The Purple Pinup Guru Platform

When purple things are pulsating on your mind, I'm the one whose clock you want to clean. Aiding is Sparky, the Astral Plane Zen Pup Dog from his mountain stronghold on the Northernmost Island of the Happy Ninja Island chain, this blog will also act as a journal to my wacky antics at an entertainment company and the progress of my self published comic book, The Deposit Man which only appears when I damn well feel like it. Real Soon Now.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Sparky: Why can't we be free of these evil greedheads addicted to power? And why can't people see that the GOP are horrible wannabe Machiavellians who have sold their grandmothers into sexual slavery for chump change?



Author of “The Prince” - Niccolò Machiavelli

The views expressed within The Prince may seem extreme; however, the text was written during a period of continuous conflict in Florence. Accordingly, Machiavelli's views were such that stability was paramount and the only government he believed could achieve this was a tyrannical one.

The views expressed in The Prince are often venerated as the methods an aspiring prince can use to gain power, and/or an existing prince can use to establish and maintain his reign. According to Machiavelli, moral principles must yield entirely to each unique circumstance’s requisites. Therefore, it is imperative that the Prince be willing to do anything necessary to maintain power; however, Machiavelli asserts strongly that above all, the Prince must not be hated.

The opening discourse of The Prince defines effective methods of governing in several types of principalities (for example, newly acquired vs. hereditary). Machiavelli tells the reader, assumed to be a member of the Florentine aristocracy, of the best ways to acquire, maintain, and protect a state. The methods described therein preach war and ruthlessness.

Next, Machiavelli explains the qualities the ideal prince should possess, modeled after Cesare Borgia. These are still cited in modern texts on leadership. The traits of an effective political leader are presented as:

  • a willingness to imitate the behavior of great men, e.g. those of Ancient Rome in particular, the book being written in the Renaissance
  • the ability to illustrate how government is necessary to the well-being of the populace, e.g. perhaps by demonstrating the consequences of yielding to mob rule by temporarily relaxing one's grip
  • a dedication to the art of war — if only for the state's actual survival
  • an understanding that apparent cruelties and vice may be essential to maintaining stability and power
  • prudence with respect to disbursement of one's own wealth
  • making efforts to appear religious to sway the "vulgar." Machiavelli extols King Ferdinand of Spain for using the cloak of religion to invade Italy numerous times — he praises the tactic yet hates the invasion of Italy by other monarchs.
  • the wisdom to seek advice and counsel only when it is needed

It seems that Machiavelli disregards the connection between ethics and politics, which disturbed many of his contemporaries. However, Machiavelli actually departs from the classical conception of virtue in altering the connection between ethics and politics by altering the conception of virtue for a prince. The prince should endeavor to be seen as compassionate, trustworthy, sympathetic, honest, and religious. But in reality, the duties of the Prince very rarely allow him to actually be compassionate or caring.

GOP candidates: Ryan likely to be convicted

“ ... State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington went the farthest, saying he believed Ryan is probably guilty because U.S Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald would not have brought a case otherwise.

"I have faith he wouldn't waste the taxpayers' dollars nor his time in trial if he wasn't sure George Ryan is guilty," Brady said during an Associated Press election forum on the issues that have taken center stage in the days leading up to the March 21 Illinois primary.

Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis says Ryan likely will be convicted on some counts but not others.

He then tied it to larger issues of ethics in the state.

"I believe George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka have all grown up in this Chicago political culture where they think an awful lot is OK that isn't OK," Oberweis said.

Businessman Ron Gidwitz declined to talk about Ryan's guilt or innocence because the case is likely headed to the jury this week, and he said it would be inappropriate for public figures to talk about the merits of the case. But Gidwitz did say there was an "appearance" of wrongdoing. ...”

On trial for corruption

Starting in 2005, George Ryan (along with lobbyist friend Larry Warner) has been the focus of a high-profile case surrounding his alleged racketeering, fraud, and conspiracy charges.

The case has come into the national spotlight at times, such as when former Texas Senator and presidential candidate, Texan Phil Gramm, accused Ryan, who had endorsed his campaign for president, of being a "prostitute", taking cash in return for official endorsements. Ryan denied the charge.
Prostitution

Prostitution is the sale of sexual services for money or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. A person selling sexual favors is a prostitute, a type of sex worker. Most prostitutes are women offering their services to men. Male customers of prostitutes are known as johns in the United States or punters in the United Kingdom.

So was Phil comparing himself to being a “John”?

Bah - this is more interesting to me —

Daisuke Enomoto will be the fourth space tourist at the ISS
Char Aznable, as appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

Char Aznable, as appeared in
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's
Counterattack
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Enomoto "Dice K" —
Former Livedoor Exec.

March 10, 2006
Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke "Dice-K" Enomoto, 34, is set to become the fourth private citizen in space. The Arlington, Virginia-based company "Space Adventures", which specializes in spaceflight-related travel, announced on March 7 that Enomoto was approved by the Russian space agency as a flight candidate.

Enomoto has now passed the physical examinations necessary to be cleared for training, finished the medical preparation, and signed the contract for the flight. His training with the Russian Federal Space Agency will include physical and aeronautical preparation as well as Russian language instruction.

Enomoto will be the first Japanese person to fly to the International Space Station (ISS). His trip, to take place in a Soyuz TMA-9 rocket, is scheduled for September, with a ticket price of US$20 million.

United States entrepreneur Gregory Olsen returned from the ISS in October 2005; previous space vacationers were American Dennis Tito in 2001 and South African Mark Shuttleworth in 2002.

Dice-K made international news when it was revealed that he intends to go into space wearing a Gundam costume of Char Aznable. Japanese pop culture holds Char Aznable in very much the same way western pop culture views science fiction icons Darth Vader and Mr. Spock. If one looks at popular Japanese culture as well, one can see the impact the Red Comet has made even outside of Gundam. For instance, one may note the characters of Ken Masters of the Street Fighter series and of Zero of the Mega Man seris of video games, both of whom are crimson clad blondes who play the role of the "second main character" or "rival" to the protagonist. Even going further, another example could be Seifer Almassy of Final Fantasy VIII. Although not clad in red, Seifer bears a resemblance to Char as he appears in Char's Counterattack and has a scar across his forehead to symbolize his eternal rivalry to the games' protagonist Squall Leonhart. In fact, the symbol of a "Red Rival" has become one of Japanese pop cultures' most widely used archetypes. Even suggestions of Char's influence can be traced to Armored Core, in which, the ace pilot Nine Ball is known to sport red, and is the genre's mancing identity. Char is truly an iconic character to the Japanese.

External links

Brokerage executive linked to Livedoor deals found dead


January 19, 2006
Note: Not JTB's President with the same name.

Hideaki Noguchi, 38, a close aide to Livedoor president Takafumi Horie was found bleeding in a hotel bed with cuts to his wrists on Wednesday in Naha, the capital of the southern prefecture of Okinawa. He was later confirmed dead and the police suspect that he committed suicide. Hideo Sawada, the president of HS Securities, told reporters in Tokyo that Noguchi's family had identified the body.

Noguchi was a board member at Japan M&A Management Co., a unit of H.S. Securities Co. The firm was raided by prosecutors earlier this week in connection with fraudulent practices at Livedoor, according to the Kyodo News agency. He was a graduate of Tokyo's Meiji University, and joined Livedoor in 2000. He had previously worked at Kokusai Securities Co. as an adviser in financing. Livedoor was publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in April 2000. Noguchi then set up the investment unit Capitalista Co., which merged with HS Securities.

News of the suicide is being featured in the Japanese media in connection with what is being termed the "Livedoor Shock". The problems at Livedoor have led to the loss of a third of its $6.3-billion value in the stock market. Livedoor maintains that its own investigation reveal that it did not violate any securities laws.

Some view the affair as an outcome of the larger struggle between competing business cultures in Japan. Takafumi Horie is part of a new generation of Japanese entrepreneurs with little patience for the customs of a traditionally cautious business culture. Horie has shown an appetite for publicity through his internet blogs and appearances on TV shows while living a rock star lifestyle that includes private jets and actress girlfriends.

Horie is also credited with popularizing stock trading among individual investors. The practice of day trading is relatively new in Japan. The Nikkei index was up about 40% last year, its best performance since 1986.

Related Wikinews

Sources

We'll look at GODZILLA FINAL WARS' Rei Kikukawa when we return —
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- Sparks

posted by Coat @ 11:13 AM  

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