tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post4158813453116755147..comments2023-05-17T02:40:02.581-05:00Comments on Basement Blogging: The Crown Heights Underground: The return of the king!le7http://www.blogger.com/profile/08982516647753962603noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-86043653515709468502009-05-17T10:05:00.000-05:002009-05-17T10:05:00.000-05:00One word: tourists.One word: tourists.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-63402038999952253822009-05-17T07:15:00.000-05:002009-05-17T07:15:00.000-05:00Tradition. Something to hold on to. National pride...Tradition. Something to hold on to. National pride. Resistance to change. I mean, the Queen is the symbol of the UK. You come to UK, you have... what? Fish and chips? It’s a major symbol of the country. In Europe, symbols are much more important than in the US.<br /><br />If you go to the Queen’s web-site, you can read justification of constitutional monarchy as a way to keep the country together even between different parties taking power (liberals vs. conservatives), and in general — the woman has been around as a head of state for something like 60 years, taking active role in state affairs from early morning to late evening, opening letters, answering them, meeting with ministers, meeting with the PM, and so on. She is an amazing source of advice and wisdom.<br /><br />At least in theory. In practice I don’t know how much it all really works. Thatcher said that one shouldn’t think that her meetings with the Queen were mere formality — they were very involved. But in the end, the Queen hated Thatcher, and Thatcher still pulled out the country out of socialism with her own hands despite the Queen’s animosity.<br /><br />I think, in the end, it’s 90% all about symbolism, national pride, all that stuff.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-73135378036965024202009-05-17T05:18:00.001-05:002009-05-17T05:18:00.001-05:00and does anyone know why the british still have a ...and does anyone know why the british still have a monarch? i mean, whats the point?Cheeriohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12150227399518692959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-75708710794247538602009-05-17T05:18:00.000-05:002009-05-17T05:18:00.000-05:00interesting little side note.
too bad the attorney...interesting little side note.<br />too bad the attorney general had to die. he was a far more interesting character than the slightly disturbing amanda.<br />CA - some VERY interesting stuff there. for once when reading a blog, i actually felt like i was gaining valuable and intellectually stimulating knowledge. until we went on the judge dredd side note.Cheeriohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12150227399518692959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-13834079259766936952009-04-01T15:20:00.001-05:002009-04-01T15:20:00.001-05:00he*he*Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-77839004766415188772009-04-01T15:20:00.000-05:002009-04-01T15:20:00.000-05:00(OK, here’s one of those TV judges. [Not judges of...(OK, here’s one of those TV judges. [Not judges of TV, but judges on TV. Actually, I still don’t know — the whole thing is fake, right?] I’ve never seen him, so I don’t really know if he is more impressive than the Queen, but I would imagine he is not.)Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-89677509441431189532009-04-01T15:12:00.000-05:002009-04-01T15:12:00.000-05:00Thanks.(I don't believe you)Thanks.<BR/><BR/>(I don't believe you)Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-67029224567756296372009-04-01T14:23:00.000-05:002009-04-01T14:23:00.000-05:00Thanks. You too.(No idea.)Thanks. You too.<BR/><BR/>(No idea.)Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-37958377625194352362009-04-01T13:47:00.000-05:002009-04-01T13:47:00.000-05:00Very nice!(and who is Judge Dread?)Very nice!<BR/><BR/>(and who is Judge Dread?)Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-89900489675381680222009-04-01T13:44:00.000-05:002009-04-01T13:44:00.000-05:00Re: “I am the law” — It’s the motto of absolutist ...Re: “I am the law” — It’s the motto of absolutist monarchy.<BR/><BR/><I>L’État c’est Moi</I> (“I am the State”), <A HREF="http://www.bartleby.com/81/10022.html" REL="nofollow">attributed</A> to Louis XIV. It means that he <I>is</I> France. Not he is the servant of French society (American model). Not French people serve him, and he rules over French society (more tempered monarchist model). He IS France, and France is he. They are one and the same. And, as a result, he is the law, the first and the last.<BR/><BR/>An extremely powerful idea. I don’t know if this is how Judaism views the Jewish king (seems not), but this is a great moshul for, lehavdil, relationship between Hashem and the Universe (and Torah). It’s not that Hashem is separate from the Universe and rules over it (and provides us instructions in Torah). The Universe is an aspect of Hashem, and Torah <I>is</I> Hashem. V’dal.<BR/><BR/>In reality, Louis XIV probably said: <I>Je m'en vais, mais l'État demeurera toujours</I> (“I depart, but the State shall always remain”). Which is not to say he didn’t believe the above — but he probably believed it in the sense that he was bottul to the State, and as a result, he became the State, and the State became him — his whole definition of himself was that of France, French society, French state and its ruler (and vice versa, at least ideally, the direction in which the France was going was the exact direction in which the King saw fit.)<BR/><BR/>In this sense, the definition of the monarch still exists even today. Queen Elizabeth II sees herself as the Commonwealth of the United Kingdom and Blah-blah-blah. That is her essence, the identity and everyday reality. She puts on shoes, because it fits her role as the sovereign of the Commonwealth. She goes to vacation in Belmoral, because she physically needs vacation in order to function as a human sovereign of the Commonwealth. <BR/><BR/>Now, since she is a bit more modest than the Louis, and British are smarter than French (not just British of today relative to French of Louis’s time, but in general), the Queen delegates her powers and aspects of her “statehood” to her ministors, to the arch-bishop, she (officially) takes the laws passed by the Parliament under advisement (although nowadays, she just signs them). All of this has become part of tradition to preserve the state of monarchy and at the same time allow UK function as a modern state, but at least in principle, the queen very much <I>is</I> the State.<BR/><BR/>Whether politically or socially the two systems of monarchy make sense (I personally think they both are ridiculous, and despite the cuteness of the British system, it still costs tremendous amount of people’s money), the last second is a great moshol for a chossid.<BR/><BR/>Alright, la Fin.<BR/><BR/>(Also, Judge Dread uses the exact motto — “I am the law”. But, I think he is much less impressive than Louis XIV or even the Queen Elizabeth II.)Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-48924608651788793292009-04-01T13:08:00.000-05:002009-04-01T13:08:00.000-05:00I suppose so.I suppose so.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-80597947343797752632009-04-01T11:48:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:48:00.000-05:00I'm just saying... without trying WE ALL rip off p...I'm just saying... without trying WE ALL rip off popular culture.le7https://www.blogger.com/profile/08982516647753962603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-45326084502901766502009-04-01T11:47:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:47:00.000-05:00Not that I can recall.Not that I can recall.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-30464259187308444972009-04-01T11:30:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:30:00.000-05:00Well "I AM THE LAW!" feels like it's from a movie....Well "I AM THE LAW!" feels like it's from a movie...le7https://www.blogger.com/profile/08982516647753962603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-6911385016695678132009-04-01T11:29:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:29:00.000-05:00Oh ye of little taste. Funny that no one has seen ...Oh ye of little taste. <BR/><BR/>Funny that no one has seen fit to comment on the story.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-37851983686922205852009-04-01T11:28:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:28:00.000-05:00It tastes like cough syrup.It tastes like cough syrup.le7https://www.blogger.com/profile/08982516647753962603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-89165921441394619342009-04-01T11:26:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:26:00.000-05:00Hotdogs are good.Dr. Pepper is better.Hotdogs are good.<BR/><BR/>Dr. Pepper is better.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-1312851519886539662009-04-01T11:07:00.000-05:002009-04-01T11:07:00.000-05:00I really could go for some hotdogs right now....bu...I really could go for some hotdogs right now....<BR/><BR/>but Dr. Pepper tastes like cough syrup.le7https://www.blogger.com/profile/08982516647753962603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-53343920901665686062009-04-01T10:31:00.000-05:002009-04-01T10:31:00.000-05:00And pea soup with hotdogs.And pea soup with hotdogs.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-37903324742829861122009-04-01T09:45:00.000-05:002009-04-01T09:45:00.000-05:00Dr. Pepper for me is the taste of America. To some...Dr. Pepper for me is the taste of America. To some people it’s Ellis island, the statue of liberty, all that stuff. For me, it’s Dr. Pepper. And air conditioning.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-53038666306433215822009-04-01T09:44:00.000-05:002009-04-01T09:44:00.000-05:00I agree. Well, I don’t know about the world, but i...I agree. Well, I don’t know about the world, but it makes… itself taste better.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-92211695409200658022009-04-01T09:08:00.000-05:002009-04-01T09:08:00.000-05:00Dr. Pepper makes the world taste better.Dr. Pepper makes the world taste better.Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-86859283948840777652009-04-01T00:43:00.000-05:002009-04-01T00:43:00.000-05:00I commented on your style. The dead German compose...I commented on your style. The dead German composer’s works are very similar to yours, in style.<BR/><BR/>As to the story, such a thing has happened in past, in fact. And lead, indirectly, to 100 Years’ War. I believe Maurice Druon wrote about this in his <I>Les Rois Maudits</I> series.<BR/><BR/>What would happen if they had Dr. Pepper? I can’t even imagine.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-38378249270123427002009-04-01T00:13:00.000-05:002009-04-01T00:13:00.000-05:00What the heck does this have to do with some dead ...What the heck does this have to do with some dead Russian composer? Why can't you ever comment on the story itself?Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7702282412759643000.post-89788022263267874972009-04-01T00:11:00.000-05:002009-04-01T00:11:00.000-05:00What’s going on today? I just posted Schnittke, an...What’s going on today? I just posted Schnittke, and then Hesh talks about collecting mandolines and you write this.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.com