5 ms·

It sounds all in great fun but as I've grown bitter and realistic about governments I have to wonder how was the contract decided and awarded, and whether othe

It sounds all in great fun but as I've grown bitter and realistic about governments I have to wonder how was the contract decided and awarded, and whether other artists and entertainers allowed to apply and given fair and reasonable consideration. Might be better for all involved if he's commissioned by the art gallery or gets crowd funding or something.

ganzuul 5y ago
People have been writing occult literature for as long as writing has existed. Artists and entertainers are not exposed to the spiritual arts (e.g. OOBEs) even though they employ the same state of consciousness. No one is entitled to occult knowledge because all of it is of a deeply personal nature. In a culture where answers are demanded like a privilege, the occultists are going to remain hidden from view.
- tim333 5y ago
  OOBEs? I sometimes think people shouldn't use abbreviations that don't come up in the first 10 results on Google. I assume it's not "Windows Out of Box Experience (OOBE)."
  - rapnie 5y ago
    Almost. Out of body experiences.
- dr_dshiv 5y ago
  Well, you can just Google it these days. If know what you are looking for. Check out http://www.SHWEP.net http://www.SHWEP.net (the secret history of western esotericism) for a rigorous review of occult history & scholarship. It is fabulous podcasting. Start with the podcast introduction then dive into the Pythagorean-Platonic tradition.
  - ganzuul 5y ago
    This is wonderful thank you. - As for starting from the beginning: over my dead body. I start from the end and figure out how we got there, always.
    - dr_dshiv 5y ago
      Well, tbh, that’s why the introduction is so good. It covers the whole phenomenon to today. But u do u!
andylynch 5y ago
He’s somewhat unique - and possibly the only state wizard in the world. Bureaucrats tend not to know what to do with him. Worth pointing out he was doing this for decades before the council started supporting him and he will probably carry on.
- throwawaylinux 5y ago
  Yeah but the old "just this once because it's a unique situation and surely nobody would care and and everybody would agree it's for the best anyway and I can't even see how it's a problem in the first place" is how a lot of corruption happens. If the mayor's brother was given a no-bid contract to be appointed court jester or town drunk and given $368,000 for his services, the problem would become easier to see. Even if it was possibly the only such appointment in the world.
  - Aeolun 5y ago
    But none of those things are true. He’s not a court jester, he’s nobody’s brother, he’s doing it regardless of pay, and the amount he was paid for it was by all measures a paltry sum. It doesn’t look like a problem because it isn’t one.
    - throwawaylinux 5y ago
      Are you being deliberately obtuse, or do you actually think I said he was a court jester?? Do you think that $368,000[1] of public money for a small local government is a "paltry sum" , or that the amount of money changes whether a politician should have to follow proper processes? I know lots of people wouldn't think it's a problem and I'm an old curmudgeon. Lots of people are fine with low level corruption and poor practices that can lead to corruption or the appearance of corruption. I acknowledged that the very first thing I said, if that also wasn't clear. [1] Sure its NZD but come on that's got to be at least 80 real dollars.
      - amcoastal 5y ago
        Have you thought this through at all? There are so many instances of local governments paying single artists for their art that isn't a problem. Have you walked around a city and enjoyed murals or art installations? Do you see those and your hair stands up on your neck worrying about the bidding process for those pieces? Why do you not want people to have nice things.
JamesBarney 5y ago
He'd been doing it over over 20 years before he was given the contract. Also what does fair and reasonable consideration mean, more hoops of paper should have been jumped through before making this decision? In hindsight they obviously made the right choice. If you select a random artist or entertainer to give money to what are the chances they'll get nearly as famous as this wizard?
- throwawaylinux 5y ago
  > He'd been doing it over over 20 years before he was given the contract. I'm not seeing the part where $368,000 bought anything of value for the tax payer. > Also what does fair and reasonable consideration mean, more hoops of paper should have been jumped through before making this decision? I don't know what more hoops of paper means. It's not rocket science or some massive burden to procure services properly. That's half of what local governments do.

ganzuul 5y ago

People have been writing occult literature for as long as writing has existed. Artists and entertainers are not exposed to the spiritual arts (e.g. OOBEs) even though they employ the same state of consciousness. No one is entitled to occult knowledge because all of it is of a deeply personal nature. In a culture where answers are demanded like a privilege, the occultists are going to remain hidden from view.

tim333 5y ago
OOBEs? I sometimes think people shouldn't use abbreviations that don't come up in the first 10 results on Google. I assume it's not "Windows Out of Box Experience (OOBE)."
- rapnie 5y ago
  Almost. Out of body experiences.
dr_dshiv 5y ago
Well, you can just Google it these days. If know what you are looking for. Check out http://www.SHWEP.net http://www.SHWEP.net (the secret history of western esotericism) for a rigorous review of occult history & scholarship. It is fabulous podcasting. Start with the podcast introduction then dive into the Pythagorean-Platonic tradition.
- ganzuul 5y ago
  This is wonderful thank you. - As for starting from the beginning: over my dead body. I start from the end and figure out how we got there, always.
  - dr_dshiv 5y ago
    Well, tbh, that’s why the introduction is so good. It covers the whole phenomenon to today. But u do u!

andylynch 5y ago

He’s somewhat unique - and possibly the only state wizard in the world. Bureaucrats tend not to know what to do with him. Worth pointing out he was doing this for decades before the council started supporting him and he will probably carry on.

throwawaylinux 5y ago
Yeah but the old "just this once because it's a unique situation and surely nobody would care and and everybody would agree it's for the best anyway and I can't even see how it's a problem in the first place" is how a lot of corruption happens. If the mayor's brother was given a no-bid contract to be appointed court jester or town drunk and given $368,000 for his services, the problem would become easier to see. Even if it was possibly the only such appointment in the world.
- Aeolun 5y ago
  But none of those things are true. He’s not a court jester, he’s nobody’s brother, he’s doing it regardless of pay, and the amount he was paid for it was by all measures a paltry sum. It doesn’t look like a problem because it isn’t one.
  - throwawaylinux 5y ago
    Are you being deliberately obtuse, or do you actually think I said he was a court jester?? Do you think that $368,000[1] of public money for a small local government is a "paltry sum" , or that the amount of money changes whether a politician should have to follow proper processes? I know lots of people wouldn't think it's a problem and I'm an old curmudgeon. Lots of people are fine with low level corruption and poor practices that can lead to corruption or the appearance of corruption. I acknowledged that the very first thing I said, if that also wasn't clear. [1] Sure its NZD but come on that's got to be at least 80 real dollars.
    - amcoastal 5y ago
      Have you thought this through at all? There are so many instances of local governments paying single artists for their art that isn't a problem. Have you walked around a city and enjoyed murals or art installations? Do you see those and your hair stands up on your neck worrying about the bidding process for those pieces? Why do you not want people to have nice things.

JamesBarney 5y ago

He'd been doing it over over 20 years before he was given the contract. Also what does fair and reasonable consideration mean, more hoops of paper should have been jumped through before making this decision? In hindsight they obviously made the right choice. If you select a random artist or entertainer to give money to what are the chances they'll get nearly as famous as this wizard?

throwawaylinux 5y ago
> He'd been doing it over over 20 years before he was given the contract. I'm not seeing the part where $368,000 bought anything of value for the tax payer. > Also what does fair and reasonable consideration mean, more hoops of paper should have been jumped through before making this decision? I don't know what more hoops of paper means. It's not rocket science or some massive burden to procure services properly. That's half of what local governments do.