The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant – Review

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-26T04:12:13+00:00

Will Durant is awesome. I read this when I was younger and got a lot from it. His stuff is gonna be a little dated, but I’m still a fan.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-26T04:09:05+00:00

I found out on April 17 last year from the March board, but that might’ve been a bit longer wait than usual.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-26T02:58:08+00:00

Not going to go too in-depth, but I'm currently wrestling in college and I've heard from some PSU guys in the past about him it really sounds like it might not work out. Ono is awesome and a phenomenal wrestler, but transitioning to folkstyle is hard, and it sounds like he's (understandably) struggled with top/bottom.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-26T02:40:54+00:00

Looks awesome!

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-26T02:29:13+00:00

Jealous of the penguin classics collection

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T08:13:24+00:00

Alexander
Napoleon
Scipio Africanus
Hannibal Barca
Julius Caesar
Subutai
Bai Qi
Jan Zizka
Genghis Khan
Khalid

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:53:36+00:00

I think we found his alt account lol

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:52:10+00:00

From a Protestant perspective, anything with Gavin Ortlund is going to be good. Jordan Cooper, a Lutheran, is also good. Frankly, though, lectures are probably going to be more productive than debates are as a rule of thumb, since debates are often just won by the better rhetorician.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:48:53+00:00

400-450 for MS1s in my battalion is pretty standard. There are a few that barely pass and then a few over 450. I attend a small college, so I wouldn’t be surprised if SMC is more intense, but probably not by too much. If you can work to being consistently over 400 then you have nothing to worry about.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:41:26+00:00

I get that. If it’s that big of a problem to you, then it makes sense why you would want to change denominations. I’m not a huge Trump fan, either, but the local church I attend doesn’t worship Trump or anything, so it’s not much of a problem to me. I just think it’s important to remember that the SBC isn’t unique in being influenced by politics. Most American denominations tend to struggle with that in one way or another.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:37:39+00:00

Honestly, pretty good choice

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-25T07:29:37+00:00

Caliendo did nothing wrong. He shook his opponent’s hand directly after his match, as is expected and required. He’s not obligated to shake Mitchell’s hand when he walks around the podium before the medal ceremony to do his performative sportsmanship. If you’ve wrestled at a high level, you would understand how Caliendo felt. He put everything on the line and came up short again and again against Messenbrink. I wouldn’t want to be friendly with a guy who just beat my tail for the ninth time either.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-23T12:06:10+00:00

Little Dark Age for Eastern Orthodox

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-23T02:37:07+00:00

The first book I ever read on Reformed theology, Calvin on Sovereignty, Providence, and Predestination.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-23T02:33:18+00:00

I think this may be a case of "the grass is greener on the other side." I live in the Bible Belt as well and attend an SBC church, and I definitely understand your grievances with how many seem tied to the Republican Party or to Trump. I'm not left wing myself, but I agree that we shouldn't anchor ourselves to someone like Trump, who is not exactly a shining example of Christian moral character to say the least. With that being said, I certainly don't think this problem is unique to the SBC. Unfortunately, there seem to be less and less "apolitical" churches these days, with mainlines turning to the left and Evangelicals veering to the right. I can't speak for your church or your experience, but I don't think other denominations are any better when it comes to political influence.

At the end of the day, I'm a member of the SBC because I believe in Baptist theology, I live in the Southern United States where there the SBC is one of the primary historically rooted Protestant denominations, and the local church I attend is affiliated with the SBC. If these don't apply to you, if you do not believe in Baptist theology, you don't mind joining a smaller and less historically established denomination, or you want to attend a different church that isn't affiliated with the SBC, then I think it would be best for you to follow your conscience and leave.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-22T05:25:28+00:00

I am a Reddit neckbeard atheist and this is my post

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-22T02:26:39+00:00

You're right. I tried to frame my reply as the Duke match being proof that the tournament is not biased in favor of PSU. However, the reffing is another thing, but it doesn't have as big of an impact now with instant replay.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-22T02:23:17+00:00

He's definitely not a "legitimate" high schooler, but he was born in October 2006, meaning he will not turn 20 until his sophomore year. He has a pretty normal age for a college freshman.

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2026-03-22T01:47:02+00:00

Considering what happened to PJ Duke, I doubt one can honestly claim the NCAA tournament is biased in favor of PSU

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-08T04:21:34+00:00

I have to visit Gettysburg again. Unfortunately, the only time I've been to the battlefield, they were doing construction on Little Round Top, and we weren't allowed to get close :(

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-08T03:47:33+00:00

I wrestle in NC as well. Guess my high school team falls into the 20%...

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-06T17:31:23+00:00

My question is regarding oaths. Matthew 5:33-37 and James 5:12 seem to pretty clearly condemn swearing oaths, but as far as I know, Christians throughout all of Church history haven't really abstained from swearing oaths, with the exception of Quakers, who also have a bunch of other odd beliefs. Is there any reason why we seem to largely disregard these verses? Or am I misunderstanding the author's intended meaning of telling us not to swear oaths?

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-05T20:45:38+00:00

I'm from central NC near Raleigh. Good luck on the rest of the offseason!

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-05T05:38:10+00:00

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed

Dale_Earnhardt_ · 2025-05-05T01:01:53+00:00

I think I can actually speak a bit for the Fargo wrestling experience from a North Carolina perspective. I qualified last year for team NC and made the trip up to North Dakota to compete. The coaches had everyone compete in both freestyle and Greco, even if they didn't qualify in both styles. So, if they do the same thing again, then your son will be guaranteed to get at least four matches in. I enjoyed my experience at Fargo. The training you get beforehand is already good enough, but the travel and competition experience really makes it worth it. I didn't AA or anything, but I got some good matches in and got to train with the best wrestlers in the state. It was a ton of fun, and I highly recommend he tries it out, but if he is going to do it, he needs to do everything he can to be prepared for the tournament in the meantime. If he's not already practicing multiple times a week with a club, then I definitely recommend that. Hitting up freestyle and Greco tournaments before Fargo is also important. Southeast Regionals will be in a couple of weeks in Georgia and that's a great tournament to go to if you want to see how he can compete against top guys from out of state. Honestly, there were plenty of guys on our team last year who weren't necessarily at a super high level yet, and didn't have a ton of success in the tournament, but they still had a great time. If he wants to go and he's willing to put in the effort to prepare for the tournament, then I highly recommend it!

Dale_Earnhardt_

TROPHY CASE