| Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support
Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Contact
Ace:aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com Recent Entries
Thursday Overnight Open Thread - April 9, 2026 [Doof]
Off-Roading Cafe Quick Hits California Arrests Five People in Raids on 10 Fake Hospices in Newsom's Fraud Paradise of California Ex-Delta Force Support Civilian -- Who Railed About the Need for More "Diversity" in Delta Force's Support Staff -- Charged With Leaking Classified Information Billy Bush: I Know For a Fact That ABC "News" Had an Entire Division of 75 People "Dedicated to Getting [Trump]" Sick of High Energy Prices, the Irish People Rise Up in Protest You're Not Going to Believe This, But Leftwing "Republicans" Are Pitching, Get This, Comprehensive Amensty Reform Yet Again, This Time With a Hot New Name Designed to Appeal to Your Psychology: "The DIGNITY Act" Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals: Pornographers Have No "Right" to Sell Their Pornography to Taxpayer Funded School Libraries So That Children Have Access to Their Porn The Morning Rant: Iran Is Not Of The West Absent Friends
Jon Ekdahl 2026
Jay Guevara 2025 Jim Sunk New Dawn 2025 Jewells45 2025 Bandersnatch 2024 GnuBreed 2024 Captain Hate 2023 moon_over_vermont 2023 westminsterdogshow 2023 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 AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups
|
« Rather Transparent |
Main
| Jeff Goldstein's Christmas Wishlist, Circa 1985 »
December 22, 2004
'Tis the Season For Withering Lileks SarcasmOnce again we're having a few scattered engagements in the ongoing and interminable Christmas Wars. Responding to a typically unhinged James Wolcott piece about how no one hates Christmas at all and, anyway, even if they do hate it, it's perfectly hateful anyway, Lileks launches a few surgical strikes of scarcasm: I believe it was quite clear in the column, where I explicitly condemned the godless networks for not having an animatronic Baby Jesus read the news the third week of December, or running a crawl below all prime-time programming spelling out the recipe for figgy pudding. As long-time readers of this site will note, I am not just a loud militant Christian who wants to tamp the thick bristling wad of God down everyone’s throat with a miter, I am frequently given to posting long MP3 files of myself sobbing in despair over the fact that advent candles are not forcibly screwed into the facial apertures of government officials. That’s me, all right. Lilkes makes a point that I think is quite important: I don’t think people in the Evil Coastal Godless Baal-Loving Media hate Christianity. I’m sure some hold it in disinterested contempt, the way they view NASCAR and Simplicity dress patterns and those giant salad forks some people inexplicably used as kitchen-wall decorations. But for many – yes, the dreaded inexact “many” – religious ideas don’t register at all, so they don’t know how their actions might seem to those who take the whole God thing seriously. This is the key. I'm not religious myself. But I don't get very flummoxed about anyone's expression of heartfelt religious beliefs -- live and let live, let's be tolerant and all that. And it should be noted the Left is quite tolerant of religion, too, so long as that religion is some sort of hybrid Eastern Mysticism/Kabala/Wiccan-Santeria New Age concoction (assuming that chickens are not in fact slaughtered, as Santanistas occasionally do, but are instead merely photographed upon the altar as some kind of f-stop offering, and then set free into the wild where they can be viciously devoured by wilding raccoons, which I have always considered the Crips of the surburban garbage-can ecosystem). They always say that it's important to tolerate not the beliefs or practices which you like -- that's not tolerance, after all; that's just doing your thing -- but to tolerate those beliefs and practices which you abhor. Well, most of the people saying this abhor Christianity and all of its expressions; where's this reservoir of good-spirited tolerance I keep hearing so much about? But Lileks himself can't resist a less-than-tolerant attack on Wolcott, an attack I must say I enjoy. Noting a rather shabby typo of Wolcott's: But when I read that, I thought: he has cats. Everything about his work suggests that he has cats. Not that there’s anything wrong with cats. I love cats, even though I prefer dogs. But sometimes you just get the impression of a soul whose incessant pissy hauteur is best expressed at the moment when they dump a stinky disk of fish guts into the bowl and mutter something clever to the elegant creatures feasting at their feet. It turns out Wolcott doesn't have cats, but rather "ocicats," whatever they are, and they're named Roland, Jasper, and Henry. What-- he couldn't have named one Monsieur Faggsworth? That's every bit as good a name for an "ocicat" as "Pretzel" is for a chocolate lab. Thanks to NickS. posted by Ace at 01:31 PM
CommentsSantanista? You must mean Santeria. Posted by: SWLiP on December 22, 2004 01:39 PM
Thanks for the correction. I didn't think "Santanista" or whatever the hell I wrote sounded right. Forgive me, I was out with an old friend who was/is a real European lefty and the world "Sandanista" came up about a hundred times before I said "No more politics." Posted by: ace on December 22, 2004 01:49 PM
Apparently, the ocicat is actually a breed of cat, so there ya go. Posted by: zetetic on December 22, 2004 02:23 PM
I'm sure he Lileks knew he had cats, since it was the title of one of the books mentioned in the bio. I think he was making fun of the fact that he SAYS he had "ocicats" instead of just cats. It was a really good Lileks - glad you linked and reminded (encouraged) me to read it. Earlier this week, he was just kinda blowing it off, so I figured he was taking it easy. And, I totally agree- all these people trying to dispute that "Christmas" is under attack are just off base. At our HOME SCHOOL "holiday party" we weren't allowed to sing Religious-oriented Christmas songs. He is DEAD on when he says 'these people' don't understand what they do, because they have no idea regarding Christian culture, and unlike Wiccan or Kabbala, they don't extend any tolerance toward Christian traditions. It is merely an institution to be disrespected and torn down. He might not have been offended by the hamburger/Christ ... but I was. Not enough to get my panties in a wad, but enough that it registers. Posted by: carin on December 22, 2004 02:41 PM
If every religion were banned from public property, then most people would grudgingly accept it, but even that's not the matter at hand. The Bill of Rights states our inherent right to religious expression, it does not state our inherent right to be indignant at the mere sight of religious expression. Posted by: Trevor on December 22, 2004 03:03 PM
I used to be a Santanista, but that "Supernatural" album with Everlast and Dave Matthews didn't so much sacrifice chickens as blow goats. Posted by: Alex on December 22, 2004 03:43 PM
Yup... I so love multiculturalism... "Let's celebrate any culture except our own... and our own we will morph into a grey meaningless nothing that cannot offend [but will not inspire, either]". Posted by: DaveK on December 22, 2004 03:57 PM
Making a point of owning Ocicats just means that you're a sucker who paid a ton of money for a "pure-breed" instead of going down to the local vet and getting a nice kitty for free. Posted by: Iblis on December 22, 2004 04:07 PM
See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-1410786,00.html for the story of how the original Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, banned Christmas. Posted by: on December 22, 2004 05:38 PM
Lileks said. "At this rate we will have to rename July 4th The Holiday of Perceiving Nocturnal Airborne Explosives, lest we offend the few who regard the American Experiment as a grievous stain on human history." ...yeah, those would be the same people who are mortally offended by the utterance "Merry Christmas." Maybe would strike an agreement with these chumps ... we get Christ's Mass, you get May Day. Posted by: brian on December 22, 2004 05:52 PM
Wait--I'm a Santanista. We worship St. Nicholas as part of the holy tetrarchy and have milk and cookies for communion. Then we go overthrow the governments of tiny Central American countries and install Maoist voodoo zombies as the dictators--though we are opposed by the violent extremist Pentagoncostals. No chickens for us though; they must be the orthodox Santanistas. Posted by: See-Dubya on December 22, 2004 06:30 PM
Ocicats are cats. Little, spotted cats. That poop in open bins as ALL cats do, and in this case, cost toooooo much. These cats are the cats of hyper-pseudo intellectualism. Ok, is it clear that I am a dog person? My Boston Terrier would eat these cats. As snacks. Posted by: BrendaK on December 22, 2004 07:42 PM
The Left has simply substituted the state for God, as did Marx. Posted by: Ruth on December 22, 2004 09:42 PM
I greatly enjoyed Lileks' response. but am unfamiliar with his target. Who is James Wolcott? Is he someone I should have heard of? Fellow sounds a bit of a tick. Posted by: D Carter on December 23, 2004 12:21 AM
Even though your GOP has the federal government locked up, you just can't stop carping at Democrats. Your stereotypes are utter witless crap, as well. Be that as it may, the election season's over, and you won on the federal side. But do you actually think your leaders are perfect? That they deserve no scrutiny? Come on. A Republican can and will screw you just as fast as a Democrat. Always scrutinize their deeds. Merry Christmas. Posted by: Marc on December 23, 2004 05:39 AM
The US Postal Service is offering seasonal stamps: Kwanzaa (2 Kwanzaa Commemerative) http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productCategory.jsp?prodCat=/Stamps%20by%20Subject/Holiday&prodCatCursor=0&passFlag=1 I find this more amusing than offensive. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Posted by: too many steves on December 23, 2004 06:33 AM
Wolcott's a twit who writes for the Villiage Voice - that about sums up everything one needs to know about him. As for his cats, it's not their fault their master is a wanker. Lay off the cats. Ocicats are a fine breed. At this time of the season it's nice to remember our little companions, both feline and canine. Posted by: barbula on December 23, 2004 07:36 AM
Turns out The Passion of the Christ did less to bring people to Jesus than to make martyrdom fashionable. So it's time for the Christians to play victim now, is that it? Fine. That's cool. When you guys are done whining we'll just about have heard from everyone. Posted by: frameone on December 23, 2004 10:49 AM
FWIW, this was sent around via email at the highly-PC San Francisco law firm that I work at, with several partners who contributed $2000 to Kerry and where I'm right now doing pro bono work for a client who I can't stand (but since I'm ethically obligated to do a good job, I'll still try to win). Anyway, at least some of these people still have a sense of humor:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all ... ... And a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the Western Hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher. (Author unknown)
Posted by: Alex on December 23, 2004 01:42 PM
very nice site. keep up the good work. Posted by: business grants on January 9, 2005 12:28 AM
Hello. I just wanted to give a quick greeting and tell you I enjoyed reading your material. Posted by: on line casino on January 11, 2005 06:20 PM
very useful comments - good to read Posted by: online casinos: casino vegas red on January 11, 2005 06:20 PM
my friend told me about your web site and i really enjoyed it. very nicely done. very interesting! Posted by: business grants on January 11, 2005 06:20 PM
great page...im sure i'll come back...best regards Posted by: free government grants on January 11, 2005 06:20 PM
HI, Wow.. this is a very informative website! I enjoy your site very much! Keep up the good work! Posted by: online casino on January 13, 2005 05:51 AM
your site is very good. Posted by: online kasino on January 15, 2005 08:03 AM
ok, i will sign your blog. i really love your site. Posted by: best online casinos: noble poker on January 17, 2005 07:57 AM
great page...im sure i'll come back...best regards Posted by: german kasino on January 23, 2005 02:02 AM
very nice site. keep up the good work. Posted by: online casinos: casino vegas red on January 23, 2005 02:02 AM
just wanted to say nice site! Posted by: casino kasino on January 23, 2005 02:02 AM
very nice site. keep up the good work. Posted by: best online casinos: noble poker on January 25, 2005 02:44 AM
WOW!!!! This is a great website. Posted by: kasino online on January 25, 2005 02:44 AM
my friend told me about your web site and i really enjoyed it. very nicely done. very interesting! Posted by: best online casinos: casino europa on January 27, 2005 02:29 AM
very useful comments - good to read Posted by: online casinos: casino tropez on January 27, 2005 02:29 AM
i have always looked for a possibility to find information as quick as i can. now there is the internet. and i really appreciate people like you who take their chance in such an excellent way to give an impression on certain topics. thanks for having me here. Posted by: online casinos: noble poker on January 27, 2005 02:29 AM
ok, i will sign your blog. i really love your site. Posted by: online casinos: casino europa on March 24, 2005 04:07 PM
hello. i just wanted to give a quick greeting and tell you i enjoyed reading your material. Posted by: casinos: casino vegas red on March 28, 2005 02:33 AM
Grant Information Posted by: Government Grants on April 18, 2005 01:27 PM
The INNOCENTS and their FAMILIES are the losers in WAR in IRAQ. Up until today; 1,571+ innocent American soldiers have been killed in IRAQ. All the dead and those wounded are Innocent, because they were defending (and still are) the erroneous Vision of FREEDOM of a utopian political demagogue; whom had received power from the people to lead them and enlighten a dark World with Mercy and Love (if he in deed was a follower of CHRIST as he had said). However, he deceived the people with his own vision of “WAR on TERROR” for PEACE; Instead of using that power for good he used it to steal, kill and destroy because he is also a liar As it is written and the MESSIAH says: Innocent Iraqi civilians killed by U.S. BOMBING are estimated to be between 21,000 and 25,000 in two years; most of them elders, women and children. IRAQ is in chaos and all people including American soldiers and their families of the nation are suffering. Is this not a WAR CRIME against the people of IRAQ and all humanity? Can we humanly say that this insane killing and human suffering should be called Liberation? WE THE PEOPLE (TAXES) ARE BEING ASK TO DONATE MORE MONEY TO SUPPORT OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ. SAY TO YOUR CONGRESSMAN: “WE WANT OUR FAMILY HOME! STOP THE KILLING AND BRING THEM HOME.” The Word of GOD written says: PAT ROBERTSON from the 700 CLUB said something like this: “GOD told me that He is going to remove some Judges from their benches.” “AWAKE to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and SIN NOT: For some HAVE NOT the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD: I speak this to YOUR SHAME.” I Corinthians 15: 34. “BENDITOS LOS QUE CREEN EN EL NOMBRE DEL SENOR.” Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on April 28, 2005 01:48 PM
COSEN and FAITHFUL! HE FOUGHT to establish JUSTICE The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS HE shod HIS feet with MERCY and LOVE HIS FAITH is not a WEAPON to KILL But the WORD of GOD and HIS LAW HE crowned HIMSELF with the HELMET of SALVATION The PRINCE of PEACE is HIS TITLE And he that OVERCOMES A NEW VISION of PEACE that comes with HIS NEW NAME. ALELUYA! AMEN! ALEUZENEV! CHOSEN and FAITHFUL! Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on May 14, 2005 04:35 PM
Has the President fulfilled his PROMISES to the PEOPLE? Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on May 16, 2005 04:02 PM
Answers to PROPHET LODELIA TATE from Ivor Manuel Open your eyes wide and read if you are blind and want to see, because the LIGHT is shining and HIS WORD is WRITTEN: “I will make Darkness LIGHT before them, and CROOKED things STRAIGHT. This things will I DO unto them, and not FORSAKE them. Isaiah 42 “A certain man (being the LORD of the HOUSE) had two sons,” the OLDEST ONE, stayed in the House with His FATHER, and never Sinned and was unblemished and became the LAMB SACRIFICE for the SINS of the WORLD, JESUS the CHRIST, the SACRIFICE. I am here to testify of My FATHER and HEAVENLY BROTHER. And LODELIA, I tell you: “That day has arrived!” That is the QUESTION to answer your questions. But that question, also has to be answered by the LEADERS of the NATION. If you are one of them answer IT. If you are not, you must ask them the same question, writes Ivor Manuel, For I hear HIS VOICE saying: Ivor Manuel prays for you and PEACE for the World. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect in whom MY SOUL delights, I have put MY SPIRIT upon him, he shall bring forth JUDGMENT to the GENTILES. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth JUDGMENT unto TRUTH.” Isaiah 42:1-3... “And the LORD shall inherit Judah His portion in the HOLY LAND, and shall choose JERUSALEM AGAIN…” Zechariah 2:12… “The NEW JERUSALEM” LODELIA, the LORD has already chosen IT. It is written in Revelation 3:12: That is written LODELIA, and here it is WRITTEN again to remind you, “The WORD of the LORD was unto them (and is now unto you that BELEIVE to be HIS FOLLOWERS) PRECEPT upon PRECEPT, PRECEPT upon PRECEPT; LINE upon LINE, LINE upon LINE; here a Little and there a Little…” Isaiah 28:13. Then go to St. John and read there 14:12-21 and 16:7-15 ALELUYA! AMEN! ALEUZENEV! GO and tell the World you CHOSEN and FAITHFUL! Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on May 19, 2005 08:04 PM
GEORGE W. BUSH said about Stem cell: The WORD of GOD in Proverbs that is written says, “A righteous man regards the life of his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Moreover, “He who hides hatred is of Lying Lips, and he who utters slanders is a FOOL.” Now I say, “Read the REVELATION for PEACE from JESUS CHRIST to the WORLD at, www.aleuzenev.com and Judge for your self, if I have spoken presumptuously or the things spoken have not come to pass, 9/11. It is also FREE, freely I have received and freely I must give to the World HIS WORD of TRUTH which is MERCY and LOVE for PEACE. Ivor Manuel prays for you and PEACE for the WORLD; prophet pillar branch of the LORD JESUS ALEUZENEV, HIS NEW NAME, LORD and SERVANT of all PEOPLE. Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on May 21, 2005 08:38 PM
my friend told me about your web site and i really enjoyed it very nicely done argent very interesting. Jo. Posted by: ted on June 14, 2005 12:12 PM
Hi there, I have been given the task of getting links for our websites that have good page rank on the links directories. If you would like to trade links please send me your website details. P.S.: I got your e-mail publicly listed on your webpage . Best Regards, Posted by: Marry on September 27, 2005 06:13 AM
FALSE PROPHETS IN AMERICA. This early morning, while Hurricane Wilma was in action against the Florida coasts, I went to my place were people come to have their health restore. As I listen to the messages recorded in my telephone machine, I heard the voice of false prophet Kenneth Copland saying: Then, the Word of the Lord came upon me saying: “No weapon that is form against thee shall prosper: and every tongue that shall raise against thee in Judgment you shall condemn. This is the Heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their Righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. Isaiah 54:17. I AM the vine saith the Lord, you are a rotten fig Kenneth Copland, and My Judgment is upon you and all the fat goats that have jumped the fence and gone out of My House to find their own pastures. The Lord and His Word rebukes thee Satan!” “And the stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs (not good to eat), when she is shaken of a mighty wind (hurricane). And the Heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain (place of Idolatry) and Island were moved out of their place.” Revelation 6:13,14. “Behold My servant, whom I uphold: Mine elect, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon him; he shall bring Judgment to the Gentiles…To open their blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I AM the Lord; that is My Name; and My Glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42: 1-8. “And My LORD said unto me, Thou must PROPHESY AGAIN before many PEOPLES, and NATIONS and TONGUES, and KINGS.” Revelation 10: 11. “So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My Mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it…Instead of the thorns shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a Name, for an everlasting sign that shall be not cut off.” Isaiah 55:11-13 Posted by: Ivor Manuel prophet on October 25, 2005 10:01 AM
Post a comment
| The Deplorable Gourmet A Horde-sourced Cookbook [All profits go to charity] Top Headlines
This is the dumbest AI bullslop I've seen in a while: the CIA can use "quantum magnetometry" to track an individual man's heartbeat from twelve miles away
I wouldn't click on it, it's not interesting, it's just stupid clickslop. I just want to share my annoyance with you.
Oil prices plunge on bizarre realization that Eric Swalwell may actually be straight. A rapey molester, allegedly, but a straight one.
Classic Rock Mystery Click
This is super-obscure and I only barely remember it. Given that, I'll give you the hint that it's by the Red Rocker. And I guess you think you've got it made Oh, but then, you never were afraid Of anything that you've left behind Oh, but it's alright with me now 'Cause I'll get back up somehow And with a little luck, yes, I'm bound to win Now twenty people will tell me it's not obscure, it was huge in their hometown and played at their prom. That's how it usually goes. When I linked Donnie Iris's "Love is Like a Rock," everyone said they knew that one and that his other song (which I didn't know at all) Ah Leah! was huge in their area.
Ryan Long goes to the No Kings rally to pick up young liberal hotties and is greatly disappointed in the quality of the mish
thanks to stevey You know we "joke" about the GOPe just "conserving" leftist things? I couldn't hate this queen of the cuck-chair more if it paid seven figures and came with a corner office.
In more marketing for Project Hail Mary, scientists say they've found the biosigns indicating life growing on an alien planet. It's not proof, just signatures of chemicals that are produced by biological metabolism, and it could be nothing, but scientists think it's a strong sign that this planet is inhabited by something.
In a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of scientists announced the detection of dimethyl sulfide (along with a similar detection of dimethyl disulfide) in the atmosphere of an exoplanet called K2-18b. This is actually the second detection of dimethyl sulfide made on this planet, following a tentative detection in 2023. He means they tried to prove the signal was caused by things other than dimethyl sulfide but they could not.
Artemis moon shot a go, scheduled for 6:24 Eastern time tonight
Great marketing arranged by Amazon to promote Project Hail Mary. Okay not really but it does work out that way.
What? Skeleton of the most famous Musketeer, D'Artagnan, possibly discovered in Dutch church closet.
Dumas picked four names of real musketeers out of a history book, D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. So there was an actual D'Artagnan, though he made most of the story up. (Or, you know, all of it.)* Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d'Artagnan, the famous musketeer of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, spent his life in the service of the French crown. A lot of Dumas's stories are based on bits of real history. The plot of the >Three Musketeers, about trying to recover lost diamonds from the queen's necklace, was cribbed from the then-almost-contemporaneous Affair of the Queen's Necklace. And the Man in the Iron Mask is based on real accounts of a prisoner forced to wear a mask (though I think it was a velvet mask). * Oh, I should mention, Dumas says all this, about finding the names in an old book, in the prologue to his novel. But authors lie a lot. They frequently present fictions as based on historic fact. The twist is, he was actually telling the truth here. At least about these four musketeers having actually existed and served under Louis XIV. Fun fact: You know the beginning of A Fistful of Dollars where the local gunslingers make fun of Clint Eastwood's donkey and Eastwood demands they apologize to the donkey? That's lifted from The Three Musketeers. Rochefort mocks D'Artagnan's old, brokedown farm horse and D'Artagnan is incensed.
A commenter asked which should be read first, The Hobbit of LOTR?
Easy, no question -- read The Hobbit first. It's actually the start of the story and comes first chronologically. It sets up some major characters and major pieces in play in LOTR. Also, the Hobbit is Beginner-Friendly, which LOTR isn't. The Hobbit really is a delightful book, and a fast read. It's chatty, it's casual, it's exciting, and it's funny. In that dry cheeky British humor way. I love that the narrator is constantly making little asides and commentary, like he's just sitting next to you telling you this story as it occurs to him. LOTR is a very long story. Fifteen hundred pages or so. The Hobbit is relatively short and very punchy and easy to read. If you don't like The Hobbit, you can skip out on LOTR. If you do like it, you'll be primed to read LOTR. Oh, I should say: The Hobbit is written as if it's for children, but one of those smart children's stories that are also for adults. Don't worry, there's also real fighting and violence and horror in it, too. LOTR is written for adults. (It's said that Tolkien wrote both for his children, but LOTR was written 17 years later, when his children were adults.) Some might not like The Hobbit due to its sometimes frivolous tone. Me, I love it. I find it constantly amusing. Both are really good but there is a starkly different tone to both. LOTR is epic, grand, and serious, about a world war, The Hobbit is light and breezy, and about a heist. Though a heist that culminates in a war for the spoils.
The Hobbit Challenge: Read two more chapters. I didn't have much time. Bilbo got the ring.
I noticed a continuity problem. Maybe. Now, as of the time of The Hobbit, it was unknown that this magic ring was in fact a Ring of Power, and it was doubly unknown that it was the Ring of Power, the Master Ring that controlled the others. But the narrator -- who we will learn in LOTR was none of than Bilbo himself, who wrote the book as "There and Back Again" -- says this about Gollum's ring: "But who knows how Gollum had come by that present [the Ring], ages ago in the old days when such rings were still at large in the world? Perhaps even the Master who ruled them could not have said." In another passage, the ring is identified as a "ring of power." I don't know, I always thought there was a distinction between mere magic rings and the Rings of Power created by Sauron. But this suggests that Bilbo knew this was a ring of power created by Sauron. Now I don't remember when Bilbo wrote the Hobbit. In the movie, he shows Frodo the book in Rivendell, and I guess he wrote it after he left the Shire. I guess he might have added in the part about the ring being a ring of power created by "the Master" after Gandalf appraised him of his research into the ring. I never noticed this before. I know Tolkien re-wrote this chapter while he was writing LOTR to make the ring important from the start. And also to make Gollum more sinister and evil, and also to remove the part where Gollum actually offers Bilbo the ring as a "present" -- Bilbo had already found it on his own, but Gollum was wiling to give it away, which obviously is not something the rewritten Gollum would ever do. But I had no memory of the ring being suggested to be The Ring so early in the tale.
Finish the job, Mr. President!
Melanie Phillips lays out the case for the total destruction of the Iranian government and armed forces. [CBD] Recent Comments
Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic:
"Whatever happened to the English thugs like Brickt ..."
Joemarine: "243 >>The original Layla the best part if the song ..." Aetius451AD work phone: "245 I saw Clapton last year. He showed up, play ..." Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _: "London Thugs London Inbreds London IEDs. ..." gKWVE: "[i]Disgraced attorney and former anti-Trump pundit ..." mikeski: "[i]@InsiderWire #BREAKING: U.S. Border Patrol det ..." four seasons: " Those four "British" assholes figured out they ..." Cicero (@cicero43): "I saw Clapton last year. He showed up, played a ..." Joemarine: "209 So I just looked it up, and Michigan still has ..." garrett: ">>The original Layla the best part if the song was ..." Marcus T: "Commonwealth Passport from about 20 commonwealth c ..." Joemarine: "172 Clapton has been mailing it in since 74. And h ..." Bloggers in Arms
RI Red's Blog! Behind The Black CutJibNewsletter The Pipeline Second City Cop Talk Of The Town with Steve Noxon Belmont Club Chicago Boyz Cold Fury Da Goddess Daily Pundit Dawn Eden Day by Day (Cartoon) EduWonk Enter Stage Right The Epoch Times Grim's Hall Victor Davis Hanson Hugh Hewitt IMAO Instapundit JihadWatch Kausfiles Lileks/The Bleat Memeorandum (Metablog) Outside the Beltway Patterico's Pontifications The People's Cube Powerline RedState Reliapundit Viking Pundit WizBang Some Humorous Asides
Kaboom!
Thanksgivingmanship: How to Deal With Your Spoiled Stupid Leftist Adultbrat Relatives Who Have Spent Three Months Reading Slate and Vox Learning How to Deal With You You're Fired! Donald Trump Grills the 2004 Democrat Candidates and Operatives on Their Election Loss Bizarrely I had a perfect Donald Trump voice going in 2004 and then literally never used it again, even when he was running for president. A Eulogy In Advance for Former Lincoln Project Associate and Noted Twitter Pestilence Tom Nichols Special Guest Blogger Rich "Psycho" Giamboni: If You Touch My Sandwich One More Time, I Will Fvcking Kill You Special Guest Blogger Rich "Psycho" Giamboni: I Must Eat Jim Acosta Special Guest Blogger Tom Friedman: We Need to Talk About What My Egyptian Cab Driver Told Me About Globalization Shortly Before He Began to Murder Me Special Guest Blogger Bernard Henri-Levy: I rise in defense of my very good friend Dominique Strauss-Kahn Note: Later events actually proved Dominique Strauss-Kahn completely innocent. The piece is still funny though -- if you pretend, for five minutes, that he was guilty. The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility The Dowd-O-Matic! The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) Archives
|