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November 21, 2014

Obama Thinks He's in Rome

One of Rome's most famous orators, M. Tullis Cicero, delivered a speech against Lucius Sergius Catilina a mere 2,078 years ago - on November 8, 64 BC.

Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz resurrected Cicero's speech.
From Breitbart's Big Government:
On the floor of the Senate this morning, Sen. Ted Cruz read aloud the text of Cicero’s First Oration Against Catiline, subbing in President Obama’s name in the context.

“When, President Obama, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end to that unbridled audacity of yours swaggering about as it does now?” Cruz asked.

Cruz continued reading the Cicero selection, citing Obama for dictating “by his pen and his phone.”
 
“He won't even come into the Senate,” Cruz continued. “He will not take part in the public deliberations. He ignores every individual among us.”
I had to memorize the first section of this oration in my Latin III class in high school. I still remember (kinda) the first few sentences in Latin.

Catiline was a corrupt politician from a wealthy noble Roman family. Considered by his contemporaries as immoral and ruthless, he murdered his own brother and was suspected of killing his wife and son. Due to his family's powerful political connections, he enjoyed several government positions and in 67 BC was made the propraetor (governor) of Africa.

In 66 BC he returned to Rome and was prohibited from being considered for the consulship because of his ongoing prosecution for corrupt government practices in Africa.

Standing trial in 65 BC, Catiline escaped judgement by bribing the judges and prosecutor. He again ran for consul in 64 BC (in the Roman Republic, there was no higher political office than that of consul; it was a one year term - two were elected every year).

M. Tullius Cicero was one of seven candidates for consul that year. This, his first oration against Catiline, was an indictment of Catiline's corruption and a warning to the Roman Senate of the danger to the State posed by this despicable man.

What makes Cruz's use of this Oration so interesting is that Cicero sincerely believed that Catiline was a serious threat to the Roman Constitution. And indeed he was. Catiline and his accomplice, Antonius, conspired to overthrow the Roman Republic by bribes and mob violence not once, but twice.

As a high school student I never appreciated the significance of Cicero's concern for Rome. Memorizing his words was an unwelcome assignment.

In high school I never appreciated how men of ill intent could pose such a clear and present danger to life and liberty. I do now. And so does Sen. Ted Cruz.

More here.


"Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia?"

As Cicero sayeth:
When, O Catiline, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?Do not the nightly guards placed on the Palatine Hill—do not the watches posted throughout the city—does not the alarm of the people, and the union of all good men—does not the precaution taken of assembling the senate in this most defensible place—do not the looks and countenances of this venerable body here present, have any effect upon you? Do you not feel that your plans are detected? Do you not see that your conspiracy is already arrested and rendered powerless by the knowledge which every one here possesses of it? What is there that you did last night, what the night before— where is it that you were—who was there that you summoned to meet you—what design was there which was adopted by you, with which you think that any one of us is unacquainted?


Shame on the age and on its principles! The senate is aware of these things; the consul sees them; and yet this man lives. Lives! aye, he comes even into the senate. He takes a part in the public deliberations; he is watching and marking down and checking off for slaughter every individual among us. And we, gallant men that we are, think that we are doing our duty to the republic if we keep out of the way of his frenzied attacks.

You ought, O Catiline, long ago to have been led to execution by command of the consul. That destruction which you have been long plotting against us ought to have already fallen on your own head.

The rest of the oration here.

Next, SpideySense™

Once this becomes commercially available, it will no longer be safe to walk the streets in major cities. The fools will be falling like rain off the sides of buildings.
Stanford University researchers emulating Spider-Man's wall-crawling abilities turned to a different animal, the gecko, to inspire their sticky technology.

The researchers, working with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, took inspiration from the toes of geckos to create the silicone pads that allowed a 154-pound man to scale an 11.5-foot glass wall.

Each pad is worn on a climber's hand and is attached to a harness for the climber's foot.
Gecko toes - tastes like chicken.

Story here.

Oh, The Humanity! Oh, The Japanity!

Creepy is as creepy does.
New wave of super realistic robots set to go on sale as Japan continues to auger its way into oblivion.
The hyper-real robots that will replace receptionists, pop stars... and even sex dolls: Unnervingly human androids coming to a future very near you
  • Incredibly life-like robots are currently causing a storm in Japan where they are being prepared for mass commercialisation
  • With new androids creators have beaten 'Uncanny Valley syndrome' where humans are revulsed by robots that look real - but not real enough
  • Now being put to use as receptionists and newsreaders
  • Predicted that within a decade fully independent 'gemanoids' will be in circulation once advances in artificial intelligence are made 
  • Scientists even talking about humans taking androids as partners 
This is just what the abysmally low Japanese birth rate needs; another reason to avoid woman completely.

Herrro, my name is Crawdia. I ruv you rong time.

For West Virginia customers, farting models are extra.

Sandra Fluke and the rest of the hyper feministas better watch out, with these new robots they'll lose their justification for the gubmint to provide birth control at the taxpayers' expense.

Story here.

Update: I was trying to remember where I heard the title phrase "Oh the Japanity" and finally remembered. It was years ago on MST3K, - I think it was the "Prince of Space" episode.

November 20, 2014

Asking For Trouble

Two navy vessels have collided in the Gulf of Aden; the USNS Amelia Earhart and the USNS Walter S. Diehl.
The USNS Amelia Earhart

The USNS Walter S. Diehl

Someone got lost and crashed. Wonder which one?

Story here.

Like The NY Thruway After The Buffalo Snowstorm



Just think of all the web traffic that would choke the intertubes if Kim Kardashian put this shirt over her butt.
The controversial novelty Hawaiian shirt worn by British scientist Dr. Matt Taylor which 'broke the internet' after a furious 'shirtstorm' whipped up by enraged feminists has proven surprisingly popular, selling out on American shirt supplier Alohaland.com.

Although Dr. Taylor's favourite shirt was a hand-made custom given to him by a close friend as a birthday present, a virtually identical shirt made to a similar cut and with the same fabric has long been available online. The shirt, originally referred to by the fabric pattern name 'New Gunner Girls' but now refereed to on the website as the 'Matt Taylor Astronaut', has been the subject of a rush of orders that has overwhelmed the American manufacturer.

It Still Doesn't Make It So

“Malvinas are Argentine”, mandatory in all Argentine public transport systems

All Argentine public transport must include the logo “Malvinas are Argentine”, according to the latest bill approved by the Lower House in Congress, following on an initiative from Senator Teresta Luna from the ruling coalition of President Cristina Fernandez.

According to the bill all domestic public transport of passengers which operate under any condition in the federal jurisdiction of Argentina, and also in the region, are obliged to bear the phrase in their transport units.

The rule applies to all form of public transport of passengers, including those moving along streets, avenues, highways, railways, fluvial and maritime transport, as well as air travel.

Sounds like the media and ObamaCare, no?

November 16, 2014

In The News


Muslims Invented Baseball, Rock n' Roll and Pedicures
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that the Americas were discovered by Muslims in the 12th century, nearly three centuries before Christopher Columbus set foot there.

"Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus," the conservative president said in a televised speech during an Istanbul summit of Muslim leaders from Latin America.
Reading Erdogan's statement, it is also obvious that Muslims have yet to discover the difference between North America and Latin America. But that will happen soon, Inshallah; probably around 1180 AD.



Russian Military Invents Vodka Missile
An investigative journalism site has ripped apart reports the Malaysian Boeing MH17 was shot down by a Ukranian war plane, claiming to have exposed the images as possibly photoshop fakes.

A report by Russian state television claimed to have discovered a 'sensational' satellite photo of the last seconds of the doomed flight over Ukraine.

The release of 'leaked' satellite images show a missile hurtling towards the passenger plane, while it was also claimed that the space pictures were from a British or US satellite.

But following the release of these images, Bellingcat said suspicions were immediately raised by a number of online aviation experts, debating the inconsistencies, which lead to claims they were indeed 'fakes'.
Just after the  television spokesperson announced that the Ukraine Air Force was responsible for the Flight MH17 disaster, he also stated that all 83 children killed when MH17 was shot down were spies. He then threw up, pissed his pants and passed out headfirst into the podium.

The spokesperson, Vladimir Vomitovich, has since been awarded the prestigious Hero of Russian Broadcast Journalism with Potato Cluster. The medal is in honor of Grigori Kohartishvilni, a WWII soldier who was able to fuel the electric generator for radio transmissions during the Battle of Stalingrad using only his breath.