Forum Archives

11/21/08-Incredible November weather these days! If you love the cold and amazing cloud formations this cannot be beat-Great run yesterday...this morning went for a lovely walk-on my way for some croissants...JY excellent traces commentary! I will follow up on some reconsidered and some diminished. CL

But beyond the raucous and monotonous posturings of the politicians in power who have dominated our screens for the past three decades, there is another America.

The ocatillo arts group is pleased to present a programme of new films from this other America, films which are quiet, luminous, at times amusing.

We also look forward to welcoming a mystery guest poet, creator of the shortest poem in the English language, whose following is greater in the US than on this side of the Atlantic.

7pm Friday 28th November at the Calder Bookshop Theatre, opposite the National Youth Theatre, The Cut, London SE1

Saw a great movie yesterday, "a Christmas tale", by one of my favorite directors, Arnaud Desplechin And to top it off, I even got to speak to him since he was at the screening...fantastique surprise! C.

Hoping things will change in the United States-if Barack wins-celebrating tomorrow with my students-Go vote! CL

Incredible autumn weather these days....amazing runs! Late night reading-Falling Man (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia-which is essential reading if you like Delillo...New podcast on Chekhov soon-new soundpiece, and maybe a new setlist.CL

Yesterday at my school we held mock elections for the students. The dems won...C.

listening to this-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Sessions_(Cocteau_Twins_album)still still wonderful after all these years! Amazing run on the Capital Crescent trail-JY this a must... found out from Murakami's book that he ran in the NY Marathon in 2005 as well- small planet. CL

8/14/08-I have been viewing this the last couple of nights-really extraordinary. I will comment on it more when I am finished, which could be in a few weeks. CL

early morning run in Si Yang 5:30 AM-to beat the heat, humidity, smog....Amazing-much to tell.

CL, an excellent summation of a fantastic Saturday! Looking forward to the next one...JY

6/29/08-

purchased this yesterday from here Sounds great on vinyl. Lots of conversation as well at the Bistro Du Coin...Refreshing to mention this man. Great time-thanks JY and friends! Set list coming soon. CL

Just returned from a wonderful trip to Iceland. While there, we saw many natural wonders all around the country, and enjoyed the very cosmopolitan city of Reykjavik. One item in particular would, I think, be of interest to readers of this site. On our last day in Reykjavik, we visited the National Gallery of Iceland, and saw an outstanding exhibition entitled "Art Against Architecture". Here are a couple of links: http://listasafn.is/?expand=0-114&i=114&root=1 and http://www.artforum.com/picks/section=eu#picks20549 -- V

Join us in Washington, D.C. Sunday, 1 June 2008/ 6 - 8 pm for a special screening of Selections From The 3rd Annual Heritage Film Festival at Artomatic 2008 FREE ~ FREE ~ FREE ~ FREE Artomatic 2008, is @ 1200 First St NE/ Capital Plaza I corner of First & M streets NE - NY Ave. Metro www.heritagefilm-videofest.org Check the Artomatic website for directions and information about Artomatic: http://www.artomatic.org

5/31/08- The Celtics and the Lakers are in the Finals-awesome! The eighties are definitely back. Going to break out my Cameo cassette today and shoot some hoops CL

5/22/08-Really nice time at the dc listening lounge last night-check out the Audio Map at Artomatic on May 30th if you can. CL

Eno on the great Barry Lyndon-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKEkxu00wY. I have always though it was Kubrick's greatest film as well. I've had many discussions over the years about it. CL

4/26/08-

Another amazing film! There has been a plethora of wonderful films lately in the D.C. area. This was part of the Korean Film Festival. I will comment on this on Traces soon. CL

4/9/08-Thanks for all the links guys-plenty of reading-this is on as well tonight-American Masters | PBS CL

CL, Awesome sounds! Of course, you know I'm really looking forward to the Sun Kil Moon and Portishead!

Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks That Lucky Old Son-Bootleg from Royal Festival Hall (amazing new song cycle))

There are no words to describe the utter stupidity and baseness expressed herein:

3/7/08-Some commentary and photos from the dc listening lounge last week here-it was packed!

3/1/08-

Japanese tribute disc to Brian Wilson-some great artists on this one! Seek it out.

2/22/08-Ah screening last night-day off today, life is good! -It would be nice to get a little snow though, a little tired of this wintry mix.CL

2/17/08-Guys-thanks for the comments-it seems being an anti-intellectual is as American as watching Football on Sunday. The book I am reading by Hofstadter was written in the early sixties and it seems frighteningly more relevant now; it is a fascinating topic . CL

Awesome article on the anti-intellectual movement in the U.S. Recalls the discussion CL and I had at Franklin's last weekend...

JY, I agree about that album cover. Since the advent of the "CD", album cover art has indeed almost become a lost art. This one is certainly an exception. The artist's use of lines is superb.

Gorgeous album cover below, which makes me eager to hear the music! Great article below on melancholia and art. Does it make sense to say I treasure sadness? JY

THURSDAY JANUARY 24 The Lighthouse presents a night of ambient noise, noisy ambience, bring your 3D glasses. vslykon (from tokyo and oakland) sadjeljko (from brooklyn) aka dang (from baltimore) scott allison+layne garrett (from dc) *early show! 8pm* 1421 Buchanan St NW 5$ suggested 202 468 7842 for info

THIS SATURDAY January 19 The Lighthouse presents music by FFFFs Fields of Light Wheatie Mattiasich Daniel Cashin plus the films of Chris Lynn 9pm 1421 Buchanan St NW 5$ suggested

some really unique Playlists here and other info-http://www.fadwebsite.com/. Thanks for the posts-an awesome way to start the year.

Here is a great quote from Congressman Charlie Wilson (shown at the end credits in the movie "Charlie Wilson's War": “These things really happened. We changed the world, then we fucked up the end game.”

Urban/Rural landscapes program 3 at Utopia-go here and scroll down to see list of films

Shohei Imamura-retrospective at the Freer-especially The Profound Desire of the Gods

12/24/07-Ah, break time-Happy Holidays! Special thanks to everyone who has visited the site this year. Looking forward to 08.CL

lots of modern classical//free jazz/ambient/field recordings/ Soundtracks- here is a list of things I played all year round

12/14/07-Awesome Sockets event tomorrow night at the Lighthouse-here is the link-Should be exciting!

I came across this article today about a teacher who was scared by a student singing a Guns and Roses song. I thought is was one of the funniest stories I have ever heard: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316682,00.html Cheers from The Fearless Conservative.

Great article below, and it really highlights much of what we discussed last night. American "culture" is a notable oxymoron; most of what is coveted in this country is vapid and disposable. And then there's the shameful American standard, which Levy accurately characterizes, that translates quality and substance into monetary gain. Deplorable!

what a wonderful piece of music-ALFV�N: Swedish Rhapsody No.1, Op.19 "Midsummer Night Vigil"

12/5/07-Also been reading quite a bit of this man's work-poems and analysis on this snowy evening.

CL, congratulations on the Atlanta screening! Looking forward to this Friday in D.C. JY

11/24/07-

JY I recommend this brilliant piece by Renoir on India. This film is also shot through western eyes, but the ebb and flow of life seems to me accurately portrayed- it could be a possible podcast as well. CL

11/24/07-Incredible weather! After the holiday caught this at the AFI. Another gem from the master. CL

11/18/07- I saw this amazing performance tonight! Earlier today I caught this masterpiece at the Freer. More on both soon. CL

I saw an excellent film tonight called "Into the Wild". Great story, amazing photography. http://www.intothewild.com/

"Where the Evening Goes" is an amazing composition of natural sounds, a further expansion of the aural landscape we so often take for granted.

Spencer Tunick, a photographer known for creating photographs with massive numbers of nude models in various public locations, has done one such photograph on a Swiss glacier. This was done to increase awareness of the problem of global warming. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RVp8Q6H9e0

A program of captivating and challenging experimental shorts by moving image artists from around the globe. The films include:

Observation of a Satellite by Andrew Busti and Layne Garrett (4 minutes). An homage to the enchanted wanderer, Joseph Cornell.

Interstate (part one) by Cortlund and Halperin (6 minutes). A night surveillance artifact. Elephants and zebras move in circadian rhythm while traffic flashes across the stream in waves.

Iceland by Fabienne Gautier (4 minutes). Iceland's landsape seems to reflect a particular internlization of feeling. It speaks to the internal mind.

London 6 by Chris Lynn (5 minutes). A typical Sunday near a London train station provides the backdrop to this meditative and transformative piece.

Premonition by Dominic Angerame (10 minutes). Influenced by the avant garde filmmakers of the 1920s-30s, this is a city symphony that is haunting, lyrical, and serene.

Berlin Warszawa Express by Caroline Koebel (19 minutes). A disappearance becomes a departure, but rather than attempting to reconstitute what is lost,the filmmaker follows the clues and signs framing the site with an anticipatory gaze.

Midden by David Dinnell (20 minutes). Shot in rural Japan, a video that documents the rapidily disappearing landscape near Mt.Tsukuba.

I'm Back by Robert Robertson (13 minutes). Spike Hawkins' poems are set to film in an attempt to capture what happens at the moment a poem is being written.

Screening Saturday, October 27 at 12:00 noon at the Greenbelt Municipal Building

Enjoying some lovely Schubert lieder here at work, as sung by Ian Bostridge and Felicity Lott. JY

CL, thanks for the library link! What a wonderful journey into the architecture of mind! JY

9/10/07-For Library lovers- these photos are amazing. C's hometown library is here where she spent countless hours reading and studying. Yes, it is in Normandy. Here is the link-Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries (Curious Expeditions). The place is Alencon, but glance at all of them-You may be surprised to see a few local as well. CL

A very disturbing article-one way is to raise awareness of what is happening. Thanks for bringing the article to light.

If reading this article doesn't make you violently angry (or violently ill), then you just didn't really read it. And please, read it all through to the end. Here is the link: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/08/31/3519/

I listened to the new Animal Collective-plenty of hype behind it , but left me a little disappointed. Some nice moments though and a few standout tracks for sure.. Prefer the Panda Bear disc.

Some nice new photos. The invisible wind betrayed by sheets on the clothes-line. The colors of a fuel tank, mountains and house trimming all in harmony. Old theme of a lamp and lonely yet welcoming room revisited. sweet.

The Chills-submarine Bells-Prefab Sprout-Steve McQueen. Listening pleasures these days.

Hello Artist, Poets, and Friends I have an amazing opportunity for you! On September 22nd, Carroll Museums, Inc. will celebrate the 270th birthday of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. As part of its year-long program, "In a New Light," this event will seek innovative ways to illuminate Carroll's history while building diverse audiences for the Carroll Mansion. In honor of his birthday we are inviting artists and poets to share their works on themes relevant to Charles Carroll: religious freedom and faith, revolutionary thinking and building a new nation, industry and innovation, and the strength of family. The two hour cocktail reception will offer various opportunities in an open setting to perform/share your work with the audience. If you have never been to the Carroll Mansion it is located in Jonestown next to Gardel's. It is a renovated mansion that host numerous events throughout the year. Tilt Studio collaborated with the Carroll Mansion to host their annual fund raiser "In a New Light". It was an amazing event because our artist had the opportunity to talk to the members of the mansion as well as established members of the community. As some of you know I am interested in creating opportunities for artist, poets, musicians, etc. This will be the second community event for Tilt Studio and I know that this is just the beginning. If you are not an artist or poet but you are friends of those that are, please pass this along. I appreciate your help. Have a great week! Jess

Thanks CL for the Kerouac links. I pretty much agree with Weiland's point of view...C.

Sophocles, Chaucer and Plato make for interesting literary company! More to come as classes are looming around the corner...JY

8/18/07-More on Kerouac here, and check out this site which shows foreign editions of On the Road. CL

Here is a list of some great directors who are still alive-Resnais, Godard, Rohmer, Marker, Mekas, Rivette, Eastwood, so all is not lost for the old guard. I am sure I can add to the list. CL

Report on the Sacred Rites and Transformations screening at Calder’s (31/7/07) This was the first Ocatillo screening in the new Calder Bookshop Theatre, complete with the tree from ‘Waiting for Godot’, and a massive screen which swallowed up the generous summer audience. Richard Martin, our able projectionist, remarked that the screen resembles a vertical trampoline. The programme, ‘Sacred Rites and Transformations’, began with a Chris Burke and Agnes Háy collaboration, featuring an intricate town band with majorettes twirling batons, all life-size puppets on wheels. The film evoked the surprise when you arrive in a village unknown to you, and suddenly you come face to face with a colourful procession, possibly pre-Christian in origin. A variant of the mannekin, in the form of animal head disguises, appeared in Yana Kraeva’s Tantric-inspired film, ‘Twinning 23’. Set in Iceland, Amsterdam and New York, the powerful Icelandic geysers seemed to gush into the audience, and the mysterious dancing animal-headed figures evoked human desires powerful enough to be transformed into deities which combine animal and human characteristics. Nancy Petry’s film ‘Journey’ featured the sacred transformation into fire of the corpse of the last King of Bali. The music by Eric Tschaeppler brought the procession of large still images of this sacred rite to life. Chris Lynne’s ‘Maryland Songs 1’ featured lyrical shots which are simply presented, and which suggest more than they show, epiphanies implying ancient, almost pre-human rites. On the vast surface of the Atlantic we see fins appear then disappear, reminiscent of another epiphany from Virginia Woolf’s novel ‘The Waves’: ‘A fin in a waste of waters.’ Next the film of the first act of the Amsterdam production of Robert Robertson’s opera ‘The Kingdom’ was presented. Based on the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier’s novel ‘The Kingdom Of This World’, and an extended research visit to Haiti, this work presents the story of the Haitian Revolution, from the 1750s to the 1820s. The fuel for this revolution, which involved the overthrow of French colonialism, was music, dance, and religion, the latter a mix of African and Catholic ceremonies. The first act of the opera shows the story of Macandal, one of the first rebel slave leaders, who used a plague of poisonings in his fight to defeat the French colonialists. When he is betrayed, Macandal uses states of possession to transform himself into various creatures in an attempt to escape from the French: these metamorphoses are shown in a suite of animal dances, each one based on a traditional Haitian dance polyrhythm. Because of the chiaroscuro lighting used in the opera, and the filmed silhouette of the audience, we seemed to join the audience on the screen. The extract from ‘The Kingdom’ was followed by ‘I’m Back’, the first UK screening of Robertson’s setting in film of sixteen short poems by Spike Hawkins, premiered in Washington D.C. in May. The title refers to a poem created by Spike as a spell to turn people inside out. The film attempts to find out what it’s like to write a poem, from the inside. It’s also about how language itself is born. The last film, Robertson’s ‘Oserake and The River That Walks’, filled the small space with gigantic images of a modern North American city in the grip of a Canadian winter. Here Montreal appears to return to its First Nation roots, and becomes Oserake, the original settlement on the banks of the St Lawrence. Before the arrival of Christians, this great river was known as ‘The River That Walks’. We witness the immense forces and turbulence before the river god comes to a stop in the frozen wilderness.

8/2/07-Check this out Saturday-should be a lot of fun-SocketsCDR. Thanks for the enthusiasm below. C

Finally, it looks as if some sense is beginning to trickle down. But the question is, will less availability in arena only precipitate a surge of materialism in another? JY http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2138071,00.html

CL, I'm 100% with you! The capitalist-run govenment in this country is banking (literally AND figuratively) on the fleeting memory and attention span of the American people. It is insane that such things should happen, but again, I ask, what are the f***ing democrats doing to arrest this action? JY

7/28/07-I have avoided political posts lately but this is absolutely insane. Selling arms to an area that is so unstable and dangerous is beyond me. If I am not mistaken, the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. How difficult would it be for these weapons to enter the black market? Once again the United States overall interest is in capital. and how much profit can be made, regardless of safety or concerns for other countries. -Our main export to the world now is weapons. . CL

This is my first post on this site, so if this is not the right place for this information, please excuse it but do not disregard it. I thought with the traffic of creative people on this site everyday this might be useful to someone. Thanks!

PROJECT 30 - 30 Posters by 30 designers The idea is have 30 designers create 30 posters to illustrate one central theme, "what is graphic design to you". Posters should be 11 x 17 or 17 x 11 in PDF or TIFF format. There are no limitations except for these two points. Be who you are, come up with something that represents you. Most importantly, have fun in the process. That's the main goal. Project 30 is a long shot so help it out by spreading the word to other creatives. Forward this information to someone you know or check out the "Project 30" group on flickr.com. All posters will be posted there.

7/14/07-Awesome, awesome run today around the mall! Made it over to the Virginia side. CL

7/13/07-Sorry for the late announcement, but we are planning a run around the Capital tomorrow morning. Meeting time 7:30 AM on the mall.. Email for more info.

Such exploitation is a travesty. What corner of the earth will remain untouched, unmolested by man's wanton cupidity? JY

Great article that calls out the inefficiencies of such actions. What will it take for people to commit to more definitive, long-standing action? Live Aid in 1985 was similar in scope and philosophy, but we have certainly not eradicated hunger; far from it! But the fact remains that something MUST be done! JY

This is why things are the way they are in this country; there is no accountability! Absolutely infuriating! When policy-makers are abusing the very laws they created, where is there hope for true justice? This administration has done more than enough to damage this country's political system, not to mention its world-wide credibility. When are these pusillanimous democrats going to stop tallying their burgeoning campaign purses and do something to arrest these egregious mishandlings of justice? JY

7/2/07-Fantastic couple of days-Films, pool, writing, reading, grilling, running, working in the studio, meeting new people for possible projects. I urge people to check out JY's traces entry and his VHS entry-wonderful writing. More soon. CL

Yes, a fantastic run in D.C. early this morning! Looking forward to
many more! JY

6/19/07-Summer, ah summer. Here is Orson Welles reading some of Whitman's epic-http://www.box.net/shared/bkysudy832. Enjoy. Courtesy of Wellesnet. CL

6/4/07-To the reader who posted below: Could you resubmit the link? It doesn't appear to work. Cheers!

6/3/07-CL and CR: Really enjoyed the afternoon lunch at Franklin's. We'll have to do this more often! Cheers! JY

5/20/07-CL, glad to hear that the Artomatic evening was a resounding success! Eager to see the new film! Cheers! JY

5/15/07-You cannot tell me this isn't outright corruption. It's good that some form of justice has been exacted, but as I've written in the past, this type of deception, motivated by greed, is a hallmark of many pharmaceutical companies. But, is the punishment here too lenient? $634 million dollars is pocket change for a multi-billion dollar company. Consider that the addicts who steal, forge and acquire by other illegal means prescriptions for this drug can be prosecuted quite harshly. So, who's the culpable party? I think the answer isn't as difficult as some may make it out to be.

5/13/07-Awesome run today here. This is the last week of Artomatic so I urge people to check it out, if you have not gone already. I plan to post a longer piece on Traces next Sunday. More later this week about my event on Friday. CL

A philosopher who is not taking part in discussions is like a boxer who never goes into the ring. Ludwig Wittgenstein

I thought this line from the article below was a bit ironic:"The same humanity which leads Carter to speak out FEARLESSLY." El Fearless Conservative.=============== "Even in the best, most friendly and simplest relationships of life, praise and commendation are essential, just as grease is necessary to wheels that they may run smoothly." Leo Tolstoy/ "I don't play accurately-anyone can play accurately- but I play with wonderful expression." Oscar Wilde ;-)

Thanks for the article below! However, unlike Ms. Sachs, I found the cold refreshing and spent most of my time outdoors. The bottom line is, indoors or out, Toronto is indeed a pedestrian-friendly city. I encourage all to see for themselves! JY

And all my days are trances, And all my nightly dreams Are where thy grey eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams-- In what ethereal dances, By what eternal streams. EDGAR ALLAN POE, To One in Paradise

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Frederick Douglass, Speech, April 1886

I saw this on the daily show. This guy is so idiotic, it's funny. http://youtube.com/watch?v=X2yNTP7ld0c El Fearless Conservative. ==============="I am a man with no ambitions/And few friends, wholly incapable/ of making a living, growing no/Younger, fugitive from some just doom./Lonely, ill clothed, what does it matter?/At midnight I make myself a jug/Of hot whine and cardamon seeds./In a torn grey robe and old beret,/I sit in the cold writing poems./Drawing nudes on the crooked margins,/Copulating with sixteen year old/Nymphomaniacs of my imagination." Kenneth Rexroth

bitter wind, but beautiful sunset this afternoon-careful on the ice for those local. CL

This guy is a total idiot. Does he not realize that there's already "chaos" and "destabilization" in Iraq, brought about by the American invasion! It's funny how leaders and other like-minded individuals exampled by Howard bank on the general public's poor memory of events. They must feel that we're far enough removed from the genesis of this debacle to forget that it was indeed the U.S. and its "coalition" forces who, by their preemptive invasion, have made Iraq the terrorist breeding ground it is today. Therefore, the argument now shifts to the stance that to leave Iraq would be detrimental to its entire social, political and economic infrastructure. When did the U.S., or Australia for that matter, ever care about the fate of Iraq's citizens? As long as there is a Western military presence in Iraq, there will be unrest and full-blown violence. Wake up, Howard!

Thanks, El Fearless, and it is good to see you posting as you are accustomed to! No worries. Cheers! JY

Wazza JY I just read your response to the controversy that was started on the site. I rather liked your response. If someone was offended by the the link I posted then I apologize for their being offended. I did not post the link to upset people nor start a hate debate. In retrospect, I admit, being a long time poster on this site, I should have taken the audience into account. I felt it was a legitimate story that has been talked about for quite some time and I felt it was worth discussing and I wanted to hear what people on the other side of the fence had to say about the it. By the way I love the quote you used. Cheers from El Fearless Conservative.

JS, the photo you chose for the Hamilton Street track is awesome, as is the music! Excellent sounds coming from Riverdale! JY

If any of you saw the ad against the troop surge which aired during yesterday's Super Bowl, put up by VoteVets.org, you already know how great it was. To those who may have missed it, you can view it here: http://www.votevets.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=54

jy fantastic and informative comments-you expressed my reaction to that post fearless put up a few days ago. SB

Ooops! I see that the article I linked was already mentioned in an earlier post. My apologies. JY

Though this comes as no surprise, it still infuriates me. As long as the petrol companies command so much capital (and therefore a prominent political lobby), it is difficult to fathom Capitol Hill doing anything to substantially reverse this devastating process. In reality, it has to come down to each individual doing their part to break the national dependency on oil. Let's start by doing LESS driving and MORE walking! And seriously, why do so many people in suburbia need a monstrous SUV? Totally impractical, wasteful and utterly foolish. In America, it's all about appearances, isn't it? Oh Vanity, thou art an American citizen through and through...JY

I agree about Biden. Let's get him out of the campaign early. There are lots of MUCH better people out there.

The myth holds us, therefore, not through its romantic flavor, not the remembrance of beauty of some bygone age, not through the possibilities of fantasy, but because it expresses to us something real and existing in ourselves, as it was to those who first stumbled upon the symbols to give them life.” Mark Rothko

Now, when is that O.Wilde's quote from? And from what text? We need some context and details here please.

to be more interesting than debating if J. Carter is an anti-Semite. Did he or did he not win the Nobel Prize for peace a few odd years ago.?

Please save that material for your my space page-fearless-trust me it is not a threat. If we feel a page or link is not suitable for this site-we will delete. Instead of putting up links, why don't explain your position instead of relying on someone else. I expected more from you. CL

Gee I'm sorry CL, I thought all idea were welcome to discussed and debated! If it is rubbish then provide some examples to prove it is trash. If it is, I will be the first one to admit that I was wrong. Instead of making threats why not let the people go over the evidence and decide for themselves. El Fearless Conservative ========================== The Americans are the best politically educated people in the world. It is well worth one's while to go to a country which can teach us the beauty of the word FREEDOM and the value of the thing called LIBERTY." Oscar Wilde

absolute rubbish, el fearless-be wary of posting that garbage here-it will quickly be deleted. CL

I saw this fascinating article about anti-semite remarks that, our former President, Jimmy Carter made, enjoy.

DAY 3: was bathed in a cold, grey, wintry fog all day, but the city was vibrant and teeming with "walkers," nonetheless. Exploring, shopping and a film...a day well spent! JY (more in Afterthoughts)

DAY 2: Lots of walking and SNOW! It was beautiful! More in Afterthoughts later. JY

Day 1: It's winter weather up here in Toronto; such a welcome change from the mild "winter" air that is hanging over MD and much of the Eastern U.S. After checking in I decided to do a little walking in the "brisk," clear night air (-18 C). I popped into a quaint little bar for a few pints and ended up striking a conversation with one of the patrons, the point of which began with our mutual satisfaction that the Ford Corp. has posted such large quarterly losses, deducing perhaps that that might be an indicator of falling SUV sales! The conversation then naturally flowed to politics and how, sadly, Canada has been insidiously mirroring the U.S. for quite some time, with the similiarites becoming more and more apparent. Healthcare was a big topic of conversation, as well. The bar was small, intimate, with a few customers settling into their drinks and late-night talk. I'll have to check back in before I leave...JY

A true humanitarian passed away today, not really covered here in the States yet, so I put this link up- more posts soon CL

Hey Simon thanks for the info! I will check that out. Is your film still up as well? CL

Chris, in response to Jan 13th - I'ts one of my early ones with Ol had good fun making it, nice to do a comedy. Ol's are on You Tube also - check out Violint - surreal and hilarious!

Bring on the snow! I was in Trader Joe's about an hour ago and they made an announcement over the intercom-"Hey it is snowing outside!" Everyone clapped, got to love it. Go Bears! CL

With this new data-http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1994071,00.html , the situation in the middle east, aids, maybe something can be said for fatalism and the inevitable apocalypse. Certainly being explored in the media and on many philosophical blogs;in fact some have claimed the world has already ended (meaning nothing new can ever take place, humanity is stuck in a loop) we are in a state of post apocalypse- don't tell that to the evangelist though who are waiting for the rapture or is it the rupture?

Great video Simon! Is that recent and did Oliver help you with the script? Nice to see the Clocktower again. Cheers, CL

This note is from the web site of liberal talk-show host Mike Malloy, regarding the so-called presidential address last night: It's the Day After Truthseekers and the heat is on the Bush Crime Family to justify it's insane plan to escalate the war in Iraq by sending more US troops to die in a bloody Iraqi civil war. And explain why THIS plan will work when all others have failed. And explian why THIS plan is going to succeed when all the other members of the - cough - "coalition of the willing" are pulling out of Iraq (guess they disagree with this magic plan). And 85% of the military fighting in Iraq say more troops won't help. And more than 80% of the American people don't want to send more troops to die. And the Iraq Study Group said no more troops should go in. And and the Joint Chiefs are against escalating the war with additional troops. So it makes you wonder, who was Bush listening to when he conducted the "major consultations" on this New Way Forward plan? Just Maliki, God, Halliburton and Exxon? Looks like he needs to pick new advisors who give him advice from good advisors who give advice to whom he listens.

Watsup everybody I came across this clip of our favorite leaders Tony Blair and George W. Bush professing their endless love for one another. If I found it funny I am sure all of you are going to love it. http://youtube.com/watch?v=SDGJPM-AbyU Cheers from El Fearless Conservative.

Whatsup Chris glad your back. Hope you had fun on your Holiday. Cheers from El Fearless Conservative.

Amazing time during the holidays! Thanks for the posts-look for sound pieces, photos and text in the upcoming weeks. CL

A great Republican comments about the future...in 1961.... (it doesn't exactly sync with today's NeoCon right-winger's views): http://alternet.org/blogs/video/45380

This speech, given to college students, is 2 years old, but is still very relevant to our situation today. The author now has published a book entitled "Why the Christian Right is Wrong". Here is the link to the speech: http://www.mayflowerucc.org/listening/PeaceMarchSpeech112004.pdf

Signing off for a little while. Happy Holidays to everyone and a Happy New Year! CL

I have been thinking a lot about this story and the frightening consequences-more here-http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=147021 Check out the ex-spy story. CL

More, much more needs to be done to follow up on McKinney's valedictory articles of impeachment. I applaud her courage and steadfastness in introducing this call. However, it seriously disturbs me that Pelosi is dismissive of this measure and is so eager to suppress any future calls for impeachment. We, the public, need to apply the pressure on our elected democrats to rise to action. JY http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1209-23.htm

enjoying the old, animated Christmas faves-also elated to hear that Charlie Brown kicked Madonna's butt in the ratings a few weeks ago-there is some sanity left in the world.

A heads up to folks in Washington D.C. area. There is a vigil in front of the Sudanese Embassy on Sunday, December 10th, a Global Day of Action for Darfur. The vigil will be used to "raise the alarm" on Darfur and call on the Sudanese government to put an end to the use of rape and violence against women as tools of genocide. Where: Embassy of the Republic of Sudan 2210 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. When: Sunday, December 10th, 2 - 3 p.m.

Oh and fearless one-Your quotes are interesting ,never been a fan of Freidrich Nietzsche though.

I as well would like to greet the new visitor. I am glad that you like the site. Cheers from El Fearless Conservative! ========================================== "All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together." Jack Kerouac./ "Life is partly what we make of it. And it is partly made by the friends me make. Tennesee Williams.

Did they ever find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? How many people have died over this? Do you even watch the news? What is there to prove-He claimed in his book, his films, a dozen of talk shows, on his blog-do you want more proof? This is a tired argument. For once the American people decide on this as well. As far as Christopher Hitchens is concerned what credibility he had is gone is support for the invasion. Nuff said.

In response to the Nov 29th post: You claim M. Moore did not lie, okay, prove it. Support your claims with sources or evidence like I did in my post. You did raise some good points in your rebuttal, especially the part about "What is more important raising awareness or blindly following?". I suggest you follow your own advice! I pointed out moore's mendacious tendencies and I supported it with evidence. You responded by making unfounded accusations. Why has Christopher Hitchens "lost it" and is "pathetic", dispute some of the examples of chicanery moore was accused of with some counter facts. The way you came across you appear to be the one who is blindly following Moore and ignoring awareness. In a previous post I admitted that my party has had short comings, can you say the same? Cheers from El Fearless Conservative! ========================================== "Once the mind is made, close your ear to the best counter argument. Sign of a strong character, thus an occasional will towards stupidity." Freidrich Nietzsche./ "There seems to be a kind of order in the universe, in the movement of the stars and the turning of the earth and the changing of the seasons, and even in the cycle of human life. But human life itself is almost pure chaos. Everyone takes his stance, asserts his own rights and feelings, mistaking the motives of others, and his own." Katherine Anne Porter.

To the new visitor, we welcome and thank you for your kind words. Please check back frequently and feel free to continue to post! Cheers!

Say what you will about M.Moore but he knew what he was talking about with Iraq. He did not lie to the American people like our President. He also does not have thousands of dead bodies on his hands. You cannot dispute that fearless one-or shall we say the delusional conservative? What is more important raising awareness or blindly following? I will admit M.Moore has some flaws, but get real.

I can not believe that any one still does not recognize Moore for the opportunist propagandist that he is! Sometimes I wonder if anyone who believes Michael Moore still believes in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus :-) In every single one of his documentaries(and I am being very, very generous in calling his films that) and in all of his books he has mislead his trusting audiences or left out vital facts, or out and out lied. If you think I am being biased then check out this link, it debunks Moore's "Masterpiece" "Bowling for Columbine." http://hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html And here is an additional link from Slate Magazine. http://www.slate.com/id/2102723/ Cheers from El Fearless Conservative! ========================================== "All things are subject to interpretaion. Whichever interpretation prevails at a time is a function of power and not truth." Friedrich Nietzsche./ "Reputation is a false and most idle of all impositions. It is oft got without merit and lost without any deserving. Why you have lost no reputation at all unless you repute yourself such a loser." William Shakespeare.

Our nerves are getting weaker and less reliable; we are growing more and more unstrung; we are reacting less to the natural sensations and thirst more eagerly for new, strong sensations. The cinematograph gives us all of these – activates the nerves on the one hand and dulls them on the other. The thirst for such strange, fantastic sensations as it gives will grow greater and we will be increasingly less able and willing to grasp the every day sensations of ordinary life. The thirst for the strange and the new can lead us very, very far! Maxim Gorky after a Lumiere showing 1899 In the theatre there's a natural and easy flow from stage to bed. An actress brings to her copulation some of the warmth and energy or anger or sadness that she has carried over, physically and emotionally, from her performance. She comes to bed charged with some secret residue of the excitement she has generated in her exchange with her fellow actors and her living audience. Not so the movie star. At a certain level of stardom she is transformed into a Goddess - with a Divinity's capacity to change her identity and to be in a thousand places at once. Modern technology has made physically real what countless generations of men have dreamed of in myths and fairy-tales. As the same moment as I am making love to her [Joan Fontaine] in my own private and personal way on a large bed in a dark room in Beverley Hills she is appearing to millions of others, for each of whom she is a legitimate object of artfully stimulated lust. And those with whom I am sharing her are enjoying aspects of her that I, with my limited senses, cannot hope to perceive. Peering up at her through the awesome twilight of darkened shrines all over the world they are seeing her, magnified and illuminated in a dazzling vision that reveals every pore of her skin and every tremor of her muscles; her eyes are great globes of translucent jelly; her mouth (which I know as well as my own) has become a tumescent red cavern and her breasts (which are white and tender and flecked with gold) have been built up into twin mounds - each six feet wide at its base - of suggestively draped and illuminated flesh. What to do about this? Suffer pangs of cosmic jealousy? Or be content to swim around in the warm flood of desire that surrounds her? John Houseman in Front and Center:

John Houseman in Front and Center: In the theatre there's a natural and easy flow from stage to bed. An actress brings to her copulation some of the warmth and energy or anger or sadness that she has carried over, physicaaly and emotionally, from her performance. She comes to bed charged with some secret residue of the excitment she has generated in her exchange with her fellow actors and her living audience. Not so the movie star. At a certain level of stardom she is transformed into a Goddess - with a Divinity's capacity to change her identity and to be in a thousand places at once. Modern technology has made physically real what countless generations of men have dreamed of in myths and fairy-tales. As the same moment as I am making love to her [Joan Fontaine] in my own private and personal way on a large bed in a dark room in Beverley Hills she is appearing to millions of others, for each of whom she is a legitimate object of artfully stimulated lust. And those with whom I am sharing her are enjoying aspects of her that I, with my limited senses, cannot hope to perceive. Peering up at her through the awesome twlight of darkened shrines all over the world they are seeing her, magnified and illuminated in a dazzling vision that reveals every pore of her skin and every tremor of her muscles; her eyes are great globes of transluscent jelly; her mouth (which I know as well as my own) has become a tumescent red cavern and her breasts (which are white and tender and flecked with gold) have been built up into twin mounds - each six feet wide at its base - of suggestively draped and illumited flesh. What to do about this? Suffer pangs of cosmic jealousy? Or be content to swim around in the warm flood of desire that surrounds her?

Maxim Gorky on seeing a film by Lumiere in 1899: Our nerves are getting weaker and less relaible; we are growing more and more unstrung; we are reacting less to natural sensations and thirst more eagerly for new, strong sensations. The cinematograph gives us all of these - activates the nerves on one hand and dulls them on the other. The thirst for such strange, fantastic sensations as it gives will grow greater and we will be increasingly less able and willing to grasp the every day sensations of ordinary life. The thirst for the strange and the new can lead us very, very far!

Well no doubt everyone on this site is happy about the election results on "Black Tuesday"(LOL). So seeing as how I am the lone republican on this site, I would like to congradulate everybody on behalf of my party. As much as I hate to admit it some of us republicans have dropped the ball, the better party has won... for know! ;) Cheers from El Fearless Conservative. ======================= "We all live in a house of fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it." Tennessee Williams "If there were no eternal consciousness in a man, if at the bottom of everything there were only a wild ferment, a power that twisting in dark passions produced everything great or inconsequential; If an unfathomable, insatiable emptiness lay hid beneath everything, what would life be but despair?" Soren Kierkegaard

Even more good news: As of Wednesday evening, WTOP is reporting that Webb won in Virginia. Allen is out, and the Senate belongs to the Democrats!!

A great article, and in light of the most recently publicized sentencing of Sadam Hussein, it really makes one wonder about the impetus behind the punishment. True, he was responsible for many murders, but isn't there someone else meddling over there right now who is responsible for many, many more? And unfortunately the carnage is far from over. Will he be brought before a tribunal at the Hauge? I seriously doubt it, but as we Democrats celebrate our victory of last night and the days ahead, let's not forget our common purpose and duty to humanity. Let's push those officials we elected into office to action. The winds of change are blowing, but are they strong enough to upset the foundation set by an administration of hubris, avarice and mendacity? I certainly hope so. Our elected Democrats MUST call for accountability and what better place to begin than at the top! JY

Yes, sadly, Leiberman won. But all in all, it was a GREAT night for Democrats, and for American Democracy. We've taken back the House, and in a big way. Maryland is back in the hands of the Dems, Santorum was defeated in Pennsylvania, and as of this writing, Webb is ahead of Allen in Virginia. Ah, it's a very good night!!

Are we the only ones who received calls from Bill Clinton yesterday and today? I am saving one of his messages to impress my French friends...C.

Too bad the election is today, I was starting to enjoy those messages Bill Clinton was leaving on the answering machine...C.

I hope this vote (election) will make a difference. The nation has a long way to go, with its work cut out for it, but we have to start somewhere. Get out there and cast that vote! JY

great books and vinyl at the new carrolton booksale...found an incredible selection of classical avant garde lp's-which I will go into on the music page. CL

JS back in the suburbs I see. Miss the city life yet? I know I do. I have been in the suburbs too long...C

First long, strange commute in years. Riding the escalator up to Farragut Square with a Chinese musician bowing an erhu. Brilliant yellow, orange, red leaves. sunlight flickering through them into my squinting eyes. the same sun that inspired ancient poets. a warm breaze. A deep breath. Commuters like shadows riding alongside with burried thoughts, enough to fuel a planet, so far from the present, novels unwritten. Strained smiles of bilboarded politicians. JS

Check out this brilliant London street photographer. Commuting can be such a drudge it's great to see someone to approach town with with a sense of humor. http://www.mattstuart.com/index.php

No more stolen elections! Verify your voter registration, and find other useful information here: http://mydem.democrats.com/

"The man [or woman] who can make hard things easy is the educator." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Could somebody please tell the idiot in the White House that the word is "intranSigence," not "intranGigence"!!! JY

Nice picture series CL; that ice-cream truck looks too good to be true. Nice windows too. And cafes... C.

"Knowledge has three degrees- opinion,science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second dialetic; of the third, intuition." Plotinus

So, after the "crime" has been committed, Foley comes out with the whole "clergy abuse" admission, laying blame on wayward Christian leaders. Isn't this becoming a bit too formulaic? Can't perpetrators of such acts just admit that they're fucked up and what they did was fucked up rather than trying to abrogate responsibility?

I'm not usually a fan of Will either, but in this case, I thought the article was appropriate. It's good to see that even some commentators on the right occasionally see the light.

thanks for the article, but I am not a fan of George Will-he was for the war, very anti-european, and does not believe global warming is happening. CL

"The letter described these statements as 'outrageous and dishonest'", says the article below. What a surprise. It's Iraq all over again. At least this time, Colin Powell is even speaking out against the administration. Maybe he's trying to make amends for his previous mistakes.

Nice article below, focusing on Ellison. My fear is that if he is successful in Congress, and popular with the people, as Wellstone was, he will go the way of Wellstone. I still to this day don't believe that Wellstone's death was an accident.

thanks! Go Fenty! His dad sold me an excellent pair of shoes for the NY Marathon as well CL

"Well, you've covered your ass now." -- George W. Bush, to CIA briefer after receiving Presidential Daily Briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.", August 6, 2001

Thanks for the article, but I agree with JY(see Afterthoughts) I think Mr. Amis should stick to writing books (fiction) I found many contradictory statements and blatant oversights. CL

enjoying the podcasts-especially the sounds-the church sounds are positively ghostly.

Regarding the "Nation" article a couple of posts down, all I have to say is that I hate those people.

Don't knock masturbation, it's sex with someone I love. Woody Allen, from "Annie Hall"

To the person who posted the article about Mayor Rocky Anderson, thank you so much! I am instantly a fan of this guy.

Saturday September 22 I am the teacher of athletes, He that by me spreads a wider breast than my own proves the width of my own, He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher. (Walt Whitman, Song of Myself)

Thanks, Amy, for your kind encouragement. CL and I look forward to posting more material soon. Check back often! JY

So, I finally got back on the site and listened to a pod cast. I liked it so much that I went and subscribed to all of them. I can honestly say that I am honored to know two such incredible men who are so talented and passionate in what they do. I look forward to the continued inspiration your site and work offers me. - Amy Hollomon

A really unique site has added Marble Venus to sites they like-here is the link-http://www.fadwebsite.com/ Check it out. CL

Yes, it is quite disturbing (regarding the article from the previous post). Remember Mi Lai? You could say that some things never change. But in fact, you'd be wrong. After Mi Lai, there were punishments that were applied. But not now. Not today. The Bush Administration has changed (or disregared) all the rules.

An addendum to the previous entry: After you read the article, please read the comments as well.

great job on this site-love the podcasts, cecile's page, and the original works. Well done!

Congratulations to MV on 5 great years. Looking forward to the next 5 and beyond. V

the "profiling" has already begun. When I first read of this, I knew this would be the outcome. Hysteria, paranoia and ignorance, these are the characteristics of our society today... http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/17/airport.evac.ap/index.html

it's a shame that idiots who practice such bigotry and ignorance are in Congress, but as CL stated, it comes as no surprise. JY

thanks for the post, but not too crazy about his blog. For the person who put the link up-how do you feel about the comments? Despicable, but is it surprising? CL

Lieberman lost!! Lieberman lost!! The Bush-loving, pro-war, pseudo Democrat LOST the primary!

Thanks for the interesting link-crime is a problem all over these days-man it is hot outside!

Hey everybody, I heard about it and I am not really surprise that it has come to this in england. The Government is now trying to ban knives because now people are going around stabbing each other with them. Here is a link to an article about it, let me know what all of you think about this. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm Cheers from the Fearless Conservative

Vancouver Art Gallery and FUSE Friday evening. They serve drinks on the 4th floor with a DJ in residence, who provides an eclectic range of music. Actually, they offered 15 minute slots for which anyone could sign up to play their own mp3 selections. Pretty cool stuff. JY

Saturday July 29, 2006-I went to this last night with friends. Wonderful time-Spanish food, wine and good conversation, and of course Jazz.

very sad indeed-excellent post JY! Maybe opinions will change when they discover one of the UN peacekeepers that was killed was Canadian.

Monday morning was spent enjoying the pastoral comfort and serenity of Stanley Park. Ate outdoors and read afterwards-afterall, while in Vancouver, do as the natives do! But seriously, such a simple routine (getting back to nature) seems to get lost in the quotidian rush that governs our lives. Such a shame...And of course, last night was the Plaza and Camera Obscura.

Today, I was up in the air circling Burrard inlet and soaking in a view that was awesome! Afterwards, headed to Grouse Mtn. for more incredible vistas! However, in spite of all this enjoyment, I ran across some news that was disquieting. It appears that a majority of Canadians, especially those living toward the western boundaries of the country (noooo!!!), approve of Israel's action in Lebanon. I was greatly saddened to read of this. The exception: Quebec! (Count on the French for taking a brave, steadfast position against aggression-remember Iraq!) I guess I shouldn't be too surprised considering the Conservatives, though a minority in Parlaiment, are running the show up here. In the U.S., Bush's stance not to call for a cease-fire is both ludicrous and malicious. The conditions put forth by Rice, on behalf of the imperialists, call for Lebanon to release the captive soldiers and to pull back 20 km before a cease-fire will even be considered. Our administration knows Lebanon will not agree to such demands, so the U.S. therefore justifies its support of Israeli retaliation. How much more bloodshed and carnage will it take to appease our government? When will this madness end? JY

israel should know better than causing bloody genocide especially after the holocaust. Tony blair and george bush are a pair of tossers and the sooner they are booted out the better. This is disgusting and heartbreaking to watch on the news.

Israel may be investigated for War crimes-the level of destruction is disproportionate-this is catastrophic. Lebanon was clearly on the rebound. The United States also is guilty for supplying the bombs and waiting, waiting for what? WW3? I know Hezbollah is a problem and Israel has a right to handle the situation their own way, but this is too much. We need to value human life. Just look how this incident is going.

Spent both yesterday and today at Wreck Beach, a more low-key, less "populated" alternative to some of the other beaches. Read, waded in the cool sea water and just saked up the outdoors. Afterwards (today), I visited Queen Elizabeth Park and saw some breathtaking scenery! Will have photos up soon...JY

North Vancouver and Capilano are gorgeous, especially on a beautiful day such as today! If one gets weary of the bustling city, this must be one place (of many, up here) to come! JY

UBC and Tower Beach were amazing. I'll comment in detail later. Afterwards, I dined in Yaletown and then walked around the water near David Lam Park, which is located in the SE corner of downtown. A beautiful evening; people walking, biking, rollerblading, just soaking up the mild, calm night air...today, I'm off to Northern Vancouver! JY

Highlights for today (thus far): Gastown and the "Tour de Gastown;" Chinatown and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Classical Chinese Garden, and the Vancouver Public Library. The library's architecture is phenomenal! JY

Thanks C, I may just do that! I am also seriously thinking about a seaplane tour of the Glacier Lakes as well. Should make for some amazing photos! JY

Jy, you should rent a bike and go around Stanley Park, it's very enjoyable. Ah the Northwest! C.

Yesterday was another beautiful day in this beautiful city! Walked along the entire sea wall surrounding Stanley Park, getting some pretty nice shots of the city and mountains. The little beaches that dot the path are awesome! People ride their bikes or walk or run, and when they are ready for a break, they lay out on the beach. There are large logs placed on the beach in various rows for people to rest upon or to prop their heads against as the lay out. It's fantastic! After lunching at a quaint beachside restaurant, I headed over to Zulu records, a really cool record store specializing in obscure titles, to pick up my ticket for the Camera Obscura show next Monday at the Plaza. I forgot to mention that yesterday I saw protestors on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery who were calling for an end to the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. This is indeed a vibrant, vocal city! JY

JY, our 38C beats your 22...unfortunately. I agree, let's all go to the pool. C.

First full day in Vancouver: I am amazed! For one, the temps run a very comfortable 22 degrees C! I walked a part of the Sea Wall into the outskirts of Stanley Park. Look to one side and see the urban landscape and to the other lies a beautiful mountainous backdrop rising out of the waters of the bay. I believe everyone should be so fortunate as to live amongst such beauty and natural splendor! More to come...JY

Screenings are one thing, but lecturing on your own films is really interesting... Will report on my film page when I return, it was good though. Very warm here, sun burnt near the Thames with a bottle of Italian wine. CL

Much to report-Spent a couple of days visiting my old haunts-Kings Cross area-Recorded sounds in Brunswick square, it was quiet, cool, kids playing close by. Antonioni knows this area well. Roamed around with SM for a few pints, the best being in the Dog and Duck, famous for Orwell. After Animal Farm was published, he had a few drinks there. Yesterday visited the South Coast-Beechy head, Seven Sisters, and Eastbourne-lovely, striking scenery. Today-Gallery. More soon. CL

Back in lively, stylish London. Very nice weather....Feels like I never left. More details later...CL

Sorry, but i couldn't find the football page. oh well, back to artistic endeavors.

This is of interest, especially when considering today's World Cup final. Hopefully, this will heighten awareness of the disease that infects not only football, but humanity as a whole. The media needs to condemn the provocation rather than the response! http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0707-22.htm

something was said, probably a racist remark-horrible way to end a great match. France outplayed Italy.

And meanwhile, we are on stage 4 on the Tour de France. Is anybody paying attention?

This "fortress" attitude is a pervasive fault in the American psyche these days. The idea that exhorbitant spending and isolation can be a HEALTHY answer to a global issue is baffling. Seriously, how is it that one can justify spending a million-plus dollars on a >10,000 sq. ft. home in an effort to stave off terrorism? This thinking is just a further exploitation of 9/11, which the administration, backed by these parvenus and wealthy elite, is always quick to practice. One thing is accurate, though. Isolation here is not only defined by the dissolution of community, but also by the fact that there is an evident separation of the family unit within the dwelling. The living space within these McMansions is so large as to engulf the family unit and relegate each to their "own" space. How can this be good? It's a benighted concept: the pursuit of epic dwelling space comes at the cost of eliminating natural space, that is, the landscape without. Planned developments are encroaching upon wooded areas all around. It seems that people in this country are looking to find solace in spending rather than trying to foster a better understanding of one another. Anytime money is given preference to human contact, a red flag should be obvious. How "big" is big enough? For America, there seems to be no limit, especially when it is motivated by self-gratification. It's not surprising that Frisbee is a former correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, that bastion of neoconservative rhetoric. JY

On this, the 230th anniversary of our nation's independence, take a few moments to read that declaration. Read especially the paragraphs relating to King George III (all preceded by the word "He"), and see if these paragraphs don't parallel today's "King George". Go here: http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDERAL/independ/declar.html

My favorite players to watch: Lionell Messi, Arg. and Tomas Rosicky, Cze. I think we Americans should know this second name pretty well by now but we still can't pronounce it. (Ro-si'-tskee) -JS Impressive performances from Ghana, South Korea and Cote D'Ivoir. Hope the good football continues and that France and Brazil come to life. Holding predictions until the final 16.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006-Thoughts on Guantanamo here and here. They need to shut it down.CL

If you can, watch "Leno" tonight on NBC. George Carlin will be getting into it with Ann Coulter.

Thanks-I will check it out-Summer is here, ah, summer. French Open, World Cup, and the NBA finals.

This seems to be the theme circulating around the Democratic party these days. Pay homage to the establishment and you'll go far. Forget the very issues that propelled you to your seat in the first place. What is all this complacency and deference to corporations? It is bleak... http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060626/sirota

Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it. -Colette, writer (1873-1954)

The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

No! please DM. not autumn yet. there are still 20 days left of Spring. Now. get inside it!

Ah, the clandestine economics of murder. How cheap life is these days: $2,500! I can find no words to aptly express myself regarding this atrocity. DM

Thanks for the links below-the democrats have to really take advantage and soon.

Great comments: Go to wtopnews.com. Then, scroll down to "national news". Then click on the article entitled "Judge: Reporters Must Give Libby Documents". Now, read the comments. It's good to see that the tide is turning, even if just a little.

Well, time to get over it: Arsenal lost! You can stop crying now, it's been almost a week. Thanks.

Stuff Barcelona, i really wanted arsenal to win!! Thierry Henri can come cry on my shoulder

did you get my last email oh married ones!! need your phone number as i cant find my address book and no longer know it off by heart...sorry Had Darcy at A&E to day thats ER to you yanks (he he) she is fine now. Send me the phone number as i want a catch up!!

"Cultural theory as we have it promises to grapple with some fundamental problems, but on the whole fails to deliver. It has been shamefaced about morality and metaphysics, embarrassed about love, biology, religion and revolution, largely silent about evil, reticent about death and suffering, dogmatic about essences, universals and foundations, and superficial about truth, objectivity and disinterestedness. This, on any estimate, is rather a large slice of human existence to fall down on. It is also, as we have suggested before, rather an awkward moment in history to find oneself with little or nothing to say about such fundamental questions." After Theory by Terry Eagleton, 2003

Thanks, C! Actually, I am feeling much better today. You should join me and CL tomorrow night at Franklin's for their "Happy Hour." Have a good day! JY

Sounds very daring indeed; if I am not mistaken, the Germans and Dutch are pretty good at that exercise...C.

Thanks for posting the article below. In case anyone missed the link in it, to the movie's web site, here it is: http://www.climatecrisis.net/

wish I could have been there! but doesn't it figure that this heinous, government-supported mass murder has been going on since the days when Colin Powell was Sec. of State, and still nothing has been done? no, the U.S. is simply too absorbed in making unjust anti-immigration laws and granting tax breaks to corporations and the very wealthy. Again, as far as this administration is concerned, if it doesn't directly affect the U.S. and its interests (and we all know what THAT one is as we are all paying through the roof for it!), then it doesn't really matter. Utterly shameful! Let's hope something will be done to stop the inhumanity! JY

Thanks for the comment about Franklin's-it is a bit noisy, we need to work on that- by the way,the twisted turtle is a pale ale with a nice poppy taste. CL

This is infuriating, though of no surprise! When will these criminal acts be justly punished? I know it's a rhetorical question, but this nation as a whole needs to reevaluate its priorities and what it deems essential. Above all, it must be "humanity" that prevails over a corporation's bottom line. This should be an incontrovertible philosophy, but this nation has clearly lost sight of it...JY

Dined in D.C. last night at Utopia with CL. The decor, atmosphere and food were all fantastic! To top it all off: live jazz beginning at 9:30 P.M.! The evening itself was magnificent, warm enough to walk about without a jacket! Looking forward to exploring the restaurants/night life in that corridor (U Street) further! JY

What style of beer is a twisted turtle? IPA, Lager, Pilsner, stout, Porter, rice beer? A little noisey there but interesting at Franklins.

Nice podcast from Franklin's. Lots of clicketis* noises; beer's flowing I assume...keep it up. C.

*I realize I made up that word out of a French word; you know what it means here, the sound of glass hitting glass, pints against pints, bottles against glass...

Tammy! Nice to hear form you! Will email. Enjoy the red wine and write some more. Love. C.(glad you like the cat)

22/04/06 Tammy here, dont know what happened to other post, red wine affecting my senser (as per) How yous doin?? Been listening to work and leisure tonight...first time in years, thought would check out the site and see whats new. Cecile i love le chat francais x x hope you all behavin

Alo folks, how yous doin?? Tammy here, been listening to Work and Leisure tonight as have not played it for years. Thought would have a quick nosey at the website x x

To the creators of Marble Venus-keep up the wonderful work-enjoying the podcasts and the info on Cecile's page.

Chinese Proverb: "When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."

No it has not bcome that yet, JY. There is an active art and music scene(mostly Jazz), but see for yourself. The change is good.

Another great run this morning with CL, though the heat crept up on us rather quickly. Looking forward to more! JY

Cool article below on the U St. "resurrection," but why relegate the arts to a tiny paragraph? It's great that the area has been revitalized, but from the gist of the article, it looks like it will simply become (or has already become) an upscale, "yuppified" corridor that caters to the affluent. I hope I am wrong and perhaps it's an oversimplification of the situation, but I can't help but be a little wary. However, I am looking forward to checking it out later this week...JY

He said, "I wish we had taken more photographs together." She looked tenderly at him and responded through a soft, endearing smile, "Oh no. The indelible images are the ones imprinted upon the sheets of our memory, where they will not fade, yellow, our curl at the edges with age." JY

Monday April 10, 2006-

Visited Pennsylvania this weekend-drove around the Amish country-and spent some time in Lancaster, which has a really nice coffee shop called Square One-then spent the evening in Philadelphia, which has changed since my last visit. Seems more vibrant and interesting these days, need to go back. Yesterday flew over the Chesapeake courtesy of Air Tagada. Beautiful. CL

The article about Bush's intentions in Iran does not surprise me in the least. And that includes the suggestion of the use of nuclear weapons. If true, he needs to be stopped.

I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love: Mother Teresa

Good points, but knowing how things have gone in this coutry, he probably would have won-But yes, there are really no more small victories.

Yes, we're all glad to see Delay go. But bear in mind that it was Delay's running in the election that would have allowed even the possibility of that one seat going to a Democrat. It was also Delay's name that was used negatively in the campaign's of countless congressional candidates all over the nation. To paraphrase another corrupt Republican, "We won't have Tom Delay to kick around anymore". Truly, he left for the good of his party, if not only for his own good. As bizarre as it sounds, it's really kind of a shame he backed out of the race. Of course, then again.....he could have won.

a great night of music and discussion-also spotted a rather large possum lumbering slowly on the fence. CL

More about South Korea, Seoul in particular; I saw the article a few days ago but I'm only getting around to posting it now: http://tinyurl.com/ewstd

Had a great run earlier in the day with CL, going along the outskirts of the College Park campus. Excellent montage of sounds (footballers, nature, cars running overhead) and images (barren, broken trees) along the path. Topped it all off with a fabulous lunch at Tiffin's. JY

Spent Sunday at the Gallery, comments coming. I have been a little behind on the posts-I will be back in the saddle soon-CL

CL and JY, my sister and her NY marathon "team"(yes CL, your team!) are on for the 07 London Marathon and you are cordially invited to join the pack...(it is in April). C.

Excellent Korean ceremony last night-felt privileged to be a witness to it. Many thanks again. CL

the sweet anticipation of a phone call that will open a new vista! perhaps after all is said and done, this is a second chance of sorts...

You see, the human factor isn't really a consideration. It's simply about money. Period. And is it a surprise that this situation is similiar in nature to Cheney's ties with Halliburtom? And we know of the pervasive corruption there! Promote a disease and get rich-the new slogan for pharmaceuticals! JY http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0312-06.htm

Spent a golden afternoon walking the city (D.C.) both before and after taking in a marvelous cinematic gem at the NGA. Perfect afternoon, topped off with two perfect pints at Fado's! JY

On March 7, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a vote on whether to investigate the domestic wiretaps that the president has already admitted were performed in defiance of the FISA court. Bill Frist has now threatened to restructure the Senate Intelligence Committee itself to strip it of oversight responsibility if it even dares to investigate the president's dictatorial violations of the law. Speak out now! http://tinyurl.com/pca6j

Very true about Operation Northwoods. There are many who believe that the same thing has already happened in the 21st Century (e.g. 9-11-01).

The contemplation of terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens by the CIA is a matter of public record. The previously classified "Operation Northwoods" document reveals that in 1962, the CIA seriously considered the possibility of carrying out terrorist attacks against US citizens, in order to blame it on Cuba. The plans were never implemented, but were given approval signatures by all the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The plan included several options, including killing Cuban defectors or U.S. soldiers, sinking ships, and staging simulations of planes being shot down. All this was done to blame on Castro as a pretext for launching a war against Cuba. Operation Northwoods

I had the pleasure of seeing this photographer and his work last night at my camera club meeting. You can view some of his work here: http://www.fsmphoto.com/menu.html

Well said-Whitman was also using the metaphor of nakedness to break away from the European tradition(Lit-thought-philosophy)to strive for a new aesthetic in American Lit.

exactly. the Natives were the victims of an advancing colonization effort by the europeans...lost "innocence"/ and the indelible stain that tarnishes the purity of what was once beautiful and free...

great stuff below-I agree I think some of Whitman's philosophy does parallel themes in the New World, but these virtues are held by the Native Americans, not the Europeans.

An intersting quote. Brings to mind Malick's film The New World. Yes, "civilization's" encroachment of nature's boundaries is as damaging now as it was in the 1600's. Purity certainly has had its meaning diluted through the ages, and now represents a distortion of itself, fully "clothed" in hypocrisy and denial.

"Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! --ah if poor, sick, prurient humanity in cities might really know you once more! Is not nakedness then indecent? No, not inherently. It is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectibility that is indecent. There come moods when these clothes of ours are not only too irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent. Perhaps indeed he or she to whom the free exhilarating extasy of nakedness in Nature has never been eligible (and how many thousands there are!) has not really known what purity is--nor what faith or art or health really is." - Walt Whitman, "A Sun-Bath--Nakedness" in "Specimen Days"

This article is a bit spiritual and esoteric, but interesting, nevertheless: http://tinyurl.com/d7bft

[...] Why does Hamlet seek revenge? Revenge is a way of expressing family blood ties, a sacrifice made for those near and dear, a sacred obligation. Hamlet, as we know, avenged to join "the broken link of times," or rather to realise the idea of self-sacrifice. Persistence or obstinacy is frequently apparent in actions which only hurt the person who undertakes them — this is a perverted form of sacrifice. Self-negation, obligation. Odd, absurd moments of necessity, of propriety of sacrifice which the materialist Freud would call "masochism." A religious person — "obligation." Dostoievsky called it "desire to suffer." Without a religious system such desire to suffer may turn into psychosis. Ultimately, it is love that hasn't found form. But this is spiritual love, not a Freudian one. Love is always a gift made of oneself to others. And although generosity, readiness to make a sacrifice, carries within itself as it were a negative, ostensibly destructive meaning (naturally, in its vulgar understanding) in relation to the individual who makes the sacrifice of himself, the essence of this act is always love, and therefore a positive, creative, divine act. [...] Taken from Tarkovsky's diaries

Global warming can't be blamed for individual warm spells, or even for an entire warm season. But when you see long-term trends (which we are, indeed, seeing), that's when you need to be concerned. Here's an interesting article that appeared to day on the subject: http://tinyurl.com/dsuqu

I haven't made a political comment in some time, but after hearing bits of reporting yesterday on the Katrina inquest, I cannot resist. Chertoff, as evidenced from his post 9/11 comments and actions to his current "pass-the-buck" stance, is really nothing more than a pusillanimous ass. True, the former FEMA director was a totally inept, unqualified idiot as well, but all you hear now is how he (Brown) acted alone, and that no one else in the administration was at fault. A spokesperson for the president even went as far as to assert that Bush had nothing to do with the sorry response to Katrina, that although he is the president, it is not his direct responsibility to oversee such things. That's why there are various departments, she went on to say. Well, obviously, this brain-dead woman has forgotten that it was the president who appointed that jerk Chertoff to his post in the first place, so, yes, Bush has a direct hand in what transpired during the aftermath of that tragedy! Next, they'll all be claiming that Bush has nothing to do with the ever-deepening quagmire that is Iraq! JY

"A few blocks away, Ralk Kanitz, 31, a law student, was jogging through the snow. How was it? "It's actually great," he said, looking about at a white world of drifted streets and snowy rooftops, of buried cars under aerodynamic shapes and trees cast in silhouette. "It looks like I'm running in a wilderness."From NY Times

Yes, CL, it was a great time! There's just something about the outdoors before a snowstorm. Weeping frozen teardrops in hypnotic silence, the afternoon sky, colored in sadness, was especially moving, like experiencing Rachmaninoff for the first time...JY

We love the stars not as we love the sun. Let them claim a constellation finds us Out, with its dense pattern of light, abstract And coldly distant, in our murky way. We love our shadows as we love the sun; The inextricable bright and dark which binds us Flatly to that final ground of fact, Even the birds who spend their age in air

Great time yesterday- working on site and sharing a few pints with JY at Franklins, before the storm. CL

Wow! lots of snow outside. I braved the weather and went to the Gallery last night, which was fantastic! Lovely walking around the Capitol during the storm, passing the Archives building, which looked very soviet under the winter sky. More on the event later today. CL

Director Joe Hansard informs me that some aspect of the film has been nominated at Rosebud. JS

Banff Mountain Film Festival - Baltimore Showing: Fridayk, March 10, 2006 at Loyola College. http://tinyurl.com/a9esa

A Map Of Love Donald Justice Your face more than others' faces Maps the half-remembered places I have come to I while I slept— Continents a dream had kept Secret from all waking folk Till to your face I awoke, And remembered then the shore, And the dark interior. Posted by Jenks.

"The problem with records…I’m just speaking personally, I don’t mean as a general problem. Nobody has problems with records, people love records! The whole of people’s listening lives is built around records if I understand it right. But it’s all endgame – it introduces the endgame to something that is for me primarily not about endgames. It collects it and says that’s the end of that. And there is no end as far as I’m concerned." (Derek Bailey, Invisible Jukebox, The Wire, December 1998)

'The ghost as a cipher of iteration is particularly suggestive. At the beginning of Specters of Marx, Derrida talks about the way in which the anticipated return of the ghost may be mobilized on behalf of a deconstruction of all historicisms that are grounded in a rigid sense of chronology. 'Haunting is historical, to be sure', he writes, 'but it is not dated, it is never docilely given a date in the chain of presents, day after day, according to the instituted order of the calendar .' The question of the revenant neatly encapsulates deconstructive concerns about the impossibility of conceptually solidifying the past. Ghosts arrive from the past and appear in the present. However, the ghost cannot be properly said to belong to the past, even if the apparition represents someone who has been dead for many centuries, for the simple reason that a ghost is clearly not the same thing as the person who shares its proper name. Does then the 'historical' person who is identified with the ghost properly belong to the present? Surely not, as the idea of a return from death fractures all traditional conceptions of temporality. The temporality to which the ghost is subject is therefore paradoxical, as at once they 'return' and make their apparitional debut. Derrida has been pleased to term this dual movement of return and inauguration a 'hauntology', a coinage that suggests a spectrally deferred non- origin within grounding metaphysical terms such as history and identity." - Buse, P., & Scott, A., (ed's), Ghosts: Deconstruction, Psychoanalysis, History, London

Friday morning was spent down by the CN Tower and back up to the University for a few more photos. Later in the evening, I headed uptown, around Spadina, for a poetry reading/art showing celebrating the Lunar New Year. The pieces read and displayed were all pretty amazing, though it seems the preferred metre was freeform. Good stuff. Well, the last day was spent rather unremarkably, just headed down to the British bookseller (Nichiolas Hoare) once again for a book of verse, and then it was off to the Distillery District that I had visited on my last trip here in Oct. '05. This was probably the most "personal" part of the journey, as I not only revisited a place, but also a moment in the past that was painfully bittersweet. I took in a couple of small galleries on Hazelton to conclude my outings. Once I return to the States, I will write my post-reflections on this wonderful city. JY

Today was the Roy Thompson Music Hall for a concert with the Toronto Symphony performing four different Mozart pieces, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth. The interpretations were resplendent, especially the "Jupiter" symphony (no. 41). I later took in the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario), which was a fascinating experience. They've actually dedicated an entire exhibit to the public's favorite pieces, that is, the museum invited patrons/individuals to choose a work in the permanent collection and to write about why it is a favorite. From there, an eclectic exhibit was set up to showcase these works of art. There is even a room in which a small table is set up so people can draw their interpretation of a particular piece and submit it to the museum to be assembled as part of another collection! This dialogue between the museum and its public is refreshing and encouraging. The collections include works from the late Renaissance to an assortment of modern Canadian artists and Inuit sculptures. All are displayed together, adding a richness to the gallery experience that is made possible only when works are mingled as such, rather than sectioned off from one another based upon the dictates of classification. Also worth mentioning is their Henry Moore collection, which is the largest in North America. I spent a good part of my time there speaking with a docent over some Picasso etchings that were "informally" displayed as well. I must say that I have never had such an enriching gallery experience such as this, but should I be surprised at such quality considering where I am? JY

Let's see, where did the traveler last leave his audience? Ah yes, the thwarted visit to the gallery. Well, I dined rather late last night in a little restaurant in the east end of the city, pretty far removed from downtown, so there was a "quieter" feel to this part of Toronto. Hoewever, it was certainly not without its own unique charm, and there were several interesting shops I'd like to visit if I can make it back over. Today (actually yesterday) began with a trip to the University of Toronto and taking snapping some photos of the campus. The main campus, located between King's College Rd. and St. George Street is enormous, yet completely unobtrusive within the landscape of the city. The architecture is gorgeous and there is a vibrancy suffused throughout that is infectious. Toronto itself is steeped in culture and the arts as a whole, which makes it all the more fitting that its largest university (and in all of Canada) should be its epicenter. I spent the evening doing a bit of shopping before deciding to try out an italian restaurant way uptown. Cozy, open and very rustic, Grano was every bit a satisfaction as I could have hoped for. What was even more pleasing and satisfying than the meal and wine was the conversation I had with the restaurant's host, Tom. He asked about the book I was reading (McEwan), which in turn led to an interesting conversation regarding the moral dilemma of not so much right vs. wrong, but of right vs. "more" right. We then covered politics (both of us disdainfully, and apprehensively, discussing the brewing political situation in Canada and it's correlation with the policies dictated by the circus adminstration in the U.S.). Next we spoke futher of literature, specifically Shakespeare (Richard III), and a little about The Usual Suspects (anecdotally). On my trip back, I stopped off to snap a few nighttime shots of the city, all of which I hope to have posted after I return. More later...JY

Yes, let's do hope that that sentiment is still the predominant feeling among our northern neighbors!

I have a Canadian friend, and she tells me (as do other sources) that most Canadians despise our current administration. Let's hope those inclinations persist. V

Yes, it is a wonderful, wonderful city! Everyone should have the chance to visit here. On a further positive note, Torontonians (?) on the whole consider themselves a liberal bunch, which should prove interesting in light of last evening's election results. Hopefully, conservatism up here is nothing like that which runs rampant in the States, but we'll see. JY

JL, thanks for the comments about your trip. I wish I were up there with you in the "Great White North". V

Thanks for the comment; it's great to be back! O.K., so I didn't get into the art gallery this afternoon, but only because they changed their hours due to ongoing renovations, so, it will be tomorrow. I strolled down McCaul St. and lunched at a pretty cool Tibetan restaurant aptly named "Everest." Nothing like eating Indian fare at a Tibetan restaurant and washing the whole affair down with a cold Guinness (truly an international lunch, eh?). It began to snow a bit, which looked really nice on the city streets. I walked through Chinatown and was going to make my way to the U. of Toronto, but alas, for this "southerner" it was a bit too cold, so I retreated indoors for a film. Check out the Cinema Forum for more! JY

Well, here in Canada the Conservatives pulled out a slim minority victory as Paul Martin steps down and Stephen Harper assumes his new role as prime minister. It will be interesting to see what develops in Canada in light of the fact that the Liberal governement, up until yesterday, held reign for 12 years! Visited a couple of very cool bookshops yesterday, one near the cultural district, the other further uptown. I have photos of both, but due to the fact that I am without my "software" the visuals must wait. Sorry. Anyway, today will be spent at the Art Gallery of Ontario and a couple of theatres not far from the University. More to come...JY

C- thanks for the suggestion! I visited the CN Tower during my last trip, but I'm certain another is in order. I snapped a photo of it this afternoon and will upload it onto the site soon. Thanks, and will keep you posted! JY

The Toronto journal begins: a smooth flight and ride into a beautiful city. Looking forward to what the first day brings. More to come...JY

"Many proposals have been made to us to adopt your laws, your religion, your manners and your customs. We would be better pleased with beholding the good effects of these doctrines in your own practices, than with hearing you talk about them". Old Tassel, Chief of the Tsalagi (Cherokee)

"Every work of art is the child of its age and, in many cases, the mother of our emotions. It follows that each period of culture produces an art of its own which can never be repeated. Efforts to revive the art-principles of the past will at best produce an art that is still-born. It is impossible for us to live and feel, as did the ancient Greeks. In the same way those who strive to follow the Greek methods in sculpture achieve only a similarity of form, the work remaining soulless for all time. Such imitation is mere aping. Externally the monkey completely resembles a human being; he will sit holding a book in front of his nose, and turn over the pages with a thoughtful aspect, but his actions have for him no real meaning." from Concerning The Spiritual In Art, by Wassily Kandinsky (1911)

Hey thanks for that quote! I forgot Baudelaire had a poem called AFTERNOON SONG-that incredible. Thanks. CL

CL you have a film called Afternoon song-how about this one- "Afternoon Song", by Charles Baudelaire Though your wicked eyebrows call Your nature into question (Unangelic's their suggestion, Witch whose eyes enthrall) I adore you still - O foolish terrible emotion - Kneeling in devotion As a priest to his idol will. Your undone braids conceal Desert, forest scents: In your exotic countenance Lie secrets unrevealed. Over your flesh perfume drifts Like incense 'round a censor: Tantalizing dispenser Of evening's ardent gifts. No Philtres could compete With your potent idleness: You've mastered the caress That raises dead me to their feet. Your hips themselves are romanced By your back and by your breasts: By your languid dalliance. Now and then, your appetite's Uncontrolled, unassuaged: Mysteriously enraged, You kiss me and you bite. Dark one, I am torn By your savage ways, Then, soft as the moon, your gaze Sees my tortured heart reborn. Beneath your satin shoe, Beneath your charming silken foot. My greatest joy I put My genius and destiny, too. You bring my spirit back, Bringer of the light. Exploding color in the night Of my Siberia so black. --Translated by Randall Koral and Ruth Marshall

On boredom a topic these days- from Dream Songs, #14: Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so. After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns, we ourselves flash and yearn, and moreover my mother told me as a boy (repeatingly) 'Ever to confess you're bored means you have no Inner Resources.' I conclude now I have no inner resources, because I am heavy bored. Peoples bore me, literature bores me, especially great literature, Henry bores me, with his plights and gripes as bad as achilles, who loves people and valiant art, which bores me. And the tranquil hills, & gin, look like a drag and somehow a dog has taken itself &its! tail considerably away into mountains or sea or sky, leaving behind: me, wag. John Berryman

More Cage- "The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason." --John Cage.

"I have nothing to say / and I am saying it / and that is poetry / as I needed it" --John Cage

Of the peach trees in the garden, The fruit may be used as food. My heart is grieved, And I play and sing. Those who do not know me, Say I am a scholar venting his pride. ' Those men are right ; What do you mean by your words ? ' My heart is grieved ; Who knows [the cause of] it ? Who knows [the cause of] it ? [They know it not], because they will not think

On the embankment are magpies' nests ; On the height grows the beautiful pea. Who has been imposing on the object of my admiration ? – My heart is full of sorrow. [...]

"For beauty is the beginning of terror we are still able to bear, and why we love it so is because it so serenely disdains to destroy us" Rilke's First Duino Elegy

I watched a very moving film on PBS late last night. The title is "Yesterday", and it's about a poor woman living in a small village in South Africa with her little daughter. Her husband is far away in Johannesburg, working in the mines, and seldom comes home. She has been ill for some time, and finally learns that she has AIDS. The movie was made entirely in the Zulu language, and was filmed on location in Africa. The visuals are stunning, and the story is very, very heart wrenching. I understand that HBO is also running it. See it if you can. It may be available on DVD as well.

A Happy New Year to you, too. And here's hoping that this is the "Year of Impeachment" in Washington!

Saturday December 31, 2005
05:13 PM

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060109/schell

Thursday December 29, 2005
10:33 AM

Due to an extremely sad and tragic event, my posting seems trivial at the moment, but I will post again eventually. I compiled my Music list on December 24th and my thoughts on the year, but alot has changed in 4 days. CL

Saturday December 24, 2005
11:59 AM

Joyeux Noel! C.

Saturday December 24, 2005
11:58 AM

I'd like to add my best wishes to those of CL's below! Everyone be safe-JY

Saturday December 24, 2005
11:19 AM

Happy Holidays everyone! CL

Thursday December 22, 2005
03:42 PM

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=655644

Wednesday December 21, 2005
01:23 AM

Great Op-Ed piece in the post, on what a "traditional" American Christmas is all about: http://tinyurl.com/946ax

Sunday December 18, 2005
01:39 PM

I spent a few hours in the air yesterday, flying over the eastern shore- here in Maryland. Thanks Medhi! Fantastic images. Evening-Capitol Hill Gallery-Screenings and events soon-met some interesting Artist (painters, film-makers-musicians. Nice to see and meet creative people here in Washington. More details on the gallery soon. CL

Thursday December 15, 2005
08:08 PM

incredible quote!

Thursday December 15, 2005
07:00 PM

More DH Lawrence- Man wants his physical fulfilment first and foremost, since now, once and once only, he is in the flesh and potent. For man, the vast marvel is to be alive. For man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive. . . . The dead may look after the afterwards. But the magnificent here and now of life in the flesh is ours, and ours alone, and ours only for a time. We ought to dance with rapture that we should be alive and in the flesh, and part of the living, incarnate cosmos.

Thursday December 15, 2005
06:42 PM

More good articles from the Nation-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060102/pinsky#winters

Sunday December 11, 2005
12:32 AM

Thanks so very much for the compliment! Look for more soon. JY

Saturday December 10, 2005
07:58 PM

Finally some new Original Works, and a lovely one at that. Well done JY. I posted here, hope that is OK.

Saturday December 10, 2005
06:03 PM

Here is the actual article-http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/columns/laughingmatters/story/0,12231,1229891,00.html

Saturday December 10, 2005
06:01 PM

Normally, nothing dates so fast as stand-up, but a quarter of a century after its cinema release, Richard Pryor - Live In Concert still retains its power to shock and startle. Indeed, far from playing like a quaint period piece, this landmark performance still feels dangerous and avant-garde. William Cook in the Guardian, 2004 Pickd this link from Greencine.

Saturday December 10, 2005
05:46 PM

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." —Andy Warhol

Saturday December 10, 2005
10:52 AM

Our administration is pathetic-http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1664259,00.html

Friday December 09, 2005
01:06 PM

Passengers never heard him use the word "bomb"..... http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=642398

Thursday December 08, 2005
10:23 PM

More disturbing news-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051226/editors More from the Nation-http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=41800

Thursday December 08, 2005
09:13 PM

Scary stuff going on in this country today: http://tinyurl.com/e3ctj

Thursday December 08, 2005
05:53 PM

More snow and ice on the way...CL

Saturday December 03, 2005
10:23 AM

Does this surprise anyone?-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201454.html

Friday December 02, 2005
10:33 PM

A couple of good lessons today teaching Poe's Annabel Lee....Need to go back and really consider doing something with his work. CL

Wednesday November 30, 2005
06:52 PM

First long run since the big race...Lovely in the darkness listening to Kompakt's 2005 ambient compilation. CL

Monday November 28, 2005
11:15 AM

Great article on Murtha below. Thanks.

Sunday November 27, 2005
05:15 PM

a wonderful statement below!

Sunday November 27, 2005
11:18 AM

Found this DH Lawrence quote from Moistworks,a mp3 site: Men are free when they are in a living homeland, not when they are straying and breaking away. Men are free when they are obeying some deep, inward voice of religious belief. Obeying from within. Men are free when they belong to a living, organic, believing community, active in fulfilling some unfulfilled, perhaps unrealized purpose. Not when they are escaping to some wild west. The most unfree souls go west, and shout of freedom. Men are freest when they are most unconscious of freedom. The shout is a rattling of chains, always was. -D. H. Lawrence, The Spirit of Place

Sunday November 27, 2005
10:44 AM

This could be true-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051212/editors

Thursday November 24, 2005
10:23 AM

Another take on the riots in France-http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/24/arts/design/24ridi.html

Wednesday November 23, 2005
04:01 PM

This is great-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/21/AR2005112101629.html

Wednesday November 23, 2005
03:55 PM

And to you as well.

Wednesday November 23, 2005
09:19 AM

A happy and safe Thanksgiving to all.

Tuesday November 22, 2005
07:04 PM

Bring on the break! CL

Saturday November 19, 2005
09:38 AM

AKG-Thanks for the comments, been very busy, but looks like things may be slowing down soon....AW and SM thanks for the company, the gifts and the films. The overall response to the program has been very positive and encouraging. Review coming soon. CL

Saturday November 19, 2005
07:32 AM

Your birthright, up for grabs: http://tinyurl.com/c47cm

Saturday November 19, 2005
07:28 AM

Tell Murtha you support him: http://democrats.org/page/petition/shameonthem

Thursday November 17, 2005
12:46 PM

House Democrat wants immediate pull-out from Iraq: http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=255&sid=3755

Wednesday November 16, 2005
09:06 PM

Short Mensa Quiz: http://tinyurl.com/b7p59

Tuesday November 15, 2005
06:44 PM

Thanks for the video-L

Monday November 14, 2005
03:11 PM

(Augmented) Bush Video of Veteran's Day Speech: http://tinyurl.com/df64j

Sunday November 13, 2005
10:08 PM

JS-No, unfortunately I did not make the lottery this year, so I did not run. However, I hope to run it next year w/CL. How are you these days? JY

Friday November 11, 2005
01:57 PM

Congrats CL for resisting getting on the subway. I am impressed!! I hope to see some great films this weekend, the schedule, or should I say shedule looks awesome. I most likely hope to be at the Fest Express screening Sunday afternoon. Hope to see you soon. AKG

Thursday November 10, 2005
01:11 PM

Very true, C. The French took care of me. New York was a blast! Thanks JS for the comments. I am sure the Pilsner went down smooth. CL

Thursday November 10, 2005
10:03 AM

Yannick Noah (French -former- tennis player) was running too. And so was Laurent Jalabert (cyclist) and Diagana (soccer player). C.

Thursday November 10, 2005
09:31 AM

I think CL did good in NY because he was part of the French team(5 members) and was lucky enough to have his fragile ankle taken care of by a French doctor. C.

Thursday November 10, 2005
09:10 AM

Good news for ANWR!! http://tinyurl.com/e4mbm

Thursday November 10, 2005
06:39 AM

I was pulling for you while i was drinking pilsner here in prague and watching the marathon on TV. Did you run too JY?- all the best. JS

Tuesday November 08, 2005
09:58 PM

Thanks to all, the two of you. CL

Tuesday November 08, 2005
12:13 PM

CL-congratulations on a job (run) well done! JY

Tuesday November 08, 2005
12:00 PM

He did run like the wind, I know, I was there, on the sidelines....

Tuesday November 8, 2005-What an experience! Yes it is finally over and my body is still recovering. I am speaking of the one and only NY Marathon. The enthusiasm and the camaraderie is truly unique and the months of training was definitely worthwhile. I must admit it is difficult to describe the feeling of crossing the finish line-amazing. You then walk through parts of Central Park feeling as if you are in a dream with the leaves falling, and Sinatra crooning. The highlight for me was running through Brooklyn with the music and the cheers. The low part is that last hill near Central Park-it is brutal. More later. CL

Sunday November 06, 2005
01:11 AM

More sad news: http://tinyurl.com/dg9kf

Friday November 04, 2005
09:03 AM

Ah, a little press-http://www.gazette.net/stories/110305/portnew200924_31937.shtml

Thursday November 03, 2005
07:01 PM

http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/05-6om/McKibben.html

Thursday November 03, 2005
07:01 PM

http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/05-6om/McKibben.html

Thursday November 03, 2005
03:11 PM

Facism continues to rear its ugly head...and it's coming from right here in America: http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=105&sid=611493

Wednesday November 02, 2005
06:19 PM

A great article on blogging-http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,69429,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4

Wednesday November 02, 2005
09:07 AM

http://www.democrats.com/node/6673

Tuesday November 01, 2005
09:10 PM

More cover up reading-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051114/cornweb

Tuesday, November 1, 2005-JY glad you enjoyed your trip, always good to travel and see how other people live. Looking forward to some normalcy after the run and the festival. New films. New music, melodies that have been floating around for 2 years, and more posting and pages or this site. Looking forward to it all. On a different note, I wish my classroom had a window, it's been bugging me the last few weeks. CL

Tuesday November 01, 2005
04:38 PM

It's about time some of the Democrats in Congress got some balls: http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=116&sid=609583

Monday October 31, 2005
01:11 PM

Visit there. Live there. It's all good.

Monday October 31, 2005
11:25 AM

Everyone should visit Canada! What a wonderful, delightful nation! More later...JY

Saturday October 29, 2005
10:26 AM

More on the cover up-http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/29/politics/29ASSESS.html?hp&ex=1130644800&en=1a7f0cdf4321d9a4&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Friday October 28, 2005
06:29 PM

Yes, there is bigger fish to fry.

Friday October 28, 2005
09:52 AM

Ok, so they've finally indicted Libby. Now what about Rove? And Cheney?

Friday October 28, 2005
09:22 AM

This sounds like an interesting exhibit, opening today in D.C.: http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=606058

Thursday October 27, 2005
04:00 PM

Excellent article below. And disheartening as well. Canada looks better every day.

Thursday October 27, 2005
12:18 PM

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1026-26.htm

Thursday October 27, 2005
11:05 AM

A brilliant analysis-yes, this is nauseating and very, very disheartening. Humanity continues to be sacrificed to fear, corruption, and lies. Thank you for your post.

Wednesday October 26, 2005
07:08 PM

From Mike Maloy, at Air America Radio: Once again the Republicans in the US House demonstrate their thorough and complete disrespect for not only the rule of law as determined by two hundred years of federal and state legal codes and court rulings, but also for the civilized ideas found in all contemporary texts that have sought to differentiate between primitive, "religious" law and those laws instituted by educated, evolved, enlightened citizens. Now, it's the death penalty. A little-noticed provision in the House bill that reauthorized the antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act would allow federal prosecutors further attempts at a death sentence if a capital jury deadlocks on the punishment. So long as at least one juror voted for death, prosecutors could impanel a new sentencing jury and argue again that execution was warranted. This idea is as corrupt and primal as Islamic Sharia law or the perversion of law as used by Christians in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, or by the Hebrew codes found in the biblical texts of Leviticus and Exodus The provision was introduced as part of an amendment to the bill in July by Representative John Carter, Republican of Texas. Mr. Carter, a former Texas trial judge, called it a "commonsense clarification to the federal death penalty" and said it was supported by the Justice Department. Only Republicans, the party of "Christ," the party of death, the party of war and destruction, the party of greed, lust, avarice and gluttony, only the Republican Party could conceive of such a legal outrage. While normal Americans may be disgusted by this sick idea, the "Christian" Right will applaud this "clarification" of the death penalty phase of a criminal trial. Is there, then, nothing in American culture that the Republican Christo-fascists will not attempt to corrupt, destroy, devolve or pervert? Honor, justice, compassion, truth, dignity, privacy, respect, love, spirituality; all of these higher human concepts are being attacked and denigrated by people who will insist, again and again, that they are bearing witness to the wonder of the love of Jesus. This is so unbelievably sick.

Wednesday October 26, 2005
04:54 PM

White House tells "The Onion" to stop using the official seal: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/26/odd.onion.reut/index.html

Tuesday October 25, 2005
07:04 PM

And the sad stories keep coming in from Iraq: http://tinyurl.com/e3qg6

Tuesday October 25, 2005
07:04 PM

True heroism-http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=30964

Tuesday October 25, 2005
07:02 PM

Vidal in the Nation-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/cooper

Monday October 24, 2005
08:34 PM

Brilliant article! http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1024-20.htm

Sunday October 23, 2005
08:09 PM

Both entries below are as fascinating as they are brilliant, and each provokes a public discourse that needs to be addressed further. Kudos to both authors for their well-articulated insights! JY

Sunday October 23, 2005
07:49 PM

Fascinating entries!

Sunday October 23, 2005
07:41 PM

I found this artist's work very interesting. It's amazing how different a person is with, and then without their clothing. Run your mouse over the images. Click on them to get a different perspective. You can also slow the movement of the images by running your mouse slightly in the opposite direction of the movement. Here is the artust's statment: THE NUDE The Nude is a well-known exercise of the artistic process. It helps the studend built a relationship between various styles of strokes and the human anatomy, the scientific norm. Although nudity has evolved over the ages, it will always be a symptom of our ambivalent relation to images, halfway between the purity of the body and the downfall of it, whether this downfall be tattered canvas or in the ground. But what is the nude hiding? What lies between what can and can't be seen? For example in works such as: "The Origin of the World" (Courbet, 1866) and "Etant donnes: 1. La chute d'eau, 2. Le gaz d'eclairage" (Duchamp, 1946-1966), we find an interstice, a fissure where the world finds its origin, its sexuality. The sensuality of the nude is an esthetical concern, which can only be grasped from a distance. An eye touched by a body becomes blind. At first sight, it seems that in this age we have standardised nudity, however, obscenity is still present in female bodies. Clothed and hidden they forbid men's blind gazes. If art is to lay bare one's body and soul, if its role is both to veil and unveil in a single gesture, where is our nudity today? What is a nude when a body can be cloned and nano-technologies penetrate our flesh? And what relates a generalised nudity and the other form of bareness, which is dictated by the aesthetic? And here is the link: http://incident.net/hors/nu/miseanu/

Sunday, October 23, 2005-

Great civilizations should always have great libraries. Libraries are a source of knowledge, education, entertainment, and an outlet for reflection. Most of my education comes from library books, really. I always feel at home in a library as well. Yesterday I spent some time in the Martin Luther King Jr Library in Washington DC and was really saddened. This place is literally falling apart. All around DC is massive development, yet they cannot fix up this library, which has an excellent selection of 16 mm films, wonderful books, and a plethora of materials. I had to go down dark corridors, climb stairs, push open doors without doorknobs to find what I was looking for; but I was not dismayed; I managed to find what I was searching for. I imagine many do the same, but what does this say about our nations capital ? CL

Saturday October 22, 2005
11:09 AM

disturbing, but worth reading-http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2361/

Friday October 21, 2005
11:46 PM

great article! thanks!

Friday October 21, 2005
11:43 PM

Check out the new pictures on Cecile's page. cool stuff.

Friday October 21, 2005
08:54 PM

this is good-http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/alterman

Thursday October 20, 2005
11:40 AM

I wonder how swift and competent the government response will be when this next hurricane hits brother Jeb's state.

Thursday October 20, 2005
01:01 AM

The article on the stolen elections was excellent. Thanks for posting it here. Now, here's something else you may find interesting. This one's about a month or so old, but still, very pertinent. Here is the link: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0915-28.htm

Wednesday October 19, 2005
02:12 PM

Thanks for those links!

Wednesday October 19, 2005
02:12 PM

Thanks for those links!

Tuesday October 18, 2005
07:50 PM

Interesting, yet very disturbing: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1018-31.htm

Tuesday October 18, 2005
07:23 PM

Much to consider in this piece: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1018-22.htm

Tuesday October 18, 2005
10:25 AM

Vote to end the war in Massachusetts! http://tinyurl.com/bdgqv

Monday October 17, 2005
11:54 PM

Further evidence of Halliburton's corruption: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1017-25.htm

Monday October 17, 2005
12:28 PM

something to consider-http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/07/opinion/edsmiers.php

Monday October 17, 2005
09:00 AM

And I plan on spending the day sipping coffee and walking the streets of New York, stopping by once in while to encourage the contestants (all 30.000 of them)...C.

Sunday October 16, 2005
11:15 AM

Thanks, I plan to spend some wonderful hours on the couch after the race. CL

Saturday October 15, 2005
02:52 PM

Run like the wind. Stopping before the finish line is not an option. I'll be rooting for you from my couch...

Friday October 14, 2005
10:38 PM

Doesn't it just figure that the U.S. would consider this a viable solution? Yeah, simply have China become as materialistic and improvident as we are and you'll surely begin to see the trade deficit resolve itself. With such characteristically obtuse ideology at the forefront of this administration, is it any wonder the U.S. is in such dire straits? JY http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2005/10/13/PM200510131.html

Friday October 14, 2005
10:12 PM

How can they say that the arts don't benefit everyone, but only a select few? Very unsettling: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4956854

Thursday October 13, 2005
08:15 PM

Halong glacier in China, 24 years between the two pictures(from Greenpeace).

Thursday October 13, 2005
08:09 PM

And more proof in images: http://tinyurl.com/awpde C.

Thursday October 13, 2005
09:57 AM

More proof-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/12/AR2005101202498.html

Monday October 10, 2005
10:37 PM

Another instance of big pharma manipulation and greed: http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1007-06.htm

Sunday October 09, 2005
01:47 PM

A glorious run today! Pushing 3 hours...Finally a bit cooler as well. CL

Saturday October 08, 2005
07:11 PM

A fascinating topic these days http://www.bookforum.com/aronson.html

Saturday October 08, 2005
11:08 AM

I agree.

Friday October 07, 2005
12:15 AM

Though I concur with Jarvis's final descriptive of this incident, I can certainly think of more direct, unbridled adjectives to convey the blatant idiocy behind this "investigation." JY http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1006-25.htm

Thursday October 06, 2005
07:56 PM

Some headline..as if Bush won't pardon him if it comes to that: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/06/cialeak.rove.ap/index.html

Wednesday October 05, 2005
11:21 PM

It baffles me that a nation so hell-bent on preserving the right to bear arms, thus granting crime a greater chance for occurrence and "success," should be so vociferously opposed to allowing the terminally ill the choice of a dignified passing. In other words, it's fine to put firearms in the hands of practically anyone in this country, which in turn enables one more person to commit a mortal crime, to annihilate another human being in the prime of their life, but if a physician or family member evokes an act of compassion such as indicated in this segment, to mercifully relieve the excruciating pain and suffering of a DYING patient, then they are guilty of a crime commensurate with murder. Tell me in which scenario there is a true lack of humanity? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4946763

Wednesday October 05, 2005
11:09 PM

This is definitely needed! http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1005-28.htm

Wednesday October 05, 2005
02:26 PM

Excellent article-thanks for the link.

Tuesday October 04, 2005
02:45 AM

The American medical community can learn much from its European counterparts. THIS very practice is one major reason why prescription counts are on the rise each year, much to the glee of all those unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051017/moynihan

Monday October 03, 2005
10:51 PM

I sure hope they are going out of style:

http://tinyurl.com/9vcec

Monday October 03, 2005
06:12 PM

It's all about the money and the exploitation it perpetuates, isn't it? Let's be frank, these contractors and the such are not over in Iraq to fulfill some noble, altruistic obligation to their fellow human beings. No, they are there for one reason alone: to make money off of the destruction and misery of a desecrated nation and her citizens. Oh shameful, bloodthirsty avarice... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4934504

Sunday October 02, 2005
07:08 PM

The cool weather has not arrived just yet, but I share your enthusiasm. CL

Saturday October 01, 2005
04:20 PM

Ahhh...the cool weather is upon us!

Saturday October 01, 2005
03:16 PM

I wish it would rain all day long...

Saturday October 01, 2005
03:16 PM

I wish it would rain

Thursday September 29, 2005
08:46 PM

Yet more evidence for global warming caused by greenhouse gases: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/09/28/arctic.melting.reut/index.html

Thursday September 29, 2005
01:56 PM

And since we are on the subject of Russia: http://tinyurl.com/8bzds C.

Thursday September 29, 2005
01:54 PM

Another article about Russia: http://tinyurl.com/c9y6z C.

Thursday September 29, 2005
12:09 PM

A good article-depressing topic-http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1580263,00.html

Sunday September 25, 2005
02:46 PM

An amusing little video about the idiot in the White House: http://tinyurl.com/c2zqs

Sunday September 25, 2005
10:24 AM

It is a lovely city...http://observer.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,1577597,00.html CL

Saturday September 24, 2005
08:44 AM

excellent insight JY!

Friday September 23, 2005
10:34 PM

Tell me what's wrong with picture: As I was driving about this evening, I heard on the radio that one of the areas Rita is bearing down upon is a portion of Texas that hosts a number of oil refineries. The foremost implication is obvious. If you thought oil companies were gouging prices in the wake of Katrina's onslaught, you'd better brace yourself for the gasoline mayhem that will result from this storm. There are predictions that prices will quickly eclipse $4 per gallon. Yet, this really isn't what caught my attention in this particular segment. What shook, nay, enraged me was the fact that juxtaposed right next to these refineries that perpetually pump billions of dollars into their corporations' purses is one of Texas's most impoverished areas, dotted with squalid structures situated on "cinderblocks." How can anyone explain this disparity? It is perhaps this image, more than any other, that shamefully metaphorizes the disdain of the wealthy for the plight of the poor and underprivileged. There are hard, valuable lessons to be learned from these disasters and the horrid images and testimonials begotten from their destruction, but is anyone listening? JY

Friday September 23, 2005
10:07 PM

America, wake up and pay attention: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0923-22.htm

Friday September 23, 2005
04:42 PM

For all who are protesting tomorrow, I voice my opposition through your words and signify my malcontent through your gestures. If only I could be there standing with you, side-by-side...JY

Friday September 23, 2005
04:38 PM

So, tell me what's the problem with Socialism? An idea like this would be quashed from the outset in Corporate America. Sad, sad, sad... http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0918-24.htm

Friday September 23, 2005
04:35 PM

The media migrates back toward Bush's dark corner: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0917-29.htm

Friday September 23, 2005
04:34 PM

America needs opposition figures like this! http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0919-21.htm

Friday September 23, 2005
01:58 AM

The original posting was lost. Here is the article: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051010/olds

Friday September 16, 2005
11:12 AM

Thank you, C!

Friday September 16, 2005
08:36 AM

I really like the new Traces, Set list and Cinema pages. C.

Friday September 16, 2005
02:31 AM

We all know which country will lead the way in exploiting this law to the fullest. This is yet another tool the U.S. will use to both persecute and prosecute dissenters and protesters. Mortifying!!!

Friday September 16, 2005
01:54 AM

A great outdoor run last evening. The cool, evening air is slowly making its reappearance! JY

Thursday September 15, 2005
05:28 PM

Sad very sad.

Thursday September 15, 2005
12:29 AM

The Supreme Court left a lot to be desired before, but with Roberts on board, it's kiss your civil liberties goodbye.

Thursday September 15, 2005
12:21 AM

On the Six Party Nuclear talks: North Korea is willing to compromise and eradicate its nuclear weapons program, on the condition that they be allowed to cultivate nuclear power as a viable energy source. China, Russia, and South Korea are willing to consider this proposal, but what about the U.S.? FAT CHANCE! How much more blatantly arrogant can the U.S. be in its intransigence? I don't understand how the U.S. can expect the global community to abide by non-proliferation agreements when it openly practices its own nuclear "fortification" with impunity. Unbelieveable!!!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

I took this photo a few weeks ago-more to come. CL

Monday September 12, 2005
02:02 PM

looks good.

Monday September 12, 2005
09:16 AM

C, Many thanks for the compliment! This is just the beginning! JY

Monday September 12, 2005
08:28 AM

layout? (C.)

Monday September 12, 2005
08:28 AM

Nice lay-out! C.

Saturday September 10, 2005
11:32 PM
Yes looking forward to it JY...The Twisted Turtle and the Bomb Shell Blonde are waiting. CL

Saturday September 10, 2005
10:37 AM
Excellent conversation at Franklin's last night! Look for uploads of discussions in the near future! JY

Saturday September 10, 2005
01:22 AM
History, along with its subtexts, has a chilling tendency to repeat itself. Unfortunately, few heed its warnings and prognostications. JY http://www.neumu.net/dailyreport/

Saturday September 10, 2005
01:12 AM
Let's hope this is what will shape the reconstruction: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0909-27.htm JY

Friday September 09, 2005
06:12 PM
Words of great wisdom: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0908-34.htm

Friday September 09, 2005
03:09 PM
In case anyone missed this: http://tinyurl.com/cvn4w C.

Thursday September 08, 2005
07:43 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial/08orleans.html?hp&ex=1126238400&en=a7ff2832a9df65b3&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Thursday September 08, 2005
06:12 PM
Thanks for the link! The photos are amazing. I am looking forward to seeing more- JY excellent as always. CL

Thursday September 08, 2005
12:07 PM
Yet another outrage! This is why I have very little hope that anything positive can come from the recent disaster. It was not long ago at all that Pat Robertson showed his true character when he made those preposterous-very unChristian-comments concerning Hugo Chavez. Now, he is at the top of FEMA's list for charity conduits?! So you see, though everyone is now railing against the Bush administration-as well they should-what will people be saying later? It seems to me that Washington will somehow spin this whole bureaucratic fiasco into a bed of roses for that idiot Bush. And he's going to personally lead an investigation into his own administration's gross mishandling of the rescue/relief effort? Come on, now, we all know what THAT investigation will turn up! Even the New Orleans's mayor, who was infurated at the fedreal government in the immediate wake of Katrina, has turned down his vitriol toward the government for its egregious abandonment. I guess people just need to stay pissed off in order to exact ANY change for the better. Is it really any wonder why we are in such a state as evidenced by this disaster? JY http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050919/blumenthal

Wednesday September 07, 2005
10:51 PM
I hope folks here won't mind my doing this, but I wanted to post a link to my new photography web site. If you visit, you'll see that there is a lot more soon to come (hopefully soon, that is). Here is the link: http://www.earthshots.net

Wednesday September 07, 2005
10:05 PM
This is really indicative of the corporate philosophy that characterizes American capitalism. Of course the oil companies are guilty of price gouging, yet the fact that nothing was done to prevent this is a greater outrage. The government allowed for this to happen, plain and simple. It doesn't require any great economic analysis to predict what will happen in a situation as was presented last week: corporations will exploit human suffering with impunity, lining their deep pockets with the profits reaped from devastation and misery. That congress NOW threatens to act after the fact is a joke, nothing more than a window dressing gesture not worth its weight in...anything. I heard a great editorial on marketplace last week that addressed this very issue, in which the commentator called for government scrutiny of the oil industry's blatant cupidity. Unfortunately, his words were for naught. I hope America sees in the end how its insatiable fuel dependence (measured by its demand for gas guzzling, way-oversized vehicles) is unraveling its very ability to survive. Will this deter people from making the same mistakes and foolish choices? I seriously doubt it, but there is always room for hope. JY http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4835836

Wednesday September 07, 2005
09:42 PM
Great articles below from the past several days in the wake of the Katrina tragedy. Certainly a commensurate disaster is this administration's response to the horrific events of last week. Hard lessons were presented to all of us, but will we truly listen and demand change and accountability? I hope so...JY

Wednesday September 07, 2005
04:24 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/opinion/04rich.html?incamp=article_popular

Wednesday September 07, 2005
12:15 AM
Barbara Bush shows her (and her family's) true colors: http://tinyurl.com/8b4le

Tuesday September 06, 2005
10:57 PM
Well this is clever-http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1564257,00.html

Sunday September 04, 2005
05:44 PM
Excellent New York Times article...thanks for posting it.

Sunday September 04, 2005
11:13 AM
Donate, if you can-http://www.redcross.org/

Saturday September 03, 2005
01:38 PM
Another brilliant piece here- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/03/opinion/03dowd.html

Friday, September 2, 2005-A decent editorial in the post- CL

Thursday September 01, 2005
10:55 PM
Why am I not surprised by this Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Katrina comes home to roost

Thursday September 01, 2005
06:13 PM
This is really, really depressing http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/national/nationalspecial/01cnd-storm.html?hp&ex=1125633600&en=d2abfacae2d859f8&ei=5094&partner=homepage.

Wednesday August 31, 2005
10:22 AM

Destroying the National Parks: http://tinyurl.com/7skcn

Wednesday August 31, 2005
02:06 AM