Kata Liana: There's an excellent Sci-Fi book out there called "Stranger In A Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein -- It's about this guy named Michael Valentine who is born and raised on Planet Mars and then is later brought back to Earth. There's alot to this story -- A great read :)
Kata Liana: I'm not particuarly into the 'occult' way of thinking. Though I'm well-versed in many forms of philosophy. The way I see it, everyone is entitled to their different beliefs, so long as they don't inflict their ideaologies upon others.
danoschek: Got a couple good short Sci-Fi stories that seem to 'play' by the rules -- The latest is a bit of a stretch from that -- But remember, you haven't heard any of this
18:1 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance.
18:2 He shouted with a powerful voice:
"Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She has become a lair for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.
18:3 For all the nations have fallen from the wine of her immoral passion,
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior."
18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues,
18:5 because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered her crimes.
18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.
18:7 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 'I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!'
18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!"
18:9 Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up.
18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
"Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom has come!"
18:11 Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo any longer—
18:12 cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble,
18:13 cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, slaves and human lives.
18:14 (The ripe fruit you greatly desired
has gone from you,
and all your luxury and splendor
have gone from you—
they will never ever be found again!)
18:15 The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn,
18:16 saying,
"Woe, woe, O great city—
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing,
and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls—
18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!"
And every ship's captain, and all who sail along the coast—seamen, and all who make their living from the sea, stood a long way off
18:18 and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, "Who is like the great city?"
18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning,
"Woe, Woe, O great city—
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth—
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!"
18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!)
18:21 Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
"With this kind of sudden violent force
Babylon the great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again!
18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again.
No craftsman who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill will never be heard in you again.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations were deceived by your magic spells!
18:24 The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her,
along with the blood of all those who had been killed on the earth."
Сделано для The Listener (16. Ноября 2004, 01:07:19)
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Smile your little smile ~ take some tea with me awhile.
Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder.
Twintch your whiskers. Feel that you're really real.
Another tea-time ~ another day older.
Puff warm breath on your tiny hands.
You wish you were a man
who every day can turn another page.
Behind your glass you sit and look
at my ever-open book ~
One Brown Mouse sitting in a cage.
Do you wonder if I really care for you ~
Am I just the company you keep ~
Which one of us exercises on the old treadmill ~
Who hides his head, pretending to sleep?
Smile your little smile ~ take some tea with me awhile
And every day we'll turn another page.
Behind our glass we'll sit and look
at our ever-open book ~
One Brown Mouse sitting in a cage.
Сделано для The Listener (13. Ноября 2004, 04:50:45)
Good author - I'm sure you've heard of his more 'well-known' works such as "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" as well as "Sometimes A Great Notion" -- Both made into films, btw :)
However, there's alot more material not too many people are aware of -- "Demon Box" and "Sailor Song" -- He was quite a marvelous short story writer also :D
Сделано для The Listener (15. Июля 2004, 09:58:17)
Crome Yellow -- Aldous Huxley
(You may recall Huxley from reading "Brave New World", one of his more renowned titles. "Crome Yellow" was his first novel -- A 'heavvy' story -- and in it, there's an excellent 'subtle hint' at the possible future of humanity's social patterns.)
Sailor Song -- Ken Kesey
Demon Box -- Ken Kesey
These are some authors I have been checking into lately -- Very profound, fun and enlightening stuff! ;·)