massive electronics company founded by steve jobs, steve wozniak, and ronald wayne
in 1976. known for their top-of-the-line products including mac computers and laptops, ipod, iphone, and ipad.

coronavirus disease 2019. first case reported in november 2019 in china. a virus which is from the family of coronaviruses known to cause sars and even the common cold. attacks the respiratory system and is particularly dangerous for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. cause of the current global pandemic which was declared in march 2020 by the world health organization.

uncontrollable urge to take photos of one's self round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day.

(see: selfitis)

in the autumn of 1776, a 21-year-old schoolteacher named nathan hale volunteered to be a spy to investigate british troop strength in new york city. hale was discovered by the british and taken prisoner. since he was not in uniform, he didn't need to be considered a prisoner of war-so he was hanged. hale's last words, recorded by a bystander, served as an inspiring motto for patriots:

"i regret that i have but one life to give for my country."

justified true belief.

in june 1947, general george c. marshall, truman's secretary of state, proposed a huge war-recovery program of money, food, clothing, and machinery to help europe overcome "hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos." marshall invited all of europe to participate, but the soviet-bloc countries refused, calling it an american scheme to take over europe.

with 16 nations participating, the marshall plan was a great success. between 1948 and 1952, u.s. aid amounting to $13 billion helped to rebuild cities, factories, roads, and railroads throughout europe.

mahatma gandhi's nonviolent protest tactics helped win india's independence from great britain in 1947. in a montgomery, alabama, church in 1955, a 26-year-old minister named dr. martin luther king, jr. electrified an audience of blacks who were trying to organize a boycott of the city's buses. people were impressed by the power of his spoken words and by his emphasis on nonviolent protest and passive resistance, concepts king had learned from studying the life of mahatma gandhi, the leader of india's independence movement.

expert.

according to umit isin*, turkey is the biggest open air museum of the world.

rabbi abraham twerski talks about the difference between selfish love and true love, which must be a love of giving and not of receiving.

transcript:

"'young man. why are you eating that fish?' the young mans says, 'because i love fish.' he says, 'oh. you love the fish. that's why you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.' he says, 'don't tell me you love the fish. you love yourself, and because the fish tastes good to you; therefore, you took it out of the water and killed it and boiled it.'

"so much of what is love is fish love. young couple falls in love. young man and young woman fall in love. what does that mean? that means that he saw in this woman someone who he felt could provide him with all of his physical and emotional needs, and she felt in this man somebody she feels that she can write, that was love, but each one is looking out for their own needs. it's not love for the other. the other person becomes a vehicle for my gratification.

"too much of what is called love is fish love. an external love is not on what i'm going to get but i'm going to give. we had an ethicist rabbi dessler, who said, 'people make a serious mistake in thinking that you give to those whom you love, and the real answer is you love those to whom you give.'

his point is if i give something to you, i've invested myself in you. since self-love is a given, everybody loves themselves, now that part of me has become in you, there's part of me in you that i love. true love is a love of giving, not a love of receiving.'

this is an argument that relies on the credibility or expertise of a person or organization to support a claim, without providing any evidence to back it up. for example, "the ceo of a major pharmaceutical company says that their new drug is completely safe, so it must be true."

according to karl marx, capitalism is an economic system that is based on the private ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of the working class. marx believed that capitalism was inherently flawed and that it would eventually collapse under the weight of its own contradictions.

marx argued that the central contradiction of capitalism is the conflict between the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (the working class). the bourgeoisie seek to maximize profits and accumulate wealth, while the proletariat are exploited and oppressed. this conflict, marx believed, would eventually lead to the collapse of capitalism.

marx argued that capitalism would collapse as a result of several factors, including:

the increasing concentration of wealth: marx believed that capitalism leads to the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, while the vast majority of people become increasingly impoverished. this would eventually lead to widespread discontent and unrest among the working class.

the inherent contradictions of the capitalist system: marx believed that capitalism is inherently unstable and prone to crises, such as recessions and depressions. these crises would become more frequent and severe over time, leading to the collapse of the system.

the increasing consciousness of the working class: marx believed that the working class would become increasingly aware of their exploitation under capitalism and would eventually rise up against their oppressors.

marx's prediction of the collapse of capitalism has been a matter of debate and has been interpreted in various ways by different scholars. while capitalism has faced numerous challenges and crises throughout its history, it has also shown a remarkable ability to adapt and change. some argue that marx's prediction of the collapse of capitalism was overly optimistic and that the system has demonstrated a greater resilience than he anticipated. others believe that his prediction was on point and that the current economic and social challenges facing the world are evidence of the inherent weaknesses of capitalism.

baron d'holbach (paul-henri thiry, baron d'holbach, 1723-1789) was a pivotal figure in the french enlightenment, renowned for his philosophical materialism and radical atheism. born in the german palatinate but primarily active in paris, d'holbach was a prolific writer, philosopher, and encyclopedist who made significant contributions to enlightenment thought through his critiques of religion and advocacy for scientific rationalism.

d'holbach's salon in paris became a hub for many leading intellectuals of the time, including denis diderot and jean-jacques rousseau. it was here that many ideas central to the enlightenment were debated and developed. despite his german origins, d'holbach wrote primarily in french, and his works played a crucial role in shaping french intellectual culture.

his most famous works include system of nature (1770) and the social system (1773), in which he argued that the universe operated solely on the basis of physical matter and motion, devoid of divine intervention. in "system of nature," d'holbach contended that everything in the universe could be explained through the laws of nature, and that the concept of god was unnecessary for understanding natural phenomena. this work is often seen as the quintessence of atheistic materialism in the enlightenment era.

d'holbach's ideas were highly controversial and deemed subversive in his time, leading to a significant backlash from both religious institutions and conservative political forces. his philosophical stance positioned him as a radical thinker who pushed the boundaries of atheism and materialism further than most of his contemporaries.

his intellectual legacy lies in his vehement challenge to religious orthodoxy and his contribution to the development of secular and humanist thought in modern philosophy. d'holbach's work paved the way for later intellectual movements that embraced atheism and materialism, influencing figures such as karl marx and friedrich engels. his emphasis on reason and empirical evidence as the foundations of knowledge continues to be influential in contemporary humanist and secular thinking.

averroes argued that faith and reason are not enemies but allies. he brought aristotle back to europe and influenced both islamic and western thought. to him, truth has two paths: philosophy and religion. both lead to understanding, if you dare to think.

ballet is a unique performing art in which emotions are expressed through the body; it requires not only flexibility but also strength and grace. watching it is an absolute delight, and in my opinion, it is the most aesthetically pleasing art form to the human eye. however, getting tickets—especially for performances by russian ballet companies and the royal ballet—is both difficult and quite expensive. in fact, finding tickets for the royal ballet is almost impossible

zorba ballet - image