|
||
Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support
Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Recent Entries
Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Jan. 28
WHEN in the course of human events things get really personal Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival EMT 1/28/23 Daily Tech News 28 January 2023 I'd Buy That ONT For A Dollar! Twilling Zone Tango Cafe What Have You Done to Affirm the Identity of a Transpecies Alien Today? How New York Stopped Fearing the Urban Doom Loop and Learned to Love It The Pfizer Director Who Admitted His Company Is Mutating Viruses for Gain-of-Function Research Melts Down When James O'Keefe Enters the Scene to Interview Him Absent Friends
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022 Jesse in D.C. 2022 OregonMuse 2022 redc1c4 2021 Tami 2021 Chavez the Hugo 2020 Ibguy 2020 Rickl 2019 Joffen 2014 Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups
|
« EMT 09/30/18 |
Main
| The Gentle Art Of Economics; Otherwise Known As Blowing Smoke »
September 30, 2018
Sunday Morning Book Thread 09-30-2018![]()
CACKHANDED is a Britisn term meaning clumsy or awkward. Usage: "I'm sure a number of people actually *do* think that people who disagree with them politically are entitled to fewer rights and presumptions under the law and the norms of civic discourse, but it takes a particularly cackhanded politician to say it out loud on national TV." (h/t Jeff B.) ![]()
This came up last week, regarding the classic children's book Wind In the Willows: We first meet a mole whitewashing his burrow. Then we meet a succession of critters living above and below ground, all in the manner of the folk of the English countryside. They all have larders and enjoy good meals, and in their displays of personality the represent or mock different expressions of countrified Britons. This is an interesting question. We know that one of Tolkien's homies, C.S. Lewis, was a big fan of Wind in the Willows, which he wrote admiringly of, and this is obvious from his Narnia books. It is also known (according to All Hail Eris) that Tolkien did not like the Narnia books. So there's that bit of data, for whatever it's worth. The second bit of information is that I have heard (and unfortunately, I have no source to verify this) that Tolkien got his inspiration for hobbits from the military service he saw in WWI. Many of the soldiers he encountered were very much like hobbits, i.e. simple, unsophisticated men from rural counties with not a lot of experience of the world outside their little villages. According to John Garth, who wrote Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth, Tolkien was placed in the British military system where even though it ...enshrined old social boundaries, it also chipped away at the class divide by throwing men from all walks of life into a desperate situation together. Tolkien wrote that the experience taught him, "a deep sympathy and feeling for the Tommy; especially the plain soldier from the agricultural counties". He remained profoundly grateful for the lesson. For a long time, he had been imprisoned in a tower, not of pearl, but of ivory. Also, according to Garth, Tolkien: "felt an affinity for these working class men", but military protocol prohibited friendships with "other ranks". Instead, he was required to "take charge of them, discipline them, train them, and probably censor their letters ... If possible, he was supposed to inspire their love and loyalty." Tolkien later lamented, "The most improper job of any man ... is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity." Heh. I think you can see a lot of this in the 'Scouring of the Shire' chapter in Return of the King. And this makes me really like Tolkien. Unlike today's academics, he did not disdain the 'lower classes'. The soldiers in the trenches with him may not have had a high-falutin' education of the kind Tolkien had, but they were decent, honest men you could count on when the bullets started flying and the mortar shells came raining down. All Hail Eris' source she cited was this review of the book Bandersnatch: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings by Diana Glyer. C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the other members of the Inklings met each week to read and discuss each other’s work-in-progress, offering both encouragement and blistering critique. How did these conversations shape the books they were writing? How does creative collaboration enhance individual talent? And what can we learn from their example? The Kindle edition is $10.99.
18 I read The Russian Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hilliary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump by Gregg Jarrett. Jarrett does an excellent job of telling the detailed, step-by-step story of how they let Clinton slide while trying to do a bloodless coup on Trump. I knew almost all of the information before reading this book, but it was very helpful to read it all in such an organized manner. An excellent book. The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump discusses: --How did Hillary Clinton manage to escape prosecution despite compelling evidence she violated the law? $14.99 on Kindle. ___________
While traveling I finally finished A Distant Mirror and don't have much to add from my previous observations. Overall, it's pretty interesting but you could cut out maybe 10 percent of its length by excising Barbara Tuchman's inane editorializing. She's clearly anti-clerical, and is of the now-dated "if women only had a decent shot they'd should they are just as good as men" school of thought. Yeah, we human beings are historical creatures, so there's really no way for us to get outside of history to properly evaluate history - except in terms of our own history. I am reminded of this when I watch old episodes of Star Trek. The original series is set approximately 200 years in the future, yet I see the female crew members walking around in miniskirts and beehive hairdos and think, wow, it looks just like the mid-1960s. And then I catch an episode of ST:TNG and despite it being set 400 years from now, it looks just like the 1980s. It's very amusing. Oh, and there's always someone who is a "20th century-o-phile" and his or her living space is decorated with movie posters, toys, and other things we would easily recognize. If you have a spare $13.99, you can grab a copy of A Distant Mirror on Kindle. ___________
The future Mrs. Quincy, Jane Lowery I suddenly realized I hadn't yet pimped Muldoon's Limerick-A-Day site, so let me take a moment right now to pimp Muldoon's Limerick-A-Day site. It's chock for of limericks (like the hilarious example above). And you get one a day. Although I noticed that there's only 16 of them, this being Sept. 25th, so you'd think there would be more. But the count comes out about right if you assume Muldoon takes weekends off. This is clearly false advertising and maybe one of you morons could hire that tower of integrity Michael Avenatti (JD, LLB, CPL) to sue his ass off. In the meantime, buy his book, Muldoon's Library of Limericks, Volume 1 to help him out with his legal expenses.
Moron author Alec Lloyd has just published a new book, not a novel, but set of fantasy/historical miniatures rules. From his e-mail: It's called "Conqueror: Fields of Victory" and this is the long-awaited revised edition. The biggest difference between the two is that this version has some ready-made units for you to and get killin' with: orcs, dragons, elves, and so on. This sounds like old-school, pencil-and-paper Gygax D&D, only with not much Gygax and a lot more Lloyd. I did poorly in college because I spent way too much time rolling dice and moving little figurines on paper diagrams and not enough time studying. Conqueror: Fields of Victory: Battles with Miniatures, Revised Edition is available in paperback for $14.99. My only question is this, from the Amazon blurb: The core of the game is its intuitive turn sequence that allows players to focus on tactics rather than mechanics. With three formations (column, square and skirmish) and three morale states (normal, disordered and routed, Conqueror provides players with exactly the right amount of realism. Those morale states seem incomplete to me. Are normal, bad, and really bad the only realistic options? I would propose a couple more on the positive side, so your options would be routed, disordered, normal, pumped, and berserk. You could even have the "berserk" state last only a limited amount of turns as expenditure of emotional energy will drain you a lot faster. But I'm not a game designer, so maybe this is all hogwash. Lastly, Alec thanks all of you morons who bought A Man of Destiny, and if you're interested, the real-life role model for the main character, Maxim Darius, passed away earlier this month, and he posted a memorial to him on his web site. ___________ Moron author scrood is a doctor who knows a very great deal about oxidative stress, which can cause all sorts of health issues. He's written a couple of books on this condition and what you can do to fight it, Let's Hack Oxidative Stress and Let's Hack Male Infertility. He's offering both Kindle books for FREE today, Sept. 30th. You can find out more information on his Blood Oxidative Stress (BLOS) web site. ___________ Don't forget the AoSHQ reading group on Goodreads. It's meant to support horde writers and to talk about the great books that come up on the book thread. It's called AoSHQ Moron Horde and the link to it is here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/175335-aoshq-moron-horde. ___________ So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm. What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books. | Recent Comments
Anonosaurus Wrecks, Not a Real Simulation[/s] [/b] [/i]:
"Funny you mentioned sportsball.
-
Speaking of ..."
I-IV-V: "[i]That is a completely separate issue from whethe ..." Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i] That is a completely separate issue from whet ..." Anonosaurus Wrecks, Not a Real Simulation[/s] [/b] [/i]: "198: I meant to paste Muldoon's dad's comments on ..." Christopher R Taylor[/i][/i][/s][/s][/b][/b][/u][/u]: "[i]We're going to go around and around about this, ..." COMountainMarie : "185 I find it kind of sad that this is a defau ..." I-IV-V: "[i]The conversations I find you can hear in public ..." Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy[/i]: "[i]Fifty Morons to rule them all, Fifty Morons to ..." Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i]Heh, I just got some span that says my Amazon ..." Anonosaurus Wrecks, Not a Real Simulation[/s] [/b] [/i]: " "What is truth?" ~ Pontius Pilate - I watche ..." Bertram Cabot, Jr.: "Does Chesterton's fence have an Overton window? ..." Hairyback Guy: "So much about death. The Good Lord didn't put y ..." Recent Entries
Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Jan. 28
WHEN in the course of human events things get really personal Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival EMT 1/28/23 Daily Tech News 28 January 2023 I'd Buy That ONT For A Dollar! Twilling Zone Tango Cafe What Have You Done to Affirm the Identity of a Transpecies Alien Today? How New York Stopped Fearing the Urban Doom Loop and Learned to Love It The Pfizer Director Who Admitted His Company Is Mutating Viruses for Gain-of-Function Research Melts Down When James O'Keefe Enters the Scene to Interview Him Search
Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Primary Document: The Audio
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) |