Category: Varia
-
The Hog Ridin’ Foolosophers M. C. (Mesa, Arizona)
Here's what they fly when they fly the colors. The top rocker reads: "Death on Wheels." The bottom rocker : "Death is the muse of philosophy." (Schopenhauer)
-
Oscar the Cat, Harbinger of Death
If this dude jumps into your bed, you know you're a goner. A strange but touching tail tale from The New England Journal of Medicine.
-
Merry Scroogemas!
In this season especially we ought to find a kind word to say about the much maligned Ebeneezer Scrooge. Here's mine: Without Scrooge, the sexually prolific Cratchit wouldn't have a job and be able to support his brood! This thought is developed by Michael Levin in In Defense of Scrooge. And is there not something…
-
Minimalist and Maximalist Modes of Holiday Impersonality
'Tis the season for the letter carriers of the world to groan under their useless burdens of impersonal greetings. Impersonality in the minimalist style may take the form of a store-bought card with a pre-fabricated message to which is appended an embossed name. A step up from this is a handwritten name. Slightly better still…
-
Nihilist T-Shirt
On the front: Nothing matters! On the back: And what if it did?
-
Joe Pyne Remembered
The other day I happened to think of the confrontational talk show host from the 1960's, Joe Pyne. He was perhaps the original angry white guy. A little search revealed that chainsmoker Pyne died in 1970, at age 44, of lung cancer. He once said to Frank Zappa, "I see you have long hair. You…
-
Why Are Actors and Actresses Held in Such Low Esteem?
According to an August 4, 2009 Harris poll, the most prestigious occupation is that of firefighter, while near the bottom of the ranking falls that of actor. 62% of the Americans polled voted for firefighters while only 15% voted for actors. At the very bottom of the ranking, however, were realtors, who garnered a measly…
-
Burning Man
Haven't been there, haven't done that. Have you? Would you want to?
-
Extended Service Warranties
Conversation in the frigidarium one morning drifted onto the weighty topic of extended service warranties. A poolmate explained how a zealous salesman tried to sell her such a warranty on a filing cabinet! It occurred to me that even more absurd would be extended warranties on ball peen hammers and anvils. Or how about coffins? "If…
-
World Philosophy Day
Seldom Seen Slim apprised me of the fact that today is World Philosophy Day. BBC story here. I got a kick out of this: As Princeton philosopher David Lewis once said: "When philosophers follow where argument leads, too often they are led to doctrines indistinguishable from sheer lunacy." This from a philosopher whose mad dog modal…
-
Philosopher in Meditation