Thursday, May 17, 2007

Being Truth vs. Doing the Lie

Remember after 9-11, when Bill Maher got into some trouble for claiming that the Islamo-nazis, whatever else they were, were courageous? After all, anyone who is willing to fly a plane into a building must be very brave.

But this only goes to show what has happened to language and its relationship to intelligible, which is to say, higher, realities. For example, the cardinal virtues -- prudence, justice, courage, and temperance -- represent one such intelligible reality. But children and even (or shall we say, especially) college students are no longer taught about intelligible realities. Rather, they are specifically taught to have a cynical and jaundiced attitude toward these fanciful cognitive atavisms of a less enlightened age. (Speaking of which, Dr. Sanity has a wonderful post this morning on the Evolution of Education into Indoctrination.)

Therefore, it is probably no surprise that the cynical, sneering Bill Maher would conflate courage and recklessness -- for that is what courage is when it is exercised in the absence of prudence, which is to say, judgment. Otherwise, why would courage be a virtue? Courage easily becomes demonic if not grounded in truth, or being. At best, it becomes neutral -- say, someone like Evel Knievel, who only hurt himself with his daredevil stunts.

But we are fighting entire anti-civilizations whose so-called bravery is the worst kind of evil in action -- say, the depraved Palestinians, who are utterly lacking in temperance, prudence, and justice, to say the least. Therefore, most anything they do is going to be profoundly evil, whether it is "courageously" blowing themselves up, "justly" engaging in a farcical democracy, or "prudently" educating their children.

But the same holds true of our own left, who may not engage in literal suicide bombing (although they certainly ally themselves with those who do, such as the Palestinians), but whose philosophy is a kind of intellectual suicide. I mean this literally, for it is death to the intellect properly so-called, as exemplified by the case of Bill Maher above.

This is why, no matter how "intelligent" Maher is, he is simultaneously stuck on stupid, since his higher intellect has been purged by his disordered passions. One could say the very same of celebrity journalist Christopher Hitchens, whose bilioligerent psyche has been completely hijacked by his liver. No, I am not speaking of his dependence on alcohol, but of his irascible and choleric soul -- another intelligible reality for those with ears to hear it.

Who actually listens to the content of what this drunken ghoul says when he's aggressively mutilating yet another recently deceased body? I was no big fan of Falwell's public persona, but Hitchens' grotesque and tasteless comments transparently reveal only the state of his own bitter and petty soul. What a necrophiliac, a "lover of death." One actually feels the vicarious embarrassment for him that he is incapable of feeling toward himself. In this regard, the shameless individual is another variant of the reckless person.

Bill Mahar would probably consider it another form of courage -- of "speaking truth to power" -- to use the gift of speech in such a recklessly vile manner, but that is what the left habitually does. We recently touched on the importance of passion, but again, if one's passions are not rightly ordered, they can rapidly become channelled toward great evil.

This is why it is not accurate to say the left is merely "passionate," which is what one might assume of their many varieties of compulsive "activist." Rather, they are specifically intoxicated, or drunk with passion. They have the same native passion as anyone else, but it is utterly lacking in prudence -- indeed, celebrates the absence of prudence as a kind of liberation -- which in fact it is: from the vertical. It is a centrifugal liberation that leads down and out, to the terminal moraine of the untutored senses, which empty into the meaningless sea of barbarism.

You might say that prudence consists of doing the truth. As Josef Pieper writes, it is "the mother of the other virtues," since justice, courage and temperance can only exist because of it: "Prudence is the precondition for all that is ethically good."

This is undoubtedly why leftism is fundamentally the philosophy of the young and immature ("skulls full of mush"), the terminally tenured (who have often never had to set foot outside the fantasyland of leftist wackademia), and the very stupid (for leftism is a coalition of the over- and undereducated, the latter ceding their power to the former for the mutual benefit of each, i.e., the elites get to feel good about themselves while the grazing multitude gets to have its constitutional envy translated into political policy). Not to mention assorted misfits, deviants, outsiders, cosmic losers, and the implacably embittered, who are all important constituents of the left.

Thus, leftism inevitably tends toward "doing the lie," or putting the lie into action. Lying has always existed, but lies can only cause limited damage when they are confined to individual heads. But somewhere along the line, we allowed this country to go off the rails and accede to the malignant collectivist fantasies of the left. Their takeover of academia, the mass media, most all professional groups, and most of the permanent structure of government is quite literally a form of (collective) body-snatching.

Let's take a very obvious example, the two recent GOP debates, the first one hosted by a leftist MSM outfit, the second by the non-leftist Fox. The MSNBC debate was a farce and a joke, presided over by the fundamentally unserious buffoon, Chris Matthews. The second was sober, serious, and substantive. But is is no surprise as to why. Again, the left is intoxicated. Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are loud and drunken clowns. There is no "sobriety," much less gravity, about them.

Naturally, the Democrat party refuses to have a debate hosted by Fox, any more than Christopher Hitchens would enter detox, for it would expose them as the unserious twits that they are. This would also explain the otherwise inexplicable affinity the left has for that institution that has perfected "doing the lie," the U.N. For what is the U.N. but a den full of liars and therefore tyrants, thieves and murderers? Someone who threatens to courageously speak truth to this demonic power -- e.g., John Bolton -- is himself demonized by the left. This is no coincidence, but an inevitable result of the left's assault on intelligible realities. The more someone speaks truth, the more they must be demonized by the left.

This is what is actually behind their effort to resurrect the so-called "fairness doctrine," which is simply an attempt by them to extinguish a little non-leftist light that has entered the media in the form of talk radio. They cannot actually succeed in their satanic project of destroying truth -- which is to say, intelligible reality -- but they can certainly put up road blocks to delay or prevent its discovery.

One huge roadblock the left has erected in the path of Truth is called "higher education." Political correctness is simply the left's means of foreclosing intelligible reality and their "muscle" for ensuring doctrinal enforcement. Furthermore, their attack on religion is nothing more or less than the attempt to oust a competing religion, not religion as such, for no one is more of a loony religious fanatic than a gaia-worshipping greenhouse gasbag or a ranting neo-Marxist hack such as Christopher Hitchens.

As Pieper writes, "to do what in reality is right and good presupposes some knowledge about reality; if you do not know how it is with things and how they stand, you are in concreto (practically) unable to choose what is ethically good. The mere 'good intention,' the desire to be just, for instance, does not suffice at all."

But as we know all too well, this is what the left is all about: good intentions. However, at the same time, their good intentions are rooted in an ontology that denies the Real, which is to say, the objective truth of intelligible realities -- for example, objective morality. Instead, it is grounded in an explicit philosophy of moral relativism, multiculturalism, and totolerantarian "diversity."

Therefore, the left inescapably embodies the misosophy of Doing the Lie, which can only redound to great evil, including the abolition of man -- since it is founded on this very abolition. Which is not very courageous, but very C.S.

112 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sliding on over here from the reply to Walt at the end of yesterday's thread...

"The mere 'good intention,' the desire to be just, for instance, does not suffice at all" chimes with Dr. Sanity's Idealized or Omnipotent Object Narcissism. It's not a Chinese menu, it's a full course meal to live well. Idealistic narcissism tens to overvalue one (or perhaps .1) virtue and discount or even contradict the others.

Even the balanced virtues must be grounded in some accuracy about Reality. Here, related, a short video of Islamicists' eisegesis of Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon. Concrete occurrences, lunatic logic, mystical geography, all a grand mush careening off the face of the earth.

"kogkai" 'd indeed

Anonymous said...

that's "tends" dsdsdsdsdsds...

shoprat said...

Let's see

They are building a perfect society. Even a small child knows you can't build a castle floating in the air; it needs a foundation. You can't build it with dreams but you need real material.

A castle built without a foundation based on fact, built with the materials of fantasy simply cannot last.

Gagdad Bob said...

An intoxicated psychiatrist goes after president Bush. What an embarrassment to the profession.

Gagdad Bob said...

Al Gore's new Assault on Reason. Indeed.

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country....

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

Rick said...

Dr Bob,
I see the fire hose of sense is on full blast again this morning.

It always is…but a particularly strong, straight blast today. Direct hits seem effortless.

Rick said...

A little poll, sort of:

Does anyone here know what a “standing head” is?

Hint:
It is not a very small bathroom on a ship (wink to Ben).

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

Sounds like a well-poured beer to me...

Rick said...

Hey Riv,
Good one, but not close.

BTW, ok to contact you by email?
(I can't find it if it's on your site.) This is unrelated to the "poll".

Anonymous said...

In spite of all that I agree with here, I must say that I disagree with your assessment of Fox news as "non-left". All one needs to do is observe how they dealt with Ron Paul, the only Republican candidate in favor of limited government, and, who came in second--or so I read--in the tamper proof audience vote, to see that so long as "conservatism" means large government solutions, then they are on board.

Rick said...

Related to parts of Bob’s post today, Ann Coulter’s latest article:

'JERRY FALWELL — SAY HELLO TO RONALD REAGAN!'

Gagdad Bob said...

More good stuff at PowerLine on the intoxication of the left.

Anonymous said...

"Who actually listens to the content of what this drunken ghoul says when he's aggressively mutilating yet another recently deceased body?"

Forewarned is four armed, or something like that. We all need one of these: Zombies Survival Guide.

Susannah said...

Whatever they say about Ann, she eviscerates the left with the simple use of Lexus/Nexus.

I did not know that about Tinky Winky.

I may not have much in common with Falwell's fundamentalism (I mean in the actual theological definition of the term, rather than the sense it is commonly misused these days) but I had a lot in comment with his inerrantist view of scripture. What bugged me about his detractors is their "separation of church and civic participation" attitude toward people like Falwell and Robertson. Like the illiterate people who wrote in to the paper claiming that a minister could not run for POTUS. I remember as a teen writing a reply to the editor that simply quoted the Constitution.

Of course, they don't teach the actual U.S. Constitution in schools anymore. Only its "penumbras."

Susannah said...

Make that "a lot in common"--lotsa noise and phone calls here today.

Gagdad Bob said...

Joseph:

FYI, as Charles has shown in multiple recent posts at LGF, the Libertarian truthers rigged the results.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the clarification--I had imagined that might be the case.

Van Harvey said...

Shoprat said "They are building a perfect society. Even a small child knows you can't build a castle floating in the air; it needs a foundation. You can't build it with dreams but you need real material."

Bizarre as it seems, that is not known to modernist philosophy professors, or those who've bought into their teaching.

They believe that you can not know reality. At best you can only make a 'fuzzy logic' type guess based upon what seems to make 'sense', and the quantity of people who believe the same thing, which is taken as the best evidence of real reality having seeped through our brains category filters.

What do they mean by sense?based on?evidence? you ask? Oh, really now, how dated, these are after all merely convenient social and linguistic constructs, to facilitate communication. Communicate what? Oh stop!


There you begin to see why raising consciousness and Polls are held in such high regard. It's considered a two way street - since true Truth can't be known, if enough people believe it, it really is as good as being true.

"A castle built without a foundation based on fact, built with the materials of fantasy simply cannot last."

We know that, they truly don't. Just gotta tweak the propaganda to get enough consciousness's raised and enough people to believe the new 5-year plan, or global warming protocal, and viola! Just as good as truth!

That really is the 'foundation' of what we're up against.

julie said...

Holy Moly, so many good links today! And I'm going to add a couple more.

My first stop this morning was E3, and while Bill doesn't have a new essay up, if you follow his directions to the comment section what he is planning, if he can pull it off with the help of a few friends, sounds very exciting. I truly hope it works (it would be very nice to see a Raccoon's den sprout up somewhere in that valley, perhaps along a river bank, with a little patio for barbecues and a selection of excellent beer...). He also linked to an essay some of you may have read before, but I never had, Isaiah's Job by Albert J. Nock. Change the word Remnant to Raccoon, and see if you don't get a bit of a shiver up your spine.

There has been much talk of quickening here. This morning, I do believe I felt a little tremor moving through the ether.

With all of our worries about education, there are more coonish alternatives springing up; Bill's may become one of them. I do hope so, anyway.

Anonymous said...

Juliec -

Re: the current quickening - look for a tremor in the ether regions of your spine and neural system.

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

Ohh, I...

Well, Phinn and this other fellow with an unrememberably obscure name are arguing absolutist libertarianism, to which Classical Liberals are opposed like oil to water;

Phinn gives it all away when he says, "Basically everything is economics..."

To which I reply, "You're as correct as you will ever be on your own understanding."

The piss-fight is here... Ignore mr. wierdname's comments, they are obtuse and bizarre (or not, whatever.)

Anonymous said...

RR

A standing head is a TV weather person, so called because he (as a sort-of cultural luddite I refuse to use the PC "he or she" or even worse, "they") has (that's "he has," not "they has," of course) to stand to do his (or should I say his or her" or even worse, their? ... Not on your life.) job, as opposed to the talking heads who sit behind a "so-called" news desk.

I just made that up, BTW.

Van Harvey said...

Speaking of Isiah's, Mark Alexander (WitNit.org) has begun an entry for Richard Mitchell in Wikipedia. A message for the Raccoonmnant indeed.

robinstarfish said...

Sheople
mutton on the hoof
blindly plodding through the dust
numb skulls full of mush

Anonymous said...

re: genuine courage w/prudence - I think it also involves some significant sense of sacrifice.

For those who love death, who actively seek death - where's the courage, the genuine sacrifice? Were the Japanese bonsai charges in WW2 an example of courage? Probably for some individuated Japanese soldiers, but most believed that dying for the emperor and Japanese racial superiority was the greatest good. They were in thrall of death and actively courted it. No real sacrifice, no real courage.

The 9/11 murderers were much worse - in their death-loving act of "courage", they murdered defenseless men, women, and children., not opposing soldiers. And it's good to keep in mind these monsters were quite convinced that their act would guarantee for them a paradise with lotsa sex. So, essentially they were risking nothing.

Those who prize life and yet will risk it in service of others - that's genuine sacrifice and genuine courage.

Anonymous said...

I used to know a guy who said "A lie is a good as the truth, as long as it works." Where "works" to him meant he that got his way.

Van Harvey said...

Late Convert said "...because he (as a sort-of cultural luddite I refuse to use the PC "he or she" or even worse, "they") has (that's "he has," not "they has," of course) "

Ah! You need the company of a fellow, one Richard Mitchell, who's newsletter skewering his fellow wackademics bore the warning "...And so, to the whole college community, to students, to teachers, and to administrators of every degree, The Underground Grammarian gives WARNING! RAPE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE WILL BE PUNISHED!"

(Online links to his publications - freely distributed - located at bottom )

Lisa said...

I am finally finished removing the clay from under my fingernails! I went to An Anatomy in Clay workshop for 2 days this weekend. It was beyond amazing. Everyone got a 2 foot plastic half skeleton man and we built 60 muscles in clay on top of it over the weekend. This class was even more special because it was led by a well-known Pilates teacher named Marie Jose Blom-Lawrence who also teaches at Loyola Marymount. This woman knew so much about the human body that I wondered how she got out of the house each morning. How do you make space for so much detailed knowledge without losing some everyday functional knowledge?! ;)

So, as you coons may no doubt be surprised to hear the body works in spirals and diagonals! The body needs compression to start a movement. This is an interesting concept in itself because it implies that one must draw in on themselves to begin to move out. The Respiratory System is the major system at play in alignment and movement. Breathing is such an important regulator in the body. It helps create space in the body that allows the organs and bones to function properly.

Muscle, bone, ligaments, tendons are essentially made up of the same things. They just have different states of calcification and elasticity. Everything is wrapped in fasciae. This creates a web-like spiral patterning to the body. It is really a work of art! Take a look at some histology slides and see some more beauty. To doubt the existence of God or some higher power (call it what you like) is beyond comprehension to me the more I learn about the cosmos. In the same turn realizing that there is an infinite amount more to learn as you keep moving along the spiral connections.

I could go on ad nauseum, but I hate that smell....Good thing I cancelled satellite TV, now I can make more room in noggin to try and retain the names of all these body parts!

julie said...

Lisa,
what an awesome workshop to take part in! How did you find out about that?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link, Van.

A man after my own heart, he is.

Van Harvey said...

Will said "For those who love death, who actively seek death - where's the courage, the genuine sacrifice? ...And it's good to keep in mind these monsters were quite convinced that their act would guarantee for them a paradise with lotsa sex. So, essentially they were risking nothing.

Those who prize life and yet will risk it in service of others - that's genuine sacrifice and genuine courage. "

Excellent comment, and so rarely noted. Though I suppose if Virtue is discounted, 'Courage' is but a word to be used on rotation to fill for spunky, blatant, obnoxious, rash, activist, aids-patient, greenie-meanie, loud, celebrity fundraiser, strident, precocious, braggart (FINGERS UP! STEP AWAY FROM THAT THESAURUS!)

Mizz E said...

Christopher Eric Hitchens (born April 13, 1949, in Portsmouth, England)

His heavenly stem is yin Earth.

His earthly branch is Ox.

He's currently living in a decade of yang Water, which won't end until he's 63.

Yang Water is like an ocean, deep and very active with many waves.

Yin Earth is like garden soil, fluffy and loamy, rich in nutrients to grow wonderful food.

Yin earth people are nurtured by fire, which is absent in his Four Pillars of Destiny Chart.

His yin earth nature is being insulted by yang Water; he is out of balance; malnourished and unable to produce anything of value (metal element). Expect his petty, inflexible, possessive, stubborn, critical, intolerant, materialistic, eccentric traits to manifest.
____________
I'm not certified to do Four Pillars charts, but I am certified in the Five Elements theory, so this is probably pretty accurate. Nonetheless coons should consider the above entertainment.

Lisa said...

Julie- My business partner basically produced the event. We also bugged Myles at AIC's booth at the Pilates conference for a few years...Persistence and tenacity eventually pay off. Check out www.anatomyinclay.com for more information about upcoming events.

julie said...

Lisa,
Thanks for the link - what a great idea! I'd love to have one of those professional models at home, what a great tool for artists (and anyone interested in anatomy for any reason); I'll have to add that to the same wish list as MBTs :)

Stephen Macdonald said...

lisa:

I run about 35 miles per week. I also work out with free weights about 4-5 hours per week.

I am 45. These days I have joint stiffness, especially in the morning, which I did not have when I was younger. I don't have arthritis or anything like that according to my doc. I do take glucosamine.

Would Pilates help me? How is Pilates different from yoga?

Rick said...

Lisa,
Cool class.
Yes the human body is THE work of Art. The best one we have.
I had four years of figure drawing. I hope they still require this at art school. Feels like I barely made a dent.
It is the perfect subject for working on your drawing, painting, and sculpting skills. Has everything: extreme detail; large, long subtle curves, concaves, convex, foreshortening, etc. Even the hands themselves in a way are like smaller representations of the body.

RE hands, see Michelangelo’s David.

Anonymous said...

Lisa: Very interesting about the spirals and diagonals.
Not that I'm anything more than a reader about sacred geometry but it always interested me that life seemed to be present wherever irrational numbers were physically present in matter as circles and diagonal lines (e.g. pi and the golden mean).

Anonymous said...

When you resort to using Fox News as an example of all that is right with a particular world, maybe all's not actually right with that world. I generally agree with everything posted here. But surely you can come up with some example that is actually, er, fair and balanced? Don't let your bias against Hitchens drive you to loose generalization. Fox News is an obvious example of left wing song formats hijacked by right wing lyrics. Rupert Murdock has built a media juggernaut simply by stooping as low as the American Public will actually go. And he's not finished lowering the bar. Why would you of all people champion talk shows dressed up as news? Just because you happen to agree with the point of view? Please. I'm not trumpeting the others, but that doesn't suddenly make Fox news worth a damn.

Anonymous said...

Reader,

If I recall correctly, data driven analysis of tv news bias -- using the ingenious method of calculating the number of references to various (left/right/center)think tanks during news broadcasts -- ranks Brit Hume news hour as most centrist on TV, accompanied by Jim Lehrer, I think.

Your comment suggests lack of familiarity with Fox news, at least with its better offerings.

walt said...

Lisa and Ricky Raccoon -

You might enjoy "Sensitive Chaos" by Theodore Schwenk - all about spirals in natural forms, including the human body. Published originally by Rudolf Steiner Press, so that tells you where the book's philosophy is coming from - but the photos and drawings are very interesting.

Anonymous said...

Mizze, people born on a 13th of the month often have a tendency toward blind, aggressive contrarianism. (# 13 relates to the unstable "revolutionary" sign of Aquarius as well as Uranus) There is often something just plain "oddball" about them.

13ers often require a great deal of insight, probity, and self-discipline lest their contrarian, revolutionary impulses become destructive. Lenny Bruce and Fidel Castro are 13th examples. So was T Jefferson.

disclaimer - I'm a 13er, born in January, the "13th month", in effect.

walt said...

Juliec -

Thanks for the link to A.J. Nock; I'm a fan, and had not seen that essay before. From what I've read, there WAS a loose-knit group of people that associated with Nock (who was an editor and publisher at times, in addition to being a writer) that referred to themselves as the Remnant. Among them was William F. Buckley, whose son later became the founder of National Review, in the '50's.

Rick said...

Walt,
Thanks. That book looks interesting.
You know I’ve been working with a spiral on my blog.
Overdue for the next part in that series…hopefully this weekend.
All this spiral talk is…well…inspiraling.
Sorry about that..

julie said...

Will,
whatever you say, I'm against it!
(born on 11-13 :)

Rick said...

Dear ‘coons,

RE “standing heads”, here’s a quick read I hope you’ll enjoy.

'I know Your Type'

Anonymous said...

Wonderful report, Lisa.

"Compression to start a movement" sounds like the Kabbalistic Tsimtsum, and, in a sense, the kenosis, and joyous sacrifice of the saints. The compression and spirals remind me of the proverb, "God writes straight with crooked lines."

Van, I'd say one foundational error of those who build "castles floating in the air" is the arrogance of the faux-Creator, the lack of continuity and incrementalism (as well as a militantly no clue stance toward the brilliantly emergent indirection of spirals and diagonals) in their schemes. Someone [Gagdad remembers, of course: Meditations?] defines this to violate the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," -- that is, the real existing forebears and predecessors, not some kind of unholy imagined Rousseau-Stalin sterile power match.

Just as it's taking me a lifetime to learn to put proper transitions in speech and writing. Man and mankind must link, with some degree of understanding and respect, to the tradition he is in, to move anything forward.

Anonymous said...

Will,
I resemble that remark! (12/13 for me and 4/13 for Mr. S.)

Anonymous said...

I come here because I get Bob's straight truth. It may not always be my straight truth, but it is generally supported with Boblogic, and Boblogic supports his truth. Good enough for my research purposes.

Let's take a very obvious example, the two recent GOP debates, the first one hosted by a leftist MSM outfit, the second by the non-leftist Fox. The MSNBC debate was a farce and a joke, presided over by the fundamentally unserious buffoon, Chris Matthews. The second was sober, serious, and substantive.

The above is subpar in both substance and support. I offer tonights Fox News as all the proof anyone needs. Sorry if I can't suddenly shut off that which brings me here in the first place

One good apple doesn't redeem a barrel.

Jim Lehrer? U Betcha.

wv: vorgv. OK, if you insist.

Mizz E said...

Will,
The buccaneer on the wave might relinquish his asininity, if he chose to be a man of probity on land, such as yourself.

Lisa said...

Yes, Alan, actually the body is composed of curves that flow into one another. There is no completely straight or linear line in the body. The bones and body move in natural rhythms. The pelvis is actually funnel shape and expands on inhalation and draws back in on exhalation creating a tornado like image of energy. This is the bottom of the inner-unit or what many people are talking about when they say "core". The diaphragm is the top of this inner-unit. The diaphragm is shape sort of like a bat or jelly-fish. People with shallow breathing have weak diaphragms which in turn weaken the lungs,heart, and pelvis. The diaphragm is the pressure regulator. The sides of this inner-unit are the transversus abdominals in front and the multifidi in the back along the spine.

Pilates focuses on strengthening these muscles in a nuetral position without losing flexibility. It is the middle ground so to speak of flexibility and strength. The six principles include breath, centering, control, concentration, precision and flow. It is similiar to yoga but not by holding poses. It is more a blending of eastern and western philosophies and centers on the spine and inner-unit. I hope that answers your question, Smoov. Maybe you can send your private jet to pick me up and I'll show you exactly what I do. I can also check out your alignment during the weight lifting. Pilates also uses springs for resistance. Springs are also very spiral and provide resistance in both directions. This helps create a longer and leaner muscle than traditional weight lifting. Sometimes people lift weights in a bad way and are very shocked when they look,stand, and move funny! I also like to train with the curved sole shoe aka MBT. I tend to pick up on themes and run with them!;)

Ricky, before I was a Pilates teacher I used to work at an animation studio in Hollywood. Life drawing is so important in this business. If you can't draw the human body, then you have no business being in animation. I used to set up classes for the artists and all that good stuff. Unfortunately most animation these days is computer generated and many of these artists have never had a life drawing class which is evident in their work. These drawings are a necessary component for any serious artist's portfolio.

Walt, thanks for the book recommendation and I will put it on my longish list...Some new ones from the class are Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myer, The Fasciae by Serge Paoletti and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Breathing Disorders. I am torn between starting with The Fasciae and Anatomy Trains each one costs $50 or so. Leaning towards The Fasciae, good thing I got some B-day Loot.

Mizz E said...

"such as yourself"........and Sal and Julie!

Any more coonfessin' 13ers out there?
If so, include yourselves in the "chosen" ones.

Anonymous said...

Lisa -
Everyone here has the most interesting lives. Just discovered our ISD's natatorium and will think on these ideas while swimming next time.

The new fence is up! Now there can be gardening, appropriate to the clime, and meditating, bird feeding
and other delights.
All enhanced by OC insights, of course.

Spirals- very botanical. The scent of a moonflower is the essence of purity.

Rick said...

Will,
RE born on the 13th, who makes the selection of which day of the month a person is born?
If he is God, then why does he care what day of the month it is?
I believe our current calendar was changed sometime in the late 18th century..(Van?). It was advanced about 11 …or was it 16 days… Are previous 13ers off the hook now?

As I’ve said before, I’m not very into deciphering meaning and such from numbers – seems some people get really carried with that. The fact that “mathematics” indicates something much greater than itself is a different concept.

I am certainly willing to be educated on this if I’m off track.

I was born on the 11th by the way.

Anonymous said...

To explicate a little further on the significance of the # 13 and 13ers - as I previously indicated, they most always do have the revolutionary impulse, to greater or lesser degrees.

Of course there is only one real revolution and that is the spiritual one. To be sure, 13ers are often attracted to spiritual pursuits because the wiser among them recognize this to be the real revolution. Unless a 13er sets sights on the inward spiritual revolution, there is the danger of being seduced by the glamour of mere eccentricity, idiotic contrarianism, and revolution for revolution's sake.

Anonymous said...

Will:
"Those who prize life and yet will risk it in service of others - that's genuine sacrifice and genuine courage."

Indeed.

And this is also the major issue in morals. Maybe the ultimate example of how the leftist twists the language. Sacrifices are very much acknowledged as the "genuine good", or the "highest good", as in how to live your life. As you may have noticed, leftist always demand sacrifices of you; for the common good, for the welfare of the people, for the collective in any way, for the you name it. That's the baseground of the socialist doctrine "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" - you should do sacrifices for others "needs". So sacrifices are what they will never ask of you, but always demand of you.

But as we know, you can never demand sacrifice, only recieve it. If you demand it, you can never feel gratitude. If you demand it, you can never be thankful for it, you will only continue to demand more and more... Oh, that does sounds familiar, right?

Anonymous said...

Ricky, for what it's worth, 11 is a power number.

I'm of the belief that we select our own b'days that are suitable for the spiritual challenges and opportunities we need to face.

Rick said...

Will,
What about 11ers. Anything on them?
:-)

Rick said...

Will,
Sheesh. You beat me to it.
Power number? Could you be more specific? Seems a little too general.

Anonymous said...

Reader,

Not intending to perpetuate a spat about Fox news, but the article you linked to is a perfect example of what Bob's talking about: the inversion of truth in the world of the Left.

The lady from the WaPo who resigned is completely confused about what's real. Despite the reams of data indicating a left-leaning MSM bias, she looks to her right, sees Brit Hume, and decides he's a fraud because he says he's in the center.

She's projecting her own bias onto him and is entirely oblivious to the fact that most thoughtful people these days can barely stomach the Post and the NYT, if at all, because of the bias that they exude.

Not to say one can't make an intelligent argument that Fox is biased. I assume that can be done with any network. But she's taken the infantile narcissistic stance that she's at the center of the known universe and is so injured by a contrary perspective that she has to quit in protest. What a boob.

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

will: 11/19?

Those are my numbers. But, if we select our own, isn't it kind of arbitrary? ;-)

Reading Dr. Sanity makes me realize that one feature true religion has about it is that it develops us psychologically in a great fashion. Parents won't smother their children nor neglect them, we need not 'create' a false idealization (idolization) but seek to worship the One worth worshipping;

Of course, it is much deeper than that, but being that it is true, it has consequences.

I've noticed that plants are similar; growing them from seed you discover that you can't smother them or neglect them, you must pay the correct amount of attention -- which is different for different species!

Go figure.

Lisa said...

Today is actually my B-day. My friend, Eden, is taking me to Mozza tonight. I've heard so many great things about it and I hope it lives up to my expectations. Will report back with coonish details...

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE PILATES TART!!!

Anonymous said...

River, I don't think arbitrary if we select them from the vantage point of, say, the upper planes where we do NOT see through a glass darkly and we know what's really best for us in our coming earthly sojourn. BTW, I don't discount the idea that we may be virtually magnetized to what we will need on earth.

Also - 19 = 1 + 9 = 10 = 1, which corresponds with Aries/Leo, both fire signs, both forceful, creative, dynamic (watch the ego)

Ricky - "power number" is what 11 and 22 are termed. Meaning, as far as I can gather, having a very high spiritual capability, which can also degrade into a truly satanic evil. That is, if the power # is activated through prayer, meditation, etc. Most power # people are in fact 2's (1+1 = 2) or 4's (2=2 = 4)

julie said...

Lisa,
Happy Birthday!

Anonymous said...

excellent post.....i've been stymied over the distinction betwixt courage and recklessness for too long.
never had a doubt, tho, regarding the ssslimyness of B. Maher!

sq

Stephen Macdonald said...

Lisa:

Happy Birthday!

(no private jet, alas. just a turboprop)

Anonymous said...

There are approximately 6,595,760,800 people alive right now (5:02 PM MDT). Meaning there are approximately 18,070,578 people alive right now that share my annual birthday. And (assuming a global 50 year lifespan) about 360,000 that share my exact birthday, 15,000 born at the same hour, 250 in the same minute, 4 the same second. If my math is correct (no guarantees).

I don't mean to be contrary, but it's my stubborn nature, so when we start assigning attributes to classes of people based on birth dates, aren't we in danger of donning dark glasses of our own making, or seeing what isn't really there?

Do we need to put our 6.6 billion unique individuals in boxes? Granted, it does make it easier to organize and label them and queue them up for bathroom breaks and stuff, so there's that.

I prepared charts for people for several years back in my own personal Age of Aquarius, so I'm not unfamiliar with the territory. But it became a downward spiral as there is no end to people's hunger. More numbers, more splitting of hairs, never any real satisfaction.

On the other hand, I was born exactly on a Taurus/Gemini cusp, so I should be a triple threat! Or a trizophrenic. The downside is that there are at least a few million crazies like me out there.

That scares my wife half to death. God help you all.

But then she has the Zombie Survival Guide so she'll be fine.

Mizz E said...

Wooo Coons - I checked out the menu at Mozza. Lisa, hope it's as yummy as it reads. Feliz cumpleanos!

Antipasti at Mozza

Marinated peppers
Fried anchovies with salsa Calabrian
Cauliflower gratinate • Fried squash blossoms
Arancine alla Bolognese • Oven roasted olives
Broccoflower, chile & vinegar • Marinated beets
Asparagus, mustard & almonds • Eggplant caponata
Avocado, agretti & walnuts • Artichokes al forno
Crisp goat cheese with beet greens
Lamb stracotto with polenta
$8

Lisa said...

Thanks all! and Shhhh! Will, don't give it away that I'm actually not that sweet!;) It's part of the whole Secret...

Anonymous said...

I read and article in my local newspaper this morning that the average USA citizen watches TV for 4.5 hours a day. What are they being indoctrinted into via this passive activity?

Are they being taught or even asked to be responsible members of their community (what community?) and to exercise discriminative intelligence re any and every thing?

I also read that many people even place their babies, even new born ones, in front of the TV for hours on end as a "pacifier" and/or baby-sitter.
What is being done to the increbibly sensitive and still developing neurological and brain patterns, and psyche altogether of these babies?

What are they being taught and trained to be via this TV saturation? Has anyone ever read Evolution's End by Joseph Chilton Pierce? Disturbing stuff.

walt said...

First things first: Happy Birthday, Lisa!

******

Received my copy of Josef Pieper's book, and perhaps I need it more than I knew when I ordered it -- for in reading today's post, I realized that the word 'prudence' is not even in my vocabulary! It's not that I've been "doing the lie," but that my thinking about virtues has been sloppy.

And here Pieper says, "Prudence is the precondition for all that is ethically good." (Ouch!) Then Bob mentioned that virtue "easily becomes its opposite if not grounded in truth, or being," and warned about "passions...not rightly ordered." (Uh-oh!)

Obviously, I have work to do.

Ephrem Antony Gray said...

Yes, merry memorial of the de-wombing, Lisa! Er, happy birthday.

Fire eh? So that's what's in my head all day. Dang. Yeah, I know the ego thing. Sometimes I read my stuff and go, "@#%&! I gotta cut back on the coffee, or the mirror..."

Some days I wish I'd just shut up. But I never do!

Dilys, if you combine those 'horizontal' selves with Paul's 'vertical' selves you get an interesting dichotomy; well, if you also include the PS<->D transformation you have the full six directions. Those two types of self-ness make sense to me, and I can see places where I've struggled with a wounded ideator, or a wounded egoist.

Anywho...that Ejectia thing looks like it will be some mad fun! I wonder if they need a butler?

Rick said...

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Rick said...

Cosa,
Exactly.
I think you will become the number you have been assigned.
If you are raised to believe you are a 13er, you will become one. You will make yourself 13er.

Bob's Blog said...

Bob,
I have never read anyone who could so thoroughly and accurately diagnose the left, as you do in posts like this one today.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Lisa!!!
Have fun! Don't order the beets (unless you really like them).

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"This is why, no matter how "intelligent" Maher is, he is simultaneously stuck on stupid, since his higher intellect has been purged by his disordered passions. One could say the very same of celebrity journalist Christopher Hitchens, whose bilioligerent psyche has been completely hijacked by his liver. No, I am not speaking of his dependence on alcohol, but of his irascible and choleric soul -- another intelligible reality for those with ears to hear it."

Higher intellect purged by disordered passions.
Which leads to the leftists idea of sacrifice, hence this by Johan the Cosmic Swede:

"As you may have noticed, leftist always demand sacrifices of you; for the common good, for the welfare of the people, for the collective in any way, for the you name it."

Exactly! This is also why leftists consider "stars" or celebrities to be heroes.
The media often promulgate this lie, for obvious purposes.
I have even heard people call victims heroes, which isn't always true.
For example, some of the passengers of flight 93 fought back against the terrorists that hijacked the plane, and stopped them from completing their mission (presumably, to destroy the White House or Congress) are indeed heroes.

The victims in the other three planes and WTC were not heroes (with the exception of the firefighters and police).

Actors, singers, victims and athletes are not heroes based on their talents (or what happens to them), although they may be heroes if they courageously sacrifice themselves or put their lives for others.

A true hero doesn't consider him/herself to be one.
They always point to the heroes who lost their lives protecting life and liberty.

Van Harvey said...

Ricky Raccoon said "I believe our current calendar was changed sometime in the late 18th century..(Van?). It was advanced about 11 …or was it 16 days… Are previous 13ers off the hook now"

I think that was the 16th century? Right idea though. I have difficulty putting much stock in it... at least not using the reasoning I've heard... and I grew up with it.

Mizz E said...

Den keeping item for Bloggers:

Bad news: If you blog and use Safari, as of this afternoon you cannot 'preview' your draft. Click the preview button and nada. Ever since the s-w writers added a new auto save draft feature today, preview is no longer available.

Good news, it works in Firefox. Thing is, overall, I don't like Firefox. OK, end of whine. Please pass the marinated beets.

Van Harvey said...

Lisa,
_iiiii_
|_______|

Happy Birthday! Take a deep breath, make a wish and blow!

(Careful though, if it settles like Joan's did, the frosting's gonna end up on your monitor.

Van Harvey said...

In other words,
Courage, prudence and the cardinal virtues are given their first real discussion in Western Civilization in Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics.

He mentions "Since happiness is an activity of soul in accordance with perfect virtue, we must consider the nature of virtue; for perhaps we shall thus see better the nature of happiness. "

It's book 3, down around section 7, where he gets to the ranges of virtues (Cowardice too little, Rashness too much, Courage Just Right), but the whole thing is very refreshing and enjoyable to read.

Van Harvey said...

Other blogging housekeeping notes, if anyone happened across my site earlier... the new post was posted accidental... uh, wait... no, it was bloggers fault, yeah, that's the ticket! Bloggers fault!

Anyway I finished it up a few minutes ago.

Rick said...

Van,
I see the Brits did not adopt our current version of the Gregorian calendar until 1752 – and required them to adjust by 11 days.

Van Harvey said...

Ricky Racoon,
Yeah wiki says we're both right - it was first adopted in the 1580's, but the hard headed anglo's didn't go for it until 1750's.

The cry of the moonbats of their day, was "They've taken 11 days of our lives away! Give us back our 11 days!"

Rick said...

Van,
However, the pre-1752 13ers where quite relieved.

Anonymous said...

It's hard to know what to do about the Left when the Right seems bound and determined, as it does today in particular, to commit suicide.

NoMo said...

All the best to Lizza at Mozza Pizza! Should be great (I hear there is superior best dumpster diving out back - coons, what are we waiting for?).

With all due respect to Will, there's nothing to numbers but superstition. There are no straight lines in man. There are no straight lines in God. If you know what I mean.

wv: ivsjpygt - see?

Anonymous said...

Cosa - numbers, along with astro do, to a certain extent, put people in boxes, psychological boxes. So what? What's wrong with boxes? Fact is, people come in boxes - and each box is unique because each individual is unique.

Ever notice that Bob, as a psychologist, puts people into boxes with labels? Nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's rather necessary to do so. The terms leftist, conservative, secular, spiritual - boxes.

Anonymous said...

Maine,

Yes. I didn't link to that article by accident. The tabloid atmosphere surrounding even "legitimate" journalism is rampant and I think the media doesn't even recognize when it has its own hand in its jaw, chewing for news. As I said, maybe all isn't right with that world.
I'll stick to my point. The idea that anyone would hold up Fox News as an example of truth is remarkable in itself. Especially here.

I would rather you had commented on my Bob quote instead of the link.

I believe at heart that we each seek and find the supporting documentation for our own "inner cosmos" views in the external cosmos (as best we each perceive it). Period. The lens of objectivity is broken by the time we begin to look for that documentation. Somewhere in the operating system, way before the cognitive level we call "intellect", we develop a proclivity for skewing data so that it supports our own sense of who we are. Psychic survival mechanism. While Bob talks often to this process and its manifestation in the lives of "left" versus "us", I don't see evidence that many humans are capable of changing that origninal hardwiring. That ability seems to require some additional Divine Blessing.
And either God blesses our efforts (as opposed to only our results) or he doesn't. The idea that God gives no credit for the work done on the back, but only for the answer shown on the front, drove me from the Christian church as advertised in the media. The idea that Jesus was actually Christ brought me back to Christ. Not to today's Christians.

Which side of the left/right median one falls on doesn't seem to alter the proclivity for skewing data to one's own "righteous" end. That's why I offered the text excerpted from Bob's post.

Maybe it is as simple as one's "power number". Or maybe it's as complex as Will's ancient idea that we choose our circumstances before we ever get here. I'll go with the ancient idea. Although exactly why remains unknown to me. So far.

Anonymous said...

Nomo - >>With all due respect to Will, there's nothing to numbers but superstition. There are no straight lines in man. There are no straight lines in God. If you know what I mean<<

One thing that's dangerous about throwing a little data about numbers/astro and the like is that people who are not at all familiar with the territory assume that that the little data is the sum total of the picture, eg, I'm a Capricorn, so I'm determined, earthy, blah blah, etc.

The truth is that each individual is composed of an overwhelming melange of number and astrological factors. Numbers and astro factors are, in essence, divine archetypes. Some factors are dominant archetypes, eg., a sun sign Leo with Leo on a 10 b'day makes Leo a palpably dominant archetype in that individual. There are still a zillion other factors to consider in that person's number/astro archetype makeup. For example, masculine and feminine are divine archetypes, but no one person is purely masculine or feminine. We all have countless elements of both the masculine and feminine.

To say that numbers are superstition is to say that the divine archetypes are superstition. Nomo, did you read Meditation On The Tarot? If not, do yourself a favor and do so. Widen your vistas a little.

Rick said...

Will,
Sorry for the joking around about late last night.
I recognize this means a lot to you, and not only you. And also that I don’t know much about it. I am about halfway through Tarot myself and I am not seeing it quite like this “Numbers and astro factors are, in essence, divine archetypes.”
Maybe you can point some out to me.

As I said, if I’m missing something I shouldn’t be missing, I’ll gladly change course here. In a second.

You mention Dr Bob placing people in boxes with labels and therefore it’s the same thing so it’s ok. I think there is a big difference. Bob doesn’t build the box and place someone in it and lock the lid for good. Having a predetermined number that you can’t ever escape seems very different than that.

You haven’t shown me how 11 = power and where that comes from. It seems you could point to millions of people born on the 11th and say see, these folks are powerful while discarding all the rest who are not powerful but also born on the 11th.

And then of course, which, or rather whose calendar do I go by?

Back to Tarot for a sec, I see the significance in numbers as this. This is just an example: 10 commandments, 10 fingers (digits). If God had determined that 8 commandments constituted the whole of them, then we would have 8 fingers. It’s not about the number 10 but about the fact that the commandments match the fingers. It’s about the connection or the matching.

Another: Adam and Eve. Is it about another “2”? Or is it rather that Adam is only ever a complete “half” without Eve. They are incomplete without each other.

Anonymous said...

Ever notice that Bob, as a psychologist, puts people into boxes with labels? Nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's rather necessary to do so. The terms leftist, conservative, secular, spiritual - boxes.

Bob's boxes are based on the behaviors and beliefs of the people who are sorted into them. If I am not mistaken, the implication is that the boxes you describe predetermine behaviors and beliefs in some measure, which is quite a different thing.

Anonymous said...

Oops, coffee hasn't kicked in yet. Late Apex is someone else's handle from another forum. That was my comment.

Van Harvey said...

Reader said "I'll stick to my point. The idea that anyone would hold up Fox News as an example of truth is remarkable in itself. Especially here."

First, we're talking about News org's - if you look to them for Truth... you're looking in all the wrong places. I look to them for info on the most visible happenings of the moment, little more than that. Hello and thank the big guy for the 'Net, which makes the other less visible happenings easier to find and find info on, than ever before.

As far as News Orgs though, on a scale of -10 to 0 to +10, with 0 being the Balanced point, the MSM has put itself at -11, and Fox... let me narrow that, Brit Humes news hour (can't think of it's 'name'), I'd be hard pressed to put further than a +3. IMHO Fox's tilt, is more towards populism, than conservativism with O'Reilly (a conservative populist) being the standard bearer there.

That being said, a couple points to add. 1 - you can not honestly have no tilt, and be human. You have a viewpoint, if not, you have no knowledge whatsoever and no intelligence to boot - not the type I'd trust to gather info for me. 2 - having a viewpoint does not mean that you ignore uncomfortable info and viewpoints from the other side. You can dissagree with them, but shouldn't ignore them. As comparison to other MSM news orgs out there, Fox does a very good job of at least putting what it sees as the other sides viewpoint out there to be seen.

A case could be made for their seeing the lefties as being "The" other viewpoint... especially as a focus for their multiple talk shows, to the exclusion of for instance, Objectivist type views... but still all in all? I do get a good look at all the happenings out there, and Fox does a very good job of selecting the most worthy for viewing, and giving visibility to two sides of the issues.

The MSM aren't worth the time it takes to watch (some to read...except lately I feel like a coroner when doing so), except to get a feel for how the lefties are handling things at the moment.

Anonymous said...

Convert formerly known as Apex -

>>If I am not mistaken, the implication is that the boxes you describe predetermine behaviors and beliefs in some measure, which is quite a different thing.<<

Nothing's predetermined. Numbers/astro underscore inclinations, possible talents, along with pitfalls, possible negativities, etc. Nobody is destined, predetermined to be an alcoholic, for example. It is very likely, however, that should a person be addicted to alchohol or some other drug, said penchant for addiction would show up in that person's chart. Now - and this is important - the astro indication for possible addiction would also suggest an alternative penchant for spirituality - should the person decide for it. That is, the same impulse/inclination which might lead to drug addiction can also lead to spirituality. Or the same impulse/inclination that might lead to a nervous frittering away of energy might also leading to writing skills, or miserliness might lead to resourcefulness.

It's not complicated, it just sounds that way. Bottom line is that we all have choices within certain perimeters.

I don't know for certain, of course, but I'd think it likely that many of Bob's patients have within them certain attributes that, if they were positively channeled, would lead to great spiritual insight. As they say, the source of our greatest strengths are to be found in our weaknesses.

Anonymous said...

Ricky, please see my reply to Convert re: predeterminism. Nobody is getting locked in a box, trust me.

As for divine archetypes - I'm pressed for time here, but, for example, you notice how much the numbers 3, 7, and 12 play in sacred scripture? And in nature? It's an "as it is above/so it is below" thing. Archetypes are basic, elemental "ideas" that orginated in the mind of God and that show up in His creation, from top to botton, in patterns, symmetries - they can, in effect, be reduced to numbers, just as music can be reduced to numbers.

As liitle atoms of God, we too must have archetypal qualities that can be described to numerical - or if you prefer, musical - form.

This is one large topic, Mr Raccoon, and this space doesn't allow for much explication.

Trust me on one thing, however - there's something to it and it's worth discovering.

Anonymous said...

Bottom line is that we all have choices within certain perimeters.

So, if our choices are limited (within certain perimeters), then none of us have real freedom?

Anonymous said...

There is no freedom without meaningful parameters, i.e., boundary conditions. Otherwise there is only horizontal chaos. Boundary conditions are our means of ascent. You must be somebody -- a very specific somebody -- in order to become nobody. We are each a different "problem" or "possibility" of God, depending on the day of the week.

Doug said...

"...the abolition of man"

That's really what it all comes down to for the left, isn't it? I heard an idiot the other day (don't recall his name) call for the reduction of the world's population to one billion people. Another one (or maybe the same one) called humanity a virus of which the earth needs to rid itself. Perhaps that's what Al Gore meant when he said the earth has a fever.

I don't hear anyone on the left talk about human rights much anymore, unless they're accusing the US or Israel of violating them. They're not interested in human rights, because they don't even believe that humans have a right to exist and inhabit the planet. It's the inevitable result of rejecting a Creator. There's nothing special about man, and the world would be better off without him.

It seems to me that this idea is at odds with Darwinism. Nature apparently made a profound mistake by evolving sentient, intelligent creatures. Intelligence is more of a liability than an asset, if it doesn't serve more than just a horizontal purpose. Other species don't need intelligence to survive, so why do we?

Yup, humanity was a bad idea, and the ultimate Utopian fantasy is a world free from the scourge of man. Leaving no one around to appreciate the wonder of creation is the final act of spitting in God's eye.

Anonymous said...

As they say, the source of our greatest strengths are to be found in our weaknesses.

Will did it again.

Plucked another string whose resonation (in my head) just won't stop.

Thanks Will, it makes life more interesting.
Not to say that all the other "pluckers" don't teach and resonate with me.

I learn alot here everyday.
Thanks All.

Hey! my First stab at italics worked!

Anonymous said...

There is no freedom without meaningful parameters, i.e., boundary conditions.

Well, of course. But to say so is not the same as saying that "we all have choices within certain perimeters" which are determined (predetermined) by "an overwhelming melange of number and astrological factors."

Susannah said...

"That being said, a couple points to add. 1 - you can not honestly have no tilt, and be human. You have a viewpoint, if not, you have no knowledge whatsoever and no intelligence to boot - not the type I'd trust to gather info for me. 2 - having a viewpoint does not mean that you ignore uncomfortable info and viewpoints from the other side. You can dissagree with them, but shouldn't ignore them. As comparison to other MSM news orgs out there, Fox does a very good job of at least putting what it sees as the other sides viewpoint out there to be seen."

When I was a journalism intern, my boss explained it just that way to me. He told me, "You are an evangelical, and you see the world through evangelical 'glasses.' The question is not whether you can achieve total objectivity--you can't. The question is whether you are fair to the other side, describe them in their own terms, quote them accurately, and so on."

I'm afraid the left-oriented media do not fight fair by those standards.

Brit Hume is pretty balanced, an excellent journalist, and I like their little round table talk. I think the participants represent a good range of opinion. But I cannot STAND that "true crime" show (Greta's) or the celebrity focus on any of the news channels. Opinion shows do not bother me. You can flick 'em off when they get annoying.

Don't have tv anymore, anyway--read Drudge and the Fox summary on The Corner.

Last commenter, as usual. :) I go to bed earlier, I guess. (#7's on the way and I'm exhausted lately.)

Anonymous said...

Thank you, PETEY.

And to all those who get the heebie-jeebies over supposed predeterminism and "locked in boxes" re: numbers and astro -
as I indicated from the start, we always have choices with regard to what we do with our inclinations, talents, etc., as indicated by our astro configurations and number patterns. And as Petey in his pyrotechnic, highly labile wisdom points out, we do have inclinations and talents to the exclusion of others, necessarily so.

Susannah said...

Oh, BTW, I happened to hear to Dennis Miller on the radio yesterday. He was actually pretty funny, but that's beside my point. He was responding to a caller who hated Fox news and conservative talk radio types, yet was compelled to listened to them literally all day long (that's a diagnosis right there for Bob to take on :) ).

Anyway, he said, unlike other channels, in working for Fox he actually got zero interference. Nobody there ever called him up and asked him what he'd be talking about, and he never received a memo with talking points. He was allowed to follow his own conscience.

He also had Ann Coulter on. It was interesting. I hardly ever hear talk radio so that was a funny convergence.

Anonymous said...

>>Well, of course. But to say so is not the same as saying that "we all have choices within certain perimeters" which are determined (predetermined) by "an overwhelming melange of number and astrological factors." <<

Yeah, it's basically the same, Convert.

And let's be clear - ultimately it is not the astro/number factor that decides the perimeters, those are just languages to describe the perimeters that the individual has determined for his or her self.

Here we get into the concept of past lives, karma, etc.

Susannah said...

"As they say, the source of our greatest strengths are to be found in our weaknesses."

I don't know much about the numbers stuff, but this is so very true. It resonates with me too. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Dougman, your welcome and thanks yourself.

Yeah, this place is just full of otherpluckers, for sure.

Anonymous said...

Here we get into the concept of past lives, karma, etc.

Not. Apparently it's our destiny to disagree about some things (g!).

Rick said...

Will, Petey,
As I said, I am willing to be educated on this.
I’m not interested in being right. I’m interested in getting it right.
I understand too that it’s a big subject, too large for here. And of course you don’t owe me any explanation. I don’t feel that way at all. I guess I was just hoping for one.

For now I’ll place it on my shelf and for the time being I will consider that my number 11 may indicate a tendency. Maybe I’m just not ready for this level yet.

By the way, I’m happy others here came to Will’s defense, for lack of a better word at the moment. I think it’s worth discussing. Well, I’d like to keep discussing it anyway…

Anonymous said...

A disciple of Schuon's once complained that her astrological (natal) chart was not very impressive. He responded by saying, if you don't like your chart, make another one with your choices.

Van Harvey said...

will said "Yeah, this place is just full of otherpluckers, for sure."

Oh... I do SO like this place!

On the number stars issue, there is much I used to know that I now know better. From what I can see, on the level that Ricky & I are speaking of, there can be no controling relation between a life of choices lived and numbers and stars locations.

However I also suspect that Will is not approaching the matter on that level - there is nothing I've seen of what Will has written (or sung) that makes me believe that he is in any way a determinist.

In "giving the issue a wide berth" approach I've taken towards such things, I can forsee the plottings and measurements as ways of opening your mind to wider, deeper, root concepts, conveying the widest perspectives, perhaps archetypal is what I'm going for here, and through that, the casters mind may be more open to seeing patterns and connections which are not normally apparent. But that's my shear mind smoke conjecture there.

I know this. The universe is One. The impression of separateness is one that is apparent and viewable only from our perspective, from the Cosmos's perspective, that separateness is an illusion. That opens many interesting speculations. I also know that I don't know much beyond what I know, and I will stick to expanding and deepening that - as best as I can.

And Susannah - big ditto on your two media comments - especially the Gretta-types (retching shudder)

Anonymous said...

Van said:

I do get a good look at all the happenings out there, and Fox does a very good job of selecting the most worthy for viewing, and giving visibility to two sides of the issues.


Apart from the God thing happening, the above is simple opinion stated as fact. This can be a problem all by itself. I understand the proclivity. Bob sometimes does it, as I pointed out with this excerpt from today's post:

Let's take a very obvious example, the two recent GOP debates, the first one hosted by a leftist MSM outfit, the second by the non-leftist Fox. The MSNBC debate was a farce and a joke, presided over by the fundamentally unserious buffoon, Chris Matthews. The second was sober, serious, and substantive.


If Foxnews was all Brit Hume, fine. Mired as he is in the context of FoxNews, he rings like the token "old school journalist", just like Colmes is there for a "frank discussion" of liberal viewpoints with Hannity.

Wake up the BS detector. It's no more or less revealing to find "serious" defense of Foxnews than to acknowledge the leftists love for Bill Maher. Both are entertainment. Nothing more or less.

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