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#301 | |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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I'm halfway through it, but it's like this. There's this Russian peasant, see, and it's like when there were still Tsars and Pogroms and such, and he just kind of wanders around all over. Well, in the first few pages of chapter one he explains that he heard this sermon focused on a passage in First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians (not one of the more remarkable bits of the New Testament) where Paul says one should "Pray without Ceasing". Deceptively simple, isn't it? The Pilgrim, of course, doesn't get it. So off he wanders until he comes upon an old priest who gives him this book of commentary by Eastern Orthodox mystics and ascetics called the Philokalia (The Love of Spiritual Beauty). He learns from this book that he should repeat the "Jesus Prayer" thousands of times per day. Ways of working up to the recommended total are provided. The old priest dies, and the Pilgrim spends the rest of the book wandering from place to place, finding other people from a variety of social strata (from other peasants to very wealthy landed gentry) who coincidentally are ALSO endlessly repeating the Jesus Prayer, or he talks folks into doing so to enrich their spiritual lives. He has many encounters which at first glance seem coincidental, but in which he certainly sees the hand of God at work. And he eats a lot of bread.
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![]() ![]() "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
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#302 | ||
polaroid of perfection
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
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I read the Colour of Magic when it first came out in paperback- I would have been about 14. I read my copy to bits and had to buy another one. That & The Light Fantastic were the funniest, most original books I had ever read (I had only seen Hitchhikers on TV at that age, I hadn't read the books). Then again I remember thinking we should be studying David Eddings in our English classes...... Sad to hear it hasn't aged well. |
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#303 |
Slattern of the Swail
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 15,654
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Wolf: Thanks for the sum-up. Yeah, the Jesus Prayer. Kinda like magic, right?
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In Barrie's play and novel, the roles of fairies are brief: they are allies to the Lost Boys, the source of fairy dust and ...They are portrayed as dangerous, whimsical and extremely clever but quite hedonistic. "Shall I give you a kiss?" Peter asked and, jerking an acorn button off his coat, solemnly presented it to her. —James Barrie Wimminfolk they be tricksy. - ZenGum |
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#304 | |
Pump my ride!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England
Posts: 1,890
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His children's books Truckers, Diggers and Wings are also excellent and adult-digestible. However, after reading about 10 Discworld books I wanted something different and was introduced to Robert Rankin. I can recommend his 'Armageddon' series (get used to a time travelling brussel sprout named Barry who resides in Elvis Presley's brain - who of course is still well and living in the 21st century), but my favourite will always remain 'The Brentford Triangle' out of the Brentford Trilogy (now running to ten novels I believe) - serious laugh-out-loud material. I can only describe Rankin as surrealist humour - you have to be prepared to bend your mind to his, and provided you make this sacrifice you will definitely enjoy....
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Always sufficient hills - never sufficient gears |
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#305 | ||
Your Bartender
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Philly Burbs, PA
Posts: 7,651
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#306 | |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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MBAs are overrated, IMO. The Management program I'm in is good, and only takes 18 months. That'll work for me. |
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#307 | |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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#308 | |
Pump my ride!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England
Posts: 1,890
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I took a TOC course when I was working on a project for the fish and fruit markets, and the process identified some real problems plus helped create and evaluate possible solutions. I use their basic problem analysis tool (generally referred to as the Evaporating Cloud or Conflict Resolution Diagram) quite regularly as a means to condense and resolve issues, but the full programme approach is really for large tasks and projects.
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Always sufficient hills - never sufficient gears |
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#309 |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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Sycamore, my dear boy, get a copy of Covey's 7 Habits. They can be had for $1.99 or less from amazon.com marketplace. Then get yourself a nice degree from one of those internet diploma mills.
Intereject wise sounding nonsense from the 7 Habits into your conversations, particularly admonishing people to "Stay in Quadrant II!!" (as I recall, that's the quadrant where the Klingons aren't, so it's always a good choice) This method will waste less of your time and money than actually going to business school, and will be just as useful in the long run.
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![]() ![]() "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
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#310 |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Not a book that I would ordinarily read. It was a Quality Paperback Book Club main selection about five years ago. You all know what happened ... I forgot to send one of the little cards back, and it's less hassle to send them money once you open the package than it is to send the book back. Follows two years of a young girl's life in London in 1760something. It's grittier than it sounds.
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![]() ![]() "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
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#311 |
Abecedarian
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Nantes (France)
Posts: 175
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"the 12th planet" and "Stairway to heaven" Zecharia Sitchin
"Gateway to Atlantis" Andrew Collins |
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#312 |
Brand Spankin New Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Carolina -- Upcountry
Posts: 5
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I'm just finishing up "48 Laws of Power" by Greene. A good psychology/business book that goes about teaching its lessons in story form from history with lessons learned.
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#313 |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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I heard about that book at a community group meeting I attended. I'm getting it from amazon at some point. (It's ordered, it's just clumped with a buncha other stuff for cheaper shipping and one of the items is taking longer than I expected)
My latest From a Buick 8 - Stephen King
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![]() ![]() "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
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#314 |
changed his status to single
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Right behind you. No, the other side.
Posts: 10,308
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How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie
think and grow rich - napoleon hill the bibles of sales. my stubborness has prevented me from reading them for a decade or so. my knowledge and skill have taken me as far as they will, i guess i better learn to communicate with people now. |
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#315 |
Brand Spankin New Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Carolina -- Upcountry
Posts: 5
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Lookout, you want the book "Master the Art of Selling" by Tom Hopkins. HTWFAIP and Think/Grow Rich are good books, but Hopkins book is in a class by itself. Really. Pick it up.
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