If I wasn’t Bob Dylan, I’d probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself.
Bob Dylan
Category: living
living
Orwell quote
We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.
George Orwell, 1939
Orwell quote 2
To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox
George Orwell
Diogenes quote
Of what use is a philosopher who doesn’t hurt anybody’s feelings?
Diogenes of Sinope
Einstein quote
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
Flaubert quote
To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.
Gustave Flaubert
Buen Ayre, restaurant review
Being a vegetarian is in some ways commendable, the reduced Carbon footprint for instance. But the downside is – no meat.
Whether you are herbivore or carnivore, fire is dangerous, okay? But the combination of meat and fire, well hats off to the furry and primitive Blumenthal who came up with that one.
Buen Ayre is found at 50 Broadway Market in hackney. It’s a small place where they put fire and meat together. It’s a little expensive for what it is, but the meat is fantastic. Great slabs of Argentinian beef blushing pink from modesty at how delicious it is. The wine list is good too.
The sort of place a cro magnon man or a gourmet would both be happy. I recommend it.
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambience: 7
Value: 6
Total = 7.25
Location:E8 4qj
Sound advice
A collection of the best advice I have ever received:
- ‘Always have your tea or coffee black when you visit someone’s house. People go to the fridge and drink milk straight from the carton’, a vociferous lunatic, speakers’ corner, Hyde Park
- Boys, always marry an ugly girl, because she’ll never leave you – and if she does, you won’t care. A country and western song.
- Be the change you wish to see in the world, Gandhi
Raw
Asa Kusa, Mornington Crescent, is my favourite Japanese restaurant in London.
Maybe it is the pokey nature of the interior layout, the shabby decor, the service which is often inattentive. Or maybe it is just the excellent, delicious, food.
Whatever it is, I like it.
Anyway, if you ever go there, I recommend the deep fried oysters and…well…everything else.
Sushi is seemingly healthy, although I’ve been told it damages your liver. (Further reading suggests that this seems to be a problem relevant specifically to South East Asia)
Boo hoo.
Sushi is great.
Except when it is DESTROYING THE WORLD like a big fishy Godzilla. Make sure your Sushi is sustainable.
Bluefin tuna is particularly eco-unfriendly, and swanky Sushi chain Nobu is being boycotted by fish and Earth lovers alike because of its bluefin desecrating menu.
Crazy things people believe: 1. Young Earth
Faith. It is like when you know something, except without any proof. Also, if there is proof that shows that what you think is wrong (like Dinosaur bones) you still don’t change your mind. That is why faith is better than science. It doesn’t allow for being wrong, even when it is proved to be so.
So, what are some of the craziest…I mean best…things that people of faith believe?
1. Creationists (mainly Christian) maintain that the Earth is less than 7,000 years old.
Science, using measurement and calculation puts the rough age of the Earth at about 4.54 billion years old (45,400,000,000). This is based on the radiometric dating of rocks. Zircon crystals in Australia have been dated at about 4.4 billion years old, they are the oldest known Earthly material. Light spectrum analysis of the stars shows that they are also about the same age.
Balderdash! Cry the creationists. The Bible is the literal word of God, so all you need to do to know how old the Earth is, is to add up all the dates.
Luckily, the Anglican Primate (not a concession to Darwin, some term for an Archbishop) James Ussher did so in the 17th Century, and found that the Earth was created at nightfall preceding Sunday October 23, 4004 BC.
In the course of his studies, he also found that Herod died in 4BC so Christ must have been born anytime between 37 BC and 4BC.
There now exists in America a Creation Museum. On their website the fact that they believe the Earth to be 6000 years old is elusive, but insinuated: ‘Biblical history is the key to understanding dinosaurs’. It is what they, as evangelical creationists, believe. Apparently there were Dinosaurs on Noah’s ark.
Other people who had previously come to similar approximate conclusions (the Earth being about 6000 years old) include the Astronomer Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton.
Incidentally, Newton had all sorts of far-fetched ideas, he was an avid Bible scholar and he even predicted (using the Bible as his source) that the world would end (Christ would return) in 2060 or thereabouts. He had a passion for Alchemy, and in particular the ability to turn base lead into gold. After his death, his body was found to be riddled with mercury, probably from his alchemical pursuits, which suggests that he may well have been suffering from mercury poisoning in his later years.
Here are some ‘Young Earth’ arguments and responses, from Tim Thompson
