a neutral political stance sitting between the extremes of egalitarian not-quite-free-market bureaucratic republicanism and not-quite-egalitarian free-market bureaucratic republicanism

A play in which the story is told without violence to the language. The least disagreeable form of dramatic action.
(also: The Devil's Dictionary)

an engine component that increases the engine's impressiveness.

(n.) a medieval system in which your landlord also gets to be the government and your boss

(n.) a gregarious, trusting equine creature hailing from south africa in appearance halfway between being a horse and a zebra.

as of 1883, extinct, having been systematically wiped out by the destructive thoughtlessness of humankind. real nice.

(n.) a Sufi order, whirling towards God.


(the following link is not broken, though it appears to be)


(also: sufi)
(also: dance)
(also: trance)
(also: meditation)

(1901–1976) German theoretical physicist – one of the pioneers of Quantum mechanics
(also: 100 most influential people in the world)
(also: werner heisenberg quotes)

(Noun) A person who has mastered the art of taking photos of themselves in awkward poses and unattainable locations. Often known for their surgically-enhanced assets and the ability to promote teeth whitening products while holding a detox tea in one hand. While they may appear to have it all, their constant need for attention and validation from strangers on the internet is truly sad. And let's be real, how many times can one person post the same bikini photo before it starts to get boring?

(also: activities in dubai for tired people)
(also: dubai)
(also: economy of dubai)
(also: united arab emirates)
(also: dubai for starters)

where to begin? egyptian history spans over 5000 years. egypt was ancient long before the single day on which rome was built.

to be as brief as is feasible, the upper and lower portions of egypt first became unified sometime between 3200 and 3000 BC, possibly by somebody named Narmer or Menes, who thus became the founder of the first dynasty of pharaohs. narmer's dynasty dicks around for a bit, leave behind a few prototype tombs in the village of saqqara, and is replaced by a second dynasty. that dynasty does more dicking around and is replaced again. this more or less sets the tone for the rest of egyptian history.

old kingdom egypt (3rd-6th dynasties); the big pointy pyramids you're thinking of come from the fourth dynasty
* an intermediate period (7th-11th dynasties)
middle kingdom egypt (11th-13th dynasties); the book of the dead, that famous egyptian book you've heard of, only shows up in rough draft form around this period
* another intermediate period (13th-17th dynasties)
new kingdom egypt (18th-20th dynasties); tutankhamun, the one pharaoh everyone has heard of, was the second-to-last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty
* sure, why not another intermediate period (21st-25th dynasties), followed by some twilight years (the late period extending to the 31st dynasty), during which egypt got conquered by persians


By this point it's already the 330s BC, and greece (led by alexander the great) took over egypt and left it in control of some doofus named ptolemy. not too long after that, it was conquered again by the romans, by which time we've only just arrived at caesar boinking cleopatra.

to look at products longingly

(also: spreading democracy)

the classy way to collect images of naked women

(1483-1546) Sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church – starting the Protestant Reformation.
(also: 100 most influential people in the world)
(also: martin luther quotes)

(n.) "lowly, humble," literally "on the ground". an act of submission.

(also: humus)
(also: humble)
(also: humiliation)

(n.) a framework to evolve your ideas & your take on the world, commonly associated with Hegel.
a paradox is all three cleverly overlaid into one, as is a koan.

(also: paradox)
(also: koan)
(also: wisdom)
(also: humility)

(adj.) describing something which appears cobbled together from unrelated components, like a quilt made by grandmother, a monster made by frankenstein or a car made by an albanian

(adj.) lacking the ability to see things

"Roses are red; violets are blue. Or so I'm told. Spare a dollar or two?"

"I think that I shall never see. My cataracts have blinded me."

Undergoing or awaiting punishment.
(also: The Devil's Dictionary)

(n.) the hoary specter of death's pay-by-installment plan

(adj.) describing one who is in the process of mutating into a frailer, wrinklier, balder form of life

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
(also: Gandhi)