What is Orthography?
The Sense of Entitlement Held by Narcissists
They believe that they are superior to others and deserve special treatment. They also believe that others are obligated to meet their needs and provide them with support.
This sense of entitlement can manifest itself in a number of ways. Narcissists may demand that others give them their undivided attention, or they may expect others to do things for them without being asked. They may also be quick to anger or take offense when their needs are not met.
The belief that others are indentured to their needs can also lead narcissists to take advantage of others. They may exploit others for their money, time, or resources. They may also lie, cheat, or manipulate others in order to get what they want.
The sense of entitlement that narcissists have can be very destructive. It can damage their relationships, their careers, and their personal lives. If you are dealing with a narcissistic person, it is important to set boundaries and to refuse to give in to their demands. You may also want to consider seeking professional help.
Here are some additional signs of narcissistic entitlement:
- Expecting to be treated like royalty, even by people who are not their subordinates
- Feeling that they are owed special favors or privileges
- Becoming angry or resentful when their expectations are not met
- Expecting others to put their needs first, even at the expense of their own
- Feeling that they are better than others and deserve to be treated differently
- Taking credit for other people's work
- Blaming others for their own mistakes
- Feeling entitled to special treatment, even when they have not earned it
If you see these signs in someone you know, it is possible that they have a narcissistic personality disorder. This is a serious mental illness that can cause significant problems in relationships, work, and other areas of life.
The Trappings and Suits of Woe
Let's get into the Objective Correlative.
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The term sounds more complex than it actually is: ‘objective’ in this sense, means universally applicable or relatable, while ‘correlative’ simply denotes ‘something with correlates’ or, if you prefer, something that corresponds. And it plays well with other Rhetoric Devices.
Bob, our MC is going through his morning. His body language and voice and words are active, up, and focused on possibilities. But inside, he's coming apart because his wife is sleeping with a Civil Servant. We want to convey this to the reader, without saying. "Bob is dying inside." We want to show not tell.
we have stopped talking
I fear that we have stopped talking. What I mean is, no one is talking any longer. And as the immortal words lilted from the radios of old, ‘nobody’s right, if everybody’s is wrong’ — for what it’s worth.
Just a couple of hours ago I was flipping through shorts on YouTube, looking for things that might be Huge, if true or funny cat videos or maybe a grizz eating popcorn in bed, when I was slammed by a short claim that an Oregon Woman Denied Cancer Treatment For Criticizing LGBT Flag — that was the title. The message came across enthusiastically harsher.
With a voice brittle enough to cause me concerns about exploding teeth, the story was blurted out and then the short vid was over. Stunned I sat for a long moment. It didn’t make any sense, really. We don’t even do that with the national flag. The stars and stripes. Why would the rainbow be flirting with manslaughter? This being a volatile story, I first decided to confirm that someone other than a content producer on YouTube knew about this story.
That didn’t take long. Both Newsweek and the Oregon News had features on the event. The stories bounced out of the monitor strong enough to nearly trip on the one while almost breaking my ankle on the other. Eager. That’s what those stories were, eager to be out and prancing.
From the Oregon news article: “Richmond employees have endured countless threats of harm, racial slurs, anti-LGBTQIA+ hate speech and more, with little to no recourse,” wrote Michael Stewart, president of the union Oregon AFSCME, in an email to the thousands of OHSU workers it represents. “As one person put it, ‘Richmond staff have been sharing that they’re worried something like this would happen for a long time now, and now their fears and suspicions have been confirmed.’”
From the Newsweek article: The LGBTQ+ community has become a culture war battleground in the United States with a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures this year. Attacks against members of the LGBTQ+ community are also on the rise. There were over 350 cases of vandalism, assault and harassment against members of the LGBTQ+ community from June 2022 to April 2023, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
But wait, there’s more.
I also discovered that: South Carolina became the seventh state last month to pass laws that permit health care providers to decline to serve people if they feel doing so would violate their religious beliefs.
As a result, more than 1 in 8 LGBTQ people now live in states where doctors, nurses and other health care professionals can legally refuse to treat them, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. In addition to South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio and Illinois have similar measures in effect.
…this from NBC news.
But again, no one is talking. They are embattled.
My first question was to wonder if the LGBTQ+ flag had been taken down? Why? Well, why is it up? It is a hospital. A culturally and historically safe, neutral ground which even curbs their enthusiasm with religious idols decorating the halls. In San Diego, I remember Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest, a Catholic owned and operated facility, use to have crosses on every patient room wall. They stopped that a long time ago. Their purpose, was to heal — like Christ and all that. First thing Jesus did was heal lepers. Just went out there touching lepers. At that time, doing that was a stoning offense, because of the risk you would bring to your neighbors. But he did it. Healing was more important than being offended.
Does the flag heal? Does it belong in a neutral safe place where all come for relief? Is there any other flags hanging around?
Of course this doesn’t speak well for the eight states and their religions too.
All of this over the possibility of being offended — when no one has that right. Not even old white men. You do not have the right to not be offended. Anywhere. Not even in your home — though you have more means to defend at home. And such a law could not be enforced, legally. Not with the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press and the freedom of religion on the books. You would have to give at least two of those up to protect from being offended. The Bill of Rights is a legal document which guarantees you will be offended. Daily.
There are societies which have and protect that right. Modern ones, which are alive and functioning today. One is called ISIS.
The state actions remind me of the Sharia Law flurry that occurred a few years ago. Suddenly there was fear and trepidation that the Muslim traditional religious laws, known as Sharia, were going to some how superseded the US Government laws:
Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama have "banned sharia,"i.e., passed foreign law bans. In 2010 and 2011, more than two dozen states "considered measures to restrict judges from consulting Shariah, or foreign and religious laws more generally".
Which for me, caused much mirth and humor. Because in order for those laws to be legal, they had to be against all foreign laws and systems, not just the Sharia laws. Well, the Bible was not written in the United States, I don’t care how white they make Jesus.
None of these actions concern me much. They are for the most part, inevitable. But we have stopped talking. Finding exception and insult is supersedes finding solutions and ways.
Something that does bug me, is the knavery of some of the messages. The story about the southern states and their new Religious Protection laws. The way it is written, and it is written carefully, no one has actually been affected by the laws at all — and I personally doubt many will — since most doctors actually believe in the oath they took. But the stories are written to imply thousands are being tossed into the streets and dumped from wheelchairs and room windows.
If we want to be treated with respect, we must first be respectable. Respect is not a right. Respect is a gift.
Why Can't I Finish Writing This Book?
We do not grow absolutely or chronologically or all of us growing all at once. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, and constellations. Our writing grows like we do.
I don't know what causes this but I know it is common, and many writers have worked past it. It could be as you say, it could be that you don't want to end the journey with the characters. That's happened to me more than once. I just didn't want to say THE END, and close it up. Be that as it may, here are some ideas I've discovered over the last couple of decades. I hope you find something that helps.
After learning these three techs I haven't had writers block for more than 22 years.
1. Skip it. -- if the scene you are working on isn't flashing up into the visual cortex -- skip it and jump to the next scene, or another chapter altogether. This is one of the reasons I love Scrivener. It allows this kind of jumping with no effort at all, and allows the creation of notes and tags to keep track of your thoughts as you flip back and forth through versions and chapters. So, open up a new document, pick a scene that is in the future that you know needs to happen and begin.
As you are writing, what needs to happen back at the spot you got stuck at will start to be filled in. As you MC does something -- that action will depend on actions happening prior to you jump. Most of the time this is called inference, this deriving what something is because of what something else is.
2. Jump Start -- take out a book from an author you really love. Someone whose prose engulfs you. You can feel the words across your cheeks. Open the book to a random page somewhere in the middle and then type/copy three full pages. Don't stop no matter what ideas come flashing up in your mind. Your Muse had her chance, now she can wait.
Once you are finished, get up, get something to drink, clear your mind and sit back down. Start typing whatever comes to mind, whether it is in-line with the current scene or not. Very soon, within a paragraph, you'll know what needs to be written. Erase what you started with, and continue with the scene.
3. Write what Isn't - I got this idea from the folks at Pixar. An amazingly creative bunch they have over there. One of the head editors Tweeted 22 tips for building creative stories. This comes from #9, of that list, and it is great for breaking up blocks.
Tweet:*** Story basics #9: When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.— Emma Coats (@lawnrocket) March 29, 2011
If the scene isn't flashing, then start writing what would definitely not be happening in this scene. For example, your MC is standing on the front lawn of a great estate, trying to come to grips with what "He" said -- suddenly your mind goes blank -- because this is suppose to be a profound emotional moment and you can't seem to find the right direction or words to convey the depth of what the MC is going through. Your muse has left the room... start typing what would definitely not be happening
***
She gazed into the starlight... but a distant thumping sound some where over the trees to the South distracted her. The thumping grew louder, and more distinct. The helicopters -- three of them -- brushed the tree tops as they came in fast and hard, landing on the grass lawns, their side doors sliding open just as the rails touched the ground, and a rush of clowns leaped onto the grass with automatic weapons in hand. The thought to duck exploded into her mind but her body was already hurtling itself into the grass....
***
In no time at all your Muse will come rushing into the room screaming "No, no no no no! Clowns?! You went to Clowns?!"
works every time... good luck and remember, this is the fun part.
Aliens and the Stonework of Ancient Egypt
Since I was a child there have been those who claim that proof of off planet visitors are the only explanation for the stone carving in Ancient Egypt, or the Mayans. The Egyptians of that time worked with sandstone, limestone and alabaster. Alabaster was used for the floors, limestone and sandstone or the walls, and the outside facings were alabaster as well.
These people look at the pyramids and say that the stones are made too precise, too smooth and the seams between them too tight to be made by the people of that time. No visitors or fantastic technology required. The detail and definition of the statues too good for ancient craftsman or the tools they had. This is all fake news.
The craftsmanship is amazing, but far from impossible for people of that time. Later time periods didn't have any better technology.
Perhaps they should ask someone who works in a quarry.
The David by Michelangelo is two stories tall, made of marble, and the definition of the piece (muscle tone and veins in the arms and body) is amazing, so much so it feels like it might move at any moment. It was carved from a single block of stone from a quarry ~200 miles away to the north of Rome. Brought to Rome, then carved and moved to where it stands now.
Marble is generally harder than limestone. Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from the recrystallization of limestone under high pressure and temperature. The process of recrystallization in marble results in a more compact and dense structure, making it harder and more durable compared to limestone.
One piece granite monolithic statues can be found in India. There are five monolithic statues of Bahubali the shortest measuring more than 6 m (~20 feet) in height in Karnataka:
- 17.4 m (57 feet) at Shravanabelagola in Hassan District in 981 CE
- 12.8 m (42 feet) at Karkala in Udupi District in 1430
- 11.9 m (39 feet) at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada District in 1973
- 10.7 m (35 feet) at Venur in Dakshina Kannada District in 1604
- 6 m (20 feet) at Gommatagiri in Mysore District in 12th century CE
Other examples of these feats come from Ancient Rome.
Statue of Emperor Constantine the Great - This colossal statue once stood in the Basilica of Maxentius in the Roman Forum. It measured approximately 30 feet (9 meters) in height, though only fragments remain today.
Statue of Emperor Commodus as Hercules - Located in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, this statue portrays Emperor Commodus as the mythical hero Hercules. It stands around 19 feet (5.8 meters) tall.
Statue of Emperor Hadrian - This colossal statue of Emperor Hadrian once stood in the Temple of Venus and Roma in Rome. While its exact height is uncertain, it is estimated to have been around 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
Statue of Antinous - This statue depicted Antinous, a youth and lover of Emperor Hadrian. It stood in the Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy, and measured approximately 20 feet (6 meters) in height.
Statue of Augustus of Prima Porta - The Augustus of Prima Porta statue, now housed in the Vatican Museums, portrays Emperor Augustus. It is around 6.8 feet (2.08 meters) tall but is mounted on a pedestal, making the overall height closer to 20 feet (6 meters).
From Ancient Greece:
Statue of Zeus at Olympia - Created by the renowned Greek sculptor Phidias, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a colossal seated figure of the Greek god Zeus. It was located in the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, Greece, and stood approximately 43 feet (13 meters) tall, including its base.
Statue of Athena Parthenos - Another masterpiece by Phidias, the Statue of Athena Parthenos was housed in the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. It measured around 38 feet (11.5 meters) in height, including its pedestal.
Colossus of Rhodes - One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes was a massive statue of the Greek sun god Helios. Although there is debate about its exact size, it is believed to have stood approximately 98 feet (30 meters) tall.
Statue of Apollo at Delphi - This statue of the Greek god Apollo was situated in the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. While its exact dimensions are unknown, it is estimated to have been around 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
Statue of Poseidon at Cape Sounion - Located at Cape Sounion in Greece, the remains of the Temple of Poseidon include a large statue of the sea god Poseidon. While the complete statue is no longer intact, it is estimated to have stood around 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
Rome of the Christian era
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Statue of Saint Bartholomew - Located in the Milan Cathedral in Italy, this statue stands at approximately 21 feet (6.35 meters) tall.
Statue of Saint Christopher - Found in the Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Beauvais, France, this statue measures about 20 feet (6 meters) in height.
Statue of Saint Mark - Located in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, Italy, this marble statue is around 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
Statue of Saint Peter - Situated in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, this statue measures about 19.7 feet (6 meters) in height.
Statue of Saint John the Baptist - Found in the Florence Cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) in Italy, this statue stands at approximately 21 feet (6.4 meters) tall.
The whole secret you are looking for is called acid. Acid and water 'melt' limestone. Quite effectively. Acid and wire wool would have been very effective methods of carving all the stone questions you have. It would take very little effort to smooth and face the stones before they were placed so that they came together in a perfect seam.
The ancient Egyptians used a variety of tools to carve rose granite statues. While the specific tools may have varied over time, here are some of the commonly used tools in ancient Egypt for carving granite:
Copper Chisels: Copper chisels were commonly used for carving granite. The copper chisel's hardened edge allowed artisans to chip away at the stone.
** It should be noted that iron tools were available to the Ancient Egyptians, though uncommon and highly prized. Only the best carvers would have had access to them. They were rare because they were difficult to make.
Diabase Pounders: Diabase pounders, made of a hard and durable stone, were used to strike the copper chisels and help break the granite surface. Balls of diabase were used by the ancient Egyptians as pounding tools for working softer (but still hard) stones.
Flint and Bronze Saws: Flint saws and later, bronze saws, were utilized for cutting and shaping the granite. The abrasive nature of the flint or the harder bronze edge allowed them to create precise cuts.
Wooden Mallets: Wooden mallets were used to strike the chisels and provide the necessary force for carving granite.
Abrasives: The Egyptians also made use of abrasive materials like sand, quartz, and emery to aid in the carving process. These abrasives were used to smooth and refine the granite surface.
Drills: Bow drills or strap drills were used to create holes and indentations in the granite. The drills consisted of a rotating shaft and a drill bit made of harder materials like copper or bronze.
Polishing Stones: Various types of polishing stones were used to smooth and polish the finished granite statues, achieving a glossy appearance.
During the Middle Ages, the process of carving rose granite was a labor-intensive task that required the use of specialized tools and techniques. Here is an overview of how rose granite was carved during that era:
Quarrying: The first step in carving rose granite was quarrying the stone. Large blocks of granite were extracted from quarries using tools such as wedges, hammers, and chisels. The blocks were then transported to the carving site.
Rough Shaping: Once the granite blocks were brought to the carving site, rough shaping began. This involved removing excess stone from the block using chisels and hammers. The stone would be chipped away to create a rough outline of the intended sculpture.
Chiseling and Sculpting: Skilled stone carvers would use chisels and hammers to refine the shape of the sculpture. They would gradually remove stone in layers, working from coarse chisels to finer ones to achieve greater detail. The carvers would follow a design or template and carefully chip away at the stone, creating contours and adding depth.
Pointing and Tracing: To transfer detailed designs or patterns onto the granite surface, stone carvers would use a technique called pointing and tracing. This involved creating small holes along the design lines and then using charcoal or ink to transfer the pattern onto the stone surface.
Finishing and Polishing: Once the main sculpting work was completed, the surface of the rose granite sculpture would be refined and smoothed using abrasives. This could involve grinding, sanding, and polishing with various grades of abrasive stones or sand.
Fine Detailing: For intricate details and delicate work, stone carvers might use smaller chisels, drills, and other specialized tools to achieve precise features and textures.
Surface Treatment: Depending on the desired finish, additional surface treatments could be applied. This might include texturing, etching, or the application of pigments or stains to enhance the visual appeal of the sculpture.
Throughout the process, stone carvers would require physical strength, skill, and patience to work with the hard and dense rose granite. The tools used during the Middle Ages were similar to those used in ancient times, such as chisels, hammers, drills, and abrasives.
Again, the missing element is water....
how the Egyptians were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of constructing the famous pyramids.
To make their discovery, the researchers picked up on clues from the ancient Egyptians themselves. A wall painting discovered in the ancient tomb of Djehutihotep, which dates back to about 1900 B.C., depicts 172 men hauling an immense statue using ropes attached to a sledge. In the drawing, a person can be seen standing on the front of the sledge, pouring water over the sand, said study lead author Daniel Bonn, a physics professor at the University of Amsterdam.
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