| Shit Flags and Queen's Day |
[23 Apr 2006|12:21pm] |
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This Tuesday I return to Amsterdam for the second annual pilgrimage to the Queen's Day celebration, and I'm once again armed with over 200 shit flags (see: http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor/image/43291334 & http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor/image/43291585 )
Yes, that's right. That's our buddy W's ugly mug on these tiny slips of patriotism in it's purest artistic form. I'm also going to concentrate on street art, and am looking forward to creating a few new galleries which I hope will be even more popular than their predecessors - My Nederlands gallery (http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor/nederlands ) has proven my most popular gallery BY FAR.
I'll be back mid-May and may or may not post between now and when I return; it all depends on internet access...
Happy Spring everyone!
KHT
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| Friggin Oscars |
[06 Mar 2006|09:42am] |
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So for the first time in a long while I actually went out of my way to see the Academy Awards. Last night we took curry and my laptop to D's parents to see how the Academia of Sin City rated the controversial candidates this year. I can't say as I was surprised by the results.
My favorite "Good Night and Good Luck" was nominated all over the place but sadly did not win. They gave Clooney an honorary Oscar for Syriana but nothing for his brilliant arthouse political and very relevant to the times piece.
Here is how it broke down in my view:
The theme this year was "Bigotry." This year AA focused more on the themes of the films rather than the actors themselves. A few years back it was obvious that Hollywood was feeling remorse (or low returns) enough to thrust the theretofor ignored talents of the black community to the forefront and load them up with awards as if this would somehow make up for their past neglect; a kind of honorary restitution like they do with the old school actors/directors who for whatever reasons were looked over but their lifetime body of work proved they were worthy except in the case of the black actors it appeared any available candidate that year would do.
And so it went this year with film themes. I'll try to forgive them for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - HUSTLE & FLOW's award because even though I usually dislike country music, I felt actually sickened by Dolly Parton's botox version of whatever the hell she was up for. Easy enough for the Academy to throw that one away. And, I'll admit I didn't see a few of the key films up so I can't state a valid comparative opinion of why Geisha was better than Brokeback in cinematography etc., but it just looked to me like the entire thing was laid out like a modern sitcom/drama - i.e. the formula was to cover as much demographic area as possible so as to win the approval of the widest audience.
Fine, so be it. But don't call yourselves critics of ART if the process is nothing but a feel good fest. It's no coincidence that there was a common thread between most of the films this year, but the one stand out feature was Clooney's homage to his father and the now forgotten standards of our nation's press which stood to cause the most impact with Oscar's notoriety and they pushed it aside to keep things tidy.
No offense to Crash, it's just not a film I would see twice. It was well made for certain. It made valid points too. But in my opinion it was no GN & GL. or even Capote for that matter. (Yea for PSH - his Capote WAS Capote).
I realize expecting Hollywood to keep it real is a pathetic aspiration but no matter how cynical I become, I still produce a child like idealistic hopefulness occasionally and last night was one of those times. That'll teach me. What was I thinking?
KHT
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[03 Mar 2006|01:59pm] |
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De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising |
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Stolen from Physics Ninja: If you had me alone, locked up in your house for twenty-four hours and I had to do whatever you wanted me to, what would you have me do? All comments will be screened because it's a secret. Then repost this in your LJ. You might be surprised with the responses you get.
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| NBC Sucks My Butt |
[02 Mar 2006|01:31pm] |
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Seu George - Bowie covers |
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Yet another letter to those facists at NBC - Meet the Press is almost as bad as Rush Limbaugh at this point - just geekier.
Dear MTP:
I have just read Betsy Fischer's rebuttal to Media Matters report regarding the balance of bias in your Sunday show* and was horrified by Ms. Fischer's display of horrible grammar and punctuation.
Between the parentheses, dashes and inappropriate question marks, I simply couldn't believe that she managed to rise to the position she holds, nor that anything that poorly written would slip through unchecked to such a wide audience.
It makes MTP look bad regardless of the argument presented. She's your executive producer speaking for your team, and if you wish to continue to be taken seriously as an intellectual news source all published responses should be first run by a professional editor no matter how passionately the executive wishes to respond.
Obviously I'm not a professional editor, and I'm sure my own words could be picked to pieces by one should they come under such scrutiny, but I'm not speaking for a major news organization either.
The damage is done. You're all shamed by association.
KHT
*link to referenced article: http://mediamatters.org/items/200602140009
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| Letter to NBC |
[04 Nov 2005|11:12am] |
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This is a letter I wrote today to NBC because the lead reporter they've assigned to cover the White House Leak trial also happens to be Cheney's former press secretary. Conflict of interest you say? YOU BETCHA.
Dear NBC:
I am writing to suggest (well, request) that NBC's coverage of the Libby trial be reassigned to someone other than Pete Williams.
Although Mr. Williams has proven himself to be an otherwise perfectly adequate lead on legal affairs, there is a clear and definite conflict of interest in this case, due to his past association with the Vice President and Mr. Libby.
These days the media is under as much scrutiny as the politicians we citizens entrust it to monitor. Therefore it is more important than ever that NBC (the media) takes care to ensure that there is no appearance of possible partisanship if your reporting is to be considered credible.
This story is far too important to risk any possibility of delivering misinformation, and therefore I sincerely hope that Mr. Williams will recuse himself from the assignment or that the story will be reassigned in the event that he fails to do so.
Sincerely,
KHT
Stowe, VT
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| Sad But True... |
[23 Sep 2005|08:29am] |
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"Hurricane plans are the price of living along a coast -- or should I say paradise,"--Nanette Lomarda, acting chief of the tropical cyclone programme division at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
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| Photography and the Propriety of Light |
[20 Sep 2005|11:27am] |
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Lately I've been experiencing the phenomena of what I call "light real estate laws." After all, photography is stealing nothing but reflection, right? Even if you focus on a piece of actual art, the photo will only represent the light reflected off of it, and in no way take away any part of it that doesn't inherently belong to the public and nature anyway.
My worst experiences to date have been with people, seconded by the sellers at our local Farmer's Markets. Ok, people - I can understand not wanting to have my picture taken by some creepy stranger with a big camera (not that I'm all that creepy..I'm a young woman who's totally normal looking in every way). Generally, I try to respect when someone is aware as I'm training the lens on them and if they look uncomfortable I give up immediately, though this often makes me long for one of those huge lenses so that I can be more stealth.
What really bugs me is the Farmer's Markets. I live in New England where every inch is picturesque even in decay, so I rarely leave my house without my camera just in case. My favorite places to go deliberately (that is until lately) are the Farmer's Markets but you should see the scowls of the sellers there. I finally had a dialogue with one of them this weekend and he tried to explain his feelings on the matter: He said that as a seller, he goes to great trouble to grow his flowers and to haul them to the site and arrange them each week and then people show up with cameras and act like they're entitled to images of his intellectual/artistic property. He said he didn't mind so much if the images were purely for personal use (I wanted to press him to define this, as I for one do not make money but post for the public, but what's the difference between that and sharing with family and friends?). His real dilemma was about the possibility that someone would use the images to make some money and not give him either a cut or credit.
Generally I try to respect people's feelings on the topic and it's not difficult to get me to give up and go away - even a simple grimace will do it. But I wonder why so many are so pissy. I consider it an homage when I train my lens on something I feel is beautiful or interesting. I'm not trying to take anything away from anybody, but rather to celebrate beauty in all of it's minutae.
People should lighten up before it's too late and art no longer exists. Corporations are busy copyrighting genes so soon nothing, no matter how small - down to the tiniest partical - will be left that isn't owned and regulated. Humans baffle me.
You can view my galleries full of stolen light here: http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor
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| "By Swallowing Evil Words Unsaid...." |
[18 Sep 2005|09:48pm] |
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Gypsy Jazz by Paulo something or other (wish I knew) |
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“By Swallowing Evil Words Unsaid…”
No matter what your viewpoint or political stance, a change of guard in the Supreme Court, which is the highest judicial body of our governmental system and the most untouchable of our three point system of checks and balances, we must all agree will most definitely affect the entire body of our nation’s citizens.
But who are the most vulnerable? The answer is the weak, of course. And who are the weak? Well, despite that we view ourselves as a civilized republic with a voting democratic populace, women and minorities continue to represent the poorest and weakest members of our society.
While listening to the Senate confirmation hearings on NPR this week, I felt literally sick with fear over the things I was hearing, and not hearing as the case may be. While I strived to stomach Senator Brownback’s (R-KS) wrenching pontification on the tremendous loss of the 40 million aborted “blessings” our country doesn’t have to celebrate, he went on to state that Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton were based on lies and deception and that all parties involved wished to revoke the outcomes.
He also stated that 80-90% of children identified in uteri as having Down’s Syndrome are lost to society as well. He insinuated that the parents of these imperfect embryos selfishly destroyed these special people while there are “waiting lists in America of people, today, willing to adopt children with Down's Syndrome. And we will protect that child -- as well we should, under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other issues -- when they get here.” This promise from a legislative body that refuses to consider socialized healthcare!
Although the US does have a welfare system (albeit flawed), we are ill prepared to even begin to conceive of taking care of the literal hoards of otherwise unwanted children who would inundate our society in the event that abortion rights were revoked. Furthermore, as abortion is legal in other countries, it should be understood that only the wealthiest (and ironically best able to care for unexpected children) would continue to act on their rights to choose while the poorest and most dependent of our citizens will be compelled to live with the consequences, which begs the question: Are we deliberately trying to become a third world country? Is this the Right Wing’s ideal of civilization? Has Senator Brownback considered the long-term consequences of these “blessings?” The answer is self-evident. He has his an agenda and a constituency to please.
But I digress. The real issue during these hearings – the scariest part of all was Judge Roberts’ utter refusal to address these issues directly. Whether it be abortion, civil rights, or even how we elect our president - the US Supreme Court playing an unprecedented role in recent years - we the people deserve answers; answers on his opinions and his philosophies. We certainly heard an earful of Senator Brownback’s after all!
Furthermore, no judge is completely unbiased because every judge is human. Judge Roberts can insist on his impartiality all day long but it doesn’t change that he has a record. He has set his own precedents. The Senate Judiciary Committee is there to ascertain for posterity what this man’s ideals are and if he’s fit to sit in the second highest seat in our land. Judge Robert’s is not on trial here. He has no right to the Miranda laws. But he is being judged and he should have been compelled to provide answers.
KHT
Stowe, VT
a.k.a. Twinkies for Brains
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| Bush Is a Traitor Editorial |
[16 Aug 2005|08:21am] |
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Ben Harper something or other |
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The following was published in the Burlington Free Press on 8 July 05.
I really didn't expect it to be printed because I used libelous words like "treasonous" etc. but they did it. Good for them.
Oh yeah, and I found out it made it in in the most extraordinary way - State Representative from Grand Isle, Ira Trombley, sent a hand written card to my house congratulating me on speaking up. I was most impressed.
Here you go: This American citizen is fed up with President Bush's continued attempts to spin what's really going on with the war in Iraq.
In his recently televised speech Bush continued to insist that Iraq (Saddam Hussein) was behind the 9/11 attacks which is not only a blatant lie, but a hideous -- some might say treasonous -- attempt to manipulate public opinion using those terrible events as a tool.
To President Bush I say: the lives lost on that day should be revered, and not used to promote any agenda other than legitimately attempting to find and prosecute the parties behind the attacks. The entire world knows that they're not in Iraq, so stop treating Americans like mindless idiots and get busy producing an exit strategy and a real plan for finding the perpetrators.
Your fear-mongering is no longer working to its full effect, and meanwhile the compassionate citizens of the world are waiting for you to move on.
KHT
Stowe, VT
View the actual editorial here: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050708/OPINION/507080323/1006/ARCHIVE
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| Caveat Emptor |
[15 Jul 2005|02:08pm] |
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Recently I had a winfall that would have allowed me to purchase a better digicam and so went about researching the various cameras, prices and stores online.
I decided on a Nikon D70s - the evolution of last year's award winning D70 and a grade up from the new civilian model D50.
I found a great price on a package at http://bestpricecameras.com/229995-239948-1-D70s-KIT-#-3-(28-70-&-70-300)-PLUS-EXTRAS.html
Granted, $799 for all that (the lenses they say are Sigmas) seems like too little money I admit, so I really asked questions. I was then treated like a tool by two different salesmen and eventually a "manager" named Dennis.
It all started over batteries. This "kit with extras" does not include such basic "accessories" as batteries, charger or a manual - they'll sell you the book for $80 and allegedly the cheapest batteries they have to offer are the nikon EN EL3 which are the very ones that come in the package directly from Nikon and the recommended ones from the Nikon website which claims they last up to several weeks and 2,500 shots...BUT...BestPriceCamera.com claims (verbally) that their cameras are hybridized by the Nikon factory before they reach their warehouses and that they only use some (insert generic name here) batteries which start at $200 (the charger is even more). Also, you must be very careful to check the shipping prices at these sites...theirs started at over $45 for UPS ground (10-14 days) and in one day went up to $60. They also stated on the link to buy "just the camera body" that if you upgraded to a package that shipping would be upgraded to express free of charge. After I'd given my cc info to "Ted" he informed me that that was only for "deluxe packages" not any old generic package as it states on their site:
see here: http://bestpricecameras.com/227265-0-1-25218-Nikon-D70s-New-Digital-Slr-Body-USA.html
When I started asking these hard questions each of these people became more and more agitated. The last word from this guy before he hung up on me (Dennis, a "manager") were: "lady, look at our prices...think of it this way..you can't get a Mercedes Benz for $10k and if you can let me know, I'll take a dozen....you get what you pay for"
Thank you to Dennis for his honesty and in sparing me making the biggest purchase mistake of my life.
Please pass this warning along to any and all others who might be drawn in by these "unbelievable prices." The guy as much as admitted that these cameras are crap and not legitimate Nikon D70s as they are hawked on their website.
Caveat Emptor and happy shooting.
Kimberley
http://www.pbase
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| Marketing people are stoopid |
[05 Jul 2005|10:29am] |
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Here is a copy of a letter I wrote to comedycentral.com:
Ok, I'm assuming I'm not the first to make this enquiry but I cannot resist as I was prepared to buy several:
You offer Towelie light switch plates, hats, watches and t-shirts but no (um) TOWELS?!?
Lame. Not cool.
If you ever get any, I'll take 5.
(haha)
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| Bullshit Meter |
[05 Jul 2005|09:26am] |
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The screaming inside my head |
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I'm currently frustrated. My daughter would call it judgementalism, but I like to think of it as the "No Bullshit Meter" that runs constant in my brain.
I'm increasingly disappointed in people for not doing what they say they're going to do. Or worse, implying emotions or desires which do not exist in order the hedge their potential for fun, emotional well being, "kicks" or profit at the expense of others (actual fun, well being etc). Why can't people just say what they mean? And WHY are there so few people willing to compromise their own agenda for the sake of the common good?
Friendship is about caring for people other than yourself. It's supposed to work out evenly. Oddly, I do believe there's a shortage of self love in this world - but perhaps it's been inappropriately replaced with an exaggerated survival instinct which has distilled to a "take whatever you can and fuck the rest" philosophy which, considering that NONE of the people I know are literally starving, is wholly ridiculous.
People are WHACK.
Don't mind me...I'm just saying what I mean.
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| Best Line from Annie Hall |
[21 Jun 2005|10:41am] |
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I watched Annie Hall last night and my favorite lines were:
Woody Allen: "I've got to see a movie from start to finish because....because I'm ANAL!"
Diane Keaton (Annie): "Anal is a polite word for what you are."
BWAHAHAHAHA!
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| Ben Stein's Friggin Money and Worthless Opinion |
[21 Jun 2005|09:35am] |
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Passing traffic |
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The following is my blog editorial response to the last weekly column written by Ben Stein called "Monday Night at Morton's" which showed up in my mailbox as spam, sent by a well meaning friend who thought it contained some wisdom (his dribbling prattle is attached as a comment for reference):
Although I generally agree about the star worship, Ben Stein is a huge Republican and at this point, anybody (ANYBODY) who is still supporting the regime is not to be trusted nor paid heed to. All this support our troops business makes me ILL. I feel for the soldiers (most of whom were railroaded into going over there to secure more oil for America's obsession with gas guzzlers - that's a noble reason to die or to send our bravest and best to their deaths in the first place), but this "support" propaganda and it's nauseating ribbons et al, is just another sinister way to justify what's going on and garner sympathy for the regime's evil agenda.
Republicans twist everything into guilt trips about marginally related issues, i.e. they tell us if we don't support the war in Iraq, we're cruel to the soldiers and their families - meanwhile they slash veterens benefits, soldier's salaries and have not provided the proper equipment to the troops to keep them as safe as possible (we have it, but rushed over there so fast at G.W.'s prodding that we never set up properly and a LOT more lives have been lost as a result).
And as for Mr. Stein: writing a gossip column about who's been seen at Mortons - where the cheapest grain hogging, methane producing cow meat chunks start at about $30 and that's just for the chunk, the potato is EXTRA - and finally "seeing" that the world's heros are those who are willing to die for "Republicans Uber Alles," well that's just plain silly, and once again, wholly unrelated. The superfluous lifestyles of movie stars and the sacrifice of soldiers do not belong in the same sentence (or column).*
Mr. Stein is a self serving egotistical prick who, though he thinks he's a genius, has in fact been played like a two bit whore by the G.O.P. and it appears obvious that the only reason he's disenchanted with his non-heroic "star" colleagues is because even the most intellectually retarded among them can see that the nation has been overtaken by a neocon succubus. So much for using his big brains and meanwhile he's done nothing more than illustrate that to him...it really is all about Ben Stein's Money.
*except for this one of course ;oP
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| Shit Flag Project |
[17 Jun 2005|01:59pm] |
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Family Guy Theme |
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So, I haven't written in this thing in ages. I'm slightly embarassed that the last few entries have been of dumb quizzes and crap like that (other than the reference to the photo galleries, which are the real reason I haven't done anything in here of late). Anyway, it's time to formally reveal to the public the legend of the "Shit Flag Project."
The month of April took me somewhat unexpectedly (and circuitously via Ireland) to Amsterdam to celebrate the birthday of Queen Beatrix (Queen's Day) - that is myself, my cousin and a few million other folks, all dressed in orange. The timing also coincided with a project we'd hatched to create and produce tiny flags with portraits of G.W. on them to be placed in (preferably steaming) piles of shit; dog or horse.
So we made about 300 of these flags and fashioned them to bamboo skewers and off I went hell bent on littering the gleaming streets of Sin City with my special brand of patriotism.
Well, it was great fun while it lasted. I concentrated my efforts around the American Embassy (it is locked down like a fortress) and the piece de resistance came when a German art house cable station (ARTE) stumbled on to a particularly conspicuous pile while I was still around to see them film it. I gave them a freshie and a brief rundown of what we were up to and voila', now the shit flags are famous (in Germany at least). It actually took a couple of days of concentrated effort to place all the flags, but the looks I received in addition to the ones I never saw made it well worth it; the statement was made.
Now I'm considering dedicating a whole website to the concept with download your own shitflags and perhaps a hall of fame where users can send in files of the shitflags they've placed in obvious places. We could have a shitflag of the month award etc. So many projects so little time.
I can honestly recommend guerilla art, it is cathartic.
View the infamous shitflag here: http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor/image/43291334 & http://www.pbase.com/khtaylor/image/43291585
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| I wrote my own quiz! |
[23 May 2005|05:40pm] |
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Red Hot Chili Peps - Venice Queen |
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| You scored as Devil's Food Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake. You are a Devil's Food Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake - You defy the Atkins people with their limitations - life is too short to deny it's pleasures while they last. Nothing but the richest, darkest most delectable dessert for you. You are a true bon vivant!
Devil's Food Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake | | 80% | Rum Raisin Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting | | 75% | Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee | | 75% | Strawberry Ice Cream Cone | | 65% | Tropical Fruit Salad with Mango and Passionfruit Sorbet | | 10% | </td>
What Pastry/Dessert Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com |
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| nother quiz |
[23 May 2005|03:52pm] |
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Afro Celt Sound System "Lagan" |
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| You scored as Existentialism. Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life.
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”
“It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.”
--Jean-Paul Sartre
“It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.”
--Blaise Pascal
More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page...
Existentialism | | 100% | Utilitarianism | | 90% | Hedonism | | 75% | Justice (Fairness) | | 70% | Strong Egoism | | 30% | Nihilism | | 15% | Kantianism | | 15% | Apathy | | 5% | Divine Command | | 0% | </td>
What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03)
created with QuizFarm.com |
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[23 May 2005|03:43pm] |
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Afro Celt Sound System |
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 | You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.
Cultural Creative | | 88% | Existentialist | | 50% | Postmodernist | | 44% | Materialist | | 38% | Idealist | | 38% | Modernist | | 31% | Romanticist | | 31% | Fundamentalist | | 31% | </td>
What is Your World View? (corrected...again)
created with QuizFarm.com |
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| FREE IPODS! |
[25 Jan 2005|03:41pm] |
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Monty Pythons Flying Circus on the telly |
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NEWS FLASH: I've done my research on this and this really works - it's no joke that freeipods.com is giving away free ipods.
It requires exactly this: you go in and sign up for one offer - I chose Blockbuster video online which is something I wanted to do anyway - it's $10 bucks for the first month and you get 3 DVDs mailed to your door (postage paid) which have no time restrictions etc. When you return one, you get another - this service is only limited to how fast your postal service works.
Next you post your personal link to your website, chat profile or whatnot and if five more people do it, you get the ipod. It's that simple and the message boards say it works!
Here is my referral link. To help me get my iPod, click this exact link to join, or copy and paste it into a browser:
http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=10350692
Thanks, and good luck with getting your own! (it just takes a little time).
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