I have always loved this painting by Monet.

GaryWitt comments on Jul 20, 2019:

Great post. I was not familiar with this particular work. Seems unusual for Monet to include human characters in the midst of his almost “digitized” landscape. Especially with the detail he lends to the figure in the foreground. Almost looks like it was photoshopped. Most instances where a human figure appears in his landscapes the figure is also presented in the impressionist style. Not here. Thanks!

[summit.

GaryWitt comments on Jul 18, 2019:

Well! It’s about time women everywhere responded to this frontal assault on feminism from the oppressive flanks of the patriarchy. It’s not like men and women should try to get along with one another after all. Good on her.

Peter Thiel: “Woke” Google Employees Prefer Communist China to America – Summit News

GaryWitt comments on Jul 17, 2019:

I didn’t, but thank you for adding to an already long list! I know “don’t be evil” is out, but whatever happened to “do the right thing?” Is it now, “do the most extreme leftist thing?”

A little secret to break the spell, the slaves to the law of the collective are under 🤐

GaryWitt comments on Jul 16, 2019:

Only if it’s duck season. Not if it’s wabbit season.

So wrong, I loved Larry, Moe and Curley...

GaryWitt comments on Jul 14, 2019:

Is there room for Schumer as Shemp?

The British Monarch are illegitimate and not true Royals.

GaryWitt comments on Jul 14, 2019:

Quite extraordinary. Great post. Especially the last five minutes, in which the narrator says that history seems very substantial and certain but is actually quite fragile. I agree with that conclusion. And I believe it is crucial to our understanding of the past, and our ability to manage our present.

I keep trying to explain the meaning of this poem, that it's about love transcending difference etc.

GaryWitt comments on Jul 13, 2019:

Well done, Mr. Applecore. Isn’t it odd today that a work of such profound depth (and yet such elegant simplicity) requires further explanation. Or that people will have its meaning shackled by identity politics. Or that its wisdom can be discounted because of its age. Actually, perhaps none of these things are odd. Perhaps they are common.

What are your guys thought on State currencies rather then a inflated federal currency?

GaryWitt comments on Jul 11, 2019:

The establishment of bitcoin (and soon libra) shows that the concept of currency is not limited to either the gold or silver standard, or “legal tender.” If people trust it and it is convenient for them to use then it will gain popularity. The minute people do not trust it, because of inflation or some other factor, it will be abandoned, and those who invested in it will lose whatever they put in. Do we outlaw bitcoin or libra because they are potentially volatile? I would hope not (much as I dislike and distrust The Zuck),

No “Danish Mohammed” on Media Freedom's "censored political cartoon" display | Sheila Gunn Reid ...

GaryWitt comments on Jul 10, 2019:

The Danish Mohammed is one example. The cover of Charlie Hebdo is another. Chalk up another victory for the peaceful religion.

Who Are The Religous Police? - YouTube

GaryWitt comments on Jul 8, 2019:

Thought police are not limited to Islam, and they have been around as long as... well, as long as there has been thought. Burning witches, executing heretics, purging apostates, it’s all the same, from the execution of Socrates to the Chinese cultural revolution. And the Antifa today. She’s right. They’re all thugs.

Good explanation for this culture war we find ourselves in.. [youtube.com]

GaryWitt comments on Jun 26, 2019:

So, in this cultural war, who are the ones still stuck in the cave? Is Plato’s premise—that we cannot perceive reality—valid? Is the ultimate result of this philosophy good or bad? Useful or not? What is the role of nihilism in this approach? As an Aristotelian I have my own answers, which may be apparent in the questions themselves.

I’d like to show you this convincing case, good for a discussion in the culture clash group even ...

GaryWitt comments on Jun 25, 2019:

I think I’m missing the website link. Are these the same computer simulations from 1979 that predicted global environmental collapse by 2000?

How would you respond to someone of high intersectionality who claims to be systematically oppressed...

GaryWitt comments on Jun 23, 2019:

@admin, you clever little devil you. Gotta love this. Thanks! Some observations: 1. The “calculator “ you cited is so close to the border between serious and satire that I did a full digital double-take. 2. In the unlikely event that the calculator is serious, God help us all. 3. I’m in agreement with Stephen Hicks when he compares this SJW approach to a “reverse Thrasymachus,” meaning that all justice belongs to the weak. Thanks!

Fantastically said [youtu.be]

GaryWitt comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Well said, indeed. Thank you, Mr. Owens, for your bravery.

Why Should We Care About Faux Free-Speech Warriors?

GaryWitt comments on Jun 20, 2019:

I have a big problem with anyone who wants to suppress or compel another’s speech, whether that other is an individual or a private corporation. But I’m afraid I don’t see any evidence that taking money from the Koch brothers (or anyone else for that matter) either suppresses or compels someone else’s speech. Certainly there was no such evidence in the article.

What Hong Kong’s protests look like from inside China - YouTube

GaryWitt comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Excellent video, worrisome situation. And Google is complicit.

NPC University 31 - YouTube

GaryWitt comments on Jun 19, 2019:

So they named their safe-space pet after the 11 year old drag queen? I almost didn’t catch that one.

Ben Johnston: String Quartet No.

GaryWitt comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Couldn’t get far with this one. I found it irritating to listen to, so I lost patience. I do that frequently with other composers as well, most notably Glass and Adams. I’m sure it’s my own shortcoming, but I sometimes wonder if I’m simply rebelling at a deconstructionist approach to sound. Albert Ayler has the same effect on me but I don’t believe that’s my fault.

"Instead of the concrete individual, you have the names of organizations, and the highest point, the...

GaryWitt comments on Jun 18, 2019:

We all need a moral compass. We each need to decide what is right and wrong. The tension exists, however, between this individual sovereignty and a universal relativism that I find unacceptable. I’ve struggled with this for a while now. I don’t have the full answer yet, but my initial conclusion is this: relativism cannot—should not—be an enforceable conclusion. It is a starting point only. Relativism is thus a rebuttable presumption. And the things that will rebut it include a) what results does a particular moral position yield? b) is it rational? c) does this moral position encourage or diminish liberty? and d) am I comfortable espousing this moral position?

Hate speech is subjective.

GaryWitt comments on Jun 16, 2019:

The fundamental question that you point to is “Who determines what is hate speech?” As long as the First Amendment remains in force and effect it will not be the government. But the problem is that corporations and universities are stepping in to make and enforce their own determinations. To the extent a university relies upon or accepts government money it should be prohibited from engaging in censorship. Nor should it be allowed to use Title IX to enforce its speech code. But if a private corporation (Facebook, Google, Twitter, et al.) chooses to make and enforce a speech code, it is (and should remain) perfectly legal. Consumers need to vote with their feet. That’s why I’m here, and not on Facebook.

⚠️⚠️ ALERT : FRANCE TO EXPLODE 22/6/19. - YouTube

GaryWitt comments on Jun 12, 2019:

General strikes are not unheard of in France. I haven’t seen one in several years but they used to be more common. They usually lasted a few days and then people simply went back to work. The gilets jaunes movement might change that traditional approach however. Their demonstrations have been marked by violence and I suspect the movement has been hijacked by leftist extremists. If there is even a hint of violence you can bet Macron, Philippe, and Castaner will come down hard on the demonstrators.

Socialism.

GaryWitt comments on Jun 12, 2019:

Mr. Evans, your synopsis is good. For an extended discussion and a review of some source literature please see Stephen Hicks, Explaining Postmodernism.

The Left is to Stalin and Mao as The Alt Right is to Hitler.

GaryWitt comments on Jun 3, 2019:

Communists paint themselves as anti-Nazi. Nazis paint themselves as anti-Communist. That doesn’t mean they’re opposites. That just means they’re engaged in a power struggle with each other.

A week ago, Ben had a foot-in-mouth event while being interviewed by Andrew Neil of the BBC.

GaryWitt comments on Jun 1, 2019:

Saw the clip. Neil posed his questions using adversarial rhetoric. When Shapiro called him on it and asked him to justify his terms Neil refused to and said, in essence, “I’m asking the questions here.” At that point it became clear the “interview” was actually an interrogation. I think Shapiro could have responded better but he probably felt ambushed and figured he was better off walking out. The result was unfortunate.

assange is having “health issues”. Legit?

GaryWitt comments on May 31, 2019:

Well... Nothing in the article or in the WikiLeaks statement supports the hypothesis that Assange has been poisoned. He has dental issues and perhaps as a result has lost weight. The characterization is that supporters have grave concerns for his health, which I suppose could be hyperbole. Still, I wouldn’t expect him to thrive in prison; he doesn’t seem to be the type. Neither the article nor the statement indicates what if anything his attorneys are doing to get him the assistance he needs.

You Don't Need That

GaryWitt comments on May 30, 2019:

I would argue we do not need “wise rulers to decide what we need” but rather more effective restraints on government so there will be no opportunity for leaders to determine, unilaterally, what we need or want.

How could anyone say with any certainty or accuracy that another person DID not commit a crime?

GaryWitt comments on May 29, 2019:

Proving a negative is extraordinarily difficult. Hence the presumption of innocence, which Mueller has deliberately ignored in most of the quotes I’ve seen attributed to him today.