P_V

This day in history

2007-01-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

This Day in Ancient History
ante diem xvi kalendas februarias

Ludi Palatini (day 1)

86 B.C. -- death of Marius (or possibly on the 13th)

38 B.C. -- Octavian marries Livia

6 B.C. -- dedication of the ara Numinis Augusti in Rome

42 A.D. -- consecration of Livia as divine

All from http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism/Posts/00005155.html

Old notes

2007-01-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

Two old notes of mine jotted down in haste:

While listening to a political ad, hearing declamation of commonsense repudiation of the neocon manus, hearing demands essential to liberty, one stands aghast at the naked brutality behind these noble platitudes. Reverse tax cuts, more school funding, and as ever, up the alma mater.

Anglo-saxons consider themselves messianically.

Retro Video Game

2007-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

On a cold September night, the first real chill of the season as August was still a vibrant memory. The compelling imprint still shakes my reflexive assertion of the day’s date, on occasion myself slipping from my mental acuity. Regardless, I had been in the pool house relaxing after a day’s work. Very dim like night. Still two hours till South Park. So, I started silently walking up to the house at a slow, staggered pace. It was then that a vision overcame my imagination wherein my perspective became that of my dog Sadie’s, as if she were in a video game, an early Sega Genesis style, maybe even SNES. A sinister and ominous 8-bit techno theme reverberated through the pixellated screen. While otherwise a character engaged in various attempts to gain objectives, a new objective now appeared with immediate priority. Since her health was low from extended guarding of me, she was chomping at the bit to leave the pool house, so she did. But, she hates most the idea of being abandoned outside. So, she had to get inside with me, or be forced to bark her way in. Her head perks up as she notices my path, a clear route to inside. She immediately whips round and makes for the door, only to be distracted by sub-missions either left unresolved or newly discovered. She dodges through the hostile wilderness of the backyard, heading through new perils to the mission goal, while mopping up the odd loose end. She sees me getting closer, surely a time-limit. A repeated command in a compelling tone, time flees. Her quick, if arthritic, trot suddenly turns into a run. Just in time; music accordingly.

Pretense and TGIF

2007-01-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

I am utterly repulsed after just watching a TGIFriday's commercial. A woman annoying the hell out of me by reading the entire menu, "this, no this, OOH, no, this," but the final blow was the hyper-enunciated "Mah-hee Mah-hee" in isolation from the context of the sentence or any regard for organic, colloquial speech. Instead, it was crisply intoned with a self-conscious pretension, the knowledge of knowing, enlightened and sophisticated. Of course, this disgusting display neglects the fact that this is simply not how the word is spoken, or ever used, as the word is Hawaiian, and such usage is inimical to any real understanding of the word and food. A false intellectual reading of the word phonetically, clearly proving a mental midget, see "Fill-ette Mig-Non" or innumerable examples in transliterated Chinese.

Dean ?

2007-01-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

The dean publicly claimed credit for brokering the settlement, when in reality he had been nothing but a nuisance. The student-teacher committee was a sham, and I left it swiftly. My other professors were careful not to call on me, fearing, quite rightly, that I would refuse to participate in their classes, just as I'd done in contracts. My potential ladyfriend struggled but got better over time (and she would, in fact, graduate), but I felt regret that while I'd succeeded in being left alone, I wasn't able to help anyone else.

Moreover, I'd seen too much politicking over what was clearly an issue of justice, fairness and freedom. The dean was obviously nothing but a political animal, a glad-handing prevaricator who smiled out of every corner and cranny of his mouth.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/fischer/fischer22.html

History evidently does repeat itself.

Kindergarten & Elementary

2007-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

The first exposure of kids personally to the state is in the kindly form of gentle teachers. As with the Prussians, kindergarten separates these malleable young minds from the corrosion of parental nurture. Lex quam iustitia.

http://freedomain.blogspot.com/2005/10/disproving-state-four-arguments.html

Tropics

2006-10-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

I just can't say enough about Rockstar Guava. Far and away, it is the best energy drink that I've ever had the pleasure of pounding. The initial flavor is like a blast of POG, only to be followed subtly by a gradual mellowing aftertaste. Altogether, very satisfying, no, absolutely deliciously exhilarating. As if a tropical vacation, the entirety of experiences eating fresh coconut, fresh pineapple from the fields, fresh mai-mai, swimming on beautiful beaches of golden, red, and black sand, gently relaxing in the life of leisure, with every notion of hard-nosed workaholicism a distant memory, as if all this were condensed into a single, majestic can, from which the nectar flows as a gracefully undulating billow of smoke, a weak yet elegant manifestation of its power.

Interestingly enough, as I looked at the Rockstar website in order to buy a case or two of this precious drink, I discovered not only that there is no mention but, more surprisingly, that Rockstar was founded by the son of none other than Michael Savage, of radio fame. Really makes you wonder whether any psychotropics...

Wedding

2006-10-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Having now attended my second wedding in a few weeks, in a significantly different condition, I must expound on the different standards that prevail, whether as a matter of course or as per the wedding party's preference. Namely, the truly open bar, where drinks are free and cards neglected. Of course, should one preparty, the point is moot. Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful for the thought and kind sentiment that doubtless must accompany such arrangements. It is always a wonderful thing to see once again the extended family of the neighborhood, even those neighbors who have long since been departed. And, with respect to the ceremony itself, the periodic cigarette along with numerous Rockstar Guava Energy Drinks helps to make fly the time. To this new energy drink, I wholeheartedly and with the greatest earnestness give the Loudon seal of approval.

The end of an era

2006-10-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Tragically, the isle of Sark has now abandoned its feudal system. As with the Cayman Islands, such initiatives are usually counterproductive in light of the utter corruption of modern democratic government. Were such aristocratic governments in need of change, they would long ago have been changed, and not prompted from sanctimonious bureaucrats who need to get a grip on practical affairs.

Gentlemen and Honour

2006-07-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

From a Reason discussion:

A simple, unsophisticated guy, much like myself, is invited to a formal dinner. During the course of the dinner, the hostess breaks wind loudly. Immediately, the gentleman sitting to the left stands up and says "Excuse me". A little later, the hostess breaks wind again. Immediately, the gentleman sitting to the right stands up and says "Excuse me". This piques the unsophisticasted guy's curiosity. He asks the guy next to him, "Why did those two guys apologize for farting when everyone knows our hostess did it?" His neighbor says, "It's the gentlemanly thing to do, to save the lady from embarassment." A little bit later, the hostess breaks wind again. The unsophisticated guy immediately jumps up and says, "Sit down guys, this one's on me."

At long last...

2006-07-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

I finally own even a small amount of precious metals, in this case gold and silver bullion. Already, I am sleeping sounder and smoking fewer cigarettes to calm these exhausted old nerves. A rest well-earned I should say.

Things that scare me

2006-07-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Nutty Christians.

Holy shit.

From Tacitus Annales 15.57: the Woman after Whom I Would Name My Cat

2005-12-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

Atque interim Nero recordatus Volusii Proculi indico Epicharin attineri ratusque muliebre corpus impar dolori tormentis dilacerari iubet. at illam non verbera, non ignes, non ira eo acrius torquentium, ne a femina spernerentur, pervicere, quin obiecta denegaret. sic primus quaestionis dies contemptus. postero cum ad eosdem cruciatus retraheretur gestamine sellae (nam dissolutis membris insistere nequibat), vinclo fasciae, quam pectori detraxerat, in modum laquei ad arcum sellae restricto indidit cervicem et corporis pondere conisa tenuem iam spiritum expressit, clariore exemplo libertina mulier in tanta necessitate alienos ac prope ignotos protegendo, cum ingenui et viri et equites Romani senatoresque intacti tormentis carissima suorum quisque pignorum proderent.

A sleepless night of partying

2005-09-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how serene the atmosphere into which one sinks upon sleep deprivation. At first fatigue might prevail, but eventually a giddy madness wins out, yet pleasant and calm in nature. A night of jungle juice etc. certainly leaves one's body slightly askew chemically. After a night of studying and paper-writing, I feel like nothing can revive me now except for a hand-rolled cigarette and a beer.

Court, i.e. manifestation of statist monopoly

2005-09-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, or by now I suppose it must be two days ago, I was forced to make an appearane at the district court of Hillsdale, MI. Due to an MIP, minor in possession (of alcohol), I was bound to appear lest I incur the full fury of the state a la Ruby Ridge, Waco, New Orleans, etc. At first, however, my inclination was to wholly reject any admission and rather to fight the very justice of the law applied, viz. the under 21 prohibition of alcohol. I would brag about how forcefully I would contend with the county of Hillsdale and bankrupt them through the invocation of pro bono organizations such as the ACLU and IJ. The very circumstances of my MIP suggested a dismissal: JP and I were walking accross a single street to ATO when we were stopped by Michigan State Police right in front of the house. All facts told, I was a wee bit intoxicated and therefore stumbling. Yet, neither of us had an open container of alcohol, the primary probable cause for the administration of a breathalizer. Nonetheless, I thoughtlessly complied and blew the breathalizer; at this point I was focusing all my energy on preventing myself from cursing at the cops. When I showed up in the county clerk's office for the second district court, I had thought about bringing my brass-topped cane and affecting a limp so as to account for my staggering on the night in question (a plan not so outlandish as it might seem given the fact that I not long ago had knee surgery and therefore evinced a profound limp. When it came to blows, though, I assumed the position, leaving my cane in the car, walking normally, and taking my beating like a slave. Even though I explored legal alternatives, I eventually resolved to pay the $105 fine and be done with the byzantine machinations of monopolistic state oppression.

Snuffin like a puffin

2005-08-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

I can now taste the delicious fragrance of snuff without even dirtying my fingers at all. Behold, the bullit. This is perhaps the greatest purchase I've ever made. Using snuff without this was like smoking a cigarette rolled in toilet paper, unsanitary and entirely undignified. I feel like Louis XVI, and let those commy peasants try their best.

Drug War cont.

2005-07-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

I present a link to a rebuttal of government lies, in this case about marijuana.

Here is a simple statement of what should be common knowledge: drugs do not make you do anything.

Here is a libertarian perspective on the injustice of any policy that restricts self-responsibility with regards to medicine: pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs.

Government propaganda extends beyond PSA's and delusional curriculum. Under the table, during the Clinton years at least, network shows received de facto bribes for including sufficiently strong anti-drug messages, and this without informing the public.

What Universal Healthcare Actually Means

2005-07-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

Despite whatever squabblings in which politicians might occupy themselves over insurance coverage etc., the truly terrifying face of that is the totalitarian-therapeutic state in development. Given the (specious?) distinction between incarceration and commitment, the ostensibly benevolent extension of treatment to all serves as a means of medically ostracizing political opponents so that dissent becomes in fact a disease and that its victims must be treated with hospitalization and psychotrpoic drugs, for their own good of course.

Free State Movement takes to the high seas

2005-07-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Why bother with giving battle to the invincible apparatus of statism on its terms? The majority of the Earth's surface is still sine imperio, albeit non terra firma. The irrepressible genius of the free man gives us now the means of realizing liberty while avoiding direct conflict: seasteading. The story of the previous post is something of a precursor to this new development. An alternate vision of reality gradually assumes an ever-increasing degree of reality, to the point of becoming more real than the original?

Recondite, Artifical Worlds

2005-07-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

This is a brilliant story that, despite some spelling or translation errors, is utterly fascinating.

RIP

2005-07-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Burgundy now has died. May the poor cat have every blessing conceivable. She surely deserves it. As for myself, I am torn between disposition to grief and stoic resolution. I scarcely know how to comport myself.

Unmoving Cat

2005-07-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Poor Burgundy, already living past even my most irrationally hopeful expectations, has spent the entire day unmoving on the bathroom floor, still breathing lightly. However, she scarcely blinks and responds not at all to even the most delicate of pettings. I fear the poor cat is on the verge of death; now, my main concern is whether to bury her in the yard or to cremate her on the the firepit, already stocked from the remains of last year's trimings and my broken-down entertainment center. I despair of yielding any comfort but to myself by comforting her in her last hours, unless she is somehow relieved by my attentions. If only the subjunctive had a future: requiescat in pace et beatitudine.

Greek

2005-07-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Greek, much like Chinese, is a ridiculously arbitrary language. Or, more correctly, it is rather a grouping of dialects. Nonetheless, all the Greek dialects still reflect a linguistic evolution as wild and schizophrenic as the Greeks themselves. Upon learning any rule of Greek, it is immediately qualified with coincidental exceptions that are so abundant that they effectively castrate the initial rule itself. Still, I love the vibrant, diverse richness of the Greek tongue. As a Churchill quote on some board read, "to learn Latin is an honor, Greek a privilege."

Medical Science

2005-07-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

I am going to have an MRI this thursday, which makes me genuinely happy that I decided against becoming tattooed. After a certain incident, literally, where I took a great fall, I finally followed up on having my head examined. Just after the incident, what they initially thought was a hemorrhage proved to be merely a calcification upon closer examination. I recently saw, nine months later, a neurologist who has set up an MRI for me. While in conference with her, however, I took the opportunity to probe her informed opinions about all sorts of mind-altering substances. This turn of conversation was actually begun by her inquiring about my level of alcohol consumption as indicated by me on the survey. I corrected her that those numbers were per diem, not weekly. She launched into a diatribe about the effects of alcohol, whereupon I brought up the possibility of green as a healthier, comparatively harmless substitute. She replied that its diminishing effects on long-term memory are well documented. Hence, it will actually make you dumber over time. I replied that numerous treatises make contradictory claims with abundant, credible, and current scientific evidence. I posited the anecdotal and subjective nature of long-term retardation by green and also argued that nothing beholden to the government for funding or approbation could be trusted as impartial since the government had such a dominating interest in justifying its expenditures and vindicating its majesty.
At this point, I cut my losses and moved on to ask about cocaine and amphetamines. She said that cocaine was incredibly dangerous due largely to its vasoconstrictive properties. Essentially, it rotted organs by depriving them of blood. This includes the brain. I asked whether this was due to the cut rather than to white itself. She said that cuts are certainly dangerous, but that pure white itself only increases these dangers. Even one use could potentially be destructive and retarding. I don't know that I'd buy that, given that according to most evidence severe damage to internal organs only comes from regular, long-term usage and, aside from the nasal septum from snorting cocaine, injecting cocaine. Anyway, amphetamines are relatively harmless except when used with long-term regularity where they tend to produce psychosis and all other sorts of bad mental disorders. Finally, I asked about St. John's Wort and was relieved to find out that with the exception of some dietary requirements, and even this is altogether uncertain and more precautionary given certain similarities to antidepressant drugs with those dietary restrictions, it has no real deleterious effects. In short, she said that anything that messes up your mind is bad for you. But what else could she say in her capacity as a practitioner lest she become the victim of pitiless oppression. I've just been reading about GHB, a drug that like mushrooms seems to have no real side effects or body counts. I stand by my claim to her that most problems come from crime and and impurities, both of which spring naturally from the font of prohibition.

Sailing Religiously

2005-07-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is a truly fascinating site about the possible origins of Greek temples that entirely contradicts conventional wisdom. Read the pdf plan of the book at the bottom.

Ramblings on Hypocrisy

2005-07-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am a pusher of perfectly legal, incredibly deadly drugs. To those struggling to slip the bonds of an addiction stronger than heroin's, I have several times offered tempatation via the fruit of an all-satisfying fix in the form of a simple, legally regulated pack of cigarettes. In Kanye's words, "drug dealin' just to get by."

The Tangled Webs

2005-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

What a crazy world we live in...

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, and her coat was white as snow... or some such rambling.

This might substantially change American history. To know that Mongloid Americans were in fact in America at such an early date invalidates all facets of prevailing theory.

The delightful, beloved kitty Burgy still lives, much to my delight and indescribable joy.

Along similar lines of thought, I have recently ordered Joy Pills in order to treat what I, in my amateur opinion, consider to be mild to moderate depression that has afflicted me for several years now (and for treatment of which I have regularly sought a state of drunken oblivion for many months).

Kitty Desperation

2005-07-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

Poor Burundy now survives only via water injected into her mouth thorugh a syringe. She refuses to eat or even swallow liquified catfood. At least she will swallow water.

A mere life for Burgundy

2005-07-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

My poor cat Burgundy seems on the verge of death. A wonderful calico cat, she has always been friendlier than any dog. She receives her name from my dad's favorite wine, her name being a condition of her initial acceptance. Over the last few years, however, her condition has deteriorated significantly. Already growing more slender from her always tiny size, she is now literally skin and bones. Her vision seems to be mostly gone, and her hearing is far off. In the last few days, she has started to stagger and stumble occasionally while walking. She is so senile now that she approaches and sniffs the dog without even realizing her danger. She is always moving about, restlessly following people around. The other animals leave her alone, so vulnerable that one would think they would jump at the chance to take out a competitor. But this avoidance might lend credence to my dad's belief that other animals stay clear of a death-bound beast seeking a quiet place to die (it was too early to argue so I didn't mention hyenas, cheetahs, etc. of the omnitheatre videos on the African savannah from my childhood visits to the science museum). The poor wretched kitty now has even stopped drinking and eating. She hasn't touched her food for days and now she appears too debilitated to even lap up water. Maybe dehydration has been making her crazy, but she has lost in the last week or so whatever of a mind she once had. She takes no pleasure in being pet or scratched around the ears or throat. Once a cat who had never meowed, now she utters a high-pitched pitiful cry that I best describe as a soprano's voice cracking even higher. My only lament upon the inevitable is that I have in the last few years so sorely neglected her. If anything could make me believe in an afterlife, in a supernatural, in a perfect and supreme God, it would be Burgundy and Bastiat.

Terror

2005-07-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. -Dr Evil

I read this quote and was utterly terrified. It was humorous up until the part of accusing chestnuts of being lazy, at which point I thought of those poor rocks enslaved on my plantation.

Musings at work

2005-06-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

A life of seemingly intolerable tedium, tedium vitae in the truest sense. Faced with these prospects, how could there be any marvel that Marlboro should despair of it, his very humanity.

***********************************************************

An endless, morose tomorrow in wait. Eyes drooping quite literally weary of the world. The long-accumulated yet illusory aedifice of delusions as to life's positive meaning per se tracelessly eradicated by brilliant moments of unnatural, superhuman clarity, every vestige of all things prior now meaningless and disregarded of all consequence.

The end

2005-06-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly the pleasant superficialities of one's life can come to an abrupt end: quite possibly my life may suffer a complete reversal.

Godhood.

2005-06-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am like unto a god in my brilliance, my sheer divinity. I am man, homo sapiens, Robert Loudon. I could best Hercules in wrestling, Dionysus in drinking, and Apollo in eloquence itself. I will wrest the very thunderbolt from Zeus. Juppiter Loudon Optimus Maximus Omnipotens Magniloquens Victor Scotius Americanus Liberalis Splendidus sum eritque semper qui amet quiddam magnum plus quam quidquid alius naturae.

What happened?!

2005-06-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Although I didn't black out, I consumed a rather immodest amount of liquor last night. I went to a tobacconist and bought hookah supplies, nakhla and coals, as well as some cheroots. I also went to Costco but didn't spend anything. I started the night with about sixty dollars but now when I look into my wallet I find a meager seventeen dollars.

Human Action

2005-06-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

What could almost certainly have been expected, namely that a disparate style would be encountered, I have found as a matter of course. Ludwig von Mises' style in Human Action is substantially different from von Hayek's. Von Mises is very slow to advance, covering all his bases in minute detail, whereas von Hayek delves straight into the heart of the matter, advancing at a comparatively reckless pace and dealing with crticisms afterwards. I find that I prefer von Hayek's style since I can enjoy the meat of his arguments without first having to endure seemingly endless quibblings and qualifications, necessary though they be. As a matter of taste, I wish that von Mises had rather employed von Hayek to enscribe his ideas.

After a fashion

2005-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Coming just now of reading Dave Frank's most recent post, I too feel inclined to share the books that occupy a considerable portion of my intellectual inquiry, and in certain cases simply inquiry.
I am currently reading several books: Human Action by von Mises, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson, Teach Yourself Ancient Greek by Gavin Betts and Alan Henry, and The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott.

Sweet release...

2005-06-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

After almost 48 hours without drinking, this horrific ordeal has lately, by a few minutes, come to an end, and the sweet nectar of tequila now soothes my anxious, over-weary nerves. In fact, yesterday I didn't smoke a single cigarette either. My god, the humanity. Needless to say, I bought a carton today.

Crazy coincidence, recurrent and auspicious

2005-06-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

The last three days I've incessantly come accross the number 420. Just now, I checked my Yahoo mail and found 420 new messages. At work, thirty or more transactions were for $4.20. Some credit cards charged $42.00. The final safe drop I made today was for $420. I'm going crazy.

Fiat power, again; crazy dreams that hound me

2005-06-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

After a sudden torrential rain storm, in the course of whose onset I was forced to extinguish my last hookah coal while trapped in the pool house with my dog and laptop computer, a select group of about five houses, my own included, lost power. This is the second time this year that we've lost power, and I'm only perturbed because it happened on my day off.

Anyway, saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith. My first visceral reaction was ecstasy at the slaughter and sex, which ecstasy was enhanced by virtue of a rather immodest quantity of alcohol. More cerebrally, I was somewhat astounded at the grotesque admixture of genres and its seemingly sado-masochistic implications. I enjoyed the film, but my outlook on films treats them more as spectacle than as art.

Granted that I have been drinking a wee bit, in general, not at the moment since I have work in half an hour, a certain dream has been plaguing my sleep for the last week: I wake feeling a few teeth loose in my mouth, and at my touch three or four fall out of their socket onto my tongue; then I gently examine the rest of my teeth and find them to wiggle at the slightest touch; as I examine my mouth in the bathroom mirror, more teeth fall out; by the time I reach work, I have lost nearly all my teeth so that I can scarcely speak intelligibly.

The German war machine gears up again?

2005-06-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

The German war on capitalism.

Also, although I am unsure whether the Second World War was necessary in both occurrence and scale, it surely was not a noble crusade.

Further, we have the case of complicit censorship by American companies with the Chinese government in China. This is something of a moral dilemma: would I make a profit no matter the consequences for others' liberty or would I take a stand for liberty though it be to my own detriment. Perhaps there is no dilemma for the mere presence of some freedoms could prove the catalyst for further liberalization, while I simultaneously would profit myself.

Gin on an empty stomach

2005-06-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Much to my brother's chagrin, yes, I do love the taste of gin. To me, it tastes like soda-pop. Anyway, without having eaten for twenty-four hours, I take delight in the excruciating burning now suffusing my stomach. Gin and orange juice. My half-gallon is rather more depleted than I had thought it would prove in the morning. A wee bit more diminution. Life is good.

Love of Money

2005-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone who really loves money as an end, seriously? It brings status to be sure, but money is still merely the means in that case. I can only say that I appreciate money for the ability it affords me to satisy certain costly appetites of mine (more precisely, the ability it just has). Not Q, but O. I am an O, and O-ness characterizes the focus of my recent thoughts. White cake is the most delicious.

Shocking if true...

2005-06-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Natural cures for depression, in testing which cures I'm consigned to some long nights.

Drugs and Latin

2005-06-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Read about in Latin the origins of drug names (at the bottom; with the "hashish," I have reason to doubt some of the stated effects):

De nominibus substantiarum psychotropicarum.

De substantiis psychotropicis quamquam parum scio, "coca" puto ex vocabulo quodam Indico esse ductum; fortasse ergo sic, uti stat, erit adhibendum (vocabulum dico, non substantiam).

"Hashish" autem vocabulum est Arabicum; planta quae substantiam psychotropicam gignit, ni fallor, a rerum botanicarum peritis vocatur "Cannabis sativa L." (ergo brevius: "cannabis"); "voluptates" quae ex hac substantia oriuntur sunt maxime variae: mentis evagatio, fauces aridae et in glutiendo labores (dysphagia), oculorum aciei confusio, vomitus, musculorum inconstantia, et inde: ambulandi labor, loquendi difficultas (dysarthria).

Scripsit Volfgangus Jenniges.

In Cuius Potestate?

2005-06-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Malleable

Minerva Victrixne?

2005-06-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Just finished Dr. Murphy's Minerva and I have to say that it's well worth the read. The novel has a drastic flow that moves the reader with depth and breadth of topics and with a quite dynamic plot. The only major beef I had, and this is really rather trivial upon reflection, is with the factual error where, in part II, Macao is said to be a city in Portugal, which city in fact is a Portugese city adjacent to China, a relic of a rather more obscure and distant colonial past. It only proved so glaring due to my interest in Chinese history.

Fear etc.

2005-06-13T20:15:00.001-07:00

I just saw the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Frankly, I was disgusted and fascinated at the same time. It explains so much clarity on the personalities heretofore baffling to me of certain people whose acquaintance I have had the pleasure of making. I always had the vague, unformulated idea but could never put my finger on exactly what it was, not that I ever gave the matter any more than passing thought. Now, I feel like I have greater insight into the motivations of a great many who occasionally dabble in such things: a common desire to relentlessly increase the breadth of their experiences, largely in disregard of prevailing standards and occasionally in conscious knowledge of detriment to health.

A Terrible Truth

2005-06-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Apud vatem Catullum.
(64.338-52)

nascetur uobis expers terroris Achilles,
hostibus haud tergo, sed forti pectore notus,
qui persaepe uago uictor certamine cursus
flammea praeuertet celeris uestigia ceruae.
currite ducentes subtegmina, currite, fusi.
non illi quisquam bello se conferet heros,
cum Phrygii Teucro manabunt sanguine
Troicaque obsidens longinquo moenia bello,
periuri Pelopis uastabit tertius heres.
currite ducentes subtegmina, currite, fusi.
illius egregias uirtutes claraque facta
saepe fatebuntur gnatorum in funere matres,
cum incultum cano soluent a uertice crinem,
putridaque infirmis uariabunt pectora palmis.
currite ducentes subtegmina, currite, fusi.

For the uninitiated...

2005-06-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

Browsing while somewhat distant from my right mind, I've just discovered the novel Minerva by Dr. Murphy, and it so far reads like a contemporary Rand work. I really like it, the content is enthralling.

Do-gooders do bad

2005-06-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

In my own beloved Minnesota, insane policy at work, with dissimulation and immorality for all.

Terrifying

2005-06-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

The potential (and probable?) disaster from a flu pandemic.

Murphy on Bush's Social Security Plan

2005-06-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

The esteemed Dr. Murphy and the rest of the Mises Economic Blog on His plan.

"Remember that you are human"

2005-06-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

For those who have suffered the indignity of witnessing the perennial degradation of Constitutional principles in America, here is a vague, partially inaccurate but still properly cautionary comparison of America's metamorphosis to the Roman Revolution, i.e. the transformative process where absolutism came to replace both practical and, in many cases, nominal republican forms of government. The relevant piece is "The Scourge of Militarism: Rome and America" by Chalmers Johnson and is located about two pages down.

C&C, Caramel and ... Cocaine? Nose Candy is Candy?

2005-06-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Somewhat dated, this article entered my awareness only recently. As if cultural deja vu, cocaine will be a consumer product additive, in Cocamel candy for relaxation.

A very interesting perspective on the ancient Greeks

2005-06-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

There are two sides to every story, even one as obscure and subjectified as Greek culture. The relevant post is The Ancient Greeks with something from H.L. Mencken, from a review of volume V of The Cambridge Ancient History in the American Mercury (October 1927).

CR's Beware

2005-06-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

As an emerging power, India is yet another threat to be eradicated by means of war as soon as possible, delenda est.

Coked-out Bugs?!

2005-06-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

As if to illustrate the bankruptcy of the drug war, those rabid apparatchiks busily stoking the furnace of hatred with junk science, wild schemes, and lies have now fully abandoned even the semblance of reason to pursue their own pipe dream, enlisting insects as drug warriors.

From national review's corner, of all places.

Death of Jesus

2005-06-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

How did Jesus die? This post offers some elucidation.

Fiat Power...

2005-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

After exceptionally severe storms and the subsequent power outage, my house finally has power again, from late Tuesday to about 2:30 Thursday.

vosdka

2005-06-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

o doit asimer vodka comme les filsx oismeme

Monetyt!!!!

2005-06-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

I ove money, itxs mfuckin greta!! U can fuckin buy shit zna dodo shit. Hellty eyweA .Im makin me som e monety rigtchesht now i.

Another victim, another night, but always drugs...

2005-06-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Latest victim of irrational injustice: Ontario Smith, Minnesota Vikings runningback. I was watching the television news, and found that he had failed his third NFl "strike" of the season and was therefore to be suspended for a season without pay. Even worse than the punitive outrages were the self-righteous condemnations from teammates and reporters. You fuckin pricks, go to hell. I'd say worse, but modesty constrains me. For mr. Smith, at least you have a comfortable financial cushion to fall back on. If these buggers want to get rid of you for a harmless lifestyle choice, let the Vikings loose and the whole godrotting NFL get incinerated on Ontario Smith's smoking roach.

Dr. Octagonecologyst

2005-06-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Dr. Octagonecologyst is frickin sweet. Trevor, happy birthday, turned me on to the man, and his music is a like Deltron's, sophisticated sci-fi rap.

Knowledge Bears Evil

2005-06-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Due to somewhat simpler and since-rejected concepts in the etymologies of certain words, the more despicable among us will willfully exploit incongruities, (also see the exploitation of Adam Smith later on):

It's worth paying attention to the origin of words. Economics hasn't always been about the accumulation of wealth or the management of the stock market. The word economics derives from the Greek word oikodome, meaning household. In the ancient world, economics was about the ways in which a household was shaped and managed, and how it contributed to the good of the community in which it participated. Today, the needy of our global village outnumber those who have their needs met. We may think of this as important or sad, but we forget that it's also economics.

I remember reading in one of Hayek's books, The Fatal Conceit I think, that he suggests a change of terminology from "economics" to "catallactics" in order that modern thought on the subject be better reflected in the etymological meaning of the subject's name.

Inanity

2005-06-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

I despise the worthlessness of political correctness, especially when it attacks basic English. In this case, human (humanus, homo) is merely derived form the Latin equivalent to the general sense of man as meaning mankind, like the Greek anthropos.

McCarthyism at Berkely

2005-06-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

An account that really makes Hillsdale seem like a great place.

Stench and Progress

2005-06-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Whatever reactionaries, radical environmentalists, or whoever might say to criticize the advancement of modern society, the sphere of hygiene should certainly be exempted. This relatively newfound habit is definitely an advancement and, let's hope, not a fad. Whatever the merits of classical western civilization, The Stench of Ancient Cities must be omitted.

Degenerate Scotland

2005-06-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

No wonder since they're comparatively malnourished.

Demotivators

2005-06-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

These posters are pretty funny, good snide humor. I especially love elitism.

Smoke

2005-06-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

One of my earliest, most frequent, and most consistently pleasing memories is of the beautiful nebulae of cigarette smoke that inundated my mom's presence. I still love just to watch smoke. It has to be the most elegant substance in everyday reach. Not to say that I don't enjoy the nicotine, but that's really secondary when it comes to smoking.

"I like to think of fire held in a man’s hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come from such hours. When a man thinks, there is a spot of fire alive in his mind—and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression.” –Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged

Addicted to Thinking

2005-06-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

That's definitely me. I read this post and instantly identified myself as an addict. I find it true, certainly not a novel thought as curiositas was considered sinful once. Compulsive thinking is often repetitive and truly joyless.

Also, interesting posts on George W. and Jesus and those despised motivational posters.

Minnesota Burning

2005-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those unfamiliar with the great state of Minnesota, aka Minnetopia and the People's Republic of Minnesota, it has a rather large scandinavian heritage and (therefore?) a lengthy tradition of socialism. Even now, in the city of Duluth, self-proclaimed socialist candidates are regularly elected (there are quite a bit of Finns up there though, so no surprise). Anyway, the state has recently been undergoing a noticeable change towards fiscal conservativism especially with the governorship of Tim Pawlenty, certainly not perfect but infinitely better than far too many of his predecessors. Even the Pioneer Press/ Pravda, one of the two major Twin Cities' newspapers, has started to reflect the change (The Star Tribune/ Red Star/ Star and Sickle is beyond hope). I almost choked on my coffee when I read the opinion page, of all places, and found an article from Jacob Sullum of Reason, "I have a beef with compulsory food ads." Also, in addition to the run of the mill leftist hack pieces, I found one that had the honesty to admit, albeit in the antepenultimate paragraph, that Medicare may not be perfect in all respects except for deficient funding.

Wagner and the Rings

2005-06-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, I listened to the Solti recording of Das Rheingold and was astonished at the magnificence and sublimity of song and music. The only regret I now have after listening is that I'll never be able to hear such perfection of musc in person as most of the participants are now deceased. Still, I'm hopeful that some perofrmance at which I might have the honor of presenting will surpass.

Smokin' Like a Nazi

2005-06-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

How could I ever have smoked in that barbaric American way? What kind of animal can be reduced to such brutality? The superiority of the perpendicular, vertical fingers struck me on a sudden, after having woken up with a mind-rending headache. Pound a cup of coffee, a ton of snuff, and a clove in quick succession, and you've got yourself a nice little morning boost. Also, I realize that the time dating of my posts is on pacific time, which should be central standard instead. Oh well, here's to being in california right now, chillin' in San Diego with my sister.

Playin 'Ball

2005-06-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

I love playin B-ball. I love the grounder. I love the homerun from a good crack of the bat. I love the medial mound. I love the smoother cracks of the bat, but to a lesser degree. I love the delectable variety of sports drinks with which to refresh.

Oxyrhynchus What?

2005-06-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

On a personal note, this revelation injects new life into my deliberation on potential careers to pursue, greedy capitalist or academic classicist. The prospect of endless and inconclusive toil over minute fragments and scraps of literature always portended a rather less than enjoyable future in classics, but now the promise of new texts to study makes the field a bit more tantalizing. Of course, a great deal of the previous classical corpus was practically virgin forest, but the newfound legibility of these texts is invigorating. Nonetheless, I still have the expectation and desire for vast sums of money for various reasons and purposes.

This Man Is Brilliant!

2005-06-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I just read A modest proposal to lawyers, journalists, and drug dealers from 5/27/05, and I feel qualified to proclaim this man as a hero of the people and absolutely brilliant and ingenious as well.

Coffee Con Carne

2005-06-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Given certain mild properties of nutmeg, as well as the fact that it's delicious, I recently experimented with it in some coffee. A spoonful or so of nutmeg in the grounds, brew, and you have coffee with a nice little sensory twist. The auditroy sense especially gains a certain something. I'd reccomend anyone try it once in your morning coffee.

JP's Favorite Latin Phrase

2005-06-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Sic transit gloria. If not already persuaded, ask yourself about Lord Kitchener, what comes to mind? Do you think about the hero of the Nile, the man who subdued the Dervishes and liberated Sudan, the man who was an international icon for the British empire and a personal hero for contemporary Britons? Or, if you even recognize the name as signifying anything beyond a WWI datum, do you think of the Uncle Sam prototypical recruitment posters? Maybe you are familiar with the institution under his command in South Africa of the first concentration camps? In Memoriam of a great man, in terms of magnitude of influence there can be a consensus, I offer an article on his death in the North of Scotland, which proved a horrendous blow to the British people of the time.

For simple biographical information, see here.

Perfect Beauty

2005-06-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

I must proclaim my faith in the belief that Another Night by the Real McCoy is a perfect song. In the depths of a bout of drunken despair, a single note from this masterpiece and instantly I felt revived into the ranks of the blessed and rejoiced in my life. It holds the meaning and consequent subjective beauty of life. The essential dichotomy of good and evil united within one entity forms the compelling basis of the song. I hear the angelic voice of heaven and the seductive song of satan in alternation. Yet, life is wonderful nonetheless. They both form a single chorus, the form of which is our lives. Yet, as when I read Crime and Punishment, my thoughts are that good and evil is simply a biased formulation of primitive of and civilized. The morality of primitive human organization is inherently different from the morality necessary for civilized organization. Likewise, the two moralities are irreconcilable. But, man is naturally predisposed towards the primitive as more suited to his instinct, but the civilized prevails as a competitive advantage. Thus, men practice civilized morality simultaneously despising it and yearning for the bygone primitive morality so emotionally satisfying. Hence, the song Another Night actually portrays the schism tormenting the civilized man.

The End of the Beginning?

2005-06-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

jordan just scared the shit out of me with this news. I despise the totalitarianism of the world, but I'm equally as terrified. The virtual world held the promise of renewed liberty, but no longer.

Work and Politics

2005-06-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Much as I shudder at the repulsive and shameful admission, it must be allowed that doing physical labor tends to magnify my neocon instincts. I can reject it rationally, but my emotional intuitions cannot be denied. God forgive me.

Pure Evil

2005-06-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

The English language has a vibrant history that renders it rich and expressive. One legacy of its dynamic history, though, is a quirky system of spelling that only bolsters the language's character. As always, however, the forces of evil will not rest, and so we have the Simplified Spelling Society, only one "s" away from SS. It started with the subjunctive... but, tragic as it is, that at least was not coerced. Let us hope that the government doesn't step in. If the bastion of free expression that is the English language should fall, God keep my native and oh so glorious tongue, I resolve never to read, write, or speak it ever again.

Hips and Longevity

2005-06-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4606011.stm

Sodomy Causing Conflict

2005-06-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

From Herodotus, we have an account of how Peisistratus was deposed for disgracing Megacles' daughter by only practicing sodomy with her (1.61).

A summary:

Pisistratus marries Megacles' daughter, but fears to have children because of the curse on the Alcmaeonids (Megacles' ancestors) and so practices birth control by continually sodomizing Megacles' daughter. The angry Megacles forces Pisitratus into exile in Macedonia, where he spends ten years amassing an army with his sons Hippias and Hipparchus (61). -http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/Hum110/Hdt/Hdt1.html

The problem is discerning the respective influences of nature and culture in shaping human character, a question that has not been resolved.

Milton Friedman In Favor of Legalization?

2005-06-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

For practical policy reasons, but that's a start at least. "I've long been in favor of legalizing all drugs," he says, but not because of the standard libertarian arguments for unrestricted personal freedom. "Look at the factual consequences: The harm done and the corruption created by these laws...the costs are one of the lesser evils." The rest

Murderous Regime, Victims, and POW's

2005-06-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Iran, China, Zimbabwe, or any place else than the United States. The prohibition called the drug war has countless victims who have suffered to varying degrees as a result of government ignorance, arrogance, and ruthless brutality. For all those of a sympathetic bent, I too offer my condolences to the victims. For the dead, requiescant in pace, because you sure as hell had no peace in life in the face of government tyranny. For the POW's rotting in unjust incarceration, you will have freedom.

How Chinese is Chinese History

2005-06-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Despite the nationalistic propganda of millennia of Chinese statism, there may well have been significant Western influence on China from an early date. Also, there's an interesting story about Roman heritage in a certain, obscure Chinese village. Here are some other sites dealing with European influence in China: http://www.geocities.com/solarguard/pagan/mummies.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/chinamum/
Strange mummies found in Urumchi http://mmac.homestead.com/history.html

Were the Samurai Japanese?

2005-06-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

It seems that the samurai class of Japan may not have been of the same race as ordinary Japanese. Also, here's a wacky hypothesis on the relationship between the Basque and the Ainu, related to the above and the theory from the previous post.

Language Conspiracy Theory

2005-06-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Given my fascination with language, I continue to find the articles on this site absolutely delightful to read. It essentially asserts that all modern languages are deliberate fabrications by a conspiratorial body to pretty much keep us down. In fact, there was a primordial people speaking a language akin to the Basques', but they dispersed. There are innumerably more interesting tidbits to tantalize the curious mind.

Crack Poetry

2005-06-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

A terribly depressing poem about crack. Breaks my heart that hedonism can be so damaging to the very person who enjoys pleasure, resulting often in anhedonia.

Alan Greenspan Scum?

2005-06-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

I must confess a practical ignorance of our esteemed Federal Reserve Chairman. This account is somewhat dim, but I as yet do not know the author's credibility.

Ongoing Progress in Neuroscience

2005-06-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Even if it is fairly well known already, I still think this research is exciting. I love epistemology, and sexual differences in the brain are shaping up to be quite clarifying. It's not necessarily a nature vesrus nurture dichotomy. Nature itself is not a monolithic factor, it consists of several distinct influences. While the exact combintion is yet unknown, it seems likely to prove not to be dichotomous at all.

Dave Frank's Overly Curious Mind

2005-06-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Monsieur le Frank presents himself on occasion to be an ethical analyst of my morality, or some such thing. Well, sorry Dave, but I consider myself henceforth to be your psychoanalyst, and your mind is extremely labrynthine. Whatever could have prompted such a tangent, I have no idea.

Family Tree

2005-06-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the family tree for the Tantalids. Not so difficult after all.

Promise of Interest

2005-06-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

After recently exploring the Hillsdale Liberals' page, I find my hand repeatedly striking my forehead for it turns out that I skipped most every class of one of the most "mindnumbingly sweetass" professors at Hillsdale, Dr. Robert Murphy. The fact that I was skipping an intro class is some consolation. The Liberals' page has a link to Murphy's personal page. When I read through some of his articles, I realized that this man is brilliant and something of a polymath as he deals with a whole host of issues aside from economics merely, which phrase of course ne veut pas dire that economics is an isolated subject. Though somewhat vague in its description, his book Chaos Theory promises to be a great read.

House of Pelops

2005-06-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Most fail to realize the extent to which the Greek myths are interconnected, albeit incoherently and contradictorily at times. For example, when in the first semester of freshman English while studying the Odyssey I brought up the relation of Tantalus to the Atreids, i.e. Agamemnon and Menelaus, my professor was unaware and therefore squashed my line of inquiry. Well, I think it's necessary to recognize the rich network that unifies Greek mythology and thereby renders it so compelling. Hence, and read the whole page, http://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/pelops.html#Atreus
p.s. If I could figure out how to work this dang blog and upload a pdf, I'd show the family tree.

Lord Curzon as Prototype of Neocon Aristocrats Prenatally Groomed For Rulership

2005-06-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

I read a snippet of biographical info on this Lord Curzon here http://www.world-war-1.info/figures/lord-curzon.php
Draw your own conclusions.

Chinese and Communist?!

2005-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

For that select niche of sophistication which cultivates any and everything not its own, I, a not infrequent member of said group for reasons only surmised by myself in moments of true ecstasy, provide a font of Chinese communist music. I must admit a morbid fascination with most things communist, especially regalia and propaganda. Also, the same admission must be made, although without quite the same degree of morbidity, of my insatiable interest in Chinese culture. The language itself is delightfully captivating, its structure and philosophical implications truly mesmerizing. Anyway, one of the reknowned anthems is fourth from the top, in the second bracket down, mei you gong chan dang jiu mei you xin zhong guo 没有共产党就没有新中国, which of course means without the Chinese communist party there would be no new China. http://www.musictea.com/musicsp/pop/jundang/junge.htm

Illegal Crime

2005-06-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

Although several months old, this article still terrifies me, a lover of SoCal: http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_illegal_alien.html
The government itself is eagerly crippling its own ability to enforce the most useful and necessary laws against those who are ex officio criminal in the first place. Maybe it neglects all of their crime because they aren't paying enough taxes to enjoy the dubitable privileges of the police state now afflicting the rest, which police state might actually turn itself to at least some benefit in this case. I'm disgusted with this suicidal mentality. Too many Americans seemingly esteem themselves for self-despisal.