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Month: December 2016
Who is your favorite musical composer (1500-now)? And why?
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”?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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 […]
What are the rest of Ottomans’s presence in present Greece?
Andrew Baird has blocked me, so I’ll post here my corrective that the Parthenon blew up because the Venetians bombarded it. Yes, the Ottomans stored their gunpowder there. They figured the Franks would never destroy the old stones they venerated. And there was noone in the Ottoman realm with the concerted evil of Michel Fourmont: […]
What are the best things about your country?
What I would have answered your question about my country (Australia) is largely already in Nick Nicholas’ answer to Do Australians like being Australian citizens? But I’ll pretend I didn’t already answer it. Many of the best things about Australia, it shares with the US, and they have a similar reason. The optimism. The social […]