Vintage Christmas: 1945-1970
View allAll Photos Tagged Cynicism
On the way, I was crowned a king
Felt the wind underneath my wings
I've been high and I've been low
Played the fool and the star of the show
Gone along for a wild ride
And I can say looking in your eyes
That it all would've been a waste
But I found you on the way
I found cynicism, I found criticism
I've been the zero, the hero
And I have been the villain
I lost more than a heart can take
But I found you on the way (On the way)
I found you, I found you
I found you, I found you
It all would've been a waste
But I found you on the way
Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam, Cool, Coolhaven, Little C
Much has already been said and written about Little C. See the previous post for a little sample.
The style of the building complex can partly be traced back to the inherent cynicism of the project developers that created a project that uses the morphology of ultimately very problematic urban districts/housing complexes like The Projects (New York) and the long ago demolished Kowloon (Hong Kong) quarter.
This is number 298 of Zwart/Wit.
2C4 "Tulip" mortars were used by the Russian military during the storming of Luhansk airport in 2014 and during the storming of the Azovstal plant during the battles for Mariupol in 2022.
Міномети 2С4 «Тюльпан» були використані російськими військовими при штурмі Луганського аеропорту у 2014 році та при штурмі заводу «Азовсталь» під час боїв за Маріуполь у 2022 році.
Europe, The Netherlands, Zuid Holland, Rotterdam, Cool, Coolhaven, Little C, Balconies (slightly cut from all sides)
Much has already been said and written about Little C. See the previous post for a little sample.
The style of the building complex can partly be traced back to the inherent cynicism of the project developers that created a project that uses the morphology of ultimately very problematic urban districts/housing complexes like The Projects (New York) -and the long ago demolished Kowloon (Hong Kong) quarter.
This is for now the last of the Little C mini-series.
This is number 1343 of Minimalism / explicit Graphism.
by those who have not got it :-)
George Bernard Shaw
HMM!!
anemone, sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
seriously conflicted about the chairs, this one is totally hallmark, though i love the birds and the still-floating tube. we could also revert to resort cynicism. or cynically resort to reversion.
Wednesday Clancy, May 18 2016
184. Clancy, 3yrs 26wks
Day two of Cousin Duke's visit with us, and a restful moment during our walk this morning.
Here, Duke (at right) is teaching me about two kinds of impatience. First, he said, there's my kind, which I will call 'youthful exuberance' because that sounds so much better than what he called it; then there's his kind of impatience, which he called 'a healthy cynicism', because that sounds so much better than grumpy old fart.
Prescott-Russell Trail, Ottawa, ON
DUKE Clancy: www.flickr.com/photos/130722340@N04/albums/72157674697429824
Narcissism
Today there are few female artists who are more visible to a wide range of international audiences than Yayoi Kusama, who was born in 1929 in Japan. Kusama is a self-taught artist who now chooses to live in a private Tokyo mental health facility, while prolifically producing art in various media in her studio nearby. Her highly constructed persona and self-proclaimed life-long history of insanity have been the subject of scrutiny and critiques for decades. Art historian Jody Cutler places Kusama’s oeuvre “in dialogue with the psychological state known as narcissism,” as “narcissism is both the subject and the cause of Kusama’s art, or in other words, a conscious artistic element related to content.”[1] It is within this context that we examine Kusama and her infamous Narcissus Garden (narcissism is, in part, the egotistic admiration of one's self).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcblR0UUJdw
Her Narcissus Garden continues to live on. It has been commissioned and re-installed at various settings, including the Brazilian business tycoon Bernardo de Mello Paz’s Instituto Inhotim (left), Central Park in New York City, as well as retail booths at art fairs.
The re-creation of Narcissus Garden has erased the notion of political cynicism and social critique; instead, those shiny balls, now made of stainless steel and carrying hefty price tags, have become a trophy of prestige and self-importance. Originally intended as the media for an interactive performance between the artist and the viewer, the objects are now regarded as valuable commodities for display.
The wall behind the Soviet War Memorial on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna was painted blue and yellow on 28 February in solidarity with Ukraine, the victim of the criminal invasion by fascist Russia. This action was instigated by the owners of the property behind the monument, the Schwarzenberg family, and was therefore perfectly legal.
Schwarzenberg is the name of a Franconian-Bohemian noble family that provided many influential statesmen at the imperial Habsburg court in Vienna. The current head of the family, Karel Schwarzenberg ( * 10 December 1937 in Prague), was Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic in 2007-2009 and 2010-2013.
The Russian embassy reacted to this action with the cynicism typical of fascist regimes, writing: "Let it serve as a reminder to all Ukrainians and Austrians that Russians and Ukrainians fought heroically against the Nazi scum in the Red Army, shoulder to shoulder." Thus, they imply that the current so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine is again directed against Nazis, a narrative that is at the core of the brainwashing programme to which the Russian population is subjected. Unfortunately, we are dealing more and more with brainwashed zombies from Russia, but also from Serbia, for example.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_War_Memorial_(Vienna)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Schwarzenberg
kurier.at/chronik/oesterreich/mauer-beim-russen-denmkal-a...
we deliver meals on wheels to this guy's neighbor. gets you thinking about how they all feel about the other side of the fence. it can quickly boil down to property values. if our client passes away, i'm sure his house (with lake views) will get torn down to make room for another mcfarmhouse. at that point, the road will finally score a 10 for respectable, unaffordable structures. on the other hand, cynicism aside, its possible they all actually look out for each other with whatever resources they have. the old man advises them on garden soil amendment, the perfect house people invite him over for thanksgiving and check on him every few days. i'm rambling again but this town is short on actual "hoods" so it got me thinking.
Artwork made for the AFFLATUS Exhibition - THE Edge Art Gallery
Open till Monday, 21st October, 2019
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Purple%20Haze/172/233/24
Come and enjoy the art of very talented artists :)
This is one of my artworks in the series PUPPETS created in collaboration with Eli Medier that gave them a soul with his magical words
MASKS
They have bronze faces
poisonous smiles
Far from real life
from us and from God
They decide for themselves
with cold cynicism
Puppets and puppeteers
they talk only to each other
They sit on the high benches of power
Let's tear off their masks
and celebrate among us
It is the Galois rite
we haven't forgotten it
he has passed this way
and I greeted him
My dear friend
we are always ready
give us the solution
and we will cross the mountains
© Eli Medier
Évariste Galois (25 October 1811 – 31 May 1832) was a French mathematician and political activist. He died at age 20 from wounds suffered in a duel. The true motives behind the duel are still obscure. For more info see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Évariste_Galois
In the poem he is taken as an example of those who fight against conformism and homologation imposed by political power.
(Taken at my SL home)
2C4 "Tulip" mortars were used by the Russian military during the storming of Luhansk airport in 2014 and during the storming of the Azovstal plant during the battles for Mariupol in 2022.
Міномети 2С4 «Тюльпан» були використані російськими військовими при штурмі Луганського аеропорту у 2014 році та при штурмі заводу «Азовсталь» під час боїв за Маріуполь у 2022 році.
Ode to a lazy Sunday and reminiscing of that time of year called Spring, it really does become a noted paradox that we look forward to Christmas and New Year, yet when all that jumping up and down is finished with, Winter truly starts, and by the middle of February, speaking for myself, I yearn for Spring again, which might I add, is my favourite time of year, so thus above I took last July, which I know is actually Summer but still, I was surprise such a full bloom flower beyond May & June.
And so now, on a completely different note, I wanted to let you good people know of a new venture I have engaged in, Trade Republic is an easy to use, fully interactive and trustworthy Investor Platform for Stocks and Shares. I have already put into a couple of quid into XRP and when I next get paid will invest more fully.
Please link of “All My Links” and check it out for yourself, yes that is a referral link and yes, I get a tiny payment at no expense to yourselves, if you sign up, but, here’s the thing, there’s so much cynicism directed at such volleying of one’s money, but better have that investment in your hands when you can do some good with it. Let’s change the world together one coin at a time!
Please do check it out!
In the meantime, I hope everyone is well and so as always thank you! 😊
Today is the 23rd day of Valentine's month of February, and I have to share my love and appreciation for being compassionate and helpful. It is a pleasure to help others and express my gratitude to all those who have helped and continue to help me.
HSS 😊😊😍
*Please, my Sliders Sunday friends, bear with me, due to lack of time, I cannot write any personal notes.
The Beatles - Help!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q_ZzBGPdqE
Compassion
Miller Williams
Have compassion for everyone you meet,
even if they don’t want it. What seems conceit,
bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign
of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.
You do not know what wars are going on
down there where the spirit meets the bone.
Kindness
Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them
Dalai Lama
We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know.
W.H. Auden
All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.
Magic Johnson
Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.
Sai Baba
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
Saint Augustine
Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is.
Jim Morrison
We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.
Orson Welles
With heartfelt and genuine thanks for your kind visit. Have a beautiful day, be well, keep your eyes open, appreciate the beauty surrounding you, enjoy creating, stay safe, and laugh often! ❤️❤️❤️
Photo taken on January 17, 2025, at 17:20:54 op.m.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Lao Tzu
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop
A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.
William Arthur Ward
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
Anon
Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.
Ron Hall
With all of the bad things that are happening in the world right now, I think we need a message of togetherness and true unity. I believe that starts with personal reflection and then we can find kindness toward each other. Marielle Heller
I have long believed that there are fundamentally two forces or emotions that drive our decisions - love and fear. Love has its many manifestations: compassion, gratitude, kindness, and joy. Fear often manifests in cynicism, anger, jealousy, and anxiety. I worry that many of our communities are being driven by fear.
Vivek Murthy
Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.
Robert Green Ingersoll
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. George Sand
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Marcel Proust
You don't teach morals and ethics and empathy and kindness in the schools. You teach that at home, and children learn by example.
Judy Sheindlin
With heartfelt and genuine thanks for your kind visit. Have a beautiful day, be well, keep your eyes open, appreciate the beauty surrounding you, enjoy creating, and stay safe! ❤️❤️❤️
"Romantic love is useless to beings who do not need to physically procreate", Said the Cruel Seraph. At a forgotten shrine, the people disagreed. If cynicism would take them to heaven, it was not a heaven worth going to.
Bio-Cup round 2, 9 circles of hell, Heresy. More on Cyclopic Bricks.
Selma, AL | March 04, 2007
"Here today, I must begin because at the Unity breakfast this morning I was saving for last and the list was so long I left him out after that introduction. So I'm going to start by saying how much I appreciate the friendship and the support and the outstanding work that he does each and every day, not just in Capitol Hill but also back here in the district. Please give a warm round of applause for your Congressman Artur Davis.
It is a great honor to be here. Reverend Jackson, thank you so much. To the family of Brown A.M.E, to the good Bishop Kirkland, thank you for your wonderful message and your leadership.
I want to acknowledge one of the great heroes of American history and American life, somebody who captures the essence of decency and courage, somebody who I have admired all my life and were it not for him, I'm not sure I'd be here today, Congressman John Lewis.
I'm thankful to him. To all the distinguished guests and clergy, I'm not sure I'm going to thank Reverend Lowery because he stole the show. I was mentioning earlier, I know we've got C.T. Vivian in the audience, and when you have to speak in front of somebody who Martin Luther King said was the greatest preacher he ever heard, then you've got some problems.
And I'm a little nervous about following so many great preachers. But I'm hoping that the spirit moves me and to all my colleagues who have given me such a warm welcome, thank you very much for allowing me to speak to you here today.
You know, several weeks ago, after I had announced that I was running for the Presidency of the United States, I stood in front of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois; where Abraham Lincoln delivered his speech declaring, drawing in scripture, that a house divided against itself could not stand.
And I stood and I announced that I was running for the presidency. And there were a lot of commentators, as they are prone to do, who questioned the audacity of a young man like myself, haven't been in Washington too long.
And I acknowledge that there is a certain presumptuousness about this.
But I got a letter from a friend of some of yours named Reverend Otis Moss Jr. in Cleveland, and his son, Otis Moss III is the Pastor at my church and I must send greetings from Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. but I got a letter giving me encouragement and saying how proud he was that I had announced and encouraging me to stay true to my ideals and my values and not to be fearful.
And he said, if there's some folks out there who are questioning whether or not you should run, just tell them to look at the story of Joshua because you're part of the Joshua generation.
So I just want to talk a little about Moses and Aaron and Joshua, because we are in the presence today of a lot of Moseses. We're in the presence today of giants whose shoulders we stand on, people who battled, not just on behalf of African Americans but on behalf of all of America; that battled for America's soul, that shed blood , that endured taunts and formant and in some cases gave -- torment and in some cases gave the full measure of their devotion.
Like Moses, they challenged Pharaoh, the princes, powers who said that some are atop and others are at the bottom, and that's how it's always going to be.
There were people like Anna Cooper and Marie Foster and Jimmy Lee Jackson and Maurice Olette, C.T. Vivian, Reverend Lowery, John Lewis, who said we can imagine something different and we know there is something out there for us, too.
Thank God, He's made us in His image and we reject the notion that we will for the rest of our lives be confined to a station of inferiority, that we can't aspire to the highest of heights, that our talents can't be expressed to their fullest. And so because of what they endured, because of what they marched; they led a people out of bondage.
They took them across the sea that folks thought could not be parted. They wandered through a desert but always knowing that God was with them and that, if they maintained that trust in God, that they would be all right. And it's because they marched that the next generation hasn't been bloodied so much.
It's because they marched that we elected councilmen, congressmen. It is because they marched that we have Artur Davis and Keith Ellison. It is because they marched that I got the kind of education I got, a law degree, a seat in the Illinois senate and ultimately in the United States senate.
It is because they marched that I stand before you here today. I was mentioning at the Unity Breakfast this morning, my -- at the Unity Breakfast this morning that my debt is even greater than that because not only is my career the result of the work of the men and women who we honor here today. My very existence might not have been possible had it not been for some of the folks here today. I mentioned at the Unity Breakfast that a lot of people been asking, well, you know, your father was from Africa, your mother, she's a white woman from Kansas. I'm not sure that you have the same experience.
And I tried to explain, you don't understand. You see, my Grandfather was a cook to the British in Kenya. Grew up in a small village and all his life, that's all he was -- a cook and a house boy. And that's what they called him, even when he was 60 years old. They called him a house boy. They wouldn't call him by his last name.
Sound familiar?
He had to carry a passbook around because Africans in their own land, in their own country, at that time, because it was a British colony, could not move about freely. They could only go where they were told to go. They could only work where they were told to work.
Yet something happened back here in Selma, Alabama. Something happened in Birmingham that sent out what Bobby Kennedy called, 'Ripples of hope all around the world.' Something happened when a bunch of women decided they were going to walk instead of ride the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry, looking after somebody else's children. When men who had PhD's decided that's enough and we're going to stand up for our dignity.
That sent a shout across oceans so that my grandfather began to imagine something different for his son. His son, who grew up herding goats in a small village in Africa could suddenly set his sights a little higher and believe that maybe a black man in this world had a chance.
What happened in Selma, Alabama and Birmingham also stirred the conscience of the nation. It worried folks in the White House who said, “You know, we're battling Communism. How are we going to win hearts and minds all across the world? If right here in our own country, John, we're not observing the ideals set fort in our Constitution, we might be accused of being hypocrites. So the Kennedy's decided we're going to do an air lift. We're going to go to Africa and start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study so they can learn what a wonderful country America is.
This young man named Barack Obama got one of those tickets and came over to this country. He met this woman whose great great-great-great-grandfather had owned slaves; but she had a good idea there was some craziness going on because they looked at each other and they decided that we know that the world as it has been it might not be possible for us to get together and have a child. There was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born. So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama. Don't tell me I'm not coming home to Selma, Alabama.
I'm here because somebody marched. I'm here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I thank the Moses generation; but we've got to remember, now, that Joshua still had a job to do. As great as Moses was, despite all that he did, leading a people out of bondage, he didn't cross over the river to see the Promised Land. God told him your job is done. You'll see it. You'll be at the mountain top and you can see what I've promised. What I've promised to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. You will see that I've fulfilled that promise but you won't go there.
We're going to leave it to the Joshua generation to make sure it happens. There are still battles that need to be fought; some rivers that need to be crossed. Like Moses, the task was passed on to those who might not have been as deserving, might not have been as courageous, find themselves in front of the risks that their parents and grandparents and great grandparents had taken. That doesn't mean that they don't still have a burden to shoulder, that they don't have some responsibilities. The previous generation, the Moses generation, pointed the way. They took us 90% of the way there. We still got that 10% in order to cross over to the other side. So the question, I guess, that I have today is what's called of us in this Joshua generation? What do we do in order to fulfill that legacy; to fulfill the obligations and the debt that we owe to those who allowed us to be here today?
Now, I don't think we could ever fully repay that debt. I think that we're always going to be looking back; but, there are at least a few suggestions that I would have in terms of how we might fulfill that enormous legacy. The first is to recognize our history. John Lewis talked about why we're here today. But I worry sometimes -- we've got black history month, we come down and march every year, once a year, we occasionally celebrate the various events of the civil rights movement, we celebrate Dr. Kings birthday but it strikes me that understanding our history and knowing what it means is an everyday activity.
Now, I don't think we could ever fully repay that debt. I think that we're always going to be looking back, but there are at least a few suggestions that I would have in terms of how we might fulfill that enormous legacy. The first is to recognize our history. John Lewis talked about why we're here today. But I worry sometimes -- we've got black history month, we come down and march every year, once a year. We occasionally celebrate the various events of the Civil Rights Movement, we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, but it strikes me that understanding our history and knowing what it means, is an everyday activity.
Moses told the Joshua generation; don't forget where you came from. I worry sometimes, that the Joshua generation in its success forgets where it came from. Thinks it doesn't have to make as many sacrifices. Thinks that the very height of ambition is to make as much money as you can, to drive the biggest car and have the biggest house and wear a Rolex watch and get your own private jet, get some of that Oprah money. And I think that's a good thing. There's nothing wrong with making money, but if you know your history, then you know that there is a certain poverty of ambition involved in simply striving just for money. Materialism alone will not fulfill the possibilities of your existence. You have to fill that with something else. You have to fill it with the golden rule. You've got to fill it with thinking about others. And if we know our history, then we will understand that that is the highest mark of service.
Second thing that the Joshua generation needs to understand is that the principles of equality that were set fort and were battled for have to be fought each and every day. It is not a one-time thing. I was remarking at the unity breakfast on the fact that the single most significant concern that this justice department under this administration has had with respect to discrimination has to do with affirmative action. That they have basically spent all their time worrying about colleges and universities around the country that are given a little break to young African Americans and Hispanics to make sure that they can go to college, too.
I had a school in southern Illinois that set up a program for PhD's in math and science for African Americans. And the reason they had set it up is because we only had less than 1% of the PhD's in science and math go to African Americans. At a time when we are competing in a global economy, when we're not competing just against folks in North Carolina or Florida or California, we're competing against folks in China and India and we need math and science majors, this university thought this might be a nice thing to do. And the justice department wrote them a letter saying we are going to threaten to sue you for reverse discrimination unless you cease this program.
And it reminds us that we still got a lot of work to do, and that the basic enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, the injustice that still exists within our criminal justice system, the disparity in terms of how people are treated in this country continues. It has gotten better. And we should never deny that it's gotten better. But we shouldn't forget that better is not good enough. That until we have absolute equality in this country in terms of people being treated on the basis of their color or their gender, that that is something that we've got to continue to work on and the Joshua generation has a significant task in making that happen.
Third thing -- we've got to recognize that we fought for civil rights, but we've still got a lot of economic rights that have to be dealt with. We've got 46 million people uninsured in this country despite spending more money on health care than any nation on earth. It makes no sense. As a consequence, we've got what's known as a health care disparity in this nation because many of the uninsured are African American or Latino. Life expectancy is lower. Almost every disease is higher within minority communities. The health care gap.
Blacks are less likely in their schools to have adequate funding. We have less-qualified teachers in those schools. We have fewer textbooks in those schools. We got in some schools rats outnumbering computers. That's called the achievement gap. You've got a health care gap and you've got an achievement gap. You've got Katrina still undone. I went down to New Orleans three weeks ago. It still looks bombed out. Still not rebuilt. When 9/11 happened, the federal government had a special program of grants to help rebuild. They waived any requirement that Manhattan would have to pay 10% of the cost of rebuilding. When Hurricane Andrew happened in Florida, 10% requirement, they waived it because they understood that some disasters are so devastating that we can't expect a community to rebuild. New Orleans -- the largest national catastrophe in our history, the federal government says where's your 10%?
There is an empathy gap. There is a gap in terms of sympathizing for the folks in New Orleans. It's not a gap that the American people felt because we saw how they responded. But somehow our government didn't respond with that same sense of compassion, with that same sense of kindness. And here is the worst part, the tragedy in New Orleans happened well before the hurricane struck because many of those communities, there were so many young men in prison, so many kids dropping out, so little hope.
A hope gap. A hope gap that still pervades too many communities all across the country and right here in Alabama. So the question is, then, what are we, the Joshua generation, doing to close those gaps? Are we doing every single thing that we can do in Congress in order to make sure that early education is adequately funded and making sure that we are raising the minimum wage so people can have dignity and respect?
Are we ensuring that, if somebody loses a job, that they're getting retrained? And that, if they've lost their health care and pension, somebody is there to help them get back on their feet? Are we making sure we're giving a second chance to those who have strayed and gone to prison but want to start a new life? Government alone can't solve all those problems, but government can help. It's the responsibility of the Joshua generation to make sure that we have a government that is as responsive as the need that exists all across America. That brings me to one other point, about the Joshua generation, and that is this -- that it's not enough just to ask what the government can do for us-- it's important for us to ask what we can do for ourselves.
One of the signature aspects of the civil rights movement was the degree of discipline and fortitude that was instilled in all the people who participated. Imagine young people, 16, 17, 20, 21, backs straight, eyes clear, suit and tie, sitting down at a lunch counter knowing somebody is going to spill milk on you but you have the discipline to understand that you are not going to retaliate because in showing the world how disciplined we were as a people, we were able to win over the conscience of the nation. I can't say for certain that we have instilled that same sense of moral clarity and purpose in this generation. Bishop, sometimes I feel like we've lost it a little bit.
I'm fighting to make sure that our schools are adequately funded all across the country. With the inequities of relying on property taxes and people who are born in wealthy districts getting better schools than folks born in poor districts and that's now how it's supposed to be. That's not the American way. but I'll tell you what -- even as I fight on behalf of more education funding, more equity, I have to also say that , if parents don't turn off the television set when the child comes home from school and make sure they sit down and do their homework and go talk to the teachers and find out how they're doing, and if we don't start instilling a sense in our young children that there is nothing to be ashamed about in educational achievement, I don't know who taught them that reading and writing and conjugating your verbs was something white.
We've got to get over that mentality. That is part of what the Moses generation teaches us, not saying to ourselves we can't do something, but telling ourselves that we can achieve. We can do that. We got power in our hands. Folks are complaining about the quality of our government, I understand there's something to be complaining about. I'm in Washington. I see what's going on. I see those powers and principalities have snuck back in there, that they're writing the energy bills and the drug laws.
We understand that, but I'll tell you what. I also know that, if cousin Pookie would vote, get off the couch and register some folks and go to the polls, we might have a different kind of politics. That's what the Moses generation teaches us. Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Go do some politics. Change this country! That's what we need. We have too many children in poverty in this country and everybody should be ashamed, but don't tell me it doesn't have a little to do with the fact that we got too many daddies not acting like daddies. Don't think that fatherhood ends at conception. I know something about that because my father wasn't around when I was young and I struggled.
Those of you who read my book know. I went through some difficult times. I know what it means when you don't have a strong male figure in the house, which is why the hardest thing about me being in politics sometimes is not being home as much as I'd like and I'm just blessed that I've got such a wonderful wife at home to hold things together. Don't tell me that we can't do better by our children, that we can't take more responsibility for making sure we're instilling in them the values and the ideals that the Moses generation taught us about sacrifice and dignity and honesty and hard work and discipline and self-sacrifice. That comes from us. We've got to transmit that to the next generation and I guess the point that I'm making is that the civil rights movement wasn't just a fight against the oppressor; it was also a fight against the oppressor in each of us.
Sometimes it's easy to just point at somebody else and say it's their fault, but oppression has a way of creeping into it. Reverend, it has a way of stunting yourself. You start telling yourself, Bishop, I can't do something. I can't read. I can't go to college. I can't start a business. I can't run for Congress. I can't run for the presidency. People start telling you-- you can't do something, after a while, you start believing it and part of what the civil rights movement was about was recognizing that we have to transform ourselves in order to transform the world. Mahatma Gandhi, great hero of Dr. King and the person who helped create the nonviolent movement around the world; he once said that you can't change the world if you haven't changed.
If you want to change the world, the change has to happen with you first and that is something that the greatest and most honorable of generations has taught us, but the final thing that I think the Moses generation teaches us is to remind ourselves that we do what we do because God is with us. You know, when Moses was first called to lead people out of the Promised Land, he said I don't think I can do it, Lord. I don't speak like Reverend Lowery. I don't feel brave and courageous and the Lord said I will be with you. Throw down that rod. Pick it back up. I'll show you what to do. The same thing happened with the Joshua generation.
Joshua said, you know, I'm scared. I'm not sure that I am up to the challenge, the Lord said to him, every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you. Be strong and have courage, for I am with you wherever you go. Be strong and have courage. It's a prayer for a journey. A prayer that kept a woman in her seat when the bus driver told her to get up, a prayer that led nine children through the doors of the little rock school, a prayer that carried our brothers and sisters over a bridge right here in Selma, Alabama. Be strong and have courage.
When you see row and row of state trooper facing you, the horses and the tear gas, how else can you walk? Towards them, unarmed, unafraid. When they come start beating your friends and neighbors, how else can you simply kneel down, bow your head and ask the Lord for salvation? When you see heads gashed open and eyes burning and children lying hurt on the side of the road, when you are John Lewis and you've been beaten within an inch of your life on Sunday, how do you wake up Monday and keep on marching?
Be strong and have courage, for I am with you wherever you go. We've come a long way in this journey, but we still have a long way to travel. We traveled because God was with us. It's not how far we've come. That bridge outside was crossed by blacks and whites, northerners and southerners, teenagers and children, the beloved community of God's children, they wanted to take those steps together, but it was left to the Joshua's to finish the journey Moses had begun and today we're called to be the Joshua's of our time, to be the generation that finds our way across this river.
There will be days when the water seems wide and the journey too far, but in those moments, we must remember that throughout our history, there has been a running thread of ideals that have guided our travels and pushed us forward, even when they're just beyond our reach, liberty in the face of tyranny, opportunity where there was none and hope over the most crushing despair. Those ideals and values beckon us still and when we have our doubts and our fears, just like Joshua did, when the road looks too long and it seems like we may lose our way, remember what these people did on that bridge.
Keep in your heart the prayer of that journey, the prayer that God gave to Joshua. Be strong and have courage in the face of injustice. Be strong and have courage in the face of prejudice and hatred, in the face of joblessness and helplessness and hopelessness. Be strong and have courage, brothers and sisters, those who are gathered here today, in the face of our doubts and fears, in the face of skepticism, in the face of cynicism, in the face of a mighty river.
Be strong and have courage and let us cross over that Promised Land together. Thank you so much everybody.
God bless you."
I'm sifting through my vacation pics again :o) It brings back some fun memories.
I know this pic is technically not great... but I love it.
There's something about this clock in Grand Central Terminal that I find magical. Maybe it's because I love history and there's SO much of it here. Maybe it's because, despite my ridiculous cynicism, there's a romantic in me somewhere afterall.
At what they do...
I was taken out (under duress, I might add) to the bulb fields at Keukenhof, with the cynical viewpoint that seen one tulip, seen 'em all. How misguided can one person be?
I was just totally blown away... a truly amazing place. I've never seen such beauty... I just hope all the wonderful Dutch people will forgive my earlier cynicism.
"One of the greatest gifts we receive from dogs is the tenderness they evoke in us. The disappointments of life, the injustices, the battering events that are beyond our control, and the betrayals we endure, from those we befriended and loved, can make us cynical and turn our hearts into flint – on which only the matches of anger and bitterness can be struck into flame. By their delight in being with us, the reliable sunniness of their disposition, the joy they bring to playtime, the curiosity with which they embrace each new experience, dogs can melt cynicism,and sweeten the bitter heart.”
― Dean Koontz, A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog
by those who have not got it :-)
George Bernard Shaw
HMM! Character Matters! Vote!
contorted flowering quince, 'Contorta', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina
Happy October Polaroid Week!
Day 1
With everything that's happening in the world right now, I thought this week is a good time to catch up with what I've been working on with the series DIspatches from the dreaming of the next world that I started in 2020. It's about seeing the way out of fractured darkness, and the glimpses of tenuous hypnogogic-like visions that sometimes are hard to grab hold of but can lead to new ideas, new hopes and new ways of being that bring about new tomorrows.
Change is always possible. Peace is always possible.
But I know how impossible it can feel right now. This is my way to keep my own sorrow and cynicism of the world at bay. I hope you know the world needs your light, your love and your humanity. It's crucial right now. <3
________________________
Also, I'm trying out some new workflows with scanning and color correcting this week. I already had to tweak todays images and re-upload. Who else has trouble seeing the flaws of your scan file or color correcting until it's out in the wild? That's me every time ha!
Polaroid Land 195
Polaroid 669, expired
•‘Coloniality’ - the darker side and underlying logic of Modernity (Mignolo, Quijano)
•King Midas - granted his wish to turn everything he touched into gold – consequently starved to death (Greek mythology)
•Knowing ‘… the price of everything and the value of nothing’. Oscar Wild on cynicism
Time running out on our climate, our world - an inevitable cost of Western rationality? truths? beliefs? desires? ignorances? Indifferences? impotencies? cynicisms? economies?
Dhanbad (Inde) - Quand je me suis retrouvé face à cette scène, j’ai immédiatement pensé, non sans un certain cynisme, à la version indienne du tableau « Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe » d'Édouard Manet.
Nous sommes dans le mine de charbon à ciel ouvert la plus proche de Dhanbad, la capitale de l'Etat du Jharkhand. Ici, contrairement au site d'exploitation de Jharia, les mineurs illégaux sont tolérés. Les responsables locaux de la mine ont passé un accord avec eux. Moyennant cinq heures de travail gratuit par jour pour charger les camions de charbon, ils sont autorisés à ramasser du minerai fossile pour leur propre compte.
Sur cette photo, ces illégaux qui ont passé la matinée à travailler pour la compagnie minière, s'accordent une pause déjeuner bien méritée. Dans vingt minutes, ils retourneront au charbon. Pour eux, cette fois.
Cette photo est la dernière prise lors de mon reportage sur les glaneurs de charbon. Le soir, j'étais dans le train de nuit qui me ramenait à Varanasi.
After the effort, comfort
Dhanbad (India) - When I found myself facing this scene, I immediately thought, not without a certain cynicism, of the Indian version of the painting “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe” by Édouard Manet.
We are in the open cast coal mine closest to Dhanbad, the state capital of Jharkhand. Here, unlike the Jharia mining site, illegal miners are tolerated. Local mine officials made an agreement with them. For five hours of free work per day loading coal trucks, they are allowed to collect fossil ore for their own account.
In this photo, these illegal immigrants who spent the morning working for the mining company are taking a well-deserved lunch break. In twenty minutes they will return to the coal. For them this time.
This photo is the last taken during my report on coal gleaners. In the evening, I was on the night train which took me back to Varanasi.
A monument to Georgian-Russian "friendship" in Gudauri. Veritable demonstration of occupier's cynicism.
“Every person has the power to make others happy.
Some do it simply by entering a room;
others by leaving the room.
Some individuals leave trails of gloom;
others, trails of joy.
Some leave trails of hate and bitterness;
others, trails of love and harmony.
Some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism;
others trails of faith and optimism.
Some leave trails of criticism and resignation;
others trails of gratitude and hope.
What kind of trails do you leave?”
William Arthur Ward
The exhibition Faded faces will close at the end of the month. If you haven't visit it or wish to have a last look, hop in the TAXI or read more infos in The Carbone Gallery News
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Visit The Carbone Gallery
Art gallery and dance company
Read Milena Carbone's Second Life stories on Medium
Web : The Carbone Gallery News
One day last summer, I headed out on Alberta's historic Forestry Trunk Road in search of wild horses. I did find some, including this prancing foal, an exuberant youth, utterly free of wear and tear and cynicism.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Dark forces remain in the world, and it falls to good people to eschew cynicism, and to act on their convictions.
Tacchini già morti caricati insieme a quelli vivi in piccole gabbie, da lavoratori clandestini, da aziende che ricevono finanziamenti dall'Europa...
Avidità, cinismo, disprezzo anche per la minima regola etica non solo per gli animali ma anche per l'uomo.
Questo è il retroscena della PAC (Politica Agricola Comune), il volto politico dell’Europa che dovrebbe tutelare il consumatore, e invece tutela e finanzia il produttore.
Already dead turkeys loaded together with live ones into small cages, by illegal workers, by companies that receive funding from Europe...
Greed, cynicism, contempt for even the slightest ethical rule not only for animals but also for humans.
This is the background of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), the political face in Europe that should protect the consumer, and instead protects and finances the producer.
OK! I’ve been dreading doing this since being tagged by Tomi and Andes….I will have my revenge…be assured.
16 Very Specific Things About Me--------UPDATED 1/2011
1) My favorite book of all time is the Webster’s Lexicon Dictionary of the English Language, has been since 7th grade. I have a real love affair with language and words. A very sweet librarian let me actually get away with the outright theft of a very good dictionary in the 8th grade. ( “poor kid…he’s not going to be very popular….“) I still have it.
2) I play the flute (badly), occasionally now. I do not own a single music CD, tape or record….and have never in my life downloaded, purchased (or stolen) any. …but I really like almost all genres of music and like to sing and whistle when I’m alone. I do both pretty well . Silence is good, too! This has changed! I now own some CD's......yay!
3) One of the things that perpetually bothers me most about myself is how I wake up each day KNOWING how naturally selfish and egotistical I am. At least today, after a very late start, I’m beginning to understand the joy and wisdom that comes from actively FORCING myself to do SOMETHING nice for somebody else everyday. I regularly fail at this endeavor, but am also learning not to beat myself up about it. I like myself.
4) I’ve always struggled with the ‘big’ unanswerable questions, a lot. I believe there are many contributing factors to this all-too-human dilemma. 1) I strongly identify with both of my parents’ diametrically opposed views on spirituality. My mom was a catholic, while my dad was “U.S. Navy, Retired”. To be married within the church, was contingent upon his agreement to raise any children (6, I’m #2) produced by this union, within the church. He agreed, and honored his word, but could not help infusing in his children a strong belief in, appreciation for, and a nearly infinite commitment to the wisdom of, well, let’s call it ‘the scientific method”. I grew up eagerly awaiting the next copy of National Geographic and later Scientific American. What is currently the result , (for me), of this ‘experiment’, is that I identify best with the tenets of Zen Buddhism, Deism, and Agnosticism. (Deism holds a slight lead) However, only firmly enough to discuss them intellectually and not with any ‘bedrock’ conviction. I respect sincere spiritual questing, the endplace, of such, is not important to me. Today, for me, “I don’t know” is the only perfectly accurate response to life’s big unanswerables. As a simple day-to-day guide, however, the golden rule serves well.
5) My left foot is fine, but have seven toes on my right. I keep meaning to do something about this. OK... this is a lie, couldn' t help myself. Here's a truth for 'ya. While I love to flirt, I have been celibate for a long time...I'd tell ya', but won't!
6) After many years of being an angry person, for unknown reasons, I realize now that being angry is not a reaction, it is always a choice….and that choosing it is, for me, always completely fruitless and unwise. I have not been angry in over 5 years, ever. It is my greatest gift to myself and those I share my life with. I am working on cynicism, trying not to eliminate my sense of humor in the process.
7) I have three wonderful children whom are the source of my only shameless pride: My beautiful Emily, 25, just graduated from University at 23 with her teaching credential to teach high school biology, YAAAY! EMILY! (UPDATE/2011 And is now teaching her second year at Franklin High School in Stockton, CA.) Nicholas, 22, who is in his third year of college and up to his neck in higher mathematics, engineering, motorcycles and his sweet girlfriend, not in that order, I’m sure, GO NICK!, and Hannah, almost 21, who just wants to be beautiful the rest of her life, has been working towards becoming a pharmacist….WAY TO GO! HANNAH! I was divorced, amicably, from my wife of 24 years, almost four years ago. We actually get along much better now than we ever did when married. I have my doubts as to whether I’m good ‘partner material’ for anyone.
8) While I sincerely like people, I am a loner…..a couple hours, tops, is about all I can seem to comfortably stand in any one day.
9) Though I wore braces for 4 years when young, I, in my infinite youthful wisdom, did not see the sense in wearing my ‘retainer’, and today have a gap between my two front teeth wide enough for an M&M to pass, the skinny way.
10) I am a complete slob….and a collector of things, both ugly and worthless, rare and beautiful.
(UPDATE 1/2011......slightly less of a slob ;^)
11) I smoke like a chimney, and my blood is always at least 50% coffee, I am now a tee-totaller, and no longer use any illicit drugs, (over 5 years now, 6 years in March) though for 34 years was a chronic pothead. (maybe ties into #6?…ya ’ think?)
12) I have pretty bad hearing and should’ve gotten a hearing aid years ago….Huh? What was that?
13) I eat only when hungry, and can eat as much of whatever I want…and remain a constant 165 lbs.
I usually don’t mention this….for some reason most people do not seem to find this interesting, in any way, whatsoever.
I sleep only and freely when tired, usually waking around 1 PM and going to bed around dawn, though for weeks at a time, I have absolutely no set schedule. If I get tired three times a day, I sleep three times day. I can also stay up easily for 30 hours, and do, at least once a month.
14) I work and live by myself and three cats, in my 1925, 1050 square ft. house, which I bought 2 1/2 years ago. About 80% of my commission work is received from small mom & pop jewelry stores whom I hand-pick to work with. These stores are hard to find. The rest of my commissions are from a small group of loyal patrons. I’m working towards a new business model which includes my own designs for sale on sites like Etsy. Commissions are great….but often are sterile in design.
15) I ride a bicycle almost exclusively for local transportation. My only gas-burner is my beloved 1970 Yellow K5 Blazer, which I have owned since 1980. It is a ‘beater’, but I’m attached to it.
16) I do not fear death…..just running out of time. (I'll be 53 next April, 2011)
The Rock Cries Out to Us Today
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Mark the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spelling words
Armed for slaughter.
The rock cries out today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A river sings a beautiful song,
Come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more.
Come, clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I
And the tree and stone were one.
Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow
And when you yet knew you still knew nothing.
The river sings and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing river and the wise rock.
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew,
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek,
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the tree.
Today, the first and last of every tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the river.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the river.
Each of you, descendant of some passed on
Traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name,
You Pawnee, Apache and Seneca,
You Cherokee Nation, who rested with me,
Then forced on bloody feet,
Left me to the employment of other seekers--
Desperate for gain, starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot...
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru,
Bought, sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am the tree planted by the river,
Which will not be moved.
I, the rock, I the river, I the tree
I am yours--your passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage,
Need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts.
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me,
The rock, the river, the tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes,
Into your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
Maya Angelou
Povero Sonny ...
Povero giovane orsetto dal grande testone...era poco più di un cucciolo, si affacciava alla vita solitaria, nei suoi primi tempi da individuo indipendente, senza la mamma .
Inesperto e fiducioso, muoveva i suoi passi nel bosco e nelle valli.
Lui non dormiva al sicuro in qualche tana, ma girovagava in cerca di cibo.
Il bel sonno del letargo non ha protetto Sonny.
Peccato si sarebbe salvato.
Le invernate miti, infatti, hanno ormai confuso e influenzato il ciclo naturale degli orsi.
Il loro ritmo sonno/veglia, legato alle stagioni, si è alterato.
L'incontro da lontano con due persone gli è costato la vita... per aver solo incrociato lo sguardo del bipede tiranno .
Non ha mai fatto male a nessuno Sonny. Condannato, braccato e freddato a fucilate per non aver fatto niente.
Tutto in modalità rapida come conviene ai vili che agiscono a tradimento.
Un esecuzione contestuale all'emissione del decreto di uccisione, senza lasciare spazio alla società civile di impostare un' azione volta a salvarlo, ricorrendo al Tar.
Ucciso perché confidente, perché si serviva dei cassonetti sempre disponibili e mai modificati, ucciso perché anche i sentieri in Trentino non sono mai stati ben disciplinati e tutti possono spingersi ovunque, per poi creare allarmismi collettivi.
Mentre gli orsi non hanno più una zona sicura e devono solo scomparire.
Presi i denari del progetto di reintroduzione Life Ursus, ora i plantigradi sono di troppo in quelle valli e forse di intralcio per qualche altro disegno che porta soldi .
Il suo giudice e carnefice è il Presidente della tristissima Provincia autonoma di Trento, Fugatti, determinato a farli fuori tutti.
Questo soggetto ostile e sprezzante della vita dei selvatici, ricorderà bene questi giorni. Segneranno la sua esistenza perché tutto il Paese ha conosciuto bene il suo cinismo, la sua ossessione fuori controllo per queste creature e verrà ricordato come l'odiatore degli orsi, aguzzino dalle doppiette e dagli ergastoli facili ...
Re indiscusso del Casteller.
Ruth Lemma
Poor Sonny...
Poor young bear with the big head... he was little more than a puppy, he was facing a solitary life, in his early days as an independent individual, without his mother.
Inexperienced and confident, he took his steps in the woods and valleys.
He did not sleep safely in some den, but wandered around looking for food.
The beautiful sleep of hibernation did not protect Sonny.
Too bad he would have been saved.
The mild winters, in fact, have now confused and influenced the natural cycle of bears.
Their sleep/wake rhythm, linked to the seasons, has altered.
The encounter with two people from afar cost him his life... for just having met the gaze of the bipedal tyrant.
He never hurt anyone Sonny. Condemned, hunted down and shot dead for doing nothing.
All in rapid mode as befits cowards who act treacherously.
An execution at the same time as the issuing of the killing decree, leaving no room for civil society to take action aimed at saving him, resorting to the TAR.
Killed because he was confident, because he used the bins that were always available and never modified, killed because even the paths in Trentino have never been well regulated and anyone can go anywhere, and then create collective alarmism.
While bears no longer have a safe area and just have to disappear.
Having taken the money from the Life Ursus reintroduction project, now the plantigrades are too many in those valleys and perhaps an obstacle to some other project that brings money.
His judge and executioner is the President of the very sad autonomous province of Trento, Fugatti, determined to kill them all.
This hostile and contemptuous subject of the life of wild animals will remember these days well. They will mark his existence because the whole country knew well his cynicism, his out of control obsession with these creatures and he will be remembered as the hater of bears, a tormentor with doubles and easy life sentences...
Undisputed king of Casteller.
Ruth Lemma
BEI M’ES QU’EU CHANT
Right it is to sing of love:
The air is fresh, days are bright;
Meadows, hedgerows thrill the sight.
I hear the warbling above
Of little birds – trunks their nave,
Leaves their vaults – so help me, Love,
Greenfinch, goldfinch there above –
He who sings, his love to crave,
Like a lover must behave.
I am not a lover, but
A suitor. I do not fear
Grief or pain. I shed no tear
For pride, my eyes sealed shut
To wrong. I fear – fear itself.
But, to her I bend my art
And dare not reveal my heart
But must keep it dark in stealth:
I have found her hidden wealth.
I have learnt not to compare
Her allure with anything:
A rose is a tawdry thing,
But she is fresh. Would I dare
Describe her body? God’s grace
Made mouth, eyes, the world to light.
My one complaint: far too bright
The beauty shines from her face,
Too pure for her worldly place.
To the king, my worthy song!
Who nurtures joys through his laws –
King bereft of earthly flaws –
He alone can right this wrong.
Carcassonne he must regain
From Montagut, by the sword:
He will be my worthy Lord.
French or Arab, Cathar’s bane,
Bare your neck, and writhe in pain!
Source material: Paraphrase of a lyric by the Provençal troubadour, Raimon de Miraval (fl. 1180-1215). The poem begins as an almost stereotypical troubadour lyric, but the sudden, angry twist in the final stanza reveals a poet hoping – perhaps with his own measure of cynicism - to maintain the tradition of courtly love in the face of that most cynical of wars, the Albigensian Crusade. Raimon was almost certainly a Cathar, and therefore had recently been declared a heretic by the papacy as an excuse for the French annexation of Occitania. His castle at Miraval, to the north of the Carcassonne, was seized from him and his three brothers by Albigensian crusaders in 1209 or 1211, and here he looks forward to its recapture by one of his patrons: perhaps Count Raimon VI of Toulouse, who was ultimately defeated by the crusader Simon de Montfort in 1213. It is difficult to ascertain the exact beliefs of the Cathar ‘heretics’, since we have received most of their ideas through the filter of their conquerors and the loaded questions of the Inquisition. They are said to have been dualists who believed that spirit was good and flesh was evil, and therefore denied the incarnation of Christ. This seems paradoxical, given that the major cultural contribution of Occitania to the outside world was the idea of ‘courtly love’, in which a male courtier vaunted an earthly lady almost to the point of idolatry, thereby instigating one of the only noble mediaeval traditions that was not misogynistic or flesh-denying. I have tried to convey some of the tensions implied in this paradox in the third stanza. It must also be noted that the politics of courtly love were often intertwined with more worldly matters, and courtiers often sought the favour of noble ladies in order to improve their social position. Precisely what is meant by the lady’s “wealth” or “worth” (“Non aus mostrar ne retrair/ Mon cor qu’ill tenc rescondut,/ Pois aic son pretz conogut”) I have left for the reader to decide. Maria Lafitte may be heard singing the original on Ensemble Unicorn’s CD, Music of the Troubadours, 1999. Paraphrase by Giles Watson, 2009.
While on my walk yesterday, feeling the temperatures drop and the snow begin anew, I saw this sign stuck unceremoniously along the road. Initially curious about the purpose, I was somewhat taken aback by the last line in this roughly constructed solicitation. Of course there was a phone number cropped off for the purpose of the photo.
I thought about this for the balance of my walk...my cynicism absorbing a serious blow. It occurred to me that this type of thing was far more common in the "old days" and I recalled a time many years ago when my car got stuck in the snow very early one morning in Aspen (when it was still Aspen), resulting in a group of people emerging from a nearby house, tugging on their clothes in the frigid cold as they smilingly came to assist.
There are few homes on the short and isolated road mentioned in the sign (I'm on one of the "offshoots"), but the fact that this neighbor thought to include that last line is remarkable under any circumstances...maybe more so in that many of the houses are lake homes of significant value. My guess is that it was a natural reaction and he didn't think twice about it, simply wanting to be sure that ALL knew they could take advantage of his services...a neighborly thing to do.
I would like to meet this person.
It also struck me that not only am I blessed to live in the physical environment I do, but am fortunate in that some of the qualities of those "old days" endure here as well. While I don't see much traffic (usually none, in fact) on the roads as I saunter along, there is not a vehicle that passes without producing a smile and a wave from its occupants. That simple human acknowledgement means a great deal to me...as I trust it does to them.
While the image above surely doesn't reflect the beauty or care that we on Flickr are used to observing every day, it certainly reflects something more significant in the ways of the world...a world, to its despair, increasingly focused on greed as opposed to need.
Tho my plowing is attended to, I may just call for the opportunity to say hello to this endangered species...
The 3 older buildings on the Liverpool Waterfront, picked out by the sunlight, are known as the 3 Graces. They consist of (from left to right) the Royal Liver Building (1908-11) by Walter Aubrey Thomas, the Cunard Building (1914-16) by Willinck & Thicknesse with Arthur J. Davis and the former offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (1903-07) by Briggs & Wolstenholme with Hobbs & Thornely.
The Waterfront is a Unesco World Heritage site.
The 2 birds perched on the 2 towers of the Liver building are the Liver Birds designed by Carl Bernard Bartels. The birds are named Bella and Bertie, looking to the sea and inland, respectively.Popular legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port. Another local legend, reflecting Liverpudlians' cynicism,is that every time a virgin walks across the Pier Head, the Liver Birds flap their wings. It is also said that, if one of the birds were to fly away the city of Liverpool would cease to exist, thus adding to the mystery of the birds.
Using the name as its title, The Liver Birds was a popular sitcom that ran from 1969-1979 starring Nerys Hughes and Polly James. The series was about 2 young single Liverpool women who shared a flat, concentrating on their dealings with boyfriends, work, parents and each other.
[ ATTENTION - Cynicism !!! ]
It's often said that Hamburg is a rich city.
It must be the truth!
In Hamburg even some poor people own a chandelier!
[End of Cynicism]
This is not a bulk waste collection! There are people living here! :(
Europe, Portugal, Matosinhos, Praca Cidade San Salvador, Sculpture, Highrises, Cars and people (very slightly cut)
A giant man and car earing jelly fish ? A partly deconstructed UFO?
It is 'She Changes' , a sculpture of Janet Echelman near the Atlantico.
'She changes' (Janet Echelman) is a monumental, red and white, membrane-like sculpture at the Praca Cidade San Salvador in the town of Matosinhos along the shoreline outside of Porto It prompts multiple associations, both in terms in Echelmanâs earlier works as they relate to its morphology and in terms of its context. One can readily make a connection with the fishing nets that have played a historical role in the economy and life of this region for centuries. One may also envision sea creatures from the tide pools, as one of my colleagues pointed out. Yet there is another aspect of the work that can also be recognizedâand that is the sensuality of the piece as it exists in a pure form without cynicism and without domination in relation to this remarkable seaside vista.'
Source: here.
conceived and staged by Wren Carling Parker ( featured )
Noir
/nwär/
noun
a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity:
Film noir
/ˌfilm ˈnwär/
noun
a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder.
allow me a little cynicism, otherwise my advent calendar would be too damn sticky sweet.
bloody advent calendar #24
almost there
16/365
Last night I saw Food for Profit in Perugia. (Italy)
The film is a punch in the stomach. Not for the images I was prepared for, but for the environmental disaster, the cynicism, the corruption for which I was less prepared. So much sadness for our pure brothers, the animals.
Ieri sera ho visto Food for Profit a Perugia. Il film è un pugno nello stomaco. Non per le immagini a cui ero preparata, ma per il disastro ambientale, il cinismo, la corruzione a cui ero meno preparata. Tanta tristezza per i nostri fratelli puri, gli animali.
is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it :-)George Bernard Shaw
HPPT!!
prunus mume, Japanese flowering apricot, 'Nicholas', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, Raleigh, north carolina
well... , I just arrived at this very same set of life decisions like below the quote ...it’s exactly how I feel today...
"....I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience....”
- A Powerful quote in Meryl Streep's mouth - originally written by José Micard Teixeira
“every person has the power to make others happy.
some do it simply by entering a room --
others by leaving the room.
some individuals leave trails of gloom;
others, trails of joy.
some leave trails of hate and bitterness;
others, trails of love and harmony.
some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism;
others trails of faith and optimism.
some leave trails of criticism and resignation;
others trails of gratitude and hope.
what kind of trails do you leave?”
~ william arthur ward