The lamplight shines on my sleeplessness, My mind clear, I smell the splendid incense. Deep in the night, the hall rears up high, The wind stirs, and gold is heard to clank. The black sky masks the springtime court, To the pure earth clings a hidden fragrance. The Jade Rope wheels round and is cut, … More Poetry from Chang’an: Du Fu
I have wondered about all these posts put up by people who did not get or have not yet gotten tenure track jobs and are disappointed because they were told they surely would. We, of course, were told we surely wouldn’t and I have wondered who is now telling people they surely will. It occurs … More An Idea
Him, by e-mail: Dear Friend, Last week, the Obama administration announced it would release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The SPR is normally only used during true emergencies, most recently after Hurricane Katrina and the 1991 Gulf War disrupted our oil supplies – but as the New Orleans Times-Picayune … More Oppose Vitter’s 3-D: The Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act
A. Tree of Life does a good job of filming the dreamlike experience of childhood. It is set in the fifties, but I experienced the world that way, in clips and images, in the sixties. I remember very clearly the day JFK was killed. We prayed and saluted the flag in school. The teachers and … More Tree of Life
Axé.
Dear Professor Zero, It is time once again to remind you to bring _______ in for his yearly vaccination. You may reach our office at ______. Yours, Veterinarian One. Dear Veterinarian One, Thank you for your post card. I regret to say that _______ went out on 2 March of this year and did not … More Post Cards
THEM What I dislike about life in Maringouin is the invasiveness — all the assaults on space and integrity and dignity. You have to have better protection than I do to avoid this, and you have to stay on guard at all times, which is not my personality. That is why I like to go … More On Sexism and Gender Harassment in Maringouin
Here comes a very nice blog post on change, ideology, security, and if you wish, Foucault. The difference between 1972 and now is that this song was proposed and also allowed be sung at Ossining, New York. (I doubt any prison in the US would allow that refrain to be sung now; I am not … More The Order of Things
This is Clifton, 25/VI/1925 – 12/XII/1987. Here is another great video with short explanations of the music, partly by Clifton himself: “I’m from New Orleans, I’m a Frenchman….” Finally, for people interested in the dance, here is a good clip from one of the festivals I have never been to, but promise to attend next … More Clifton Chenier
Amor é privilégio de maduros estendidos na mais estreita cama, que se torna a mais larga e mais relvosa, roçando, em cada poro, o céu do corpo. É isto, amor: o ganho não previsto, o prêmio subterrâneo e coruscante, leitura de relâmpago cifrado, que, decifrado, nada mais existe valendo a pena e o preço do … More A vida passada a limpo
coldhearted scientist وداد 