I was addressed as “Madre,” and it utterly knocked me back. I had never been addressed that way, or heard anyone addressed that way, and the last time I read it was in La Celestina (1499, but see also the movie with Penélope Cruz as Melibea, and Maribel Verdú as Areusa). I had just arrived … More On Language Variation
Check out this amazing performance of Just a Closer Walk with Thee – especially the second half. (No, I have not converted.) But then hear Jackson’s voice float on What a Friend We Have in Jesus. And there are many other amazing performances by Mahalia Jackson. I like I Know It Was the Blood, I … More Mahalia Jackson
Here is another labyrinthine post from the olden days. Now I am awake like the Buddha, but a seer at a Los Angeles botánica told me years ago that I was “carrying a great weight.” Qui potest capere, capiat. I Trying to discover my way back professionally from the ravages of Reeducation is sometimes dangerous … More On Anorexia
“…This legislation is further proof our government has been turned into an engine that accelerates the wealth upwards. Taking money from the pockets of the people of this country and putting it into the hands of the few. That is what our tax policy does. It accelerates the wealth of America upwards. That is what … More Kucinich on the Bailout
1. Now I am experiencing luxury, calm and voluptuousness in the form of New Orleans streets on a lovely fall afternoon. I am trying to learn to take greater advantage of all affordable luxuries available to me than I have done in some time. Before Reeducation I lived in a very pleasant way, but in … More Luxury, Calm, and Voluptuousness III
Observe this video of Manila in the 1930’s. Apparently it had the world’s largest prison at that time. I do not endorse the attitude of the narrator, but the script is an interesting historical document in itself. For good measure see this, also on Manila, from 1938: Axé.
I insist now upon speaking in very positive tones, but I am rocky and discouraged many days and I am in a state of distress about many things. More than I realize. I am improved but I should still recognize the foregoing squarely. It makes life easier. What I can see, I can cure. And … More Te Deum. Lomo de las Sagradas Escrituras. The Red Army Choir
Lisa and Undine raised the question, what makes you write? My answer was and is Baudelairean: ordre et beauté, luxe, calme, et volupté. A garret by a good bookstore and a job as a barista could constitute luxury, calm, and voluptuousness. Another answer is that writing is like breathing – nothing motivates me, or everything … More Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness II
Now the University is offering us the chance to change from private retirement plans to the state system. I have never been on the state system, although if I had gotten in when I originally came it would have been advantageous, because it is not portable and I have never planned to stay. And rules … More Financial News Question
“Ask this question — are the credit markets really about to seize up? “If they are then lots of business owners should be eager to tell how their bank is calling their 90-day revolving loans, rejecting new loans and demanding more cash on deposit. I called businessmen I know yesterday and not one of them … More Oppose the Bailout
coldhearted scientist وداد 