.) 2K Games – QA Technician
Greg MacCauley Lead Tester
4373 Park Terrace Drive
Westlake Village, CA 91361-4631
(213) 707-7063
August 2006 – January 2007
2003 - July 2006 - Taught English in China
2001 - 2003 - Attended College in TN
3.) Best Records - Cashier
Albert Coscia Owner/Manager
1725 Moore St,
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(805) 526-7180
Feb. 1999 – 2001
Wikipedia Article about Jiao Zi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce
I need to find a place that sells Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce or a good recipe on-line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce
I need to find a place that sells Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce or a good recipe on-line.
Sichuan Chile Sauce for Jiao Zi
Here is a classic chile sauce from one of the hottest regions--foodwise--in China. It can be used in stir-fry dishes, added to soups, or sprinkled over rice.
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
* 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
* 6 fresh red chiles, such as jalapeños, deseeded and finely chopped
* 1/4 cup Chinese red rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
* 2 tablespoons Chinese yellow rice wine
* 2 teaspoons salt
* Water as needed
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry for another minute.
Add the chiles and the vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes, adding water if it gets too dry.
Add the remaining ingredients except the water and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process to a fine puree, adding water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Place the sauce in bottles and refrigerate.
Yield: About 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
* 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
* 6 fresh red chiles, such as jalapeños, deseeded and finely chopped
* 1/4 cup Chinese red rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
* 2 tablespoons Chinese yellow rice wine
* 2 teaspoons salt
* Water as needed
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry for another minute.
Add the chiles and the vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes, adding water if it gets too dry.
Add the remaining ingredients except the water and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process to a fine puree, adding water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Place the sauce in bottles and refrigerate.
Yield: About 1 1/4 cups
Calzone Recipe
CALZONE DOUGH:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast - regular or fast acting
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil - to brush on dough
FILLING:
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce - purchased or home made
- 12 slices pepperoni - more if desired
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
Serving Description: 1 calzone
Servings: 3 (Original Servings: 6)
Enter desired servings: Change Servings
Container: baking sheet, large skillet, large bowl
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
CALZONE DOUGH:
* Place water in a large bowl.
* Sprinkle yeast on top and whisk in the honey until everything is dissolved.
* Use a whisk to stir in the salt and flour.
* When too thick to mix with the whisk, mix with floured hands.
* Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes.
* Shape into a smooth ball and place back in the bowl.
* Brush with a little olive oil and cover the bowl with a towel.
* Set the bowl in a warm place for 1-2 hours so the dough can rise.
* The dough should double in size.
* You can make the filling for these while the dough rises.
* The dough may be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.
* Allow it to come to room temperature before using and knead a few times to warm it up.
* Punch down the risen dough.
* Divide it into 6 equal portions.
* Roll out the dough one at a time on a floured surface into a 6-8 inch circle.
FILLING:
* Preheat oven to 450° F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
* Spoon a couple teaspoonfuls of marinara sauce on half of the circle of dough, leaving 1/2 inch rim around the edge of the dough.
* Place four pepperoni slices on top of the marinara. Can use more if you like.
* Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
* Moisten the outside rim of the dough with water using your finger or a small pastry brush.
* Fold the dough over the top of the filling and crimp the edges. This will make a half moon shape.
* Go around the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
* Prick the top of the calzone with a fork to let the steam escape while baking.
* Arrange assembled calzones on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
* Brush the tops with butter or oil during the last five minutes of baking.
* Serve warm.
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast - regular or fast acting
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil - to brush on dough
FILLING:
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce - purchased or home made
- 12 slices pepperoni - more if desired
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
Serving Description: 1 calzone
Servings: 3 (Original Servings: 6)
Enter desired servings: Change Servings
Container: baking sheet, large skillet, large bowl
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
CALZONE DOUGH:
* Place water in a large bowl.
* Sprinkle yeast on top and whisk in the honey until everything is dissolved.
* Use a whisk to stir in the salt and flour.
* When too thick to mix with the whisk, mix with floured hands.
* Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes.
* Shape into a smooth ball and place back in the bowl.
* Brush with a little olive oil and cover the bowl with a towel.
* Set the bowl in a warm place for 1-2 hours so the dough can rise.
* The dough should double in size.
* You can make the filling for these while the dough rises.
* The dough may be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.
* Allow it to come to room temperature before using and knead a few times to warm it up.
* Punch down the risen dough.
* Divide it into 6 equal portions.
* Roll out the dough one at a time on a floured surface into a 6-8 inch circle.
FILLING:
* Preheat oven to 450° F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
* Spoon a couple teaspoonfuls of marinara sauce on half of the circle of dough, leaving 1/2 inch rim around the edge of the dough.
* Place four pepperoni slices on top of the marinara. Can use more if you like.
* Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
* Moisten the outside rim of the dough with water using your finger or a small pastry brush.
* Fold the dough over the top of the filling and crimp the edges. This will make a half moon shape.
* Go around the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
* Prick the top of the calzone with a fork to let the steam escape while baking.
* Arrange assembled calzones on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
* Brush the tops with butter or oil during the last five minutes of baking.
* Serve warm.
铁板牛肉
I need to look up the Chinese word for 'recipe'
Not only am I craving Chinese food but also Italian (CALZONES) and PITA SANDWICHES !!
In the United States, calzone are typically made from pizza dough and stuffed with cheese (usually mozzarella cheese and ricotta, but some varieties contain Parmesan, Provolone (or a locally substituted cheese), ham or salami, vegetables, or a variety of other stuffings. It is typically served with marinara sauce on the side for dipping, or topped with garlic and parsley infused olive oil. The dough is folded over, sealed on one edge, salted, then baked in an oven.
铁板土豆片 - I need the recipe !
I am really craving Hunan food....I like Hubei food too but not quite as much as Hunan food....
Khao Phat Kai Recipe # 2
INGREDIENTS :
Left over rice, at room temperature 1 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 1/2 cup
Egg 1 whole
Spring onions, chopped 6
Fish sauce 2 - 3 tbsp.
Ground white pepper 1 tbsp.
(1 servings)
preparation
1. Heat oil in a wok or saute pan. While the oil is heating, beat the egg in a bowl.
2. Add the beaten eggs to the hot oil and scramble to a soft scramble stage by stirring constantly.
3. Add cold (left over) rice to the wok or saute pan and stirfry to heat up the rice and spread the scrambled egg evenly over the rice.
4. Once the rice is hot, add chopped spring onions. Toss and season with fish sauce and pepper. Serve this fried rice with sliced cucumber and spring onions. This dish usually accompanies other main dishes which are eaten Thai style.
Left over rice, at room temperature 1 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 1/2 cup
Egg 1 whole
Spring onions, chopped 6
Fish sauce 2 - 3 tbsp.
Ground white pepper 1 tbsp.
(1 servings)
preparation
1. Heat oil in a wok or saute pan. While the oil is heating, beat the egg in a bowl.
2. Add the beaten eggs to the hot oil and scramble to a soft scramble stage by stirring constantly.
3. Add cold (left over) rice to the wok or saute pan and stirfry to heat up the rice and spread the scrambled egg evenly over the rice.
4. Once the rice is hot, add chopped spring onions. Toss and season with fish sauce and pepper. Serve this fried rice with sliced cucumber and spring onions. This dish usually accompanies other main dishes which are eaten Thai style.
Another Passage from TRAGEDY AND HOPE
Financial Capitalists Focus Entirely on Wealth
As we have said, the stage of financial capitalism did not place emphasis on the exchange of
goods or the production of goods as the earlier stages of commercial capitalism and industrial
capitalism had done. In fact, financial capitalism had little interest in goods at all, but was
concerned entirely with claims on wealth—stocks, bonds, mortgages, insurance, deposits, proxies, interest rates, and such.
Financial Capitalists Discover New Ways to Make Money Out of Nothing
It invested capital not because it desired to increase the output of goods or services but because it desired to float issues (frequently excess issues) of securities on this productive basis. It built railroads in order to sell securities, not in order to transport goods; it constructed great steel corporations to sell securities, not in order to make steel, and so on. But, incidentally, it greatly increased the transport of goods, the output of steel, and the production of other goods. By the middle of the stage of financial capitalism, however, the organization of financial capitalism had evolved to a highly sophisticated level of security promotion and speculation which did not require any productive investment as a basis. Corporations were built upon corporations in the form of holding companies, so that securities were issued in huge quantities, bringing profitable fees and commissions to financial capitalists without any increase in economic production whatever. Indeed, these financial capitalists discovered that they could not only make killings out of the issuing of such securities, they could also make killings out of the bankruptcy of such corporations, through the fees and commissions of reorganization. A very pleasant cycle of flotation, bankruptcy, flotation, bankruptcy began to be practiced by these financial capitalists. The more excessive the flotation, the greater the profits, and the more imminent the bankruptcy. The more frequent the bankruptcy, the greater the profits of reorganization and the sooner the opportunity of another excessive flotation with its accompanying profits. This excessive stage reached its highest peak only in the United States. In Europe it was achieved only in isolated cases.
Finance Capitalism Opened the Way for Centralization of World Economic Control in the Hands of the International Banking Fraternity
The growth of financial capitalism made possible a centralization of world economic control and a use of this power for the direct benefit of financiers and the indirect injury of all other economic groups. This concentration of power, however, could be achieved only by using methods which planted the seeds which grew into monopoly capitalism. Financial control could be exercised only imperfectly through credit control and interlocking directorates. In order to strengthen such control, some measure of stock ownership was necessary. But stock ownership was dangerous to banks because their funds consisted more of deposits (that is, short-term obligations) than of capital (or long-term obligations). This meant that banks which sought economic control through stock ownership were putting short-term obligations into long-term holdings. This was safe only so long as these latter could be liquidated rapidly at a price high enough to pay short-term obligations as they presented themselves. But these holdings of securities were bound to become frozen because both the economic and the financial systems were deflationary. The economic system was deflationary because power production and modern technology gave a great increase in the supply of real wealth. This meant that in the long run the control by banks was doomed by the progress of technology. The financial system was also deflationary because of the bankers' insistence on the gold standard, with all that this implies.
The Money Power Creates an Ingenious Plan to Create and Control Giant Monopolies
To escape from this dilemma, the financial capitalists acted upon two fronts. On the business
side, they sought to sever control from ownership of securities, believing they could hold the former and relinquish the latter. On the industrial side, they sought to advance monopoly and restrict production, thus keeping prices up and their security holdings liquid.
The efforts of financiers to separate ownership from control were aided by the great capital
demands of modern industry. Such demands for capital made necessary the corporation form of
business organization. This inevitably brings together the capital owned by a large number of persons to create an enterprise controlled by a small number of persons. The financiers did all they could to make the former number as large as possible and the latter number as small as possible. The former was achieved by stock splitting, issuing securities of low par value, and by highpressure security salesmanship. The latter was achieved by plural-voting stock, nonvoting stock, pyramiding of holding companies, election of directors by cooptation, and similar techniques. The result of this was that larger and larger aggregates of wealth fell into the control of smaller and smaller groups of men.
As we have said, the stage of financial capitalism did not place emphasis on the exchange of
goods or the production of goods as the earlier stages of commercial capitalism and industrial
capitalism had done. In fact, financial capitalism had little interest in goods at all, but was
concerned entirely with claims on wealth—stocks, bonds, mortgages, insurance, deposits, proxies, interest rates, and such.
Financial Capitalists Discover New Ways to Make Money Out of Nothing
It invested capital not because it desired to increase the output of goods or services but because it desired to float issues (frequently excess issues) of securities on this productive basis. It built railroads in order to sell securities, not in order to transport goods; it constructed great steel corporations to sell securities, not in order to make steel, and so on. But, incidentally, it greatly increased the transport of goods, the output of steel, and the production of other goods. By the middle of the stage of financial capitalism, however, the organization of financial capitalism had evolved to a highly sophisticated level of security promotion and speculation which did not require any productive investment as a basis. Corporations were built upon corporations in the form of holding companies, so that securities were issued in huge quantities, bringing profitable fees and commissions to financial capitalists without any increase in economic production whatever. Indeed, these financial capitalists discovered that they could not only make killings out of the issuing of such securities, they could also make killings out of the bankruptcy of such corporations, through the fees and commissions of reorganization. A very pleasant cycle of flotation, bankruptcy, flotation, bankruptcy began to be practiced by these financial capitalists. The more excessive the flotation, the greater the profits, and the more imminent the bankruptcy. The more frequent the bankruptcy, the greater the profits of reorganization and the sooner the opportunity of another excessive flotation with its accompanying profits. This excessive stage reached its highest peak only in the United States. In Europe it was achieved only in isolated cases.
Finance Capitalism Opened the Way for Centralization of World Economic Control in the Hands of the International Banking Fraternity
The growth of financial capitalism made possible a centralization of world economic control and a use of this power for the direct benefit of financiers and the indirect injury of all other economic groups. This concentration of power, however, could be achieved only by using methods which planted the seeds which grew into monopoly capitalism. Financial control could be exercised only imperfectly through credit control and interlocking directorates. In order to strengthen such control, some measure of stock ownership was necessary. But stock ownership was dangerous to banks because their funds consisted more of deposits (that is, short-term obligations) than of capital (or long-term obligations). This meant that banks which sought economic control through stock ownership were putting short-term obligations into long-term holdings. This was safe only so long as these latter could be liquidated rapidly at a price high enough to pay short-term obligations as they presented themselves. But these holdings of securities were bound to become frozen because both the economic and the financial systems were deflationary. The economic system was deflationary because power production and modern technology gave a great increase in the supply of real wealth. This meant that in the long run the control by banks was doomed by the progress of technology. The financial system was also deflationary because of the bankers' insistence on the gold standard, with all that this implies.
The Money Power Creates an Ingenious Plan to Create and Control Giant Monopolies
To escape from this dilemma, the financial capitalists acted upon two fronts. On the business
side, they sought to sever control from ownership of securities, believing they could hold the former and relinquish the latter. On the industrial side, they sought to advance monopoly and restrict production, thus keeping prices up and their security holdings liquid.
The efforts of financiers to separate ownership from control were aided by the great capital
demands of modern industry. Such demands for capital made necessary the corporation form of
business organization. This inevitably brings together the capital owned by a large number of persons to create an enterprise controlled by a small number of persons. The financiers did all they could to make the former number as large as possible and the latter number as small as possible. The former was achieved by stock splitting, issuing securities of low par value, and by highpressure security salesmanship. The latter was achieved by plural-voting stock, nonvoting stock, pyramiding of holding companies, election of directors by cooptation, and similar techniques. The result of this was that larger and larger aggregates of wealth fell into the control of smaller and smaller groups of men.
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