is it still alive i had a couple but they died after Six months

You can send me your Betta if you like. I've got a couple 10 inch Bala Sharks and an 8 inch Black Ghost Knife would like to play with him... <grin>

Yeah, Cthulhu's going strong. A friend of mine had one for almost three years. She got tired of feeding it and let the water almost all evaporate, and when she went to clean out the bowl and flush it down the toilet it started jumping around!

These things are from Nam, you know.

The nice thinga about Bettas is there goldfish bowl durability. They don't need filters or pumps as they are surface breathers, so an occassional refresh of their water with some dechlorinated tap water and a sprinkle of food every day (if you have them in an office, put a water lilly on top for the weekends) and they'll live for a long time. But, despite their nickname, they are only tough fighters against each other. They are really an A/B class fish and the more aggresive species of fish, even a simple C like myala Sharks and Knife fish will beat them up. Heck, my puffers kept nipping the fins of an iridescent blue one so bad I had to pull him out and give him his own tank. I gave him a couple of girls though and he was happy.

have you read endgame yet invictus?

Sicarius is BACK!

No but I know what it's about and have decided not to waste my time on a book which argues for dismantling civilization. The review included such jems from the book as:

"From the beginning, this culture—civilization—has been a culture of occupation."

"Our way of living—industrial civilization—is based on, requires, and would collapse very quickly without persistent and widespread violence."

And my favorite

"The culture as a whole and most of its members are insane. The culture is driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life."

I simply do not have the patience for such dribble. Sorry.

Ooh, that sounds interesting, I'll have to read that!

Come on now, Invictus, I think it would be worth the read, I mean, people read Mein Kampf don't they?

I got 33 pages into Mein Kampf and stopped reading because it was terrifying.

Thucydides,

Very true!! It was worth the read even though it was complete insanity.

rlumley,

I found it to be more stupid than terrifying. I laughed constantly at the idiocy as I read.

oh i forgot
For he's a jolly good diplomat
For he's a jolly good diplomat
For he's a jolly good diplomat
Which nobody can deny
which nobody can deny
which nobody can deny
For he's a jolly good diploamat!!!
which nobody can deny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd read Mein Kampf because it would be interesting to have a look into the thought processes of an influential historical figure. This is just some nut writing about how CIVILIZATION is evil. I don't think I could get past the first page of a book with such an asinine premise.

you see thats the thing with books, they dont tell you anything unless you actually READ it.

reading books? wow what a novel concept.

Endgame is around 1000 pages long friend. if there was no substance in there, no argument good enought o at least seriously think about, I would never have reccomended it.

Just because something's long does not make it good or a worthwhile read.

Twilight, for instance.

Ok thats a good point.
but, do you realize that you are literally judging a book by it's cover?
do I really need to concoct some argument why thats an exceedingly ignorant thing to do?

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I'm judging a book by a review and a summary of its content. I know what it's about and I know what its thesis is and I have no interest in wasting my time on such a silly idea as dismantling civilization.

The guy even said that the book wasn't to persuade fence sitters. I'm far from even a fence sitter on this topic.

@Sic - the fact you have to "concoct" the argument rather than just presenting a well thought up one is, itself, evidence of the fallacy in the argument.

I'm saying I shouldnt have to argue to adults a point that is instilled in every second grader.

I refuse to tell you why you shouldnt judge a book by it's cover.
unless you're six.
are you six?

Invictus, I am only reminding you to read it, once again, is because you agreed to read it. Just as I agreed to read h.p. lovecraft. looking at the book "At the Mountains of Madness and other tales" I instantly sensed I would not enjoy the book. I didnt. I think it was trash. but I read it, LIKE I SAID I WOULD.

Sic, is this a book I could find at the library? I might be interested in reading it (hell, I read The Satanic Bible by Anton Levay) when I finish Le Miserables. And if you want a book that promotes egalitarianism, Le Mis is very interesting and has been having an effect on my own views of the world. Hugo is a very convincing writer in that regard.

you can find it at larger libraries that have wider selections I would imagine.
failing that, you can read it in barnes and nobles, they have chairs.

I'll interlibrary it from Cincinnati Public Library when I finish Le Mis then.

it's one book, but physically it comes in two volumes.

Good, I can try one volume at a time. Carrying and reading Le Mis on the busride to the office has made me a bit self-concious about carrying a large tome around, and I'm a self-professed egomanic. <grin>

I know you are.

They're still sort of tome-ish individually. it's a long book.

Now Sic, I've been trying to be nice here... Don't go making me wish I hadn't taken my meds today. ;-)

Dont get mad at me for agreeing with something you said.

I'm not. I even winked ( ;-) is a winking emoticon) but then I *know* you hate and don't use emoticons...

I said I would read it when I had time. Not only do I really have no time because of class, my fraternity, Mock Trial Team, and Pre-law Club, but I have enough respect for my time not to waste it on such an asinine book as this.

I mean, he's arguing for the destruction of civilization since it's "inherently unsustainable." The guy's more like the most pathetic James Bond villain ever than an author whose work I'd be interested in reading.

And here's to many more years

Willfull ignorance has always been a pet peeve of mine...

@ Sicarius:

>Willfull ignorance has always been a pet peeve of mine...

I agree, but I'm not sure that this qualifies. Of course, I didn't see the thread where Invictus first promised to read the book, so maybe I don't really understand the context.

It's a shame that Invictus considers civilisation to be obviously good, but since this is a large book addressed to those who already accept its premises (and not even to me, since I am a fence-sitter), maybe he's right to think that he won't get much out of it.

We could start a critique-of-civilisation thread (to go with the abortion thread, you know) and discuss some introductory material that you suggest. Or just Googling around, I found
http://tobyspeople.com/anthropik/2005/10/5-common-objections-to-primitivism-and-why-theyre-wrong/
(no relation), which looks like it might be a good place to start for sceptical newcomers. (If anarcho-primitivism really is the right direction to approach this topic.)

Also Invictus, although I have never played with you, I've talked with you, and I'm glad that you're here too!

:/

Shame Chalons turned out that way, huh? (No, not a shame to a sane person).

By ‘obviously good’ above, I really meant ‘so obviously good that any argument against it must be obviously nutty’, which is really not the same as just ‘obviously good’.

the '5 common objections' piece is pretty useful for those who know little to nothing about primitivism. that particular sites 'thirty theses' are a great read too.

and daniel quinns books (ishmael, story of b, my ishmael etc) show alot of insight into primitivist thought, but it's fiction so if you dont agree you wont be 'wasting your time'.

also I dont know how much to read into the 'not for fence sitters' disclaimer.
I was certainly a fence sitter when I read it. actually I was closer to being on the other side of the fence. with a shotgun. yelling at you to get off my property.

I'm not reading it. Not till summer at the very earliest and I'll probably have an internship then.

I love reading, and the little time I have for it I want to spend reading books I'm interested in, not ones full of armchair radical cant and infeasible theories about undoing 5,000+ years of human progress. No thanks.

The author himself said it wasn't for fence sitters. If anyone knows the intent of the book, it's that fella.

what makes the last 5,000 years progress?
how is life today any better than 10,000 years ago?

Toilet paper. That's enough.

And with the TP, microwave burritos, frozen pizza, cuban cigars, vodka martinis, corvettes, bikinis, and porn!

>The author himself said it wasn't for fence sitters. If anyone knows the intent of the book, it's that fella.

Invictus, you need to read some literary theory. The author is the one who understand the work least of all! (^_^)