DDickey
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Posts posted by DDickey
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As Asclepiades rightly pointed out above, Jesus did not distinguish himself or his ministry from Judaism. He was a Jewish Rabbi, nothing more, nothing less. (And, I might add, not a successful one. His ministry, which lasted two years, was a failure; even his family and entire hometown disowned him or ridiculed him. This is, of course, assuming the gospels to be more or less true, which we will for the sake of argument.) Jesus even criticized people for not following Moses
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America. Indiana.
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BTW his wife is now out of the campaign, so we should let her alone. And his two little girls; he displayed them as JFK displayed Caroline John-John, and it seems a little of the same image. He later, expressed regrets for having done that, but didn't explain just why.
Faustus
First Ladies travel the world in a capacity in which, often times, they represent America, usually in nothing more than a goodwill capacity. As such, I think a candidate
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I don't think you quite got my comment in response to FVC's statement regarding the "problem" with "the average American". My comment was not to imply or agree that Americans (or members of any other nationality) are dumb -- or even "smarter than most people assume."
When speaking of the average whatever, one should bear in mind that the word "average" implies the peak of the Bell Curve. There's a pretty good chance that there are going to be an equal number of dumb and smart folks on either side of "average". That was the gist of the comment.
As for Borat... The popularity of the Borat movie is by no means proof that every person who went to see it, and laughed their asses off at the hilariously crude physical humor in the movie, also recognized the irony in the movie.
As for your assertion that "it's the liberals and the democrats who are pissed off over the [New Yorker] cover"... Note that the New Yorker article states: "The response from both Democrats and Republicans was explosive."
In fact here's one apparent "liberal and democrat" who was most definitely not "pissed off" by the New Yorker cover: Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman. You can listen to an interesting NPR interview ("But both Obama and rival John McCain said they found it offensive.") with Mr. Spiegelman here: "Art Spiegelman Defends 'New Yorker' Obama Cover". Click on the "Listen Now" at the NPR site.
-- Nephele
My apologies. To be honest I only skimmed the thread, and, reading your post, I jumped to conclusions. It just iritates me to no end to hear people condemn Americans and dismiss them as morons, which was why I responded the way I did. Again, I apologize. I do, however, have another gripe, which I will take up ... now.
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Problem is that the average American won't see the satire. Believe it or not, a notable percentage of Americans believe he is a Muslim(and it's not just the Republicans ).
It's not just "the average American" who often fails to grasp satire.
Regardless of where you live, think of one person you know whom you would describe as being "of average intelligence." Then realize that 50% of everyone else is dumber than that.
-- Nephele
I completely disagree. Americans are a lot smarter than most people assume. People do get satire; the issue with the New Yorker cover was that it was designed to provoke and infuriate. Every issue regarding the magazine cover strikes me as ridiculous and overblown--it is, after all, a magazine cover; and a funny one at that--but to suggest that people 'don't get it' is too condescending, I think. Remember, Fox executives thought Borat was too sophisticated for average Americans, and so they only released it in 800 theaters. It went on to own the weekend, and make over 150 million dollars.
The furor over the New Yorker cover is strictly political, nothing more, nothing less. To say that people aren't sophisticated enough is off-target, I think. After all, it's the liberals and the democrats who are pissed off over the cover, and they constantly ridicule the right and conservatives, whom they portray as Nascar-loving troglodytes. Now that the tables have been turned, and fingers are pointed back at them, their natural inclination is to blow up and to not take kindly to something of this nature
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And Obama sold out.
Obama didn't sell out. He's finally showing his true colors. Despite popular opinion, and the thread of his official narrator, he is an old-fashioned politician playing old-fashioned politics. He's running as the Anti-Bush, anti-Republican, and that is it. His official narrative sells the idea that he's different and unique, but he's not. Every thing he has done so far is by-the-book.
This obsessive cult of personality surrounding him worries me. No one should be given serious consideration for the highest elected office in this country based soley on popularity. Who is the man? What does he believe? What does he stand for? Do you know? Does anyone know? Does he know?
I have a question I ask Obama followers, and it's one that hasn't elicited a response: Can you say one positive thing and Barack Obama, as a politician, that in no way, shape, or form references George Bush or the Republicans?
Ask someone that. They'll struggle to give you a response.
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Is this coming to America? I couldn't find it on Amazon's US page.
Thanks for the enquiry!
I've asked the publishers about this, but am still awaiting a reply. When it comes, i'll let you know.
In the meantime, I found this: Belisarius US?. Is that what you were looking for?
Cheers!
Cool. Thanks a lot. I'm definitely interested in it.
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Well spotted, Aesclepiades. I am a voracious Radio 4 listener, but I overlooked this one!
What program does one need to listen to this?
Log onto the link given in Aesclepiades' third post on this thread. Then click on 'Listen Live'. Once the next window comes up, scroll down the list of programmes and click on 'In Our Time'. That should do it - If you have not already got it, you may need 'quicktime for windows' to run this.
Thank you! But while I was at work, I found it on iTunes and downloaded it there.
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Well spotted, Aesclepiades. I am a voracious Radio 4 listener, but I overlooked this one!
What program does one need to listen to this?
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Hello everyone,
just thought I should point out that the new tome on Belisarius is finally available to pre-order on Amazon:
I'm expecting everyone to buy a copy, and those who don't will get a visit from the Spanish Inquisition!!
(Unless they've got a note from their mum!! 
)Is this coming to America? I couldn't find it on Amazon's US page.
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Could it have been that they had in the recent past come from there, and during the census returned so as to give the home town proper credit for reasons unknown to us now? I agree, it would seem that people should stay put during a proper census, at least by our own modern concept of a census, however other "political" motivations may have entered into the situation:
But it doesn
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I'm interested in reading about Justinian and I was wondering if anyone could help me in naming our primary sources on him. Thanks.
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I'm sure there were many groups in the classical world that would fit in that definition, but I think the Cilician pirates weren't one of them. As far as I know, they were just a bunch of sea bandits looking for easy money.
Well, to an extent, I suppose, that's true. But Plutarch says many men saw piracy as a legitimate enterprise through which they could fulfill their ambitions.
And presently men whose wealth gave them power, and those whose lineage was illustrious, and those who laid claim to superior intelligence, began to embark on piratical craft and share their enterprises, feeling that the occupation brought them a certain reputation and distinction. (Pompey 24.2)As for comparisons to modern groups, I would hesitate in drawing such lines between the present and the past.
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I'm finishing Nero by Michael Grant and The Roman Art of War Under the Republic by F.E. Adcock. When I finish those I plan on attacking Gaius Marius: A Political Biography by Richard J. Evans, a book I've long wanted to read; I just got my hands of it for fairly cheap and I'm eager to read it.
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Airlifting the Bin Laden family out of America hours after 911 must be up there too.
Sorry to veer off course, here, but that is a myth.
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My interest in Rome is largely in the Republican era, but I have long been interested in Nero. However, it seems to me that he is largely misrepresented. Granted, his reign was colorful and sometimes appalling, but what interests me is how well he seemed to govern the Empire for the most part. Equally interesting is his disdain for violent death--its seems the only time he killed was when he feared for himself in someway. It just seems to me that he was a much more complex person than is given credit.
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They're all gone.
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I have just read 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. I am about to start on the petulantly named and significantly thinner 'The Dawkins Delusion'.
Have fun with that. His logic is ... interesting. I don't think it's a strong criticism of Dawkins.
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ROME - First-century burial grounds near Rome's main airport are yielding a rare look into how ancient longshoremen and other manual workers did backbreaking jobs, archaeologists said Monday.
The necropolis near the town of Ponte Galeria came to light last year when customs police noticed a clandestine dig by grave robbers seeking valuable ancient artifacts, Rome's archaeology office said.
Most of the 300 skeletons unearthed were male, and many of them showed signs of years of heavy work: joint and tendon inflammation, compressed vertebrae, hernias and spinal problems, archaeologists said. Sandy sediment helped preserve the remains well.
Judging by the condition of the skeletons, archaeologists concluded that the men likely carried loads on their backs at a nearby port during the early years of Imperial Rome, said Gabriella Gatto, a spokeswoman for the archaeology office.
Many ailments "seem to hark back to work as laborers, in transport and carrying of heavy loads, in an especially humid environment, circumstances that makes one think of the burial of individuals who worked in port areas of the city," the office said in a statement.
Finding a necropolis near ancient Rome is not rare, but most of them have been the burial grounds of the privileged classes. So the Ponte Galeria find is enlightening experts how the ancient lower class lived.
Also excavated was a skeleton of a man whose lower jaw was fused to his upper jaw.
Study indicated "how for all of his life this individual was fed, likely through the care of his family" with liquids or semisolids "introduced through a hole made through his teeth," the archaeology statement said.
The man lived into his 30s, a decent age at the time. Experts took that as evidence that the lower classes cared for the disabled.
Artifacts found in the necropolis were simple ones, including lanterns to guide the dead to their next life, Gatto said. One ceramic-and-glass lantern was decorated with a grape harvest scene.
The dig yielded a glimpse into a working-class community that was "humble and marked by strong ties and solidarity among its members," the statement said.
The necropolis was one of the most extensive ones to be excavated near Rome in recent years, archaeologists said.
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There are a couple books I'd like to buy, but I'm short on cash, so I was wondering if anyone's interested in buying Caesar Against Rome: The Great Roman Civil War by Ramon L. Jimenez. It retails for $86.95, but I'm willing to sell it for $50.00. It's never been read and the dust jacket only is slightly dinged up on the bottom. PM me if anyone is interested.
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Is anyone familiar with the various books on the Roman Army produced by Osprey Publishing? I'm interested in a few, but they're costly. One book, running 48 pages, retails for 17.95. Are they worth it?
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I recently read The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans. It was a truly fantastic and fascinating account, and I seriously need to find the time to read book two. And I just finished Julius Caesar by Philip Freemen, a book I felt was extremely unsatisfying.
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Great book. I've read it twice now. It's a big monster of a book, and I keep it beside my computer for easy access. I do think it's a good introduction to the ancient world--from everything from Alexander the Great to Polytheism--but I've avoided deep considerations of the conclusions Ferguson drew. I'm actually surprised to see it reviewed here--it's one of those books I thought sufficiently obscure. Great pick! I'm eager to see what you review next.
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I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Caesar's Anti-Cato, It would be good to read in Caesars own words just how much he loathed Cato. I'm sure it would have been a witty and cutting verbal assault on one of his most ardent critics.
That's a good one. I hadn't thought of it. Kudos.
Christian origins: Pagan, Jewish and other
in Tartarus
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