Author: opoudjis

Was the Ottoman empire the ISIS of the 14th century?

By: | Post date: December 16, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Countries

Matthew Franklin, Jakub Handlíř and Tomas Rocha Martins are completely correct. If you’re looking for an equivalent to ISIS in the 13th or 14th century, you’re looking for an agent that is not abiding by the then extant international rules of conduct, and that is reviled universally, by coreligionists and outsiders alike, as being beyond […]

The phrase “everyone’s entitled to their opinion” annoys me. What can I do?

By: | Post date: December 16, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Personal

There are people on this thread who are calling you a snob, too. Screw ’em. You have an aesthetic. You have a grounding for that aesthetic, that you can (I hope) articulate and defend. Hopefully, it’s an aesthetic that’s also aware of its own contingency and situatedness, and has no pretensions of immutable truth. People […]

Who is your favorite musical composer (1500-now)? And why?

By: | Post date: December 15, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Music

I am on a lifelong mission to annoy Victoria Weaver by saying: MAHLER!!!! But if I’m to be completely honest, it’s Bach. Mahler, because of the cathartic emotional extremes, the amazing orchestrations, the largescale forms, the cogent narratives. Bach above Mahler, because of the sublime joining of intellect and passion, and (I hate to admit) […]

What do you think when you hear the words, “United States”?

By: | Post date: December 15, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Countries

Ambivalence Hegemon New birth of freedom Individualism gone berserk Lofty ideals Opportunity Smugness Some of my best friends are American 🙂 With reference to Rita Jóñer’s answer to What do you think when you hear the words, “United States”? I get stumped by the US states too. In fact, here’s my excuse to expose myself […]

What surprised you about Turkey?

By: | Post date: December 14, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Countries

I’ve only been to Istanbul. What surprised me most was how much like Athens it felt. Especially Kadıköy. The same rickety elevators in apartment buildings, the same scenes of young people hanging out in outdoor cafés, the same traffic chaos. Even the same layouts and typographic excesses in newspapers. Also: How exceptional the food was. […]

I hate going to church, my dad forces me to, and I don’t want to tell him I don’t feel like going, what should I do in church to fight the boredom?

By: | Post date: December 14, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Culture

Really does depend on the church, and on your predilections. You have had some great suggestions here, including: Pay attention (so you actually know what you’re rejecting—and I’ll add, so you can still get a valuable cultural grounding); meditate; read stuff. I’m grateful I was forced to go, but I got bored a lot too. […]

What song/music makes you feel euphoric?

By: | Post date: December 12, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Music

I was going to write my own question: What kind of music makes you want to do a Snoopy Dance? The answer for me is Dixieland Jazz. Don’t even care what the song is; the Dionysian untrammelled polyphonic joy of it just makes me want to stick my snout in the air, spread my arms, […]

What is likely on the missing part of the Nixon Tapes?

By: | Post date: December 12, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Countries

More of the same. We have Haldeman’s notes of his meeting with Nixon, and we have forensic proof that we aren’t missing any of his notes for the day. Nixon was clearly starting to talk about coverup, but would not yet have elaborated the whole CIA National Security lie. Nixon didn’t wipe the tape because […]

Is Canberra the worst city in Australia?

By: | Post date: December 12, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Australia

Aw, come on. No Canberra hate from you people? That’s positively UNAUSTRALIAN! I admire the methodicality of Ben Reimers in his answer. In fact, do look at it: Ben Reimers’ answer to Is Canberra the worst city in Australia? The emotive definition of a good city to live in, that OP is presumably after, is […]

What are the top 10 things everyone should know about Melbournians?

By: | Post date: December 11, 2016 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Australia

Vote #1 Alistair Smith: He’s got the most important stuff. Alistair Smith’s answer to What are the top 10 things everyone should know about Melbournians? We are coffee snobs, we (well not me) are sports mad. We dress in black, and we wear layers because of the volatility of the weather. We (and I guess […]

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