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NEWS 170 - 26 Comments
From: Swerb Entered on: February 13, 2004 10:07 AM
Ross, Bone: You'd love this book. Remember how we were discussing around Christmastime how Christianity usurped pagan holidays? The book discusses such things in detail. Sure, it's fiction, and presented as a murder-mystery-type page-turner, but it's also exhaustively researched, and suggests lots of stuff that should outrage traditional Christians... go read it now!
From: Ross Entered on: February 13, 2004 10:38 AM
I swear I read something about this book in Skeptic Magazine last issue. I'm going to look it up when I get home.     Never mind, I just found it on their website:     http://www.skeptic.com/davincicode.html     They seemed to like the book, but spend most of the "review" examining the potential accuracy of some of the book's fictional claims. It sounds like a pretty good read, I'll probably pick it up.
From: The Bone Entered on: February 13, 2004 10:44 AM
I've read it and enjoyed it along with Dan Brown's second title, Angels and Demons. Both were interesting fictional works with interesting facts about Christianity and the bible mixed in - with science too.
From: Ross Entered on: February 13, 2004 11:32 AM
Well, with not one but two ringing endorsements from Jackholes, I now consider this a must-read.
From: Ross Entered on: February 14, 2004 8:46 AM
Well, it looked like The DaVinci Code is still in hardcover (is that right? I couldn't find the paperback) so I picked up Angels and Demons. So far, it's quite entertaining. Definitely written at an elementary school grade level, but I guess most best sellers are these days. Even though it's keeping me turning the pages, I'm still having trouble swallowing some of its assertions (like the physicist discovering a "force" like the one in Star Wars). I'm also mildly insulted that the author treats his readers like CERN is a secret scientist society that no one's ever heard of. Anyway, I'm not as down on it as all that - I've always wanted to learn something about the Illuminati so I'm getting something for my money.
From: John Entered on: February 14, 2004 2:17 PM
Sounds interesting to me as well. Perhaps I should check into these as well. Bert, have you read the new Gunslinger yet? I'm thinking of rereading them so I can get up to speed before I read the new one.
From: Ross Entered on: February 14, 2004 5:40 PM
I haven't! I went to the bookstore a couple months back and it wasn't out in the trade paperback edition, like all my other copies. Which is odd because the others had both hardcover and trade paperback editions come out simultaneously. So I opted to wait in order to make my collection homogenous.
From: Swerb Entered on: February 16, 2004 12:23 AM
Yeah, Bert, Dan Brown's writing style leaves a lot to be desired (and he probably had movie options before it was even published...), but the Da Vinci Code is better for the ideas it presents than anything else. And yes, it's fun to read, and admittedly engaging. Don't know if I'm so inclined to check out Angels and Demons yet, though.
From: Swerb Entered on: February 17, 2004 12:46 AM
By the way, I watched Diane Sawyer's interview with Mel Gibson Monday night (had to; was researching for a story I'm writing about his new Jesus movie), and determined that he's a complete fucking nutjob. He believes that there are good and evil "realms" fighting against each other. He also takes the Bible literally as the truth, and kept saying "that didn't happen" or "that DID happen," as if he knew exactly what it was like to be at the crucifixion. I rolled my eyes at at least half of his commentary...     Still, I want to see "The Passion of the Christ" (why "THE Christ"? I don't get it) just because I'm a curious movie buff.
From: Ross Entered on: February 17, 2004 8:28 AM
Yes, I believe Christ is some kind of honorific, not a name. Anyway, you're right about Mel Gibson being a nutjob. Not only is he crazy, he's also stupid. Let me see if I can find my favorite quote from him: PLAYBOY: Do you believe in Darwin's theory of evolution or that God created man in his image? GIBSON: The latter. PLAYBOY: So you can't accept that we descended from monkeys and apes? GIBSON: No, I think it's bullshit. If it isn't, why are they still around? How come apes aren't people yet? It's a nice theory, but I can't swallow it. There's a big credibility gap. The carbon dating thing that tells you how long something's been around, how accurate is that, really? I've got one of Darwin's books at home and some of that stuff is pretty damn funny. Some of his stuff is true, like that the giraffe has a long neck so it can reach the leaves. But I just don't think you can swallow the whole piece. What a goddamn buffoon! Granted, the interviewer didn't get it right either, but we didn't evolve from monkeys or apes. We both have a common ancestor, which was neither ape nor human. And the whole thing about "why are they still around?" Shocking display of ignorance. Shocking. There's actually a ton of more ridiculous shit he says in that interview. You can read it all here if you're interested. Still, I can't help but want to see his stupid movie and see what all the hype is about. I hope Mary Magdelene (Monica Bellucci) gives Christ a hummer while he's up on the cross.
From: Swerb Entered on: February 17, 2004 11:17 PM
Y'know, I sure can appreciate a nice, nasty little blasphemous comment like that. Thanks, it made my day. Cuz Christ, no doubt, had a big, throbbing hard-on while they were pounding the nails in.     Yeah, that Playboy interview is ludicrous. What a dipshit. Problem is, he's not even a convincing Christian nutjob. He just jumped on the Jesus bandwagon relatively recently (after he was done drinkin' and druggin'), and he seemed to be talking out of his ass the entire time during the Diane Sawyer interview... and that Playboy interview is pretty much the same.
From: John Entered on: February 19, 2004 10:45 AM
I have to agree, Mel is a fucking idiot. His ignorance is completely offensive. It's amazing to me the ridiculous things that people believe.
From: John Entered on: February 19, 2004 1:29 PM
I started rereading the Dark Tower last night. It's a new addition and shows that the 6th book will be out this summer and the 7th and last edition will be out in November. Finally after all these years Bert and I will find out what happens with Roland and his ka-tet.     King also mentioned in the forward that he started writing The Gunslinger in 1970 and he finished the Dark Tower in 2003. It took him 33 years to fully realize this story. Hopefully the end is a sweet as the begining.
From: Ross Entered on: February 19, 2004 1:43 PM
So you started over at the Gunslinger? Perhaps I should too, since I haven't read Wizard and Glass in a while. But that's a major reading commitment, not sure I can do it. When I get the 5th book, I think I'll start it, and if I'm feeling too lost, I will go back and start from the beginning, on my vomit-soaked copies.
From: John Entered on: February 20, 2004 9:13 AM
Aw man, shit negro, I could get you some non vomit-soaked copies. I can't believe I returned them to you that way. There is no way I'd do that now. What a dumbass I was at the young age of 21.     I started them over again because I have not read them all since Wizard and Glass came out which was awhile ago. I wanted the story to be fresh in my mind. I finished the Gunslinger last night and I'm moving on to the Drawing of the Three. I must say i'm really enjoying reading these stories again. Roland is a bad motherfucker. King did model Roland after Clint Eastwood as he mentioned that after seeing The Good ,The Bad and The Ugly it sparked the idea for the Gunslinger.
From: BigFatty Entered on: October 9, 2004 6:41 AM
Well, I just read the Da Vinci Code this week. Actually did it in one day - quite the marathon session. It is a page turner! I loved all the ideas Brown brought up on the origins of Chirstianity. I was curious on where the boundary was between truth and fiction. But WOW, it is definately interesting. If you have not read it yet - get to it.
From: Ross Entered on: October 9, 2004 8:20 AM
I'm waiting for paperback. His writing style from Angels and Demons left enough to be desired that I'm not going to buy his shit in hardcover.
From: BigFatty Entered on: October 9, 2004 8:51 AM
I read the paperback. Yes, this is no highbrow, intellectual, literary-award winning book. It is a popular, trashy, Clancey-style page turner. It makes it an extremely quick read. The ideas are interesting and I am sure it is due for a movie soon. It made me want to do further research on the book?s claims to see if they are really true. But, I am lazy and have other research to do......     It will make for some interesting discussions. Come on Ross, put down your Danielle Steel and pick up a copy of The Code today!
From: Ross Entered on: October 9, 2004 9:16 AM
Near as I can tell, the paperback edition is not out in the US. Amazon doesn't list it, anyway.     Now back to my listless romance adventure on the high seas! Fabio makes for such good book covers...
From: Jackzilla Entered on: October 9, 2004 9:18 AM
In Ebonics it would be entitled "Da Da Vinci Code."
From: The Bone Entered on: October 9, 2004 10:46 AM
The Da Vinci code is just plain fun for me. He has ideas that are bullshit, but there are some interesting facts that can be verified as well. He should have chalked his bullshittery up to literary license but the fact of the matter is, it's an entertaining work of fiction, For those who treat as anything else, they are buffoons.
From: Creeko Entered on: October 11, 2004 2:48 AM
Hey there bro-hair - when you come in Nov. if you got any good reads lying around, bring em over. I'm slowly degenerating into an illiterate fool. The selection of English language literature over here is limited to Daniel Steel and Dean Koontz.
From: BigFatty Entered on: October 11, 2004 9:43 AM
I got Bill Bryson's 'A short history of everything' which is OK when you are starved for reading. It gvies a very concise history of some of our current scientific knowledge and how we got it. Call it science-lite for dummies. I liked it, but putting it all together is depressing. I will sum up the book for you. Human life is meaniless and at any moment we could be wiped out by a meteor or huge volcanic eruption (depending where you live - but yellowstone might wipe us out). Oh ya - bacteria and viruses can wipe us out too so just wait.     Have a nice day :)     Which brings me back to a thought I've always had - Why? Why do we lead these stupid little lives, working the vast majority of them in crappy jobs. Raising families to do the same thing. Sure it is in our nature - to perpetuate life. But, why not say - none of this crap matters and enjoy life. Why not go and live life on your terms - fuck society and its rules. Yes, I know all our rules makes it easy for the majority to live their little lives in peace and harmony. Anarchy is no place for the meek. When you die, none of that shit matters. When a meteor crashes into our tiny earth, eliminating man-kind , all of our rules, our society, our lives, will mean nothing.     Don't get me wrong, I am not depressed about anything - its just something I have always wondered. Why don't guys get some shotguns, rob, pillage, and steal - go hide away on some third-world paradise drinking beer, surfing, and roasting a baby or two when they got hungry. Its wrong in societies eyes, but in the grand scheme of things, is it really?     I know Bone's retort - Shut up Will, I'd roast you first!
From: The Bone Entered on: October 11, 2004 10:45 AM
Damn, you beat me to the punch.
From: Ross Entered on: October 11, 2004 11:36 AM
You're totally right Fatty - I do often think along the lines of what you're saying, wondering why I'm perpetuating my life in the rat race. Of course saying "fuck it" to society doesn't necessarily mean turning to a life of crime. I guess for me I like technology and I like various forms of entertainment, so so far I haven't come up with a better plan to enjoying life. But you're right - enjoying yourself is the true "meaning of life" - inasmuch as there is such a thing.
From: The Bone Entered on: October 11, 2004 2:39 PM
I've always felt that modern society is an artificial construct. The problem is it easy easier to conform than to break free. Some people do it though. They live off the grid in the wilderness - hunting, fishing, and gathering for their sustinance. Again, it just seems easier to get up and go to work. I always look at the grand scheme of things and what ever I do won't mean a thing 10,000 yaers from now. So for me, the whole point is to enjoy as much of life as I can. You have to find a way work the least to provide the most fun. Some people actually love to work. Fuck them. I hate it. I would easily travel the world and get into adventures if I was independently wealthy. So the best I've figured out is to stay in the Navy until I retire at 43 yrs old, then never work again.