by Fearman November 06, 2007
An ideology based essentially on the idea expounded by Karl Marx, that in an ideal society everyone would receive what they needed and would produce according to their capacity. From this idea was elaborated a doctrine whereby a Socialist state would be established that would in time subsume the economic structure of society into itself. At this point the State itself would wither and the new ideal Communist society would emerge. It's surely a beautiful idea on paper, and may even work with small tribal bands ... but just try to apply it to a society made of millions of us naked apes and see what happens.
Marx incidentally suggested that agrarian societies would be more likely to develop in time along such lines; the adoption of Communist doctrine by industrial societies like Leninist-Stalinist Russia may arguably be in itself a perversion of Marx's idea.
Marx incidentally suggested that agrarian societies would be more likely to develop in time along such lines; the adoption of Communist doctrine by industrial societies like Leninist-Stalinist Russia may arguably be in itself a perversion of Marx's idea.
Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Communism is the exact reverse. - John Gardner
Any man who is not a Communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still a Communist at the age of thirty is an even bigger fool. - George Bernard Shaw.
Communism: right idea, wrong species. - Jermaine Evans
The Catholic and the Communist are alike in assuming that an opponent cannot be both intelligent and sincere. - George Orwell.
A Communist is like a crocodile - when it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile or preparing to eat you up. - Winston Churchill
Any man who is not a Communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still a Communist at the age of thirty is an even bigger fool. - George Bernard Shaw.
Communism: right idea, wrong species. - Jermaine Evans
The Catholic and the Communist are alike in assuming that an opponent cannot be both intelligent and sincere. - George Orwell.
A Communist is like a crocodile - when it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to smile or preparing to eat you up. - Winston Churchill
by Fearman November 20, 2007
Old expression found in Ireland (or the backwoods of County Clare at any rate), translating roughly as "don't laugh at others, you'll do something stupid/ get old and crotchety/ otherwise get into a fine state youself and wouldn't like being laughed at."
by Fearman March 18, 2008
1. The largest planet in the solar system, accounting for roughly seventy percent of the total planetary mass, and the fifth from the Sun. The largest and innermost of the gas giants, Jupiter makes an interesting sight through even a modest telescope. Orbits the Sun in 11.86 Earth years. Radiates over twice the energy received from the Sun due to gravitational contraction. Temperature at cloud decks about 143 degrees Centigrade below zero. Pronounced equatorial bulge; diameter through the equator is 88,846 miles (to within five miles, measured to the altitude where gas pressure equals that of Earth's air at sea level); diameter through the poles is 83,082 miles. Mass over 317 times that of Earth, volume over 1,321 times that of Earth. Composed mostly of gas, chiefly hydrogen with a considerable amount of helium; traces exist of ammonia, water vapour, methane, ethane, silicon compounds, carbon compounds and sulphur, among others. At greater depths the hydrogen enters molecular and then metallic states not found among gases on Earth; there may be a rock-metal core accounting for perhaps five percent of the planet's mass. The planet does not rotate on its axis as a solid body, but faster in the equatorial regions than around the poles, by about five minutes per rotation; the whole turns once on its axis in just under ten hours. The entire visible face of the planet consists of clouds in the upper reaches of a vast ocean of gas. Has a striped appearance with light zones of upwelling gas and dark, descending belts; there are numerous rotating storm systems, the largest and longest-lived of which is the Great Red Spot, a storm larger than the Earth. Jupiter's powerful magnetosphere, its trailing end still detectable at the orbit of Saturn, funnels considerable amounts of ionising radiation, carrying at its strongest one thousand times the lethal dose for the human body. Jupiter receives comparatively many asteroid and cometary impacts, recently including the string of impacts from the tidally disrupted comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994. Visited by Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo and Cassini probes. Recognised to have 63 satellites at last count; the largest of these, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, are collectively known as the Galilean satellites because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1609-10. (This made them the first extraterrestrial moons discovered, which made for an epochal discovery.) Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and is larger than, though not as massive as, the planet Mercury. Europa is thought a possible abode for extraterrestrial life.
2. Jupiter's namesake is the big daddy of the gods of ancient Rome, equivalent to the Greek Zeus. Known in full as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Soter; Jupiter the best, the greatest and the Saviour. Popularly imagined sitting on a throne with a bunch of thunderbolts in his left hand. The patron deity of the Roman state, he ruled over laws and the social order. He was the father of Mars and hence mythologically the grandfather of the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
2. Jupiter's namesake is the big daddy of the gods of ancient Rome, equivalent to the Greek Zeus. Known in full as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Soter; Jupiter the best, the greatest and the Saviour. Popularly imagined sitting on a throne with a bunch of thunderbolts in his left hand. The patron deity of the Roman state, he ruled over laws and the social order. He was the father of Mars and hence mythologically the grandfather of the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Jupiter rose at eight o'clock that evening, and everyone was trying to grab time at the telescopes.
Claudius entered the great temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.
Claudius entered the great temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.
by Fearman May 12, 2008
Jimmy hasn't left the house lately. He's writing threatening letters to his great-great-great grandchildren and won't believe they haven't been born yet. It's kind of ironic that he seems to have sphenisciformosanikleptophobia; he won't go to the zoo. Ever.
by Fearman May 27, 2007
1. Sixth planet from the Sun and second largest in the system. The outermost planet known in classical times. 764 times Earth's volume, 94 times its mass. Orbits once in nearly 30 Earth years at a distance of roughly 925 million miles. Gravity at cloud decks averages about 1.16 times that on Earth. The least dense planet in the system, overall density roughly .687 times that of water. Diameter 74,898 miles through the equator, give or take five miles; 67,560 miles through the poles, give or take 13 miles. Average temperature at visible cloud decks is about 185 degrees Centigrade below zero. Atmosphere is mostly hydrogen with some helium and traces of other elements, similar but not identical to that of Jupiter. Cloud patterns appear more subdued than on Jupiter, due at least in part to an upper layer of haze. Best known for its bright and extensive ring system, consisting of countless trillions of blocks of (mainly) water ice. Most of the ring system is within a diameter of 225,000 miles or so, but is only a few hundred feet thick; scaled down to the size of a city, the rings would be as thick as a sheet of newsprint. Saturn has a retinue of major satellites comparable to those around Jupiter; only one of them, Titan, is particularly large. The latter is an intriguing body recently imaged by the Cassini Probe and visited by the Huygens Lander, and the only moon in the solar system with an appreciable atmosphere.
2. Roman god of time and farming, equivalent to the Greek Kronos. Best known for his feeling of unease at the possibility that his sons would outdo him, which he assuaged in the most efficient way possible; by eating them. One of them, however, escaped. His name was Jupiter, and the rest, as they say, is mythology.
3. The family of rockets used in the Apollo mission that (Uncle Sam, take a bow) landed humans on the Moon.
2. Roman god of time and farming, equivalent to the Greek Kronos. Best known for his feeling of unease at the possibility that his sons would outdo him, which he assuaged in the most efficient way possible; by eating them. One of them, however, escaped. His name was Jupiter, and the rest, as they say, is mythology.
3. The family of rockets used in the Apollo mission that (Uncle Sam, take a bow) landed humans on the Moon.
Saturn is often referred to as the Lord of the Rings.
Goya painted Saturn devouring one of his children.
The Saturn V rocket blasted off, taking Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon.
Goya painted Saturn devouring one of his children.
The Saturn V rocket blasted off, taking Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon.
by Fearman May 12, 2008
Grim-looking Swedish actor, born 1953, with a waaay wicked sense of humour. Has starred as hitman Gaear Grimsrud in Fargo, porn star Karl Hungus in The Big Lebowski, eye transplant doctor Solomon Eddie in Minority Report, Ernst Roehm in Hitler: The Rise of Evil and Satan in Constantine. Has also done a truly unforgettable series of adverts for Volkswagen (Unpimp my Auto). Film, stage, voice and television actor, theatrical director, musician and playwright. All round rare auld character.
by Fearman November 26, 2007