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Lev Kalman recommended Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve (2009) in Movies (curated)
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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Confucius' Social Wisom in Books
Apr 20, 2020
Well, well, well… Another 1-star. The first one for 2020. And it had to be a philosophy book.
I remember reading another book by Pavan Choudary and it was called How A Good Person Can Really Win. I remember disliking this book as well, because it was a bit dodgy and click-baity. But together with that one, I also received this book – Confucius’s Social Wisdom.
My history with Confucius
Philosophy and I found our way to each other when I was in high school. Our professor was quite different than any other professors I had, but he taught me a lot of world and moral lessons. Even today, I still remember his lessons now, when I am on a life crossroad and wonder what he would say. I discovered Confucius’s work during those years and it was a huge revelation for me to learn about other culture’s ethics and moral rules and explanations.
I always love sharing opinions and beliefs and Confucius’s works showed me another side of the world that I never thought of. Love others while you exercise self-discipline. How can it be done, and how I can implement this in my life. His works always triggered more questions than answers. And that was the beauty of it.
Why I don’t like this book
I will be completely honest with you. I appreciate everyone’s work and I know that a lot of time and effort has been put into this work. However, I will not praise nor endorse any book that is published and sells on behalf of someone else’s work. And this is what has happened here.
The author has taken the most famous quotes from Confucius and then elaborated them into what he believes they might mean, advising the reader what they should do. I cannot see any wisdom in this book whatsoever. You can get the same information by just grabbing a copy of the original works of Confucius.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If anything, I would recommend you to avoid it. Stick to the original works of Confucius and form your own conclusions on the meaning behind the words.
I remember reading another book by Pavan Choudary and it was called How A Good Person Can Really Win. I remember disliking this book as well, because it was a bit dodgy and click-baity. But together with that one, I also received this book – Confucius’s Social Wisdom.
My history with Confucius
Philosophy and I found our way to each other when I was in high school. Our professor was quite different than any other professors I had, but he taught me a lot of world and moral lessons. Even today, I still remember his lessons now, when I am on a life crossroad and wonder what he would say. I discovered Confucius’s work during those years and it was a huge revelation for me to learn about other culture’s ethics and moral rules and explanations.
I always love sharing opinions and beliefs and Confucius’s works showed me another side of the world that I never thought of. Love others while you exercise self-discipline. How can it be done, and how I can implement this in my life. His works always triggered more questions than answers. And that was the beauty of it.
Why I don’t like this book
I will be completely honest with you. I appreciate everyone’s work and I know that a lot of time and effort has been put into this work. However, I will not praise nor endorse any book that is published and sells on behalf of someone else’s work. And this is what has happened here.
The author has taken the most famous quotes from Confucius and then elaborated them into what he believes they might mean, advising the reader what they should do. I cannot see any wisdom in this book whatsoever. You can get the same information by just grabbing a copy of the original works of Confucius.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. If anything, I would recommend you to avoid it. Stick to the original works of Confucius and form your own conclusions on the meaning behind the words.
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Cori June (3033 KP) rated Voyage of the Fox Rider (Mithgar (Chronological) #2) in Books
Feb 26, 2019
many cultures (1 more)
diversity
lots of ship jargon (2 more)
slow at times
written dialects can be hard to follow
Don't read this series in chronological order. There are some spoilers in the epilogue. If you aren't hooked by chapter 14 or 15 you more than likely won't enjoy the rest of the book. Although, I wouldn't mind if you proved me wrong. Alamar's character is a love/hate guy especially because he enjoys arguing it'll get on your nerves or roll off your back depending on who he reminds you about. Jinnarin is a Pysk that hasn't really been away from home she is naive and surprised that the world is different than what she was told or thought.
about 3/4ths of the book is on a ship. Voyage is in the title... this is important.. VOYAGE is in the title. There are a lot of slow parts of the ship hasn't gotten to a destination what will we do? Talk philosophy , plann and descriptions of the ship. Heaps and Heaps of ship descriptions.
about 3/4ths of the book is on a ship. Voyage is in the title... this is important.. VOYAGE is in the title. There are a lot of slow parts of the ship hasn't gotten to a destination what will we do? Talk philosophy , plann and descriptions of the ship. Heaps and Heaps of ship descriptions.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Agent of Chaos in Books
Apr 1, 2019 (Updated Apr 2, 2019)
Weirdly prescient pulp sci-fi novel. 'The great tyrant ruled with solar system with absolute terror. Only one man dared to fight back!' The man in question being one Boris Johnson, who (laser gun in hand) heroically sets out to bring down the government and plunge the world into complete anarchy (this really is the plot, and yes, the book was written in 1967).
Obviously the book is unintended comedy gold for UK readers nowadays, but as something you might actually want to read for pleasure, or for any other reason, it is quite hard work: the plot is hackneyed, the characterisation thin, and much of the book is taken up with lengthy discussions of chaos and order and anarchy and so on. This has given the book a cult following, although I think it depends on how old you are when you first read it. If you're not into radical philosophy and not amused by the doings of Boris Johnson, there's not much else here to enjoy.
Obviously the book is unintended comedy gold for UK readers nowadays, but as something you might actually want to read for pleasure, or for any other reason, it is quite hard work: the plot is hackneyed, the characterisation thin, and much of the book is taken up with lengthy discussions of chaos and order and anarchy and so on. This has given the book a cult following, although I think it depends on how old you are when you first read it. If you're not into radical philosophy and not amused by the doings of Boris Johnson, there's not much else here to enjoy.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018 (Updated Feb 13, 2018)
A Mid-life Crisis, but Not as We Know It
Easily the best of the Trek movies. Made with half-an-eye to concluding the franchise, it ended up revitalising the series for another quarter century.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.
Old enemy from the TV show is rediscovered, vows revenge on Kirk; many rousing space battles and well-handled character moments ensue. Ricardo Montalban really goes for it as Khan; William Shatner gives a proper movie leading man performance. Relatively low budget is artfully concealed.
Benefits considerably from being willing to acknowledge that everyone has aged since the original TV show; Kirk has to confront the consequences of choices he made as a young man (later movies disregarded the fact the crew were becoming increasingly geriatric). The essential Trek philosophy of optimistic liberal humanism somehow gets a bit lost along the way, but you really don't care as the rest of it is so much fun. Almost unreasonably well-written when you consider the script was done in less than a fortnight.
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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Days of War, Nights of Love in Books
Oct 29, 2019
Radical revolutionary
This book is a manifesto of sorts that challenges you to challenge yourself and the things around you. To deliberately seek meaning in all you do and live your life in ways that bring joy and make the world a richer place because if it.
Crimethinc take you away from the false idea of anarchy if safety pins and riots and show it as an intellectual intelligent philosophy in being a more positive human being. It changed the way I think and live and I hope I've managed to bring others more happiness because of it. And after all, like the books says, is there anything more anarchic and radical than falling in love? It goes against all conventions of reality and is irrational and yet something we live for.
My only criticism is Crimethinc's ideas often act on the fringe of an existing society instead of bringing everyone with us.
Crimethinc take you away from the false idea of anarchy if safety pins and riots and show it as an intellectual intelligent philosophy in being a more positive human being. It changed the way I think and live and I hope I've managed to bring others more happiness because of it. And after all, like the books says, is there anything more anarchic and radical than falling in love? It goes against all conventions of reality and is irrational and yet something we live for.
My only criticism is Crimethinc's ideas often act on the fringe of an existing society instead of bringing everyone with us.
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David Byrne recommended track Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) by Parliament in Get Funked Up!: The Ultimate Collection by Parliament in Music (curated)
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Rick Nielsen recommended The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) in Movies (curated)
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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Word Trove in Books
Dec 21, 2020
Whimsical marmite
This tells a warm whimsical wonderous story of a word which has forgotten its meaning. Imagine if Alice had fallen into a dictionary instead of wonderland and you are about there. This will be marmite to readers, some not appreciating its magic and metaphors and others dreaming into the depths of its poetry and philosophy. It is a beautifully presented story and has been translated brilliantly to maintain meaning in a book about language. Another word, other than whimsical I would use to describe this journey is charming. From the delightful illustrations to the size and shape of the book itself, it is full of a sincere charm that will delight those who enjoy its pages. Those who won't like the book will find out almost from the first paragraph and if you don't, then put it down and pick up something else. Those that do, then allow yourself to go on its journey and think as well as smile in this wonderful and unique treasure of a novel.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971) in Movies
May 25, 2020
Playful, technically impressive and possibly very influential wildlife documentary. Scientist Nils Hellstrom, PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), MS (Master of Science), and WF (Wholly Fictitious), expresses his fears for the future of the human race, believing we are likely to be outcompeted by insects in every respect. Startling and occasionally grisly clips showing the lives of insects and other arthropods illustrate his thesis in great detail.
Well, Hellstrom (or more accurately writer David Seltzer, who went on to script The Omen twice) isn't a great biologist (he refers to insects as a species rather than a class), but the photography in the film is great and Lawrence Pressman's well-judged performance adds a lot to the impression the film makes: it's tongue in cheek, but still thought-provoking. As a gimmick to make people watch a wildlife documentary, it's an interesting one; you can sense echoes of this film's innovative use of music and narrative to add drama in many much more respectable nature documentaries (most of David Attenborough's blockbuster series, for instance). An oddity, but a good one.
Well, Hellstrom (or more accurately writer David Seltzer, who went on to script The Omen twice) isn't a great biologist (he refers to insects as a species rather than a class), but the photography in the film is great and Lawrence Pressman's well-judged performance adds a lot to the impression the film makes: it's tongue in cheek, but still thought-provoking. As a gimmick to make people watch a wildlife documentary, it's an interesting one; you can sense echoes of this film's innovative use of music and narrative to add drama in many much more respectable nature documentaries (most of David Attenborough's blockbuster series, for instance). An oddity, but a good one.