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Pete Jones
Site Admin
In: Virginia
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I enjoyed this description of Carl Sagan's performance at the Velikovsky Ambush (era, Symposium) of the early 70s):
| Sagan is a popular humorist who is with the laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. His paper con-tained nothing which furthered scientific debate. However, his paper was presented exceptionally well, and his charisma added to the effectiveness of the presentation. Most of the audience did not know and, because of his captivating delivery, did not care that many of his points were irrele vant, incorrect, or misleading. His entrancingly arrogant delivery exuded the air of a great evangelist who had come to lead the people along the true uniformitarian path. Un-fortunately, many in the audience were taken in. (The re-action of people in this manner is why many states have passed laws which give one three days to cancel a con-tract made with a silver-tongued door-to-door salesman.) | |
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Velikovsky certainly observes the AE dictum: 'The truth is always boring.' You've got to be mildly fruitcake to plough through his tomes. On the other hand, he would not have caught his particular audience if he had been entertaining.
I don't think Sagan should be criticised. He thought he was saving the world from a new Age of Unreason and his own critic here does not say he said anything untrue. Just because he's a lounge lizard doesn't mean he's a mountebank.
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Pete Jones
Site Admin
In: Virginia
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He said oodles that was untrue. But I can't paste in the whole book
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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When critics of mine says this I know they've got nothing. Otherwise they'd be straight out with it. So I formally challenge you to cite something Sagan said that was untrue.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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June 6th, nine views, no reads. A day that will live in infamy. Which I misspelled as 'infamy' so changed it to imfamy before the spellchecker persuaded me I'd got it right first time. Though I still think it's wrong in some larger sense. But anyway I've forgotten all about June 6th. Which is more than you can say about Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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On Saturday morning I got this when I logged into my AOL emails
This site can’t be reached
The connection was reset.
Try:
Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall
Running Windows Network Diagnostics
ERR_CONNECTION_RESET |
I am too fly to get upset, so I did nothing. Sure enough by the afternoon everything was fine and I was soon emailing people who never email back
Sunday morning it was gone again. I am too fly to get upset, so I did nothing. This time it didn't come back. This morning it hasn't come back. I did one or two things within my very narrow electronic capability. No dice. Except I got completely frazzled.
That is where I'm at. Frazzle City. It will get worse before it gets better.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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I was complaining somewhere (I lose track of my bellyaching) that audiobooks keep disappearing from YouTube just as I'm settling down to listen to them. Previously all my Neil-off-the-Young Ones' readings of Terry Pratchett had disappeared in a puff of smoke.
It's just happened again when Saul Bellow's Humboldt's Gift stopped after four parts (out of nine). Though he'd returned to tedious lit crit by then. I'm making do with Henderson the Rain King which is at least a proper novel. I'll see how far I get before either Bellow or YouTube strikes.
Anyway, further enquiries have revealed that this is a common problem with audiobooks. What happens is that someone puts them up despite copyright restrictions and they stay up until a YouTube algorithm notices and takes them down. I can't help feeling paradoxically pleased that it might have been little old me that was responsible.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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I finally got something new re AOL mail.
| 'Not available, go to your inbox.' |
Not knowing what this was I clicked on the box provided and lo! my emails. I'm back in business but something tells me I'm only over the first hump. Fingers crossed.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Michael Kuesters followed you on Substack
Founder of 'The Forest of Rage'. For years, I have had the strange feeling that something is very wrong here. Now IT has revealed ITSELF: the EPSTEIN-Zionist-CLASS. THEY have been corroding our society for decades. This must have an end |
Beggars can't be choosers.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Today's US Gripes
I'm definitely not happy about the casting vote in the US Senate, post the mid-terms, being in the hands of someone with a death's head tattoo on his chest. Could they please investigate him to see if he's got any more skeletons in his closet?
Where was Donald Trump when not one but two Californian elections were stolen? In 1966 and 1970 when Ronald Reagan became governor. Cat got your tongue, Mr Prez?
Why oh why (various other things).
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