Poet's Nook: "Child" by e.alexander

I heard it somewhere
Or perhaps read it some time ago
That one can tell of the state of a nation
By the simple observation of how the children
Are treated, cherished, loved, protected.


My heart cries not from sentimentality
But from an elixir of anger, despair & loss
Couched in our cruel indifference and blindness
We tarry on with our disconnected- stylized lives.. comatose
Shielded from the wailing and thrashing of our children..destroyed
By the scarlet hands of marooned fools we thoughtlessly
Call by a multitude of innocuous names (security forces, peace keepers..)


Frame misery, death, heart-break, a sea of tears
Around your child, niece, nephew, little cousin or friend
With arcs of wild brutality cascading on his/her little form
Last gasps taken, eyes glazed as their soul flees this dungeon of human convention…as
Pitiful reports from the field speak of the “necessary price to pay”
As mothers clutch their hearts, wrecked by love dying and dead before their hollowed eyes.

What are we becoming?
Why are we allowing ourselves to be stripped of our humanity?
Where is the indignation not to mention the exclamations of Truth to Power?-
Led to our slaughter by the numbing themes of Entertainment Tonight, CNN & ESPN (?)
While oceans away a farmer and father of two from Korea laments,
"All we have to eat are these watermelons. Once they are finished, that's it".

Delve into a child’s eyes
And be silenced by the magnitude of what’s found there.
In Ghandi, we heard, “We must become the change we wish to see”
All intentions and talk are hollow graves awaiting our fall
Cease, reflect and act upon righteous seeds without fear
For there is much to do and undo for our mutilated innocents…..


This is my prayer.

Top 25 Censored Stories of 2006

#1 Bush Administration Moves to Eliminate Open Government
#2 Media Coverage Fails on Iraq: Fallujah and the Civilian Death

#3 Another Year of Distorted Election Coverage

#4 Surveillance Society Quietly Moves In
#5 U.S. Uses Tsunami to Military Advantage in Southeast Asia

#6 The Real Oil for Food Scam

#7 Journalists Face Unprecedented Dangers to Life and Livelihood

#8 Iraqi Farmers Threatened By Bremer’s Mandates

#9 Iran’s New Oil Trade System Challenges U.S. Currency
#10 Mountaintop Removal Threatens Ecosystem and Economy

#11 Universal Mental Screening Program Usurps Parental Rights

#12 Military in Iraq Contracts Human Rights Violators

#13 Rich Countries Fail to Live up to Global Pledges

#14 Corporations Win Big on Tort Reform, Justice Suffers

#15 Conservative Plan to Override Academic Freedom in the Classroom

#16 U.S. Plans for Hemispheric Integration Include Canada

#17 U.S. Uses South American Military Bases to Expand Control of the Region

#18 Little Known Stock Fraud Could Weaken U.S. Economy

#19 Child Wards of the State Used in AIDS Experiments

#20 American Indians Sue for Resources; Compensation Provided to Others

#21 New Immigration Plan Favors Business Over People

#22 Nanotechnology Offers Exciting Possibilities But Health Effects Need Scrutiny

#23 Plight of Palestinian Child Detainees Highlights Global Problem

#24 Ethiopian Indigenous Victims of Corporate and Government Resource Aspirations

#25 Homeland Security Was Designed to Fail 

-MixMasterE

Musings

 




I have named the destroyers of nations:
comfort, plenty, and security -
out of which grow a bored and slothful cynicism,
in which rebellion against the world as it is,
and myself as I am,
are submerged in listless....

self-satisfaction.

-John Steinbeck

.....2 minutes of silence...

                      http://adbusters.org/campaigns/twominutesofsilence/

Remembering Gary Webb by MixMasterE

Gary Webb, the Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who exposed evidence that the CIA supported the importation of cocaine into the United States which fueled the crack-cocaine epidemic in many US cities in the 80's/90's, died less than a year ago from an apparent suicide. His book, 'Dark Alliance" was blistering and sent shockwaves through the African-American community and sparked rallies, protests, and demonstrations. What African-Americans knew all along was vindicated by congressional investigations and two CIA Inspector General's reports released in 1997 and 1998.

http://www.gnn.tv/videos/viewer.php?id=30&n=1

http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/webb.html

This is no aberration. This twisted involvememt goes all the way back to 1947 when the CIA was formed. If this sounds like some vacuous conspiracy theory, perhaps a more mainstream source can aid in this matter: The Congressional Record: http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_cr/980507-l.htm

More footnotes here: http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott/q.html
http://www.newscentralasia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=1476
http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/091505Hogue.shtml
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/8/7/161354/7903
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=377

Guiding Posts

I love quotations. Like a Japanese haiku poem, they can instill deep reflection and an altered way of looking at the world ( and at oneself as well ). In few words, the vastness of Life becomes apparent. Or, to quote a famous Dharma saying," One drop reveals the ocean"...


Here are a few of my favorites:

George Orwell

Circus dogs jump when the trainer cracks his whip, but the really well-trained dog is the one that turns his somersault when there is no whip.

Aristotle

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Gandhi

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.

Voltaire
As long as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities.

Sami Abdul-Rahman
Conquerors always call themselves liberators.

Louis Brandeis
The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning, but without understanding.

Albert Camus
There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.

Albert Einstein

"It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."

Ruben Feldman Gonzalez

The only way to end all wars is the inner peace of each one of us.

Richard Feynman

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool.

Michael Franti

"You can bomb the world into pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace."

Thucydides, Greek historian

The strong do as they please; the weak accept what they must.

Martin Luther King
I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism

Martin Luther King Jr.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrows.

James Russell Lowell
He who is firmly seated in authority soon learns to think security, and not progress, the highest lesson of statecraft.

George Orwell
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"

Bertrand Russell

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so.

Robert Louis Stevenson

The cruelest lies are often told in silence.

The Ramayana

Three things are real: God, human folly, and laughter. Since the first two are beyond our comprehension, we must do what we can with the third.

Bertrand Russell

A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge

Bertrand Russell
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.

Albert Schweitzer

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.

Peter tosh

"Live for yourself you will live in vain Live for others and you will live again"

OneLove

:::MME::

Homage To A Master by MixMasterE

Stolen King /// © Kadir Nelson /// Courtesy of Art of Color

one ever feels his twoness-an American, a Negro;
two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings;
two warring ideals in one dark body,
whose dogged strength alone keeps it
from being torn asunder.~W. E. B. Du Bois (http://www.duboislc.org/html/DuBoisBio.html)

W.E.B Dubois was arguably one of the greatest intellects of the twentieth century. His deeply penetrating socio-cultural critiques which affected social and political movements worldwide, are still illuminating and indispensable. Below is just a small sample of this man's rare genius.

On Individuality
“The main thing is the YOU beneath the clothes and skin--the ability to do, the will to conquer, the determination to understand and know this great, wonderful, curious world.”

Du Bois On Du Bois

“I am one who tells the truth and exposes evil and seeks with Beauty for Beauty to set the world right.”

On Civilization
“...In the civilized world each serves all, and all serve each, and the binding force is faith and skill, and the skill is bounded only by human possibility and genius, and the faith is faithful even to the untrue.”

On Art and Beauty
“Art is not simply works of art; it is the spirit that knows Beauty, that has music in its soul and the color of sunsets in its headkerchiefs; that can dance on a flaming world and make the world dance, too...”

On Human Nature

“Human nature is not simple and any classification that roughly divides men into good and bad, superior and inferior, slave and free, is and must be ludicrously untrue and universally dangerous as a permanent exhaustive classification.”

On Time

"Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime."

On Determination

There is in this world no such force as the force of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained.

On Tragedy

"Herein lies the tragedy of the age: not that men are poor — all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked — who is good? Not that men are ignorant — what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men."

Click here for his e-books: http://www.thalasson.com/gtn/gtnletD.htm#letD

Thieves We Trust by MixMasterE

Wall Street. The very name commands awe and respect for the intrigues and shadowy nature of its present and past. Most folks, despite the scandals spanning decades, believe that Wall Street is geared toward ordinary investors and that stocks offer a universal path to wealth creation. This myth is highly advantageous for the powerful and wealthy institutions and individuals. The hardcore truth is most Americans have more debt on their credit cards than money in their mutual funds. Barely a third of households hold more than $ 5,000 in stock. Close to 90% of stock market gains consistently go to just the top 10% of households. Yet, when shit hits the fan it is often ordinary investors who feelthe sharpest pain - pain that many will cope with well into retirement.

Is the system rigged to favor the disgustingly rich?

Check out the following Frontline documentary and draw your own conclusions.

You can read the transcripts here, or even better watch the entire program online here. It is highly recommended for anyone that does any investing, especially if you have any lingering beliefs that the system is even remotely fair or honest.

Also, Doug Henwood released his book "Wall Street" to download for free. It is a definite eye-opener: http://www.wallstreetthebook.com/

Musings

Ghandi's Truth by MixMasterE

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)--his singular existence has torched countless souls and social movements with a simple yet paradigm-shifting message of non-violence (love-in-action). In the oppressive and divisive heat of British conquest and imperialism, a diamond heart was molded and released upon the world and into the hearts of countless sojourners.

The following Websites have excellent archives of his work:

Ghandi Resources


Ghandi Resouces II

  

~MixMasterE

Musings

Love the earth and sun and the animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labors to others,
Hate tyrants, argue not concerning God,
Have patience and indulgence toward the people,
Take off your hat to nothing known or unknown,
Or to any man or number of men,
Go freely with powerful uneducated persons,
And with the young and with the mothers of families,
Read these leaves in the open air,
Every season of every year of your life,
Reexamine all you have been told,
At school at church or in any book,
Dismiss whatever insults your own soul,
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.


Whitman, Walt
1819-1892 American Poet
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/whitman/

Eduardo Galeano Speaks by MixMasterE

I have been a fan of Eduardo Galeano ever since I read his book "Upside Down" in which he revealed the inhuman conditions and radical inequalities that sustain the mirage of the New Economy ( See http://www.salon.com/books/review/2000/10/12/galeano/ ).


I particularly enjoyed reading his insights in this interview:




His brilliant mind burns through the many illusions that surround and bombard us on a daily basis. In Upside Down, we are taken on an excursion of joy, pain and the paradoxical absurdity of the human condition. A force to be reckoned with, Eduardo Galeano is a true warrior/rebel soul.

Musings

"Isn't it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties? Perhaps hopelessness is the very soil that nourishes human hope; perhaps one could never find sense in life without first experiencing its absurdity"

-Vaclav Havel


(Thanks GW....I knew you were good for something....)

-MixMasterE

Poet's Nook: "A Letter from Brooklyn" by Derek Walcott

An old lady writes me in a spidery style,
Each character trembling, and I see a veined hand
Pellucid as paper, travelling on a skein
Of such frail thoughts its thread is often broken;
Or else the filament from which a phrase is hung
Dims to my sense, but caught, it shines like steel,
As touch a line and the whole web will feel.
She describes my father, yet I forget her face
More easily than my father's yearly dying;
Of her I remember small, buttoned boots and the place
She kept in our wooden church on those Sundays
Whenever her strength allowed;
Grey-haired, thin-voiced, perpetually bowed.

"I am Mable Rawlins," she writes, "and know both your parents";
He is dead, Miss Rawlins, but God bless your tense:
"Your father was a dutiful, honest,
Faithful, and useful person.
"For such plain praise what fame is recompense?
"A horn-painter, he painted delicately on horn,
He used to sit around the table and paint pictures.
"The peace of God needs nothing to adornIt, nor glory nor ambition.
"He is twenty-eight years buried," she writes, "he was called home,
And is, I am sure, doing greater work."
The strength of one frail hand in a dim room
Somewhere in Brooklyn, patient and assured,
Restores my sacred duty to the Word.
"Home, home," she can write, with such short time to live,
Alone as she spins the blessings of her years;
Not withered of beauty if she can bring such tears,
Nor withdrawn from the world that breaks its lovers so;
Heaven is to her the place where painters go,
All who bring beauty on frail shell or horn,
There was all made, thence their lux-mundi drawn,
Drawn, drawn, till the thread is resilient steel,
Lost though it seems in darkening periods,
And there they return to do work that is God's.

So this old lady writes, and again I believe.
I believe it all, and for no man's death I grieve.

Creeping Fascism In The USA by MixMasterE

"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised as 100 percent Americanism."
-Huey P. Long


"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power".
- Benito Mussolini


Recently, I have been somewhat preoccupied with the notion of fascism rearing its ugly head in the US in a more sinister yet altered form such that most people will not be able to admit that it is an impending threat. I am no conspiracy theorist or reckless alarmist, however, I am noticing something in our media and in the way in which this Administration in particular is attempting to stack the deck against the decent, hard-working citizens of this land. What's more alarming and chilling is the fact that a lot of people are hanging their critical faculties out to dry and mindlessly ranting off spoon-fed information hot off the military-industrial/corporate press. Indeed, anti-intellectualism is as robust and arrogant as ever.


Check out the following link and draw your own conclusions:

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

http://www.publiceye.org/eyes/whatfasc.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/Fascism.html

http://adbusters.org/the_magazine/62/Creeping_Fascism.html

http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/09/far04031.html

An unsettled mind is one of our greatest assets. Bertrand Russell speaks of  truth and opinion in the quest of finding meaning in this world when he says,


"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible."

Stay alert.

Proverbs From The Motherland by MixMasterE

The languages of Africa are rich in proverbs. Despite the colossal ignorance (especially in the West) of Africa and Africans, the peoples of Africa continue to carry on their rich legacy of unsurpassed wit and wisdom which more than proves that African cultures, in their many articulations, have throughout history been dynamic, malleable, plastic. ( In fact, before there was even a Europe to speak of, African civilizations were thriving and quite old. See
http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline2.htm
for a very good time-line on this topic). The fact that so much has been stolen from Africa and her children and claimed by others as theirs to begin with is perhaps one of the saddest tragedies in the annals of human societies. Still, the light of truth and wisdom remains in the heart and soul of Africa's children, and in that light, I present some wise sayings of Earth's first humans:


Talking doesn't fill the basket in the farm (Success requires planning and hard work.)
.
Don't insult the crocodile until you cross the water. (Be careful about criticizing others.)
.
Only a knife knows what the inside of a coco-yam looks like. (Those who investigate and research something understand the subject.)
.
A big blanket encourages sleeping in the morning. (Luxury encourages Idleness. If you have worked hard and made wise choices, you will find contentment.)
.
A bird that is eating guinea-corn keeps quiet. (Someone going about his regular business will not create a disturbance. Dedicate yourself to a task.)
.
Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway. (Don't invite trouble.)
.
A hippopotamus can be made invisible in dark water. (Ignorance can lead to potential danger. It is important to be informed and alert.)
.
If your house is burning, there is not time to go hunting. (Priorities are important in planning activities.)...
.
For more, click here.
.
Peace
 

Evolving Brains

(BBC News reported the following which I found quite interesting)


'Proof' Our Brains Are Evolving


The changes presumably confer a survival benefit,University scientists say they have found strong proof that the human brain is still evolving.


By comparing modern man with our ancestors of 37,000 years ago, the Chicago team discovered big changes in two genes linked to brain size. One of the new variants emerged only 5,800 years ago yet is present in 30% of today's humans, they believe.
This is very short in evolutionary terms, suggesting intense selection pressures, they told Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/309/5741/1662)


Survival Benefit


Each gene variant emerged around the same time as the advent of so called "cultural" behaviours. The microcephalin variant appeared along with the emergence of traits such as art and music, religious practices and sophisticated tool-making techniques, which date back to about 50,000 years ago.


It is now present in about 70% of humans alive today.


The other, called the ASPM variant, originated at a time that coincides with the spread of agriculture, settled cities and the first record of written language. It gives us a clue to perhaps follow up on and try and understand why they emerged Cognitive neurologists
said the big question was whether the genetic evolution seen had actually caused the cultural evolution of humans or was merely chance. Their hunch is that it might have something to do with the important role that these genes play in brain size, but stressed that did not necessarily mean better intelligence.
"Just because these genes are still evolving doesn't necessarily mean they make you any smarter," said Dr Lahn.


Ongoing Changes


But he added: "Our studies indicate that the trend that is the defining characteristic of human evolution - the growth of brain size and complexity - is likely still ongoing.
"If our species survives for another million years or so, I would imagine that the brain by then would show significant structural differences from the human brain of today."
The researchers said the next step was to examine whether biological differences imparted by the genetic differences caused natural selection to favour that variation over others.
They must have conferred some evolutionary advantage, such as a desired change in cognition, personality, motor control or resilience to neurological or psychiatric diseases, they said.
Dr Geraint Rees, a cognitive neurologist at University College London and Wellcome Trust senior research fellow, said: "It's very interesting.
"I do find it surprising that they can pinpoint these changes to a point relatively recently in evolutionary history.
"It gives us a clue to perhaps follow up on and try and understand why they emerged at that time and what the consequences were."
He said it would be too big a leap now to conclude that the genetic changes were responsible for some of the cultural changes we have seen, such as the emergence of agriculture. "But that's a tantalising prospect," he said.

On Ambition

It never fails to amaze me the depths some people will go to rise to the top. What particularly gets under my skin are the characters who seem to be getting along with their colleagues then behind their backs cut them down in the most vicious way. It is these types of characters who invariably get promoted and are sometimes held in high esteem especially by their superiors. Still, I listen to their diatribe against person X and oftentimes find myself defending that person in a way that doesn't seem like I am taking sides. What experience has taught me is that the folks who tend to gossip the most about other people end up gossiping about you to other people as well. Also, the ones who do most of the work in any particular organization oftentimes are not the ones promoted--instead the gossipers, the ones rubbing elbows with their superiors and falsely taking credit for other people's work are catapulted to the top. Meritocracy is a sham, for the most part ( see http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/v21/merit.htm and http://www.economist.com/world/na/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3518560)


Why is this?


I think that naked ambition has always been around, especially in times of uncertainty. This moral corruption is understandable if detestable. It becomes more pronounced in times of high uncertainty and fear of job loss. We are living in such times when corporations can move anywhere in the world and set up shop in some low-wage country to boost their profits, discard workers' rights, lessen their tax liabilities and scrap environmental concerns. In addition, importing workers from underdeveloped countries and paying them much less than what US workers are used to is also quite common.If you add the inherent systemic factors such as racial, gender and age discrimination, then what you have is a potent elixir guaranteed to attack the ethical and moral fiber of many US workers who deeply fear the loss of a means of survival and an accustomed way of life. For many people, this drive for success (ambition) goes into overdrive under these circumstances, devil take the hindmost.


It is my contention that ambition, as a culturally-shaped value which gives meaning to our lives ( be it striving for money, love , honor, fame, etc) has warped into something quite ugly and inhumane in our present day globalized landscape. Absent from this natural inclination to achieve some modicum of success and material security is an ethic of compassion and respect for the dignity of our brothers and sisters. I say this not from a religious point of view but from years of observing human behaviour and reflecting deeply on it. I am reminded again and again of Shakespeare's character Macbeth who first started out as a noble individual but his long time ambition to be King corrupted his character making him succumb to greed, violence and power hunger which eventually led to his downfall (and death). Reading about the downfall of the CEOS from Tyco, Arthur Andersen and Enron (amongst others) shows striking parallels to Shakespeare's timeless observation.


So am I saying that ambition is a social evil? Somewhat. The following quote sums up my feeling on this:


"A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires."--Henry Ward Beecher
Aspire to be whatever your heart so desires, but restrain the run-away power of ambition
and replace it with self-denial:
"Good breeding is the result of good sense, some good nature, and a little self-denial for the sake of others."-- Lord Chesterfield
Absent of strong labor unions, we are really at the mercy of our employers. Most states in the US have at-will employment contracts which ,eans that employers may legally fire you for just about any reason, no reason or even an unfair reason. That's partially because there are relatively few labor laws that protect workers from wrongful termination and none that generally protect from workplace "unfairness" per se. As a consequence, one should expect to see more and more depraved and nakedly ambitious souls cling on to their turf and step on anyone in their path.


My only advice is to stay humble and level-headed and keep learning/working hard. You may be passed over for a promotion and have to take a back-seat to a narcissistic loud-mouth who knows less than you, but in the end you will achieve a much more fufilling prize: Grace.


:::MME:::

Musings

Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.'
And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, 'Joy is greater than sorrow,' and others say, 'Nay, sorrow is the greater.' But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.~~ Kahlil Gibran

The All-Too American Tragedy of New Orleans: Empire, Inequality, Race and Oil (Paul Street)

This is not the America that I grew up in.This is not the America I know and love.I can't believe this is happening in America; it seems more like something from the Third World, like Baghdad or Bangladesh. Such is the incredulous commentary of three corporate media talking heads I've heard reflecting on the terrible events occurring in New Orleans in the tragic wake of tropical storm Katrina. The talking heads are off base. The historic events unfolding in New Orleans are very much about what the (to be a little more specific) United States of America has become. They are the predictable outcome of steep societal disparities and related perverse political and policy priorities that reflect the interrelated and petroleum-soaked imperatives of American Empire and Inequality....(full article)