ON POPULARITY ****************************** Popularity is overrated. Neither Socrates nor Jesus was popular. Bach was neglected for a hundred years. Kafka was known only to a handful of close friends. Hegel’s last famous words: “No one understood me except one, and even he didn’t understand me.” My guess is Elvis and the Beatles made more money in a year than Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms combined throughout their lifetime. * Have I said this before? No matter. Some things are worth repeating. # HOW TO BE OBJETIVE *********************************** The only way to be objective is to see oneself through alien eyes. The alternative is to view Catholics through the eyes of the Pope, the Soviets through the eyes of Stalin, and the Chinese through the eye of Mao on the grounds that these gentlemen know better. * One of the most important rules in dialogue: neither side is allowed to say “Yes, sir!” * Ideas like “All men are created equal,” should be judged by their history and not by their intentions. * Archie Bunker is dead, long live the Tea Party! # ON LAWYERS & RELATED ATROCITIES ************************************ Where lawyers prosper, justice suffers. The function of a jury, it has been said, is to decide which side had the more competent legal representation. * Where advertisers prosper, the line that separates fact from illusion will be blurred. * Where there is great wealth, there will also be crooks. Plato’s explanation for this phenomenon: unlike honest men who will employ only honest means, crooks will employ honest as well as dishonest means. * We live in a land of bankers, investment brokers, public relations men, advertisers and lawyers. It follows, we are in deep sh*t. # BOOK REVIEW *********************** 130 TALISMANS. By Kardash Onnig. Foreword by Alexander Boccialini Shundi. Illustrated. 2013. Published by Baraka (P.O. Box 145, Stanfordville, NY 12581). ************************************** Are talismans, also known as “charms,” objects with mystical powers over evil or mumbo jumbo? My reason tells me they belong to the mumbo jumbo department of life, but my subconscious sings a different tune. After a black cat crosses my path, I feel better if I find a penny on the sidewalk. Accuse me of being superstitious and I will deny it. Figure that one out if you can. This illustrated booklet of 130 talismans is the latest opus by our Renaissance man of arts and letters, Onnig Kardash. Each talisman costs $400.00. If they weren’t beyond my income bracket I would love to buy a dozen of them (one for each room in the house) and forever after feel less vulnerable. (For more information write to Transformer @gmail.com). #