EleCivil
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Posts posted by EleCivil
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So ... www.awesomedude.xxx or www.awesomedude.gay?!
I suggest www.awesome.d?d, because not only is it awesome, but it enco?rages ?se of the ?mlaut, which is q?ite ?nderrated.
I'd like it on record that I realize that most of those umlauts were used incorrectly, but that I do not care. Grammar is, after all, just another one of your "systems," man.
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"What made us great," says Kern of the United States, "and what is destroying us is just like a coin; it's a flip side. What made us great is that fact that we were a nation founded upon Christian principles."
"...the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."
-Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, as ratified by congress and signed by president John Adams (1797).
Nice try, though. Really.
"Their strategy is very under-the-table, very stealth; and their goal is to find state legislatures that are very tight...and in just a few races, can make the difference to switch it from Republican to Democrat--they're going to target that. And their goal is, in doing that, to intimidate Republicans."Oh, no! She's stumbled upon some of our Extra-Stealthy Secret Gaygents! Now we have to start all over, training a new batch!
Though it seems that her side usually argues that gays are "flaunting their lifestyle" or "shoving it in our faces". Now, apparently, we're sticking to the shadows, in a most underhanded (yet lavender-scented) way. Welp, whatever.
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Something about this thread makes me want to recommend the book "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" by Michael Chabon. It's about two cousins (one is a Jewish refuge from Nazi Germany, the other is a gay New Yorker) who write/draw a series of comic books during the Golden Age of Comics.
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*points at Bruin*
See? See? I'm not the only one!
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Heh, Cole - Intuitive Aptitude, in the Heroes-verse, is the ability to instantly understand complex systems, both mechanical and biological. Probably political/sociological, too, but that hasn't been shown yet, since the character with that particular power is a sociopath. Yes, being a nerd, I'd much rather have a brain-make-go-awesome power than an ass-kicking power. Because, really, I don't get into that many fights, so I might as well be able to make some money with my power. No dark alleys for me...unless I was carrying some Batman-esque home made science weapons or something.
That's really a second choice, though - it wasn't on the list, (presumable because it wasn't introduced until season two, and these are season one powers) but I'd have gone with Adoptive Muscle Memory (The ability to instantly be able to perfectly mimic any physical action once you've seen it).
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Oh my.
...Seems they tore her a new one.
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It's only a short list isn't it?
It's the powers shown so far on Heroes, I believe. Short a few, though, like shapeshifting, electrokinesis, and whatever that crazy-death-eye thing was.
Of course being able to split into two versions of my handsome self would also be interesting for when no one else was available to ravish me with affection.You know, when you put it like that, it kinda invalidates "go screw yourself" as an insult.
But back on topic...
I'd go with Intuitive Aptitude. Practical enough for everyday use, and incredibly awesome while still being easy to hide. And not powerful enough to tempt me into a life of crime, like invisibility/mental manipulation/persuasion inevitably would. Yeah, I've got no illusions, there - I'd go supervillain. Not the world-destroying kind, but the "Man, that guy is incredibly obnoxious" kind. Manipulating everyone into thinking it was Friday when it was actually Tuesday. Persuading people to communicate only in song. Invisible-sneaking up on people and turning their hats backwards. Yeah, somebody'd end up assassinating me.
Space/Time Manipulation would be cool, too, but I just know I'd screw up the timeline by going back in time and stealing Washington's wig or something. Maybe time-freeze various military actions and replace everyone's weapons with flowers...and vibrators. I know it'd have possibly disastrous consequences, but I wouldn't be able to help myself.
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Memory?
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This war on penguins doesn't extend to Prinnies, does it? Because if it does, I'm gonna have to side with them.
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These administrators are mad! Don't they see the long-term implications?
If Skittles are criminalized, only criminals will have Skittles!
Don't they understand what this means? Skittle bootleggers expanding their already prominent power base by bribing hall monitors. Young, unsuspecting kids unable to walk from the auditorium to the cafeteria without being peppered with invitations to "Ride the Rainbow". Raucous sugar-fueled shindigs in floating restroom speakeasies. Wild swing music blasting from stairwells. And the fedoras! By god, the fedoras!
It's a slippery slope, friends. It all started with their gum control policies, and now look where it's going to end up.
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I could site a Plato-Socrates wiki reference, but I would probably do better just to encourage reading Plato's "Socratic Dialogues" (Particularly The Symposium, The Crito, The Apology, Charmides, etc.) and then research what you can for differing interpretations of Socrates' life and times, starting perhaps then, with Wiki.
For those wanting a softer more romantic approach to the culture of Ancient Greece, I recommend the novel "The Last of the Wine" by Mary Renault.
And on that note, I'll also recommend "Teacher: The One Who Made The Difference" by Mark Edmundson. It's a true account of a teacher's use of the Socratic method in a modern (well, 60's) classroom and a discussion on applying Socrates's principles to modern education from the student's point of view. It's about 75% autobiography, 25% educational philosophy. The autobiography parts are kind of dull, but it's worth it for the rest.
And since we're talking books that relate to this thread, I'll also suggest "13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen", edited by James Howe. Short stories and poetry about middle school (and the suckiness thereof), written by top-name young-adult and teen authors.
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Man, is there anyone on Earth who didn't think middle school sucked? I mean, come on - you've got no money, you've got no car, your limbs are disproportionate, you can't get a date, you live with your parents, your coccyx is fusing to your spine, making it painful to sit for any length of time, and you've got 7+ teachers telling you to sit still all day, next to a bunch of other kids who are just as miserable as you, who decide to take out their frustrations by attacking all your newfound insecurities, including the group-identity that you voluntarily took on in order to cover up OTHER insecurities.
And then some administrator comes along and tells you that you're too immature to understand things like bullying. Jeez.
We never hear "this is what works best for me" or "let's try it your way and see what happens". What we are told is that as an adult they know what we really need and then they ignore our ideas.Heh, I use those lines so much that they're almost starting to lose meaning. As a tutor/academic coach and as a student-teacher, that's the main thing I try to get across - "This way works for me, but you're not me. If your system works, use it; if not, we'll figure out something else."
Anyone with perfect confidence in their one-size-fits-all advice is someone worth ignoring. As Socrates said, "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."
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Huge thanks to everybody who read this whole thing (and bonus points for those who posted/emailed to let me know, heh).
It's weird - when I started this story, I knew it would end like this, but as it went on, I kept trying to think of other ways to end it. I like these characters, and I wanted them to get a happy ending, but it just wouldn't wash. At least, not without pulling something like "Nick gets caught by his parents, and is kicked out/abused/runs away and moves in with Bran/the band/some conveniently placed open-minded relative, for some reason," or "There's a big confrontation between some combination of Free characters and Nick's Dad, and they convince him to change his ways, and all of a sudden he's totally cool with everything, somehow." Or, like FT suggested, UFOs. Possibly full of 4th-dimensional beings who abduct Bran and Nick, unstick them from time, and put them on display in their home planet's zoo. Hey, it worked for Vonnegut.
There were actually some early end-chapter drafts that ended on an even more depressing ending, and comparatively, this one's pretty cheerful.
Once again, you guys are awesome.
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Dude! As if your Chrono Cross avatar didn't earn you enough cool points in my book, you go and post a picture of Aperture Science Cat.
The only cool cat picture I've got is a desktop wallpaper, so it's too big to embed. I'll attach it, instead.
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I have a question. OK, I have more than one. [...]
I'd say to put on one of today's socks and one of tomorrow's, so as to start the day with one foot forward. That way you can toe the line between the present and the future, keeping step with your contemporaries while at the same time taking stock(ings) of tomorrow's challenges. Can ya dig it, sole man, or am I coming off callused?
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Whoa, the last post in this thread was in March of '07. That's almost a year. And there haven't been that many chapters between then and now. Eep.
Okay, here goes. Before this time next week, expect to see the following:
Chapter 16: "Feint of Heart" - Final chapter! (75% complete)
Epilogue: "Fast and Intense" - Just like it says! (50% complete)
Afterward: "The Space Dog Has Landed" - For it is an ill wind that blows no minds! (100% complete - this was actually written after the first couple chapters, and used as a road map for where I wanted the story to go)
And maybe, some time in the near future, if there's any interest in it, a comprehensive list of every band, musician, and song referenced (either overtly or subtly) in "Laika". (0% complete)
I know it's been roughly forever and a half since the last chapter, so if you're the type that likes to re-read a bit before getting to the new one, here's a heads-up. Likewise, for those of you who don't like to start an incomplete story, it won't be incomplete for long.
Hi-ho.
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And as much of his writing is for young people, isn't it possible his views can serve to pollute their psyches? If they admire him?
I read his books religiously when I was a kid, and I most definitely admired him. I still admire him, as far as writing goes. I had no idea he was a homophobe until years later, in college. Those views don't come through in his books - only in his (rather obscure) political opinion articles and essays. And, really, if the kids are mature enough to seek out and slog though dull political essays, they're probably mature enough to think for themselves.
I don't know him, not ever having read any of his material, or seen any articles about him. But from the tenor of this conversation, it seems apologies are being extended for his rather basic intolerance of gays, if indeed that is a true attitude he professes. That makes me very uncomfortable.Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to say that his views aren't offensive, or that they're less offensive because he's got talent. But, at the same time, does the fact that the man's a bigot make his books any less compelling?
The award isn't honoring his religious beliefs and his ridiculous opinion articles; it's honoring his novels. Specifically, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I've read them dozens of times (both before and after learning of Card's personal views), and I have yet to find anything remotely intolerant. In fact, seeking an acceptance of those who are different from one's self and being open to other cultures are overarching themes of the Ender series (I mean, come on - "Speaker for the Dead" was the artistic equivalent of Card standing on a soapbox and shouting "DON'T BE JUDGMENTAL AND AFRAID OF OTHER CULTURES JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM!" over and over again).
The man is a tremendous jackass, but the books have good messages.
I completely understand the other side, however - all your points are valid, and I agree with you on most of them.
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Y'know, for such a homophobe, his book "Songmaster" sure was gay. In the sense that it was about a young boy who was apparently so beautiful that every man who heard him sing fell in love with him. It was also kinda creepy. Well, whatever.
After reading OSC's old opinion articles a couple years ago, I realized that he was a total ass and that we agreed on pretty much nothing. But that's cool. He's still one of my favorite writers. I've read the Ender series (and Shadow series) through so many times that I can almost recite it from memory, and Speaker for the Dead still manages to make me tear up every time. Even his crazy "right wing good guys fight left-wing lunatics in an American Civil War" book held my attention (and anybody who know my political leanings knows that that's pretty impressive). His books on writing are really good, too.
The way I see it, you've got to be able to separate the artist from the art, 'cause when it comes down to it, artists are human, and humans usually have at least one trait that everyone else finds reprehensible. If we only credit works by those with the highest virtues (as judged by who?), we'd have to toss out quite a bit of our culture.
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I'd say tie him down and make him listen to "Macerana" or "Who let the dogs out" till he screams.
Thanks a lot, man. You made
pop into my head, again.But, yeah, good article, TR!
I can't believe he wore those white socks, though. Mismatched is an editorial statement... white... gasp![/size]What's wrong with white socks? I'm wearing white socks.
Well, one white sock. The other one's light green.
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This immediately made me thing of EleCivil and Emo and of course synaresis, especially in consideration of the trailing "e" in "ele" and the leading "e" in "emo". I had to admire the sheer brilliance of the combination that WBMS had created.
Dagnabbit, WriteByThySelf, now you're getting people to associate me with emo. I'm no emo kid, but just for that, I'm gonna hijack this topic, Fourfa style.
Phase two: "emo." Moss Icon, the Hated, Silver Bearings, Native Nod, Merel, Hoover, Current, Indian Summer, Evergreen, Navio Forge, Still Life, Shotmaker, Policy of Three, Clikatat Ikatowi, Maximillian Colby, Sleepytime Trio, Noneleftstanding, Embassy, Ordination of Aaron, Floodgate, Four Hundred Years, Frail, Lincoln, Julia, Shroomunion, some early Unwound, etc.-Started in the DC area in 1987/88 with bands inspired by that area's post-hardcore acceptance of new, diverse sounds within the punk scene. Moves onward to New Jersey and California, then onward to Philly, Richmond VA, a bit in Canada, a bit in Illinois, and not much else.
-Musically there's a lot dynamics between ultra-soft / whispered vocals / twinkly guitar bits and full-bore crashing / twin Gibson SG guitar roaring / screaming vocals. One of the most recognizable and universal elements of emo shows up in the guitar sound of this style: the octave chord. Octave chords give this style a high-pitched, driving urgency and a very rich texture. The Gibson SG / Marshall JCM-800 guitar combo and Ampeg 400 bass amp is the classic emo gear. Solid-state amps are unheard of.
-The vocal style is usually much more intense than emocore, ranging from normal singing in the quiet parts to a kind of pleading howl to gut-wrenching screams to actual sobbing and crying. Straight-edge boys tend to hate that part, and much derision is levelled at emo bands on this point. Most emo bands tend to have some epic-length songs that build up very slowly to a climax where someone cries. If you're receptive to this kind of thing, it can be extremely powerful and moving, since it's very hard to fake that kind of pure emotion convincingly.
-Lyrics tend toward somewhat abstract poetry, and are usually low in the mix and hard to decipher. Record inserts have lyrics, but often so disorganized and haphazard that they're very difficult to read [unless the record was released on Ebullition Records, in which case there are many inserts on small, brightly-colored papers containing poetic writing from the label owner and all his friends about disillusionment, anger, and things that happened when the writer was four. Such writing is known as emo writing, and there are many, many zines just like that]. Said inserts are almost always done with antique typewriters or miniscule hand-lettering, containing no punctuation or capitalization. Often the only information about the band listed is the band members' first names. Another trait of really emo records is to have no information whatsoever about song titles.
-Artwork, too, tends toward abstract black-and-white photographs of rusted/broken things (especially machinery), drawings of flowers, and pictures of old men, little boys, and little girls. Lots of live photos indicates the band is probably from the East Coast, and probably listened to straight-edge at some point.
-Live emo bands tend to play with backs to the audience during the quiet parts. During the loud exploding parts, the musicans have a tendancy to jump and shake unpredicatable and knock things over - especially mike stands. Combine this with the fact that the singers often fail to make it to the mike in time to sing, and decide just to scream at the absolute top of their lungs wherever they are when the time comes, means that often entire shows will pass without the audience being able to hear the vocals. If, however, the band has a lot of screaming during the quiet parts, this can be an extremely powerful tactic.
-The is a particular emo dance sometimes seen in the audience at emo shows. It's known as "the emo tremble." The trembler clasps his/her hands together (wringing them from time to time), leans forward, bounces quickly on the balls of the feet, and shakes the upper torso in time to the music. Once in a while the trembler will grab the back of the head and rock back and forth. The more the person likes the band, the more he or she will double over. Also, a reader submits: "i think you forgot the "emo chest tap" or just "the chest tap". this goes on a lot in the northeast...i particularly remember lots of chest tapping occuring at shotmaker shows."
-Commercialism is very much repressed in this emo scene. Few bands make t-shirts. Most records are put out on very small, home-run labels or on the band's private label. Records are sold cheap (the classic pricing scheme was $3 7"s, $5 LPs, and $8 CDs. Inflation has driven these prices up in recent years). Shows are univerally $5 or less, and touring bands often are lucky to get gas money (despite the promoter usually not paying local bands).
-There is also a bias against digital technology within most bands. Emo recordings tend to be analog only, cheaply done, with a tendency toward mostly live tracking with few overdubs. Equipment is heavily weighted toward tube gear. Until recently, most emo records were made on vinyl only. CD reissues of broken-up bands' discographies are becoming common, though.
-Lastly, emo bands tend not to last long. It was not uncommon an emo band's only recording to come out posthumously and much delayed. Obviously, this puts a damper on the distribution of the records since no one in the band puts much effort into promotion.
-a modern perspective: the term "screamo" is used a lot nowadays to describe bands that are based most heavily on this kind of music.
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Every time someone mentions MS Surface, I can't help but think of this video:
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You could try lighting me up.
Er...If you say so.
*Splashes Trab with Isopropylene*
Waitasec. Was that innuendo? 'Cause if it was innuendo, you should probably wash that off. You know, before somebody strikes a match or something.
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Well...uh...we'll carry on, but you ARE staying with...right?
Well...I usually don't stick around unless there's something I need to set on fire, but...okay.
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*Sock-slides into topic with Molotov in one hand and lighter in other*
...Oh, it's just you guys. Thought I heard somebody say something about The System.
Er...happy new year. Carry on.
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Totally Joe
in Review Row - Books In Print
Posted
James Howe is cool. I haven't read this one, but Joe/JoDan is also a side character in another of Howe's books, The Misfits, which I definitely recommend.
Also, Howe was the editor of 13: Thirteen Stories About the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen, which is a collection of short stories (and one poem) by a bunch of big-name childrens'/young adult book authors (a couple of which involve characters questioning/discovering their sexuality).