Most poignant song I know of...

This French children's song...

A la claire fontaine

				A la claire fontaine
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French

Lyrics follow in French, then English

À la claire fontaine

A la claire fontaine
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l' eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai.

Sous les feuilles d'un chêne
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche
Un rossignol chantait
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais, jamais je ne t'oublierai.

Chante rossignol, chante
Toi qui a le coeur gai
Tu as le coeur à rire
Moi je l'ai à pleurer
Il y a longtemps que je l'aime
Jamais je ne l'oublierai.

J'ai perdu mon amie
Sans l'avoir mérité
Pour un bouquet de roses
Que je lui refusais
Il y a longtemps que je l'aime
Jamais je ne l'oublierai.

Je voudrais que la rose
Fût encore au rosier
Et que ma douce amie
Fût encore à m'aimer
Il y a longtemps que je l'aime
Jamais je ne l'oublierai.

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais, jamais je ne t'oublierai.

Copyright:

Writer(s): Michel Henri Lalonde, George Michael Anthony Antoniak, Steven Jonathan Naylor, Michel Andre Deguire, Marc Lalonde
Copyright: Burlington Music Of Canada Ltd., Les Editions P L Enr
Lyrics powered by www.musiXmatch.com

English

By the Clear Fountain

By the clear fountain,
On my promenade
I found the water so fair
That I stopped there to bathe
I have loved you for a long, long time
Never will I forget you.

Under an oak tree
I dried myself
On its highest branch
A nightingale was singing
I have loved you for a long, long time
Never will I forget you.

Sing, nightingale, sing
You with your carefree heart
Your heart feels like laughing
Mine feels like weeping
I have loved you for a long, long time
Never will I forget you.

I have lost my dear friend
Without just cause
For a bouquet of roses
That I refused her
I have loved her for a long long time
Never will I forget her.

I would that the rose
Were still on its briar
And that my sweet friend
Still there to love me
I have loved her for a long long time
Never will I forget her

I have loved you for a long long time

Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-claire-fontaine-clear-fountain.html#ixzz3MV9a7IjR

Torture Advocacy

Where I differ from basic Marxism is a belief in quasi-objective spiritual forces, not all of which are inherently benign.  In part, they are a sort of parasitic side effect of struggling finite entities,  insofar as they as an aggregate constitute a sort of force that is more than the sum of its parts and to varying degrees are at variance with the will and intent of the individual agents that constitute it.   I believe there is even yet more to it than that, but I don't want to get any more deeply into metaphysical and theological waters

By way of a sort of shorthand, insofar as the leaders and the spokespersons of the Republican Party are speaking out *in favor* of torture as an instrument of U.S. policy that is as close to a real exemplar of possession by St. Paul's "powers and principalities" 

as I can name...

Enraged and appalled I am

at the University of Utah administration, the State of Utah, the Spirit of Utter Stoopidity that stalks the land generally (not least in my own state of Texas)

As Josh says, read the fine print...

Horrific & Also Guns

				Horrific & Also Guns There's a horrific story out tonight about Anita Sarkeesian, the feminist, blogger and gaming critic, who has pulled out a speech she was going to give at Utah Stat...
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Terry Pratchett

It is my curse to be compulsively atruistic in sharing things that will improve your quality of life.  (Perhaps yours too...) 

If you ever want to read something light,  Terry Pratchett is a prolific author of novels that are gentle satires on that genre that can be described as a blend of sword & sorcery and science fantasy.  They are written at the "young adult" level, although one who is *quite* well read.   Has the most magnificent puns, as good or better than Peter de Vries.   At one point his Discworld novels accounted for 1% of the book sales in the United Kingdom.   The BBC has made two or three TV series based on the novels, but the only one that I have seen that I think is really good and reflects the books well, is *Going Postal* Another comparison would be a kinder, gentler version of Monty Python.  

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal (Sky One Trailer) [New Extended]

				Terry Pratchett's Going Postal (Sky One Trailer) [New Ex...
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And I haven't seen this one--a show based on the first in the Discworld series, *The Colour of Magic*

Rincewind (incompetent wizard) and Twoflower (naive tourist) meet Cohen the Barbarian, with cameo by The Luggage (made of sentient pearwood).   Fanatically loyal to Twoflower but can be a danger to others.

Rincewind & Twoflower meet Cohen

				Rincewind & Twoflower meet Cohen               Rincewind & Twoflower meet Cohen View on www.youtube.com Preview by Yahoo

Not your ordinary zither...

Something transporting about that bass note.  Also love the fleeting smile on the performer's face--like she knows something we don't...well, that's likely...

Memory of music - folk instrument videos (part 7)

				Memory of music - folk instrument videos (part 7)
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Re: Do you have a message for President Obama?

Since you provided an easy means for me to send a message, I did so.  However, I do not think you would like it.  

You see I would prefer to paint "it," (presumably Texas) blue.  

Nothing personal, but I regard most (probably all) of your political positions contrary to the ethical precepts of most religions--especially Christianity and probably including "secular humanism."   

Passionately hoping for your defeat and the defeat of all Republicans in November of 2014,

Roy Griffin

P.S. And you may as well take me off your list.  It will be cold day in the Bad Place before you or your party get a penny from me.  

On Friday, July 18, 2014 3:13 PM, John Cornyn <john.cornyn@johncornyn.com> wrote:

roy, President Obama isn't listening to Texans. In fact, he was here just the other day and failed to address concerns about very serious issues impacting our state. So I have a simple question: If you could tell President Obama one thing, what would it be? roy, when he was here, President Obama was too busy fundraising for Democrats to spend much time hearing from regular Texans about what's important to them. . . . But if he asked, what would you say? From the border crisis to Battleground Texas, it's clear that we've got a lot to discuss.  Leave your message for President Obama here. Thank you for standing with me. For Texas, Senator John Cornyn P.S. What would you say to President Obama if you saw him in Texas? Leave your message here. This email was sent to roygg9@yahoo.com. To unsubscribe to this publication, please click here. Use Gmail? Make sure to move us into your primary inbox.

Old news?

Maybe especially to Roger, but Wallerstein's *The End of the World as We Know It* is giving me cause to re-think some of my assumptions. Like liberals and social democrats everywhere, my default position has been toward an incrementalist and "lesser evil" politics & for all its flaws, to look to the state as an arena where the struggle for a better world takes place, as a (potential) countervailing power to the forces of capitalism...

Not that I'm completely persuaded--(for one thing I haven't finished the book yet), but I am particularly struck by the force of his argument that the state is the ultimate friend to, and guarantor of, capitalism.

The problem of capitalism these days is that the state is losing legitimacy, even at the hands of a right wing populism originally stirred up and maintained as a tool of the status quo--but the beast is getting out of hand.

Increasing demands are made on the state, yet because of an increasing legitimacy crisis, the state is more and more powerless to meet those demands, thereby exacerbating the legitimacy crisis...

So Wallerstein believes that capitalism is entering its final--and only real--crisis. It will play out over the course of the next 50 years and the nation states even in the developed world could fall apart & within them violent conflicts reminiscent of Afghanistan or the Balkans could erupt.

Per Wallerstein the process actually represents an increase in democratization, but one that will contribute to the disorder as the process plays out.

Wallerstein is not a pessimist. His view is informed by the Marxist analysis, but he is willing to talk about morality and such. But he believes the outcome of the collapse of capitalism is anything but certain and barbarism may be the result. Neither Leninism, social democracy or liberalism can provide solutions based on the structures of the current world-system of states--and certainly not contemporary conservatism.

David Graeber and Noam Chomsky's anarcho-Marxism? Anarcho-syndicalism itself? Guild socialism? The folks at Parcecon (Participatory Economics). Do any of those point the way?

I don't know. I will finish the book.

Assuming Wallerstein's diagnosis is correct, I don't know if that will help either.

R.

Fw: It’s surprising to see the lengths they’ll go just to keep this secret (cuts across the political spectrum)

On Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:04 AM, The Nation Magazine <emails@emails.thenation.com> wrote:

Dear Roy, This is huge: a plan to transform the Internet is being finalized in secret meetings taking place around the world. Over 3.1 million have already spoken out, but we need all hands on deck at this crucial moment. Click HERE to join our friends at OpenMedia in fighting back. Here's the situation: right now, industry lobbyists are pressuring key decision-makers of twelve countries to sign a secretive agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Obama administration even wants fast-track authority to force a yes or no vote on the plan from Congress without any public input or debate. There's a reason these negotiations are happening in secret. We know from leaked documents that if we sign on to the TPP, ISPs could end up acting as "Internet Police" monitoring our Internet use, censoring content, and removing whole websites. Dubbed "NAFTA on steroids," the trade agreement also threatens to kill jobs, undermine environmental regulations and thwart attempts to rein in Wall Street. We need your help to fight back. Over 3.1 million people have already spoken out against the secrecy of the TPP, but we need you to join them. Will the President feel the pressure from industry lobbyists or will he feel the pressure from you? Join OpenMedia in sending decision makers a powerful message before it's too late. All the best, Sarah Arnold

To unsubscribe from all Nation emails, click here. You can also update your email preferences. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | How to Advertise | Donate The Nation Magazine 33 Irving Place New York, NY 10003

Most dubious form of psi phenomena...

Of all the forms of High Weirdiness that are claimed to have some degree of scientific validation, the one that I find most difficult to believe is precognition--the idea that it is possible to see into the future in some way that is inexplicable through ordinary means.  

My own philosophical presupposition is that as the future has no actual existence, there is nothing there to intuit by so-called psychic means.  

But the mathematics here seems to prove that it is a reality.  

Entangled Minds: Feeling the future meta-analysis

			Entangled Minds: Feeling the future meta-analysis Before Cornell University psychologist Daryl Bem published an article on precognition in the prominent Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, ...
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Well, I do posit that it is possible for there to be extrasensory perception of things that are far away in space and also those that are in the past, for the past does have a certain concreteness even if it only exists as a sort of appendage to the present.  

As I understand it, the "presentiment" effects that are claimed are only for things that are a few seconds into the future (but which the subjects can sense quicker than it would be possible for the nervous system to communicate to the brain.)

 I submit that what is actually happening is a kind of extra-sensory grasp of the present or the immediate past and an extrapolation from it into the  immediate future, based also on the a subtle power of the human mind to immediately grasp, process and project patterns of cause-and-effect, a power that is most clearly seen in autistic savants;  for example, some can tell you in an instant what day of the week that April 17th will fall on in the year 3170 A.D.  Whether that power itself is to be considered extra-sensory or, as they say these days, paranormal, is another question.  

 

http://gg9-tto.blogspot.com/

A Defense of the Higher Weirdness From a (Very) Unexpected Quarter

I've been working on an essay, off and on, in which I attempt to sketch a sort of unified theory encompassing the areas variously referred to as the paranormal and/or the mystical--or by many as the the king hell crazy...

Initially, it seems there are two kinds of people--those who don't believe in that stuff and those who have experienced it.  

I'm opting for a middle ground of sorts--I vaguely believe a great many of these odd experiences have a reality that goes beyond mere delusion--I'm not sure I ever want to experience any of them myself & exactly which of those experiences I am willing to credit as "real" in some non-trivial sense--well, that fluctuates on a weekly, if not daily, basis.  

The phenomena though are elusive and don't seem to fit  easily into a single explanatory system (but when I finish my essay--hah!)  But long time social activist and author Barbara Ehrenreich has a new book, *Living With A Wild God* that seems to occupy just that middle ground (but to be honest, I haven't read it yet--just reviews)   Not that she has found Jesus or even God, but it seems to me clearly that she gives her unusual experience its proper due.  

Perhaps I will incorporate her conclusions, if any, in my essay.  

BTW, Barbara Ehreneich's book, *Nickeled and Dimed* is the most insightful book I have ever read about the plight of the working poor in the U.S.   Just as John Howard Griffin dyed his skin black and lived as black man (*Black Like Me*) for a whole year in order to find out exactly what it is like to be black in America, so Ehreneich undertook to live for a year on such wages as she could get working as a maid in a hotel and similar venues.  One thing of note:  she found that so-called menial and unskilled jobs actually required a lot of intelligence and skill if an employer was to be satisfied.  

 A Rationalist's Mystical Moment

			A Rationalist's Mystical Moment Since I recognized no deities, I had to assume I'd had a breakdown.
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http://gg9-tto.blogspot.com/