Got some spare time? Like history? You already know everything about Spartan culture? Nope? Then watch this great documentary.
Documentary / three episodes each about 55 minutes
Ms Hughes has done a great job writing and presenting these insights into one of the most influential cultures of European history.
More? Bettany Hughes @ Wikipedia and the Sparta @ Wikipedia
This ‘Allegory of Spring‘ is brilliant and shows Maestro Botticelli at his best. Usually his crowd scenes look flat and confusing – but this one is almost like a modern comic panel.
The Scene is set in in the Garden of Venus – with the lovely Goddess in the center of it all.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for almost four minutes this great piece of art. |
The figures of the painting …
The three Charites of the Greek Mythology: Aglaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer").
The guy in the background looks suspiciously like Inspector Clouseau?!But I’ll take that hot dame any day …
I think it’s brilliant that the Wii console is still so popular – and literally moving so many lazy couch potatoes of their asses. Let’s hope this starts a trend – and kids rediscover the fun of ‘mobility’. Less static video zombies would be a good thing …
Once should never forget how fragile life is in some areas. Egypt is a big country – but only with a very small fertile strip to populate.
Just one more year with this most terrible of modern American Presidents and his evil Overlord Dick Cheney. The list of scandals and deaths in his name is incredible. But I am really wondering if a regime change will really change anything?
The military addiction and capitalist mechanism of congress and the industry won’t be changed.
Unless the US military MASSIVLY reduces it’s foreign bases – and it’s budget get’s cut in half (and it would still be the biggest on this planet) nothing will change.
A great photographer always catching the right moments for history. I love his work.
Many great scientists and artists started their dreams and passions as kids – being inspired or challenged by their environments, families, teachers and toys.
Today’s digital gimmicks are killers – they kill the imagination of kids, because they create PERFECT fantasy worlds. Our minds needs a vacuum too fill it with our own ideas. If we get overwhelmed with ’stuff’ we stay lazy and just consume …
BBC documentary / 50 min
Nitzsche finally freed us from God and Religion – he also deepened our understanding and horizon about personal freedom, pain and development.
BBC documentary / 50 min
Heidegger – the last of Germany’s great Philosophers and weird thinkers. Although he had some great insights – he totally failed to see the dangers of Fascism.
BBC documentary / 50 min
A great documentary about Sartre – and how he compliments Nietzsche and Heidegger.
Without being cynical: but it is rather a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ high ranking politicians get killed. Musharraf several times escaped bombs and shooters. Benazir Bhutto was not so lucky this time – although she had survived another attack just after her recent return to Pakistan.
Pakistan, India and Afghanistan – and many Middle Eastern countries are still very violent societies. As long as people are willing to kill and die for settling political scores there will be no ‘civil society’ nor ‘rule of law’.
It’s all such a shame.
This is an interview in October after the attack on her shortly after her return.
Click image for a larger Paul.
A strange moment. It’s hard to say if he is happy or sad, in balance or in misery.
What a wonderful movie: quiet, challenging, personal and thoughtful. You hardly see any movie about a spiritual lifestyle today. It’s actually based on a true story.
You are surrounded by good friends sharing beer, bread and salty Jewish jokes – whatever could happen to you?!
Pink and winter don’t mix very well. I must have been a Flamingo in a former life?!
Vampira is the Mother of all Goth Girls. A bit weird, a bit scary – but also sexy …
They say: The Mind is a Monkey – when it comes to meditation. Sure! It loves to play, shout, make noise and jump around. But you can tame your inner monkey – as you can see.
Guys always think about sex and want to mate any ol’ female. Yeah right, that might have been true before the invention of the video games. Since then … we can resist any pussy in face of a new high score!
Since good old Ratzinger is still with us I expect another year of human chaos and madness – the Rapture is still NOT upon us.
Enjoy your sinful life’s!
Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down and had a nice chat about Atheism, Science and Religion. Certainly a great crowd pleaser for the anti-religious faction.
First hour of the discussion:
Second hour of the discussion:
Please make sure to read the details and background about this little chat here. They are selling the discussion also on DVD to get some funds for the protection of Ayaan Hirsi Ali – who is still threatened my religious fanatics.
Thanks to Edosan for this one.
Still working here – I want finish a lot of unfinished business here! I hate dragging old zombies and schedules behind me. I won’t be able to make a clean start for 2oo8 – but less on my plate would be nice …
It’s never too early to prepare for the next christanized consumer festival to celebrate yet another pagan event …
The second part of this great documentary goes back to the great religions and philosophers of India. It shows that the idea of free, spiritual and humanitarian societies is almost as old as humanity itself. We were not all about war, domination and ignorance.
The human spirit was ALSO always about making this a better place for all. Enjoy!
One amazing documentary about India, early human development and culture. Highly insightful! It deals with the first big cities and settlement, as well as the story of the Arians and other early cultures.
More? Some background on the mentioned early cultures Sindhi and Indus Valley.
It’s more like a party or summer anthem … but never mind. I think she is cute and so is the song. It has this wonderful ignorant candy attitude to life … everything is gonna be good … somehow …
Socrates death was a tragic loss for Athenian culture – and still stands as a grave warning to all Democracies around the world: don’t kill your intellectuals, just because you don’t understand or appreciate them telling you the truth.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for four minutes this great piece of art. |
Athens just started it’s decline – it had lost the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. Socrates himself had fought for Athens and was a loyal patriot. But he also challenged the status quo of it’s society and wanted more progress. His ’smartass’ questions made the citizens of Athens more and more uneasy.
Plus Socrates had a large following of younger man and often met with them in more or less secret places to discuss their ideas. It didn’t help that some of Socrates biggest followers Alcibiades had betrayed Athens during the war with Sparta. So it was suggested that Socrates was corrupting Athens’ youth and he should therefore be punished. And Socrates challenged the religious believes of his times.
His trial was a huge event – he was judged by 500 of his fellow citizens. Socrates stuck to the truth, even mocked the jury and all the accusations instead of playing ‘nice’ and begging for mercy. He was found guilty 280 to 220. But he was still defiant. When his punishment was discussed he himself suggested being threat like an Olympic winner and given free meals (which was a great insult). So his death sentence had an even greater majority 360 to 140.
His execution was a sad affair – he refused to flee the city or take any chance to redeem himself.
We have seen the prosecution of smart wise man again and again in all cultures by kings, priests and mobs alike. Democracy is not a protection against acts of stupidity and uneducated destruction of brain power.
The curse of any great thinker will always be that his fellow citizens will be far behind him. The great publicity and admiration people like Einstein, Freud or Oppenheimer in their days was and is very unusual. Today’s bighead like Noam Chomsky and Richard Dawkins face very hostile opposition and ignorance. Once again the citizens of democratic states don’t like to be asked simple questions or have their religion challenged by ‘thinkers’ …
More? Jacques-Louis David @ Wikipedia and Socrates @ Wikipedia
This seems to be another freak season. Like last year we have no snow so far. It’s pretty cold and extremely foggy. I am wondering if January will be like last year: sunny and dry, so I can sit on my balcony in a t-shirt and enjoy "winter" …
To everybody else: keep shoveling!
I think we should give each other nice surprises on a more regular basis. Fulfill someone’s heart desire with some hot gifts and you shall be friends forever!
Just wondering if all that extra fat should have be shared with the less fortunate? Maybe christmas should be turned into a time of fasting and giving away all you can afford to others. Three days of less food, of no TV, no playstation, no entertainment then maybe we get some more spiritual enlightenment into society …
For sentimental values we accept almost any waste of energy or resources. For the kids, for relationships and feel good moments we are willing to waste, waste and waste …
I am still engulfed in loads of work. So blogging will be slow. Hope the rest of the universe is happy and enjoys itself?
