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On the Concept of Irony w/ Continual Reference to Caro, the #1 Sunshine Queen

346K views 5K replies 74 participants last post by  Zamboni 
#1 · (Edited)
Now that we can avoid cluttering the main tennis threads,you can all ponder the intellectual capacity of the genius who thought it was a 'bombshell' that Clijsters wanted to have more children: "REALLY?:crazy:I thought Kim HATED kids.Why didn't anyone tell me otherwise?:silly:..."
 
#4,553 ·
That's a subjective analysis,but you're a role model,whom AYE should probably follow better,in that you manage to be a pleasant conversationalist without being wordy.

On another note,Paul and I discussed opening a 2012 Polar Olympics thread,but we both agreed that too many posters wouldn't appreciate the topic material
 
#4,555 ·
The other problem is that all of the warm-weather nations sort of feel excluded so the international buildup isn't nearly as broad as there was with the London Games.It's very hard to sell Walrus Sumo Wrestling in Latin America.....except to folks who are on LSD or similar 'self-meds'
 
#4,556 ·
I saw Wreck it Ralph a couple of weeks ago and thought it was pretty cool. :)

I thought Skyfall was very good if a bit overhyped. :) There seemed to be something lacking or maybe it just was me being tired when I saw it. I'm thinking about seeing it at some point.
 
#4,557 ·
Okay,art lovers(especially those who love paintings),I understand that there's some subjectivity in rating the skill level of an artist,but can anyone offer informed,seasoned analysis about Vera Dushevina's collection of paintings?I've always felt that Vera herself was a superb work of art by Mr.and Mrs.Dushevina who put their DNA together in a wondrous way when they brought forth Vera:hearts:,so perhaps that disqualifies me from giving an objective viewpoint:lol:

Seriously,though,if you think she sucks as an artist then don't be afraid to speak candidly;that won't dissuade me from enjoying the artistically-formed Vera at all;)
 
#4,561 ·
You might not be surprised to learn that Paul enjoyed the suggestivity of the clothes hanging from the line;he'll be pleased that the Emperor,with his highly-refined taste,approved of the collection
 
#4,565 ·
Have been tempted to try something like THIS just to get a reaction from my mom's annoying,yapping dog at Christmastime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqZsNXmdxjI

There are a couple drawbacks,of course,the main one being lack of videocamera to tape his nervous,startled expressions.Also of great importance is that I'd rather not make Mom unhappy during the holidays,even if it's for a brief moment......Seriously,though,the unworthy,spoiled yapper deserves SOME kind of discomfort for making portions of my vacation unpleasant,so I could pour some canine laxative all over his dog food to give him a major case of the s--ts:devil:....except I'd have to make sure that he didn't drop dead from chemical side effects,or else Mom would be broken hearted...so I probably won't do ANYthing significant in the end:angel:
 
#4,566 ·
Was just thinking the other day what a shame it was that koala bears couldn't find a broader habitat to live in.They really are cute creatures and I'd make an effort to spot them if we had any here in Mexico but,alas,they're not up for swimming across the ocean to see us
 
#4,567 ·
Some of you have mentioned that the nationwide level of passion for tennis wasn't that strong in Denmark,but do they have a sort of 'Extraliga' that Caro has ever played in?
 
#4,575 ·
Yes, they have the Elite Division. This year a couple of WTA top 100 players have participated (Mona Barthel and Johanna Larsson). Sofia Arvidsson also used to play (she did so last year).

Caro has also played in "Elitedivisionen" but that was many years ago.

They've always used mixed teams but in 2013 there will be two Danish "Elite divisions" - one for men, and another for women. This has caused a lot of debate in tennis circles in Denmark, and some clubs or members are protesting wildly. I actually thinks it's a good idea.
 
#4,579 ·
Just for the record,I don't allow my contempt for the U.S. to blind me to the reality of their unfortunately-heavy economic influence on the world...nor am I unaware of the role that their military plays(though,due to piss-poor leadership,it's likely weaker than it's ever been since before WW #1--they now struggle badly even against undermanned foes with far less weapon technology and funding).There's even a very small number of them that I could even call 'friends'...although I should probably be ashamed to admit that:lol:

That being said,the claim in post #4570,that the Americans and their president are supposedly leaders of the free world,is just pathetic,mealy-mouthed crap:shrug:...the sort of nonsense you'd expect from one of their political party campaigns.It MAY have been true during WW #2,or even the fight for freedom against the Eastern Bloc,but those days are long gone.Though we could debate their asinine policies that caused it,it's an empirical fact that the US has failed to reproduce its native-born population in adequate numbers(as is the case with Russia and a few other European nations,too).They are constantly borrowing money from China to pay for a bankrupt social security system,and even their politicians concede that they have no visible hope of producing revenue to ever pay those massive loans off...leaving them beholden to the PRC.Those are FACTS and not opinionations in ANY way.....Impressive 'leaders of the free world',huh:lol:?Actually,I shouldn't laugh because it's sad and will affect my OWN country unless we become more economically independent of that cesspool to the north....soon to change its name from USA to 'NAG': North American Greece

As for Annika Beck,she may be a very sweet gal,and her stupidity and ignorance shouldn't be any surprise as she has made her education a lesser priority,as do many tennis players,and likely thinks that 30-second CNN soundbytes count as 'research':lol:.A student of history could see the clear parallels between the internal implosion of the overly-corrupted Roman Empire and the modern U.S.,and their president is "leading" the way.If THOSE are the leaders of freedom,then I'd rather have benevolent,well-intentioned anarchy:help:
 
#4,583 ·
Okay, you obviously have huge issues with him and I don't really want to get into that, just to explain why Germans like Barack Obama so much:

Due to our history, far right & conservative political views are very, very unpopular here. For example, Germany is pretty much the only big European country that does not have a far-right political party of any significance. The only such party that exists is a miserable outcast nobody votes for and if you'd say publicly that you do people would probably spit on you. Rightfully so since they`re disgusting scumbags.

Issues like abortion, gay rights etc. are non-issues here, people don't understand why Americans are making fuss about it. So if Barack Obama comes out supporting gay marriage it's not some kind of sensation, people simply view him as sane...and that's why he's so popular here. G W Bush was loathed in Germany so people simply enjoy having a US President they can relate to. Another thing is that Germany isn't a very religious country, religion plays absolutely no role in politics... another reason why conservative Bible-quoting American politicians are mostly seen as weirdo clowns here and people prefer Obama.

As far as German's not knowing much about US politics, the media coverage of the elections was almost absurdly extensive here. There was months of coverage of all the primaries and five different channels covered the elections through the night. People were already complaining that it's too much. That dosen't mean that there aren't misconceptions about US politics...many people still fail to understand that American politics are much more right on the spectrum than German politics... the ruling conservative party in Germany would still be considered part of the Democratic left wing in the US. But still, Obama comes closest to what people consider a sane and "normal" politician.

I see that you have very specific issues with his politics that I can't comment on, you have to understand that blasting a 18-year old German girl for not sharing the same sentiments is somewhat silly. She simply see's him for what he is, an interesting and inspirational man and even though I don't agree with all his policies I would surely like to meet the man.
 
#4,584 ·
Thank you for your intelligent,reasoned reply,Jimmie:hatoff:

First off,I really wasn't angry with Annika;as you know,I have a tendency to exaggerate a bit sometimes:angel: and I was just having a little fun at her expense.I don't expect much at all from an athlete or,for that matter,from ANY celebrity type.Rather,I expect them to spout off ignorant nonsense and ideology that they probably gleaned from blogs and Facebook:lol:

You confirmed much of what I suspected;I know that Germans aren't a stupid people by any stretch(my great-great-etc. grandfather was a wagon-maker in Prussia,btw).It's more a case of what you described: They hold hatred for the conservative elements in US society,so they support whoever opposes such philosophy...and don't really pay close attention to whether or not he's honest or remotely competent...it doesn't matter too much,of course,since Germans have their own issues to worry about without focusing on American politics.

I'll agree that his story is superficially inspirational when you study the history of oppression of *****-Americans,and the guy truly is an amazing speaker,one of the best I've ever seen at brainwashing the feeble-minded.However,when you strip away the glossy show,he's as empty as that guy behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz.

You're a smart fellow,Jimmie,so Common Sense would tell you that,when you already have an economy in crisis,you don't run up a 7 trillion dollar spending deficit when you have NO HOPE of ever paying off such a staggering debt.It's simply a matter of time before even the PRC cuts off the broke US from any more sugar-daddy loans...and then the 'great empire' will suffer an embarrassing,total collapse and become a larger version of Greece...but the shit bag doesn't care,though,cuz he's financially set for life and he'll probably move overseas when things REALLY deteriorate:lol:

Though there's a sort of dark pleasure in watching the gringos destroy themselves on a grand scale,reality soon sets in as I know that,unless we develop a self-sufficient economy here in Mexico,we'll suffer awful ripple effects when the US falls:help:....but I'll close by reminding you of your own experience with 'malandro'.I'm sure that you didn't enjoy being physically attacked,so how do you think I feel when I see a three-year-old girl gunned down just because her mommy works for the prosecutor's office??The US Attorney General is a walking pile of goat smegma--and close o-BUM-a friend--named Eric Holder,and he's made it abundantly clear that he's not going to prosecute US assault-weapon sales to foreign countries...EVEN IF THE ARMS DEALERS KNOWINGLY SELL TO NARCO LORDS(who knows what amount of kickbacks he's getting from the arms dealers??).He doesn't have a massive security detail like the president does,so poetic justice would be having his car break down in Juarez during a visit to my country.Though I could bitch-slap him all by myself and force him to polish my knob from his knees,it wouldn't be fair if I denied mis paisanos the satisfaction of taking turns as we slowly beat that waste-of-life within an inch of death...and then hung him from a lightpost with a message staked on his chest for the US Gov. to read when they dragged his worthless carcass back across the border...now THAT would be justice:devil:
 
#4,616 ·
As for this part, we'll have to agree to disagree.





However, I like to define the terms I use in such discussion. This enables a better mutual understanding. You have defined religions in a way that I can not agree (even stating that it was the most relevant definition), so I simply brought a definition that I find most acceptable and complete. I maintain my position. A religion is a religion and an ideology is an ideology. However, I can understand what you mean by saying that certain concepts are religions for certain people .
First of all,thank you for your friendly gesture with the good repping:hatoff:

I would say that you've simply failed to read some of the statements and dogma by many Communist political and ideological leaders.They've made it clear,VERBATIM,even in simple terms,that atheism is superior to theism and that the latter,and even its supporters,should be eradicated ASAP for the general good while the former should be promoted for the betterment of self.I'm not debating whether or not that stance is true,only re-affirming that Communist diehards have often unequivocally believed in ramming atheism down everyone's throats just as religious fanatics aim to do with their chosen faith.

With all the movements you cited a few posts back(atheism,humanism,socialism,evolutionism and capitalism),the notable difference exists between rank-and-file supporters and the LEADERS who are at the forefront of the movements.The former will often tolerate dissenting viewpoints and the latter will NOT....If you look back at your dictionary definition of religion,there are only a couple elements lacking in the dogma of the diehards.They don't cite any supernatural deity,but they DO forcefully claim that no such deity exists(with the exception of capitalists and the more moderate socialists--moderate as compared with militant communism),and with THAT statement on supposed spiritual truth,the distinction from religion is largely semantic.The biggest disparity is in the lack of rituals and similar ceremonies in the ideological movements.In other respects,they fulfill your definition by claiming to know what our purpose in life should be,how we should behave towards fellow human beings,and what sort of world we should have...even professing that allegiance to the doctrine will lead to utter personal self-realization...not that dissimilar from the religious concept of salvation.

Aside from the more hardcore communists,none of the ideological movements we've discussed have typically practiced physical oppression of others,but even a quick glance at some of the literature demonstrates a quest to intellectually demagogue dissenting philosophies as both inferior and harmful to humankind...which entails educating EVERYone to think the same way to the extent that--they hope--opposing viewpoints will be discredited and erased from the public mindset....QUITE similar to religious brainwashing,IMO...with the only advantage being that dissenters are rarely tortured or killed when it comes to socio-political brainwashing.....Capitalist apologists are the least guilty of morally pontificating as they normally just lecture about how to get rich,but even THEY have their preachers like Rush Limbaugh who strongly imply that we all can achieve a near-blissful,idyllic state if we're only allowed an unfettered pursuit that leads to financial gain:rolleyes:
 
#4,620 ·
I would say that you've simply failed to read some of the statements and dogma by many Communist political and ideological leaders.They've made it clear,VERBATIM,even in simple terms,that atheism is superior to theism and that the latter,and even its supporters,should be eradicated ASAP for the general good while the former should be promoted for the betterment of self.I'm not debating whether or not that stance is true,only re-affirming that Communist diehards have often unequivocally believed in ramming atheism down everyone's throats just as religious fanatics aim to do with their chosen faith.
I can't see where I would have suggested otherwise? :shrug:

I am well aware that atheism has its own fanatics. Some of them would gladly eradicate all forms of religions. This doesn't change the clear distinctions between atheism and religions. But we have already discussed this issue and our positions seem irreconcilable. So, I'll leave it at that.

With all the movements you cited a few posts back(atheism,humanism,socialism,evolutionism and capitalism),the notable difference exists between rank-and-file supporters and the LEADERS who are at the forefront of the movements.The former will often tolerate dissenting viewpoints and the latter will NOT....If you look back at your dictionary definition of religion,there are only a couple elements lacking in the dogma of the diehards.They don't cite any supernatural deity,but they DO forcefully claim that no such deity exists(with the exception of capitalists and the more moderate socialists--moderate as compared with militant communism),and with THAT statement on supposed spiritual truth,the distinction from religion is largely semantic.The biggest disparity is in the lack of rituals and similar ceremonies in the ideological movements.In other respects,they fulfill your definition by claiming to know what our purpose in life should be,how we should behave towards fellow human beings,and what sort of world we should have...even professing that allegiance to the doctrine will lead to utter personal self-realization...not that dissimilar from the religious concept of salvation.
Those are very interesting thoughts...even if you have no chance to convince me that a political movement can be assimilated to a religion :lol: But the comparison is relevant :)

Just a brief return in Russia.

Although communist leaders have committed crimes in the name of a political doctrine which was qualified as atheist, the population of Russia has never ceased to believe. Its churches were closed, they were forbidden to practice any form of religion, but the citizens remained believers. Even the people who proclaimed themselves atheists often continued to believe in God. Therefore, they were not atheists.

In 1990, the freedom of religion was promulgated in the Russian Federation and most citizens embraced again a religion. Claiming that Russians are atheists is either a sign of ignorance or intellectual dishonesty.

Nowadays, most of them are believers. Here's the result of a survey:

"Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation. Orthodox Christianity is Russia's largest religion with 75% of the population belonging to the Orthodox Christian denomination. Islam is professed by 5% of the population. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Buddhism are professed by 1% of the population each. Other religious denominations represent 1% of the population, while 8% consider themselves atheists".

http://masterrussian.com/russia/facts.htm

And among the 8% of atheists, how many are "real atheists"?
 
#4,592 ·
Just because he's from Texas, it doesn't make him a looney pr default. You know he started off as a Democrat and supported Al Gore? .. That said, he's very popular in the lone star state and has steered it well through recent crisis, imho.

As with Romney however, getting close to a GOP Presidential candidature, his views have unfortunately swung to a much more extreme stance in the last couple of years.
 
#4,603 ·
On the subject of Americans, Europeans and religion - reminds me of something that happened several years ago. I was coming back in the plane from the States after staying with my sister and her children. She lives in the States.

Anyway I was on my own and next to this couple. And the lady asks me about my holiday, where I've been. And I tell her we went off to Mount Desert Island for a week and then she says she was also there and teaching the joys of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And then she asks me if I have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and I reply I used to believe but I don't anymore. And then she goes "Oh snatched away by the Prince of Darkness..." :lol: Anyway - she tries asking a few more questions to convert me back - but I have a book to read and I'm not really interested in this conversation. After a little while - she swaps places with the man she's with (who incidentally remained completely silent). She'd obviously given up on me as lost to the dark side and didn't want to sit next to me. :lol:

Anyway - I relayed the story to my sister when I got back. And she goes - why didn't you call the flight attendant and complain you were being harrassed? The thought never entered my head. That advice from both the lady on the plane and my sister I can quite happily ignore. It's obviously a huge generalisation but complaining like my sister would - is that more an American thing?
 
#4,612 · (Edited)
Atheist, agnostic whatever. To make my own position clear:
  • I no longer believe in a personal God and saviour although I used to.
  • I think when you are dead that's it.
  • I do not claim I'm right and others with their personal beliefs are wrong. I have no wish to impose my view on anyone else.
  • I do have respect for other people's religious convictions.
  • I've not looked into other religions apart from Christianity and have no desire to do so.
As far as an omnipresent impersonal creator - I'm open-minded on this. Science cannot disprove the existence of God. If you ask what or who started the big-bang, the answer you'll get from a physicist is that it is a meanigless question because time and space did not exist before the big-bang. And if there's no time - it is meaningless to put a question about "before the big band". I suspect most people find that answer unsatisfactory. To be told that their question is meaningless as an answer usually riles most people up.
 
#4,613 ·
As for the last part,you've surely deduced that many leaders in the scientific community would prefer to completely discredit,as intellectual manure,any sort of theistic beliefs on the formation of the universe.In a forensic sense,they've become NO different than the RCC leaders from centuries ago who looked to silence any dissent on their doctrines or discussions of our world.An honest scientist will admit that they barely have the first damned clue on the formation of the universe...but they can't admit that publicly or else it might undermine the blind trust many folks have about the proclamations of self-professed experts...and the self-appointed leaders would lose great sway.

A perfect example is my sister who is a brilliant young gal with a doctorate in bio-chemistry from Johns Hopkins University.She sees MICRO-evolution on a constant basis in her work;however,she acknowledges the glaring flaw in genetic evolutionary theory that results from the fact that genomes contain a blocker that prevent mutations from being passed on to the direct offspring.Those mutations CAN re-surface as a recessive gene in a later generation but,obviously,the above reality seriously undermines the mathematical probability model for diehard evolutionists.When I pointed that out to my sis,her response was,'Well...they have OTHER evidence:unsure:'.When I asked her to cite solid examples of such evidence,she couldn't do it: As a scientist,she's naturally inclined to believe claims of 'proof' from other members of the community,even though she hasn't done ANY research in some of those other fields,and I was exactly the same when I was younger whenever I heard the words,"scientists have proven".

What's hilarious is how the RCC now dopily follows along with the evolutionists who despise them--probably because they're afraid of looking like inbred,village-dwelling religious simpletons,and they'd hate to hurt the 'Holy Mother Church's' p.r. image:lol:...and yet they actually have some validation for being skeptical...the irony,huh:lol:?......Now aye REALLY have to get going or else my jealous Mexican gf will fear that I'm fooling around:p:wavey:
 
#4,617 ·
Ugh. Caro is a Miami Heat fan or at least on their bandwagon. :(
 
#4,628 ·
If think it vital to separate religion from the organisation or "church" to understand how the latter can be an ideology using faith as the commodity for control.

Kafka makes some very interesting observations in his diaries regarding the conflict between churches.
 
#4,629 ·
You're right that Kafka is a worthwhile reading endeavor; the only problem is that he can sometimes encourage the emotionally/mentally frail to give in to their paranoia too easily.....Not his fault,of course,but a rather inevitable side effect;)
 
#4,632 ·
Merry Christmas everybody! :)

It's been a pretty good one for me so far. :)
 
#4,634 ·
A lot more interesting when your team hasn't been knocked out of playoff contention a lot earlier in the season. :p
 
#4,636 ·
Had another post that obviously offended someone who griped to have it deleted:lol:,so I'll simplify by saying that both the Vikings AND your former faves,the Seahawks,have made the playoffs....Seattle is currently the better team,IMO
 
#4,639 ·
Happy New Year everybody!! :)
 
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