Rich Engle

Here's some more interesting stuff when you cut through the swamp, Ghs--this should keep you going for a bit. Quite interesting, even if you are a non-MA person: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSgJqGW0YY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8GGz82Ib6M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w9bRQTHd9g Regards, rde

I assume you have seen "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," starring Jason Scott Lee. How accurate was the film? I thought it was a good flick. Ghs Historically, it is kind of close. You have to, of course, ignore that whole haunting thing they ran through there, that sucked. Since you have Netflix, there is tonnage there, but maybe try an older one called "Martial Arts Master: The Life of Bruce Lee." Bruce Lee cut a pretty wide swath, George; you can study him for years and barely hit the surface. I wish I could've met him, but I was only 11 turning 12 when I started MA in '69. He was only with me for a short time, you know? Just when I got the awareness of him, he was gone. I remember the cover of Black Belt Magazine, an article called "Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate." He was wearing boxing gloves and cross-training shoes, which was unheard of (Inasanto was a track star and that's where that came from--it is arguable that those two were the founders of what is now called cross-training. Well, at least cross-training shoes, because before then, Bruce was wearing these boots). Philosophically, he is of great interest as well. This interview has always been a fave in the JKD world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIEKv_Tyno rde Be Like Water, My Friend.

Another huge Bruce Lee fan from (virtually) day one was the late Roy Childs. During the early 1970s, while I was writing ATCAG, Roy and I lived in the same Hollywood apartment building, and Roy was always bugging me to go with him to see one of Bruce Lee's early Hong Kong films. Roy was ecstatic when "Enter the Dragon" was released in 1973, because he was convinced that it would propel Lee to major-league stardom. As I recall, Roy convinced BB to see "Enter the Dragon" with him on his second or third go-around. Roy claimed that Barbara liked the film, but I don't think I ever heard a confirmation of this from Barbara herself. Ghs The death was tragic. There continues to be a conspiracy theory on this, which got even more punctuated when Brandon Lee died during the filming of "The Crow" (another excellent film) via a blank gun that got live-loaded. The funny thing about that is this was a plotline in one of his father's films, where the character faked his own death in almost precisely the same manner. Linda Lee says there is nothing to any of it, which I tend to believe because, well, because truth truly is capable of being far stranger than fiction. Call it irony. "Enter The Dragon" is probably overall the best MA film of that era. I have been watching kung fu flicks for years and years (you tend to do that if you are a practicing MA, and/or are black and/or smoke dope), and you watch them, obviously, for different reasons. IP Man was a real breakthrough, hadn't seen something quite that in a good while. Why do black people never join the Objectivism but they love kung fu movies, right? You go into a vintage black dude's house, you are sure to see a Bruce Lee poster. "Game of Death" was supposed to be BL's opus magnus, but by then he was dead. There is a terrible cut of it where they actually have this paste-on head thing for him that . . . Nonetheless, the main idea at the end is kind of Jungian--going from the bottom of the house to the top, each time encountering a more dangerous opponent. r

I just saw it last week on Netflix, via Roku. I'm a lifelong martial artist (1969). My last teacher was with both Ed Parker and Danny Inosanto (who developed many things with BL and ran his Hollywood studio). I was a Bruce Lee fan from day one, even though I never got to formally train kung fu until much later in life (but for a brief stab when I was 18). Anyway, I became a JKD man. Bruce Lee's books, particularly "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do," are as good as it gets, and that includes on the philosophical level. Inevitably, you study the Wing Chun, and you learn about Yip Man (as we knew the western spelling). He was an opium addict, but that doesn't bear all that much relevance to his teaching. This movie is elegantly filmed, and much closer to truth than most MA films. It was very inspiring for me to see MA represented in this manner. I was looking at the Wing Chun wooden dummy and it brought things back. Ah, the bliss that is Chinese Boxing. Even if you aren't into MA, this film is lovely. Wiki thing on Yip Man rde Makes you wanna do some pak sao and lop sao!

Rich, my fellow madman iconoclast, there are a couple of us here (at least) who have been keeping in touch with Phil. From all reports he is doing well and feeling pretty sprightly. He shares with me from time to time some fun things he has written. I paste one such below in an attempt to turn mere drift into a tidal bore. Two things jump out. Don't say 'speak frog,' please. It suggests something about you that cannot possibly be true: bigotry. Bete noire is a fully-functioning part of the English language now, like rendez-vous, hors d'oeuvre, apéritif and va t'en faire foutre, bub. As we say in Canada, checkez vos premises . . . Secondly, yes, Steve throws red meat and George chomps. Comme toujours. Who could expect anything different (especially when he prepares the chomping by telling the dogs to be nice or he will be disappointed)? That said, you are the other face of the coin at times -- we all can be -- taking the part of competing Miss Manners, chiding and pursing lips and sighing and fainting at bad form in the other dog's performances. [in my own guise of Madame Etiquette, I would think that if Steve wanted discussion of the discussion and its points, he could have opened the gambit. It reminds me of someone standing at the kitchen counter, with a tin of Spaghettios and a can-opener, grizzling and keening: "Won't anyone help me with dinner!"] Finally, how dare you post the picture of that accordionist? Surely everyone knows Johnny Puleo deserves the honour! -- here is Phil the light-hearted: If you believed for a minute that I cared about what languages are used. Heavens, William. That was just for him, effete as he appears. There's no crying in baseball, and yes, I realize what French Canadia<tm> is. French is a beautiful language. It is a Movable Feast! Rightio. It is very difficult to kill a zombie. Phil was better, I guess. It's like deciding between weird meats in a strange shop. Regards, r Nice hearin' frum yuh.

Yeah, I was thinking on that. He was better. Phil would, from time to time, resurface and he would do some beautiful things. Well, maybe not Beauty, but awfully damn good. You could see his nature. You know you're fucked when you talk about missing Phil. That is the pregnant fact of it, methinks. Jeez. rde Waiting for the Curmudgeon or Someone Like Him Phil still haunts these pages. I continue to be amazed that nobody has outed him yet. I saw this weird shadow on my wall this a.m. It could be so.

It's hard to explain what you believe when deep inside you don't know. She has a decent moral compass. If you are looking for an informed, scientific/theological thinker, probably not so much. The forces of nature move her. rde

Yeah, I was thinking on that. He was better. Phil would, from time to time, resurface and he would do some beautiful things. Well, maybe not Beauty, but awfully damn good. You could see his nature. You know you're fucked when you talk about missing Phil. That is the pregnant fact of it, methinks. Jeez. rde Waiting for the Curmudgeon or Someone Like Him

"It must be hard to type with one's hands nailed to the cross" Much less play decent accordion. If there is such a thing. I was going to do a trivia contest on the pix, but the hijacking levels are already peaking to a dangerous state. So . . . Obviously, the first three are Phil (or The Artist Formerly Known As Phil)--these reside in the Phil Shrine here at OL, which, by the way, seems to be suffering from a severe attendance problem, despite lots of bells, whistles, dancing monkeys, and even a Hong Kong funeral shot. The accordion dude (and, God help you, you have to have your finger on the pulse of the accordion world for this sort of nonsense) is none other than Bruce Gassman : Bruce Gassman Web Site No one plays "Star Wars" quite like Bruce does. Then, the finally rendered Creature is Lou Catell, appearing in a one-time-only role in "Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster." Art at its finest. Oh, eff it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9It2mr5hP8 It all seemed appropriate, given the curmudgeon-ness. OK back to it, folks. I got nothin' for awhile. rde In honor of Phil, I am skipping the Quote Function.

You characterized your own headline post as "red meat." You also posted a link to Stephan Kinsella's article, one that supposedly provides "extensive background to the debate events and related intellectual ferment, which in turn influenced his and many others' thinking on IP, in a Mises Daily article posted today." Much of that background is fictional, as I have pointed out. And pointing this out does not amount to "character sniping." I was intimately involved with those events -- far more than Wendy was in most cases -- and if I catch her lying again and again, I will call attention to her lies, again and again. Why you believe anything at this point that Wendy might say in a "Retrospective" mystifies the fuck out me. The woman is an inveterate liar, a person who will manufacture "facts" out of thin air, if she thinks they will enhance her own reputation. Of haven't you figured this part out yet? Moreover, if you wish to start a discussion of IP and its background in the modern movement, do you really think you will achieve this goal by posting a verbal debate that runs nearly two hours, and which few people will listen to in its entirely? There is a ton of written material out there, if that was your purpose. Ghs He's a one trick pony, George. He de-cloaks, scolds everyone, complains in a most bitterly manner, then re-cloaks. A basic hit-and-run artist, without the striking power. For what it is worth I am usually not this hard on anyone but his persistence, if nothing else, is enough to warrant it. He hates it here, but not enough to not be here. Since he chose to psychologize, I guess that opens a door. The reason he does the bete noire thingy is because he feels, on some level or another, that he has been, uh, "betty-nwahed," and he has. People get sick of his endless complaining. It smells like old man farts, or the inside of a coffin, or something along that line. It's a given, at this point. Some form of weak, moral outrage. But at least he put the thing up. As to his motivation(s), I was wondering about that myself. r

For fuck's sake, man--do you think you are going to persuade Ghs into editing to your taste? Now, that would be a gruesome day. His replies to your very useful topic are exactly as they should be, if not a little more. Save yourself now, before it is too late. Don't you see the signs, brother? It's The Transformation. The Changin'. It comes on subtle, you know . . .mild urges to sanitize, correct, enforce what you feel is "decorum." Before long, you are in Bat Country--you have become Phil Coates. Bete noire list my sorry hide. How dare you speak frog. And invoked as a hot link, even! Was that an effort to educate the groundlings? Minka. I bet you had to look that up to be sure, didn't you? A lot of trouble to get an accent mark. Need I remind you of how and what you will become, step by step? Behold your future: Originally. Early molecular rearranging takes place. The Transformation. Temporary atomic flux. The Pale, Hideous Aftermath. Loosen up, Moneypenny: Un-cradle the phone, undo that tight bun in your hair, and hike your leg up over yonder mahogany desk. This is what living feels like. rde Time for the garlic necklace.

Proudly "Randian" in some respects. You're a bit slow on the uptake aren't you? Shayne You got it, Sporty-Pants: just your basic Barbarian.

Wow, that was good, Brant. Needs said once in awhile, doesn't it? r

We have have been through this so many times here and still you don't get it. No surprise that people are ignorant about natural rights: they don't exist. No one is born with natural rights coming with the package. Rights are human creations, they can be granted, declared, taken from you, etc. You can happen to be born into a system which grants you certain rights, and they may be called "natural" rights by those who created them. But all this does not alter the fact that natural rights as such don't exist for human beings qua birth. We should do a scientific experiment. Let's divide the earth into regions. In one kind of region, we let people who believe in natural inalienable rights exist as sovereigns. In the other regions we'll let you and the barbarians who don't believe in natural rights aggregate. We'll even give you a head start. You can keep all the material objects human civilization has created thus far. The cities, buildings, roads, artifacts, etc. Just leave us reasonable space on earth free from your barbaric grasp. Then let's see what happens. Oh that's right. You barbarians can't let us do this experiment, because then your guilty secret would be revealed, and your power would be eradicated forever. Shayne I didn't realize you were that much of a Randroid. That stuff is in you like tattoo ink. Barbarians. Jesus, dude, it's a nearly Aryan kind of zeal you have going there.

Sentence 1.: Making a fair enough point. Sentence 2: Another textbook example of unnecessary snark. Again, I ask you: Explain the purpose for (in this case, sentence no. 2) that. Get you off? It's tempting, Shayne, I do know. It is about as tempting as me saying something about how attractive and natural this topic thread could be for someone like, um . . .hmmm. . . . . .you. rde There He Goes, Again.

It's all about the New Narcissism<tm> Go put some sweat down and master something difficult, fucq-stick. Right? Does disciplined effort mean nothing? Why bother when you can be a %$*& and have your special, brave Moment. rde I'm Special, I Climb On Shit And Act Like Nature

I've been around more interesting cockroaches. rde

I grasp it quite well. I studied the theory of transfinite numbers. And in what way does it relate (in your mind) to your own finiteness? That's the philosophical part I'm interested in. The set of atoms of my body constitute a finite set of objects. Next question? Ba'al Chatzaf Ask and ya shall receive. Inquiry is the mother of truth. And all the atoms in the universe - do they also constitue a finite set of objects? The question is is the universe infinite? You can't know because it is beyond possible experience. You can address the matter philosophically, but all you'll logically do is end up back at the philosophy knowing nothing more about it than the philosophy per se. For instance: there is no such thing as non-existence; existence exists. It cannot be escaped from for wherever you go there it is. There is therefore a kind of infinity there for there is nothing to bound existence. However, lack of existence is not the same as non-existence. The universe is actually bordered by lack of existence, except we don't really know that--that is, that existence is finite and hence we are back where we started. Please also note that much of what I just said is blather. The logical conclusion? Infinity isn't worth thinking about unless it's a mathematical construct for mathematical purposes if so saith the mathematicians, for I don't grok mathematics on that level. --Brant A few things to note. What is Human, if we alter ourselves at what point do we become "not human". For example if I were to place a single Nanite in my body to replace a dead cell, and from that day forth the Nanite duplicated but only in such a way as to replace my dead cell's, at what point do I end, and something else with my memories, and my looks begin? To carry this further you said "As finite beings, I doubt we humans can grasp the idea of infinity.", this is because at our current level our minds are lacking. However if as I believe is true Mr. Kurzweil is right and we will shortly have the ability to "upgrade" our brains augmenting them with computers, this will greatly increase our ability to comprehend. As to the set of atoms that constitute the body being finite you fail quite horribly to see the implications of what has been discussed, why is it impossible to augment our body with new fresh atoms? Young cell's reproduce faster than old cell's. by implanting an individual's heart with their own stem-cell's which have been repaired (or even enhanced) to reflect the cells of a 20'year old's heart would change the dynamics of heart surgery forever. Young hearts for all. As for being able to know if the universe is infinite or not, we can and will know this. The reality is that the universe is NOT infinite. Infinite is a word we use at present to express something which is beyond our ability to know or comprehend, as we upgrade our perspectives on this will change a great deal. As for the universe being boarded by non-existence (which is another way to say lack of existence), this statement assumes a number of things, not the least of which is that ours is the only universe. Take for example a black hole, black holes do not lead no where, this would defy the natural law. Instead a black hole must go somewhere, is it somewhere in this universe? is it into another universe? is it a place between universes? is it all three, with different black holes leading to different answers? The term "Black hole" in physics is in fact a misnomer, a more appropriate nomen might be positive and negative vortex. With one side inhaling matter, and another extruding it. Your argument for the finite existence seems to be "existence in the human experience has always been finite, therefore existence must be finite.", this is a mistake. Just because something has happened in the past does not mean it must always happen, once man was a hunter gatherer, now he is not. Even if the universe one day "roles back" or "goes cold" that need not end our existence. You may not grok infinity, you may not grok all of what comes, I however do grok that. Can I fully articulate every bit of it? No, but to grok does not mean to be able to articulate, in fact if I grok heinlein's definition of the word grok, it means to comprehend something so fully that words fail to fully express what is meant, or in other words to grasp infinity. Like I said, we really don't know enough to support these philosophical statements, but we can talk and talk about them, even if not infinitely. We start with axioms then let science investigate reality by investigating it in its particulars. Generalizations can both proceed and follow this, but they are of differing degrees of tentativeness and are themselves tools of investigation more than valid assertions of absoluteness of the kind that pertains to the axioms existence exists and I exist because I have the consciousness to know it. Infinity vs the finite is only a semantical battle because the winner gets nothing usable because the axioms are back at the beginning of it all, not at the end. We work with the infinity of the finite only because there is so much to investigate the investigations will only stop when we stop. It is not that infinity exists but that it might as well for it seems to have epistemological value for the deep math guys. --Brant Ah, another Brave Attempt. You are a hero for wading into this one, Brant. I feel your pain<tm>. rde Let's get Atomic. After all, we are Radiation Romeos. Behold the 5-D depth of the Quote Function<tm>!

I agree with Mike. Ignore that stuff. A lot of them enjoy being sniffy--somehow, they feel there is empowerment in it. rde

Who the fuck is "Rick," and why is he fishing for compliments? This is all very confusing. rde I need to get back on the ether. Whoops, sorry Rick... I mean Rich. ;) Shayne Oh, you meant me. At least you didn't call me "Dick." Yet. Well, I certainly did not ask you for compliments, I never said that you started this, and I will pass on the dinner date. I was just mentioning your normal surliness. Now that we've cleared that up maybe we can let George have his thread back. Rightio! rde "Feel lucky, punk?" --D. Harry

Who the fuck is "Rick," and why is he fishing for compliments? This is all very confusing. rde I need to get back on the ether.

Hey, George--this is really working out, isn't it? You can build a perfect primate habitat, but that will not stop them from flinging their poo at one another. rde Don't you monkey with the monkey.