Having to choose between them is like saying do you prefer milk or dark chocolate? Both are yummy!
Michelangelo was more dedicated to sculpture and he saw painting as something he was forced to do on occasion. I'm an atheist, yet whenever I visit Rome I can't not give a visit to the Cappella Sistina and admire the paintings there and feel moved by the passion the man put in his work (even though as I said he saw painting as a chore, he still wanted to give his 100%).
His sculptures, particularly the David in Florence, the Moses & the Pieta in Rome are my personal favourites regarding his work. The anatomical detail he goes into is mind boggling, David & Moses in particular have such lifelike athletic physiques that you do expect them to talk to you.
Leonardo on the other hand was openly scornful of sculpture, but was a great painter & scientist. Unlike Michelangelo, he revelled in being a celebrity in his prime, dressed in the finest clothes etc. He was also very much into painting portraits (something Michelangelo despised), and his Last Meal of Christ ranks as one of the top paintings ever.
By the way, if you like both these artists, you will probably also like Caravaggio. His chiaro/scuro style is simply awesome.
Maybe they were members on other dating sites and didn't have success there?
I've been a member on other dating sites, but they were mostly 'dead', as in no forum interaction etc. This site here is much move lively and enjoyable in that regard.
If in the process I happen to meet a woman I like, all the better
Soldiers are doing their job and duty, they don't get to decide who their nation is going to attack.
Apart from that, I can't see what your above comment had to do with this thread. Comparing violence on an individual to wars is like comparing a stream to the ocean mate.
I don't doubt your good intentions mate, but you know the saying 'power corrupts the soul' yes?
Many other leaders started off with good intentions but lost their way as the lust for power took over.
Re-the media empire, I don't want to claim any moral high ground, but it's easier to say what you've claimed when you know that you probably won't ever be in Berlusconi's position isn't it? Each one of us has faults, heck I don't know what I'd do if I had Berlusconi's wealth & power at my disposal, I'd like to think I'd do good with it, but then again, one man's heaven is another's hell, so you'll still find people who'll denigrate and hate you for it.
Just think about this, with his media empire, banks etc, Berlusconi has given emplyoment to thousands of people, haven't they benefited too (although not to his extent) from his businesses?
Debate thread aside man, in your posts the quotes aren't showing as 'quotes' but as part of the normal text which is making it difficult to follow who said who at times.
I think you're doing copy/paste of others' texts to include them in your posts, just press 'quote' to reply to a particular post, and the other peson's quote will appear in that highlighted box.
Back to the subject, you and I don't see this on exactly the same manner, but unlike nettermann you're proving a valid debate opponent
I didn't call you a communist mate, was just making an observation.
We may not like it, but capitalism is a by product of a free democratic society. Humans as a species thrive on competition, ambition and goals. Some have these traits stronger than others, not all men/women are created equal.
Just as in sports you have a small number of elite athletes, then a greater number of good athletes, and far more average, and then far more poor ones, so it is in business and any other thing humans apply themselves to.
To put down a guy because he managed to become a multi-millionaire seems 'communist' to me. The fact that he uses his media empire to further boost his image may not be ethically correct, but tell me who is when it comes to matters of power? In his place, had you a media empire at your disposal, wouldn't you use it to further your own career?
Media image is everything in a democratic system, people will vote for the guy they like best, irrespective of what his political goals maybe be. In that case, yes most people are dumb and it is a VERY BIG drawback of a democratic system. It's also why I rarely bother to vote anymore, and follow politics as a neutral observer most of the time. I've found that this has allowed me to see things more clearly than those who are of a particular political leaning or other.
I agree with what you say apart the last bit where you had a dig at my friend Conrad.
Berlusconi wasn't born in a rich family, he started from little and gradually built up his wealth. You may not like his views, but he's got drive, determination and courage (apart from a hefty appetite for power) to be still working at his age and taking all this flak, when he could easily be living in one of his villas and enjoying the company of his many female television hostesses (what in Italy are called 'soubrette').
He's given employment to thousands of Italians (and foreigners living in Italy), his television stations are the best in the nation, he took what was a failing football club in the 80's (Milan), and turned them back into the sporting superpower their heritage claims them to be.
Clearly, the guy has a gift for management and has a knack of being successful. Methinks most of his political opponents are just jealous.
I agree with your here venere08. Berlusconi is undoubtedly corrupt (but then again, show me a politician who isn't?), but he's the ONLY leader that Italy has produced since the times of Mussolini.
The rest of the Prime Ministers there have all led shaky coalition governments that have fallen within months of being elected, and so far Berlusconi has been the only one to hang onto power for more than a year.
He was ousted down soon after his first election, but he was elected with a good majority after the successive leftist government made a hash of running the country.
Sure Berlusconi shamelessly uses his media empire to promote himself, but he'd be a fool not to. I watch a lot of Italian tv & news, so I follow these happenings closely.
While I don't agree with everything Berlusconi stands for, I have no doubts where my vote would go were I Italian.
Christians weren't persecuted as a general policy, certain Emperors tolerated christianity, others got fed up by the constant civil unrest the christians were causing.
Also, check the facts, common criminals weren't usually thrown to the lions (that's what hollywood does for you), but were usually used as the initial 'entertainment' to fight against each other before the main shows of the bestiarii (gladiators specialized to fight against wild beasts), and the star attraction, the gladiators.
It was early christian policy to try to convert as many people as possible, and this often took extreme forms of behaviour, such as the looting and destruction of pagan shrines and temples. It was THIS what mainly caused for the christians to end up in the arena. Freedom of religion was tolerated throughout the Empire throughout its history so long as you obeyed to the laws and paid your taxes.
Once christianity took over however, the pagan temples' days were all doomed. Just check in Rome itself, how many of the churches there stand on the ruins of pagan temples.
What people consider as catholicism today is the religion that was decided at the council of Nicea in the 4th century AD, before that christianity was just a minor religion in the Empire, it only took over once Justinian attributed his victory in the civil war due to the fact that his soldiers carried the cross symbol on their shields (even though the vast majority of them would have been pagans, mainly Mithraists by that point).
Wiki holds some good info AND much bad info. On the wiki piece concerning the T72 main battle tank, it's claimed that it's a match to the American M1 Abrams, go tell that to the Iraqi crews in both Gulf Wars!
As ever when researching history, one should never look up a single source, but preferably multiple sources and then draw his/her conclusions from there.
Wiki holds some good info AND much bad info. On the wiki piece concerning the T72 main battle tank, it's claimed that it's a match to the American M1 Abrams, go tell that to the Iraqi crews in both Gulf Wars!
As ever when researching history, one should never look up a single source, but preferably multiple sources and then draw his/her conclusions from there.
What the heck are you talking about mate? The 'dark ages' actually refers to the pre-medieval period, as there is a huge lack of knowledge about the happenings in Western Europe at the time. It spans roughtly the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Early Middle Ages, circa 800-900AD (the periods overlap).
The Middle Ages themselves are usually split in Early, High & Late periods, before giving way to the Renaissance.
Scientific knowledge & education in the west was at its lowest ebb in the Dark Ages, and coincides with the spread of christianity throughout Europe. It was after the Crusades that certain knowledge that had been lost in the West trickled slowly back from the East, where the Arabs had kept most of the knowledge gained in Roman times.
The other social upheaval was caused by the 'Black Death' during the mid-late 1300's & 1400's, when the massive deaths across Europe caused the collapse of the Feudal system and gave way to the rise of City States and the Renaissance, from which scientific knowledge speeded up again, coinciding with the slow, but gradually speeding erosion of christianity in Europe up to the present time.
As to art advancing in the dark/middle ages, show me one artwork of that era that is superior to one in the Greco-Roman period? It was only in the Renaissance that art started striving again, most Medieval art lacks the finer points present in the Greco-Roman and Renaissance periods.
A hefty and lengthy prison sentence, as well as financial damages to the abused children would go a lot more to ensuring the guilty are punished, and the victims compensated.
Instead the church covers up whenever there is such a case. I do agree with you that sincere catholics are disturbed by these events as well, but unfortunately there are plenty whose mind is so brainwashed that they're willing to seek excuses for the priests' behaviour in these instances.
Meditation (as in breathing exercises control) helps.
So does a nice workout. Not necessarily weights, could just be a nice session on a punching bag. If you don't have a punchbag at hand, try it out on a cushion or something else which is soft.
wulfen Forum Posts (810)
RE: BERLUSCONI
Ok mate, sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn't realize it was intended as a pun joke.