andy's definitions

Amaurian

Member of the coolest ever religious heresy who basically believed in situationism, who got burned at the stake and who we only know about through some really messed-up church accusations (their own books were burned). In the Middle Ages, of course. It's a shame they aren't still around.

I wanted to put "Amaurian" as my religion on my census form, but my parents wouldn't let me.

I'm sorry, I can't go to work today. Or any day. Wage slavery is against my religion as an Amaurian.

by Andy April 18, 2004

stress and duress

Newspeak for torture, used by the CIA and its allies. "Stress and duress" tactics are used in interrogations, and refer to a variety of tortures and forms of mistreatment which the CIA thinks are OK. These include:
sleep deprivation
overload of light
complete darkness
stripping and sexually humiliating prisoners
threatening to torture and rape prisoners
threatening prisoners' families
making prisoners stand, sit etc. in uncomfortable positions to induce pain
denial of satisfaction of basic rights and needs such as food, bedding, clothing and exercise
deliberate cultural insensitivity and intolerance
verbal abuse
use of painful "restraint" techniques
beatings

These techniques are widespread also in US prisons, although nominally illegal. They are more widely used in deregulated offshore gulags such as Guantanamo Bay, abu Ghraib in Iraq and Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.

Don't be fooled - these tactics ARE TORTURE, and are defined as such both by the UN and by experts in trauma. Their role is to break down the sense of personality of the prisoner and to deliberately induce psychological trauma and crisis.

They are directly referred to in CIA handbooks - so the photos from abu Ghraib show a systematic pattern of torture, NOT rogue acts by a few stupid/evil/misguided soldiers.

by Andy May 7, 2004

Leviathan

1) any large, powerful monster or creature.

2) a giant whale in Greek (or is it Roman?) mythology.

3) a similar giant whale in Final Fantasy games.

4) title of a book by Thomas Hobbes, which gives an authoritarian argument that flaws in human nature make the state necessary.

5) a name for the state, especially an authoritarian and far-reaching state, derived from Hobbes's book.

The front cover of Hobbes's book shows a picture of a giant king, the state, made up of lots of little people.

The irony is that Hobbes is effectively advocating the creation of a "monster", which is what Leviathan initially was.

by Andy May 1, 2004

Curufin

One of the seven sons of Feanor in Tolkien's The Silmarillion, he was involved in the exploits of his brother Celegorm and was the only other son of Feanor involved in the kidnapping of Luthien. He was slain along with Celegorm and Caranthir while battling Elwing's forces in Arvernien.

He was the official master of Huan the wolfhound, who followed him into exile. But Huan turned against him, helping Luthien to escape.

He's a nasty pointy-eared bastard like Celegorm.

by Andy May 23, 2004

Ras

a name for someone who is rastafarian, or looks like it.

what up ras, how you doing mon

by Andy October 27, 2004

itikar

One of a species of large, apparently carniverous birds used by the army of Vassagonia in the fantasy world of Magnamund. An itikar is like a giant eagle or hawk, and is ridden saddled, like a horse. The birds are ferocious and hard to tame, and make fearsome adversaries in combat.

In Lone Wolf 5: Shadow on the Sand, Lone Wolf escapes from the zakhan's palace by riding on an itikar.

by Andy April 25, 2004

hoe hoe hoe

Someone who sneaks down people's chimneys and then fucks them.

Santa Claus is a hoe hoe hoe.

by Andy April 19, 2004