Al Ra'ja'ah
So Goes the Region, So Goes Israel
-. . . No one appreciates it except those who know (Qur'an, 29:43)
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah declares that Galilee can and will be occupied by Hezbollah forces "within hours" if and when Israel decides to invade Lebanon. He did not specify whether or not that meant solely via a ground invasion with IDF troops or as such, via any strategic air invasion or attack. Netanyahu's response signaled that Israel is not planning on any invasion in the near future by stating about Nasrallah, "he won't" rather than he "cannot". Netanyahu has changed a bit in the intervening years since his last conversations with his congenial Shia neighbors to the north. He has a full understanding that not only does Nasrallah not lie, he also enjoys a track record of batting a thousand when it comes to making predictions about Israeli errors and miscalculations.
The point Nasrallah is trying to make as opposed to what seems like a threat, is that Lebanon exists not only as an equal to Israel but as a party of superiority over Israel. I think that as the nations of the Middle East collapse, Israel will not only no longer possess superiority over her neighbors but will come begging at the door of her neighbors for forgiveness rather than slamming their capitals with bombs, sending Israeli spies into their countries to assassinate their citizens (as they assassinated Rafik Hariri and so many others) or denying them access in any way, shape or form to the traditional commerces of humanity through their lying and manipulation of the United Nations utilizing a false sense of their own strength and so-called integrity.
Furthermore, Shia throughout the Middle East recognize that the events playing out right now have far greater significance than merely the end of Israeli Tyranny and Western Colonialism. In the words of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad, the event, "represents the beginning of a significant event which was heralded by prophets."
We've come a long long way it seems in a short period of time. From Israel and the US putting plans for an invasion and destruction of the Iranian regime "on the table, off the table, under the table" to the US not even being able to fit Iran and the Iranian problem into the discussion.
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned the US and its allies from any military intervention in North Africa or the Middle East, for the nation of the region will rise and "dig the graves of their soldiers".
According to IRNA news agency Ahmadinejad said, "If you have military interference in North Africa and the Middle East once again, regional nations will stand up and dig graves for your soldiers".
How do we know this? Hmm. From a template given long ago to the first companion of the Prophet Mohamed, SA Ali ibn Abi Taleb, pbuh in several of his speeches and sermons. For instance, in his sixteenth sermon which goes:
Delivered when allegiance was sworn to him at Medina
The responsibility for what I say is guaranteed and I am answerable for it. He to whom experiences have clearly shown the past exemplary punishments (given by Allah to peoples) is prevented by piety from falling into doubts. You should know that the same troubles have returned to you which existed when the Prophet was first sent.
By Allah who sent the Prophet with faith and truth you will be severely subverted, bitterly shaken as in sieving and fully mixed as by spooning in a cooking pot till your low persons become high and high ones become low, those who were behind would attain forward positions and those who were forward would become backward. By Allah, I have not concealed a single word or spoken any lie and I had been informed of this event and of this time.
Beware that sins are like unruly horses on whom their riders have been placed and their reins have been let loose so that they would jump with them in Hell. Beware that piety is like trained horses on whom the riders have been placed with the reins in their hands, so that they would take the riders to Heaven. There is right and wrong and there are followers for each. If wrong dominates, it has (always) in the past been so, and if truth goes down that too has often occurred. It seldom happens that a thing that lags behind comes forward.
ash-Sharif ar-Radi says: In this small speech there is more beauty than can be appreciated, and the quantity of amazement aroused by it is more than the appreciation accorded to it. Despite what we have stated it has so many aspects of eloquence that cannot be expressed nor can anyone reach its depth, and no one can understand what I am saying unless one has attained this art and known its details.
And from another sermon, #137
Referring to events in the future
He will direct desires towards (the path of) guidance while people will have turned guidance towards desires, and he will turn their views to the direction of the Qur'an while the people will have turned the Qur'an to their views.
A part of the same sermon:
(Before this Enjoiner of Good (1), matters will deteriorate) till war will rage among you with full force, showing forth its teeth, with udders full of sweet milk but with a sour tip. Beware, it will be tomorrow and the morrow will come soon with things which you do not know. The Man in power, not from this crowd, will take to task all those were formerly appointed for their ill deeds and the earth will pour forth its eternal treasures and fling before him easily her keys. He will show you the just way of behaviour and revive the Qur'an and sunnah which have become lifeless (among people).
A part of the same sermon
As if I see (him), he (the Enjoiner of Evil) (2) is shouting in Syria (ash-Sham) and is extending his banners to the outskirts of Kufah. He is bent towards it like the biting of the she-camel. He has covered the ground with heads. His mouth is wide open and (the trampling of) his footsteps on the ground have become heavy. His advance is broad and his attacks are severe.
By Allah, he will disperse you throughout the earth till only a few of you remain, like kohl in the eye. You will continue like this till the Arabs return to their sense. You should therefore stick to established ways, clear signs and the early period which has the lasting virtues of the Prophethood. You should know that Satan makes his ways easy so that you may follow him on his heels.
(1). This prophecy of Amir al-mu'minin is with regard to the appearance of the Twelfth Imam, Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (p.b.u.h.).
(2). This refers to `Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who came to power in Syria (ash-Sham) after his father Marwan ibn al-Hakam and then after the killing of al-Mukhtar ibn Abi `Ubayd ath-Thaqafi in his encounter with Mus`ab ibn az-Zubayr he proceeded towards Iraq. He clashed with Mus`ab's force at Maskin near Dayru'l-jathaliq in the outskirts of Kufah. After defeating him he made a victorious entry into Kufah and took allegiance from its inhabitants. Then he sent al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi to Mecca to fight with `Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. Consequently this man besieged Mecca and stoned it, and shed the blood of thousands of innocent persons like water. He killed Ibn az-Zubayr and hung his body on the gallows. He perpetrated such atrocities on the people that one shudders at the thought of them.
. . . No one appreciates it except those who know (Qur'an, 29:43)
"The right of freedom of speech consists in speaking the truth."
5.3.11
4.3.11
An Original by Banksy and more at his/her/? site HERE
The lovely thing about Banksy is it all belongs to everyone. No strings attached and in that it has become perhaps some of the most valuable artwork in the world. Little doubt that an autographed Banksy is going to be worth a lot of dough if in fact Banksy can manage to keep the secret alive until he isn't. You can download whatever you like.
25.2.11
24.2.11
POLITICS!
RELIGION!
IVY LEAGUE SPEAKERS!
EDDIE VAN HALEN!
ALL IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA!
(well maybe not that last one)
Fort Huachuca Culture Summit Registration information HERE
Looks like a great few days here in sunny Arizona and there might be ONE COWBOY POET entertaining us and ONE INFAMOUS POET in the audience willing to autograph your T-Shir (uh, if you give me $5 to do so, $10 for unlaundered items). Heh.
20.2.11
Reading Events
With an Eye
Towards Destiny
What's going on in the Middle East anyway? Is it 'like' the break-up of the Soviet Union?
Of course not. The difference between the USSR and the Middle East is not only vast but the comparison is nearly ridiculous. What saves it as a comparison is the mere fact that the two entities "the broader ME" and the former Soviet Union have one very important similarity and that is they are/were both Ideological Enemies of the Empire (US/Israel).
It cannot be argued that the Middle East is 'falling apart' in the way the USSR fell apart because exactly the opposite is true. The problem in the ME has been that the US and Israel prevented unity there. It cannot fall apart. Rather, it is Falling Together and this is far more significant than the demise of the USSR. One could argue that the Islamic Empire was once unified and then fell apart at the end of WWI (Low-rence and all of that) but that too is and was a false description. That was actually the Sunni Ottoman Empire which is not synonomous with Islamic Empire or the ME as a whole. That was the domination and oppression that began immediately after the death of the prophet Mohamed, SA and is ending with what we all know as Al Qaeda.
I don't think anyone can really read what is going to happen after this. No one can predict whether it will be a good thing for the parties concerned or a bad thing. Certainly however, any nation-state that was "imagined" by Churchill & Co with the Balfour, Picot-Sykes and the like....was surely Imaginative. And will vaporize en toto and that would include the fabrication known as Israel.
Peace belongs to those who deserve it. In this little article a "sheikh" (whatever that is) advises the armies to support the people rather than the tyrants.
In yet another article, an 'ayatollah' (translates more or less to a proof of Allah or one who upholds proofs of Allah), it looks like sedition might be in the air in Tehran also.
In yet another article, something even larger than Saudi or Iran is offered, "The Muslim Scholars Gathering considered that the repercussions of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions are like an earthquake which will not only affect both countries, but rather would spread to the Islamic world, if not the whole globe."
I think when it comes to Iran/Iraq however, it is impossible to predict how people will perceive the changes that are in the air. Obviously there are two options and that is that people will 'catch' the disease called overthrow/anomie or two, they will perceive that this is the Manifest Destiny the Shia were promised and these events are to usher in not only a return of real Islamic Values and Practice but will also affect the entire world and people will enter the religion en masse i.e. in numbers too large for any of us to imagine.
I am in the second camp however do not want to hold my breath in terms of change. These types of things take hundreds of years and no one able to read this will be alive 100 years from now (which is a famous tradition of the Prophet, SA).
Finally, I believe the best way to describe events is not only in terms of Shia Manifest Destiny but also in terms of independence from the US and Israel, independence from foreign policies designed not with the locals in mind (except for the Israelis). When Israel is offered as the "only" democracy in the Middle East a person ought to really scratch their head at the likelihood of that either existing or surviving in the modern era. Certainly though, when it comes to the existence of 'natural' things i.e. things that were not imagined or created by foreign powers for their own benefit, we have to note that Lebanon has taken the bull by the horns so to speak and is in no way a creation of US/Israel foreign policy except as a type of collateral damage. It just so happens though that this collateral damage is beneficial and how!
With an Eye
Towards Destiny
What's going on in the Middle East anyway? Is it 'like' the break-up of the Soviet Union?
Of course not. The difference between the USSR and the Middle East is not only vast but the comparison is nearly ridiculous. What saves it as a comparison is the mere fact that the two entities "the broader ME" and the former Soviet Union have one very important similarity and that is they are/were both Ideological Enemies of the Empire (US/Israel).
It cannot be argued that the Middle East is 'falling apart' in the way the USSR fell apart because exactly the opposite is true. The problem in the ME has been that the US and Israel prevented unity there. It cannot fall apart. Rather, it is Falling Together and this is far more significant than the demise of the USSR. One could argue that the Islamic Empire was once unified and then fell apart at the end of WWI (Low-rence and all of that) but that too is and was a false description. That was actually the Sunni Ottoman Empire which is not synonomous with Islamic Empire or the ME as a whole. That was the domination and oppression that began immediately after the death of the prophet Mohamed, SA and is ending with what we all know as Al Qaeda.
I don't think anyone can really read what is going to happen after this. No one can predict whether it will be a good thing for the parties concerned or a bad thing. Certainly however, any nation-state that was "imagined" by Churchill & Co with the Balfour, Picot-Sykes and the like....was surely Imaginative. And will vaporize en toto and that would include the fabrication known as Israel.
Peace belongs to those who deserve it. In this little article a "sheikh" (whatever that is) advises the armies to support the people rather than the tyrants.
In yet another article, an 'ayatollah' (translates more or less to a proof of Allah or one who upholds proofs of Allah), it looks like sedition might be in the air in Tehran also.
In yet another article, something even larger than Saudi or Iran is offered, "The Muslim Scholars Gathering considered that the repercussions of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions are like an earthquake which will not only affect both countries, but rather would spread to the Islamic world, if not the whole globe."
I think when it comes to Iran/Iraq however, it is impossible to predict how people will perceive the changes that are in the air. Obviously there are two options and that is that people will 'catch' the disease called overthrow/anomie or two, they will perceive that this is the Manifest Destiny the Shia were promised and these events are to usher in not only a return of real Islamic Values and Practice but will also affect the entire world and people will enter the religion en masse i.e. in numbers too large for any of us to imagine.
I am in the second camp however do not want to hold my breath in terms of change. These types of things take hundreds of years and no one able to read this will be alive 100 years from now (which is a famous tradition of the Prophet, SA).
Finally, I believe the best way to describe events is not only in terms of Shia Manifest Destiny but also in terms of independence from the US and Israel, independence from foreign policies designed not with the locals in mind (except for the Israelis). When Israel is offered as the "only" democracy in the Middle East a person ought to really scratch their head at the likelihood of that either existing or surviving in the modern era. Certainly though, when it comes to the existence of 'natural' things i.e. things that were not imagined or created by foreign powers for their own benefit, we have to note that Lebanon has taken the bull by the horns so to speak and is in no way a creation of US/Israel foreign policy except as a type of collateral damage. It just so happens though that this collateral damage is beneficial and how!
18.2.11
The Truth about the Haves and the HaveNots
Why does this book cost $6,000?
What an incredibly elitist bunch of paper pulp covered in bull malarkey. Really now. I can understand a couple hundred....and maybe a larger run. But this is a book meant to be only in the hands of those who probably have the least to gain from poetry (the very rich who can afford such poofery) and the most to contribute in terms of the social ills and contagions that make poetry not only a nice to have but a have to have. Never mind a diamond encrusted skull...the epitome of and probably warrants the price ..of 'high end' modern art.
This is just a simple rip off...no expensive processes or materials shall the buyer receive. Nope.
And for that matter a person hardly even gets a poem. Go figure. And at least it won't matter much if you spill a bit of mustard on it because quite frankly, no one's gonna notice.
I'll wait for the paperback version and not buy that either even if it is found at a garage sale.
Why does this book cost $6,000?
What an incredibly elitist bunch of paper pulp covered in bull malarkey. Really now. I can understand a couple hundred....and maybe a larger run. But this is a book meant to be only in the hands of those who probably have the least to gain from poetry (the very rich who can afford such poofery) and the most to contribute in terms of the social ills and contagions that make poetry not only a nice to have but a have to have. Never mind a diamond encrusted skull...the epitome of and probably warrants the price ..of 'high end' modern art.
This is just a simple rip off...no expensive processes or materials shall the buyer receive. Nope.
And for that matter a person hardly even gets a poem. Go figure. And at least it won't matter much if you spill a bit of mustard on it because quite frankly, no one's gonna notice.
I'll wait for the paperback version and not buy that either even if it is found at a garage sale.
14.2.11
Naked Pictures of Hollywood Armenian Airhead with Long Hair for sale:
X-Rated Ebay
Only in America. $76 is a lot of onions in Egypt though and I have to wonder if the buyer was Hosni Mubarak. I mean, it is possible.
X-Rated Ebay
Only in America. $76 is a lot of onions in Egypt though and I have to wonder if the buyer was Hosni Mubarak. I mean, it is possible.
11.2.11
Fake Religions Rock
Fascinating article about DIANETICS.
One of those actors, Josh Brolin, told me that, in a “moment of real desperation,” he visited the Celebrity Centre and received “auditing”—spiritual counselling. He quickly decided that Scientology wasn’t for him. But he still wonders what the religion does for celebrities like Cruise and Travolta: “Each has a good head on his shoulders, they make great business decisions, they seem to have wonderful families. Is that because they were helped by Scientology?” This is the question that makes celebrities so crucial to the religion. And, clearly, there must be something rewarding if such notable people lend their names to a belief system that is widely scorned.
Brolin says that he once witnessed John Travolta practicing Scientology. Brolin was at a dinner party in Los Angeles with Travolta and Marlon Brando. Brando arrived with a cut on his leg, and explained that he had injured himself while helping a stranded motorist on the Pacific Coast Highway. He was in pain. Travolta offered to help, saying that he had just reached a new level in Scientology. Travolta touched Brando’s leg and Brando closed his eyes. “I watched this process going on—it was very physical,” Brolin recalls. “I was thinking, This is really fucking bizarre! Then, after ten minutes, Brando opens his eyes and says, ‘That really helped. I actually feel different!’ ” (Travolta, through a lawyer, called this account “pure fabrication.”)
Fascinating article about DIANETICS.
One of those actors, Josh Brolin, told me that, in a “moment of real desperation,” he visited the Celebrity Centre and received “auditing”—spiritual counselling. He quickly decided that Scientology wasn’t for him. But he still wonders what the religion does for celebrities like Cruise and Travolta: “Each has a good head on his shoulders, they make great business decisions, they seem to have wonderful families. Is that because they were helped by Scientology?” This is the question that makes celebrities so crucial to the religion. And, clearly, there must be something rewarding if such notable people lend their names to a belief system that is widely scorned.
Brolin says that he once witnessed John Travolta practicing Scientology. Brolin was at a dinner party in Los Angeles with Travolta and Marlon Brando. Brando arrived with a cut on his leg, and explained that he had injured himself while helping a stranded motorist on the Pacific Coast Highway. He was in pain. Travolta offered to help, saying that he had just reached a new level in Scientology. Travolta touched Brando’s leg and Brando closed his eyes. “I watched this process going on—it was very physical,” Brolin recalls. “I was thinking, This is really fucking bizarre! Then, after ten minutes, Brando opens his eyes and says, ‘That really helped. I actually feel different!’ ” (Travolta, through a lawyer, called this account “pure fabrication.”)
3.2.11
WHY NOT MINOT?
Um, it's like 3 degrees outside with a windchill factor below zero somewhere...they say -11 degrees or such rot (it's like -20 if you ask me). Schools closed and no water anywhere.....sheesh it's cold. I spoke to my son in Minot North Dakota and it is warmer there believe it or not, freezin's the reason....as they say..."up there".
And late January found the Arabian peninsula 'afloat'. No wonder you find shark's teeth in Dira'ya:
FOTO
Um, it's like 3 degrees outside with a windchill factor below zero somewhere...they say -11 degrees or such rot (it's like -20 if you ask me). Schools closed and no water anywhere.....sheesh it's cold. I spoke to my son in Minot North Dakota and it is warmer there believe it or not, freezin's the reason....as they say..."up there".
And late January found the Arabian peninsula 'afloat'. No wonder you find shark's teeth in Dira'ya:
FOTO
2.2.11
Chaos and Crimea
Few of us know how the camel comes,
the way swords turn against and between
petty mechanizations, these drought
worries near such failed contempts.
Who are they to carry it away
in their cameras cinched with voices
then, caramelized in satin sugar,
worn out with stains, full fledged
saturated licenses whose paid in full
protections promise to refresh
the nation's graveyard, to empty
all the eyes of salt water
and keep Firon's gardens moist
though the weeds and flowers
have long been useless, without root
in sandy wounds and vases.
I hardly have time to weep
here anymore, the new problems
take advantage of old misery,
the television's stealth advisories
keep winning, this fugitive heart
is weaker than envy.
*I have to say...when you watch police running people over in the street on purpose, you think of old women running away with refridgerators on their backs. Surreal.
My significant other lived in W. Africa in a place called Liberia...not known for its stability either or ever. He saw that exact thing happen and it has become our code word for chaos......I'll talk to him about whatever is going on over on his side of the planet and ask, "Did you see anyone running away with a refrigerator on their back?" We wonder together how people manage to develop such power over others and then when these people are liberated they get the power to literally plunder grand pianos and large kitchen appliances. In a sense it is a type of spoils of war and oppression is a type of war zone in which sooner or later the despot will be overcome. Looting then is not unexpected or even bad...but this thing I saw yesterday i.e. a police vehicle running over people in a crowd is something else.
Well, it ain't over until the fat lady sings and in this case, hauls out a new LG side-by-side on her back.
Few of us know how the camel comes,
the way swords turn against and between
petty mechanizations, these drought
worries near such failed contempts.
Who are they to carry it away
in their cameras cinched with voices
then, caramelized in satin sugar,
worn out with stains, full fledged
saturated licenses whose paid in full
protections promise to refresh
the nation's graveyard, to empty
all the eyes of salt water
and keep Firon's gardens moist
though the weeds and flowers
have long been useless, without root
in sandy wounds and vases.
I hardly have time to weep
here anymore, the new problems
take advantage of old misery,
the television's stealth advisories
keep winning, this fugitive heart
is weaker than envy.
*I have to say...when you watch police running people over in the street on purpose, you think of old women running away with refridgerators on their backs. Surreal.
My significant other lived in W. Africa in a place called Liberia...not known for its stability either or ever. He saw that exact thing happen and it has become our code word for chaos......I'll talk to him about whatever is going on over on his side of the planet and ask, "Did you see anyone running away with a refrigerator on their back?" We wonder together how people manage to develop such power over others and then when these people are liberated they get the power to literally plunder grand pianos and large kitchen appliances. In a sense it is a type of spoils of war and oppression is a type of war zone in which sooner or later the despot will be overcome. Looting then is not unexpected or even bad...but this thing I saw yesterday i.e. a police vehicle running over people in a crowd is something else.
Well, it ain't over until the fat lady sings and in this case, hauls out a new LG side-by-side on her back.
31.1.11
"There is no way the United States or Israel will tolerate resistance in the Arab World." -Norm Finkelstein
In the past two weeks not only has Tunisia thrown off its Saudi Arabian/US backed dictator but Lebanon has thrown out the meddlesom foreign interventionist Saad Hariri who was literally willing to sell the soul of his country to US/Israeli interests. And now Egypt and what happens in Egypt can be said to happen throughout the Arab world. This has long been forecasted by several political scholars i.e. that the oppressive leaders of all these countries would fall one after the other. The most important of those forecasters who is known to never lie is Sayed Hassan Nasrallah.
The coming break-up of Israel per Norman Finkelstein who discusses the flagrant disregard for international law with this slob known as Daniel Pollak who, arguably would fit in quite well with Hitler, INC when he argues that Israel has to starve people in order to er...uh, protect the Occupiers (known as "Israelis") from er...uh...the distress of their illegal occupation of the er...uh..."Promised Land". A land deed that they just insist er, uh is based on.....the Bible or....something like that. (The Balfour):
In the past two weeks not only has Tunisia thrown off its Saudi Arabian/US backed dictator but Lebanon has thrown out the meddlesom foreign interventionist Saad Hariri who was literally willing to sell the soul of his country to US/Israeli interests. And now Egypt and what happens in Egypt can be said to happen throughout the Arab world. This has long been forecasted by several political scholars i.e. that the oppressive leaders of all these countries would fall one after the other. The most important of those forecasters who is known to never lie is Sayed Hassan Nasrallah.
The coming break-up of Israel per Norman Finkelstein who discusses the flagrant disregard for international law with this slob known as Daniel Pollak who, arguably would fit in quite well with Hitler, INC when he argues that Israel has to starve people in order to er...uh, protect the Occupiers (known as "Israelis") from er...uh...the distress of their illegal occupation of the er...uh..."Promised Land". A land deed that they just insist er, uh is based on.....the Bible or....something like that. (The Balfour):
28.1.11
Kodachrome Era Ends, Another Begins
Rome (Egypt) is burning you know....the Western media finally taking a slight interest in probably the biggest thing since sliced cheese and the Shia takeover of Iran in the 1970s. It is comforting to know that they still believe that if they don't see them that they can't see us...or something like that anyway.
All the same, it makes me think of Kodachrome and Paul Simon for some reason and while out on a stroll the other day (hour long daily three mile stroll), I ran into the photographer Ted White who explained to me the demise of the world's best film and the fact that it is no longer in commission as of December 31, 2010.
Dwayne's apparently was the last place on EARTH that would develop our Kodachrome 25 (slow but deliciously red) and 64 (more compatible with existing light) film. And durn it if I don't have one roll of exposed 25 still waiting to be developed....shoot.
Go to their site and you can order a nice yellow t-shirt commemorating the Kodachrome age although I doubt they are selling a Mubarak t-shirt also....
Alas. What next, the plague?
Dwayne's
Rome (Egypt) is burning you know....the Western media finally taking a slight interest in probably the biggest thing since sliced cheese and the Shia takeover of Iran in the 1970s. It is comforting to know that they still believe that if they don't see them that they can't see us...or something like that anyway.
All the same, it makes me think of Kodachrome and Paul Simon for some reason and while out on a stroll the other day (hour long daily three mile stroll), I ran into the photographer Ted White who explained to me the demise of the world's best film and the fact that it is no longer in commission as of December 31, 2010.
Dwayne's apparently was the last place on EARTH that would develop our Kodachrome 25 (slow but deliciously red) and 64 (more compatible with existing light) film. And durn it if I don't have one roll of exposed 25 still waiting to be developed....shoot.
Go to their site and you can order a nice yellow t-shirt commemorating the Kodachrome age although I doubt they are selling a Mubarak t-shirt also....
Alas. What next, the plague?
Dwayne's
9.1.11
7.1.11
Chicken Little shot in the back by unknown assailant, authorities looking for Mr. Peanut
Fish in Maryland, Crabs in the UK, Doves in Italy and then there's the incidents in Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. What next, the plague?
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978883491
Oh, nope.....it's Bat Fungus as well which is far more serious than the routine deaths of small pockets of birds and crabs due to a variety of natural and unnatural (fireworks) causes:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/02/bats-dropping-l.html
The bat fungus is truly sad and a real epidemic. It also has a startling potential impact on food production throughout the world as bats are as important as bees as pollinators of fruit trees and other human crops.
Fish in Maryland, Crabs in the UK, Doves in Italy and then there's the incidents in Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. What next, the plague?
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978883491Oh, nope.....it's Bat Fungus as well which is far more serious than the routine deaths of small pockets of birds and crabs due to a variety of natural and unnatural (fireworks) causes:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/02/bats-dropping-l.html
The bat fungus is truly sad and a real epidemic. It also has a startling potential impact on food production throughout the world as bats are as important as bees as pollinators of fruit trees and other human crops.
27.12.10
Freeganism and its exploits:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~ijcs/waste/coyne.htm
http://freegan.info/facts-and-statistics/
http://www.uiowa.edu/~ijcs/waste/coyne.htm
http://freegan.info/facts-and-statistics/
14.12.10
NIGHT SHARKS or VAMPIRE PIGS
Today while getting my two great nephews ready to go to school, one of them (Jesse) told me I need to take out my trash at night. I told him that no way was I going to take out my trash at night because at night, in my yard I have nightly visitors that have very big teeth. Usually I have ten to fifteen of them and especially now that it is pecan season and there's pecans all over the yard. These buggers don't mess around when they blindly charge and can literally take a hand or foot off in the process. It's like living with night sharks. Trash is a day job around here.
Today while getting my two great nephews ready to go to school, one of them (Jesse) told me I need to take out my trash at night. I told him that no way was I going to take out my trash at night because at night, in my yard I have nightly visitors that have very big teeth. Usually I have ten to fifteen of them and especially now that it is pecan season and there's pecans all over the yard. These buggers don't mess around when they blindly charge and can literally take a hand or foot off in the process. It's like living with night sharks. Trash is a day job around here.
9.12.10
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
US/Israel the only ones with the Motive:
REGIONAL WAR/CONFLAGRATIONS
The True Story of Israel's Assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on Valentine's Day 2005 (an inauspicious date if I say so myself) which was merely a 'part' of a long range plan to destabilize and destroy the entire Middle East and reconstruct it along US/Israeli/Big Oil parameters. There was always one and ONLY one clear motive in the assassination of perhaps the most beloved Lebanese businessman of our time and that was to start a civil war inside of Lebanon and permit the entry of covert forces who would perhaps destroy Hezbollah from within, with or without the help of the Lebanese people themselves (the stupid ones anyway). The first phase of this US/Israeli inspired international conspiracy was to create an atmosphere of contention between Lebanon and the international community.:
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetailsf.php?eid=12621&fid=11
"Now we move to the second phase. The assassination of martyr PM Rafiq Hariri caused a quake in the country. There took place a US-French agreement, pressure and the utilization of all elements of strength in the world to pull Syria out of Lebanon. Syria withdrew from Lebanon. So it is indispensable that the country be recomposed. I consider the second phase which commenced with an internal political operation in 2005 among the phases that targeted the Resistance but in a soft way. I labeled the second phase as "Temptation with Power". Let's add to the book "The President's Secret" what was published by newspapers then about the meetings of the French Ambassador with me which is true. The administration of President Jacque Chirac had a vision that says 'let's engage Hizbullah and the Resistance in the authority'. This is not my analysis. "
And as I have always witnessed, Syria was already on their way out when Hariri was murdered by Israel (from a fighter jet, from above). It was in no way the event that forced them out of Lebanon. The time line just does not agree with that oft-repeated analysis.
And certainly, any government(s) willing to knock down the WTC would have little problem assassinating a two-bit Lebanese suit. What the US and Israel failed to understand as they 'tempted' Lebanese Shia with power (by rearranging matters to do with the Taif Accord that organizes Lebanon into three parties: Muslim/Druze/Christian) and a 'new' three party system (Sunni/Shia/Christian) was that Hezbollah was never about power. It was about freedom from oppression and about the illegality of Israel.
"You were mistaken and deluded. We are not authority-seekers. We do not sell our resistance, freedom, dignity and our martyrs' blood for one-third of the power, not even for the entire power. To us the Resistance is a divine and a religious duty." -Nasrallah
Read more at the official Hezbollah site "Moqawama" here:
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetailsf.php?eid=12621&fid=11
US/Israel the only ones with the Motive:
REGIONAL WAR/CONFLAGRATIONS
The True Story of Israel's Assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on Valentine's Day 2005 (an inauspicious date if I say so myself) which was merely a 'part' of a long range plan to destabilize and destroy the entire Middle East and reconstruct it along US/Israeli/Big Oil parameters. There was always one and ONLY one clear motive in the assassination of perhaps the most beloved Lebanese businessman of our time and that was to start a civil war inside of Lebanon and permit the entry of covert forces who would perhaps destroy Hezbollah from within, with or without the help of the Lebanese people themselves (the stupid ones anyway). The first phase of this US/Israeli inspired international conspiracy was to create an atmosphere of contention between Lebanon and the international community.:
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetailsf.php?eid=12621&fid=11
"Now we move to the second phase. The assassination of martyr PM Rafiq Hariri caused a quake in the country. There took place a US-French agreement, pressure and the utilization of all elements of strength in the world to pull Syria out of Lebanon. Syria withdrew from Lebanon. So it is indispensable that the country be recomposed. I consider the second phase which commenced with an internal political operation in 2005 among the phases that targeted the Resistance but in a soft way. I labeled the second phase as "Temptation with Power". Let's add to the book "The President's Secret" what was published by newspapers then about the meetings of the French Ambassador with me which is true. The administration of President Jacque Chirac had a vision that says 'let's engage Hizbullah and the Resistance in the authority'. This is not my analysis. "
And as I have always witnessed, Syria was already on their way out when Hariri was murdered by Israel (from a fighter jet, from above). It was in no way the event that forced them out of Lebanon. The time line just does not agree with that oft-repeated analysis.
And certainly, any government(s) willing to knock down the WTC would have little problem assassinating a two-bit Lebanese suit. What the US and Israel failed to understand as they 'tempted' Lebanese Shia with power (by rearranging matters to do with the Taif Accord that organizes Lebanon into three parties: Muslim/Druze/Christian) and a 'new' three party system (Sunni/Shia/Christian) was that Hezbollah was never about power. It was about freedom from oppression and about the illegality of Israel.
"You were mistaken and deluded. We are not authority-seekers. We do not sell our resistance, freedom, dignity and our martyrs' blood for one-third of the power, not even for the entire power. To us the Resistance is a divine and a religious duty." -Nasrallah
Read more at the official Hezbollah site "Moqawama" here:
http://english.moqawama.org/essaydetailsf.php?eid=12621&fid=11
72 PURE MARTYRS AND THE ROYALTY OF ISLAM
"Every day is Ashura and every land is Kerbala."
.....which can loosely translate to everyday is sad for Shia muslims because people do not realize the truth and every land is the place of oppression and even sometimes, war crimes because of humanity's failure to not only submit to Islam but to listen to the wisdom of the true holders of Islamic wisdom, the members of the Ahl Bayt and their followers (like Saed Hassan Nasrallah who is literally a family member of this divine tribal lineage).
Today marks the end of Ashoura 2010 in the Islamic calendar. Ashoura is the tenth of Muharram, the anniversary of the mighty battle of Kerbala and the ten day festival of mourning for Shia around the world. It commemorates the slaughter of the last member of the Prophet Mohamed's immediate family - his grandson Hussein at the hands of a most evil and oppositional (to Islam) force headed by the notoriously wicked Mu'awwiya.
A brief description of Ashoura here: http://www.ashura.com/
Back in the day (when I lived in Lebanon), Ashoura was celebrated with tremendous amounts of blood letting in the town squares throughout South Lebanon. Nowdays however the trend is to donate blood to blood banks instead.
The story comes to us through generation upon generation of retelling. Each year throughout the Islamic World (Shia), the tale is retold over the course of ten (ashara) days. Believers attend Husseiniyas (like mosques) and the tale is retold as mourners cry and mourn the long ago deaths of the martyrs (the 72 pure ones) in the field of Kerbala. A list of the 72 martyrs (**who I believe have been mistaken/misundertood for 'virgins' as the ones who will meet other martyrs in paradise) can be found here:
Tribute is paid to Zainab, the sister of Hussein for the historical retention of the story. She was taken hostage by the army of Mu'awwiya and as they traveled to Syria, she told the story of the war crime to everyone along the way and hence, the story is known throughout the world.
May Allah be pleased with his Ahl Bayt and bless their friends and followers throughout the coming years.
**The concept of "virgins" as being rewards is not found in the Quran but in several hadith which are considered mostly weak reports at best.
8.12.10
Assange is a Hero. No more and no less.
Following is proof that America is a butcher, Saudi Arabia a hypocrit and Sarkozy a dim witted moron averse to tasting anything not resembling in both texture and taste, a snail. Go figure.
Mirror protection sites here (folks can add to the back up via their own server if they choose): http://213.251.145.96/mirrors.html
"American" soldiers laugh as they murder Iraqi citizens in cold blood. Reuter's reporters also murdered in this attack revealed by Wikileaks. Assange wanted for sexual assault? Right. Yeah, right. And some of the most disgusting 'casual' banter is engaged in by the murderers in the cockpit. Cock Pit. It only gets worse as the American soldiers who are in no danger whatsoever and never were, issue a request to kill the men who arrive to try and render aid to the one remaining victim of this barbaric attack. And then they basically murder the rescuers which ended up including two children as well. One of them laughs as he 'drives over a body' in his Bradley. And there's more....this little jackass states that it is the fault of the Iraqi for 'bringing his kid into battle'.....uh....what battle? This is their home. I do wonder where these soldiers are now, if they are remorseful or unchanged by their own horrendous lack of humanity.
The rules of engagement 'are a joke' according to this soldier who was there and tried to rescue the two children:
Of interest on Wikileaks site, Saudi Arabia's request for UN/US help in neutralizing Hezbollah in S. Lebanon (gosh with friends like that who needs enemies!):
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000768
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS IR, IS, IZ, LE, MASS, MCAP, MNUC, MOPS, PGOV, PINR,
PREL, SA
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SAG FM SAYS UN PEACE KEEPING FORCE NEEDED
NOW
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)
¶1. (S) SUMMARY. S/I Ambassador David Satterfield and an MNF-I/Embassy Baghdad team met with SAG Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on May 10. While Iraq was the main topic discussed, Saud brought up events taking place in Beirut and emphasized the need for a “security response†to Hizballah,s “military challenge to the Government of Lebanon.†Specifically, Saud argued for an “Arab force†to create and maintain order in and around Beirut, which would be assisted in its efforts and come under the “cover†of a deployment of UNIFIL troops from south Lebanon. The US and NATO would need to provide movement and logistic support, as well as “naval and air cover.†Saud said that a Hizballah victory in Beirut would mean the end of the Siniora government and the “Iranian takeover†of Lebanon. END SUMMARY.
Lebanon: A “Military†Problem with a Military Solution
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶2. (S) Opening a discussion with S/I Satterfield focused largely on Iraq, Saud first turned to Lebanon and stated that the effort by “Hizballah and Iran†to take over Beirut was the first step in a process that would lead to the overthrow of the Siniora government and an “Iranian takeover of all Lebanon.†Such a victory, combined with Iranian actions in Iraq and on the Palestinian front, would be a disaster for the US and the entire region. Saud argued that the present situation in Beirut was “entirely military†and that the solution must be military as well. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were too fragile to bear more pressure; they needed urgent backing to secure Beirut from Hizballah’s assault. What was needed was an “Arab force†drawn from Arab “periphery†states to deploy to Beirut under the “cover of the UN†and with a significant presence drawn from UNIFIL in south Lebanon “which is sitting doing nothing.†The US and NATO would be asked to provide equipment for such a force as well as logistics, movement support, and “naval and air cover.â€
¶3. (S) Satterfield asked what support this concept had from Siniora and from other Arab states. Saud responded that “Siniora strongly supports,†but that only Jordan and Egypt “as well as Arab League SYG Moussa†were aware of the proposal, lest premature surfacing result in its demise. No contacts had been made with Syria on any Beirut developments, Saud said, adding, “what would be the use?â€
An “Easier Battle to Winâ€
-------------------------
¶4. (S) Saud said that of all the regional fronts on which Iran was now advancing, the battle in Lebanon to secure peace would be an “easier battle to win†(than Iraq or on the Palestinian front). Satterfield said that the “political and military†feasibility of the undertaking Saud had outlined would appear very much open to question. In particular, attempting to establish a new mandate for UNIFIL would be very problematic. Satterfield said the US would carefully
RIYADH 00000768 002 OF 002
study any Arab decision on a way forward. Saud concluded by underscoring that a UN/Arab peace-keeping force coupled with US air and naval support would “keep out Hezbollah forever†in Lebanon.
¶5. (U) Ambassador Satterfield has cleared this cable.
FRAKER
And the French Faux Pas:
comments. Minor in substance, but significant to Saudi sensibilities. Initially, Sarkozy’s fiance Carla Bruni was expected to accompany him (but finally did not travel), which the Saudis found offensive given their strict, conservative culture against the company of an unmarried woman. Various protocol faux pas were committed by the French delegation during the visit. The French advance made, in Saudi opinion, unreasonable logistical demands. Finally, Pres Sarkozy was viewed as less than gracious, in Saudi eyes, during certain events, such as avoiding tasting traditional Arab foods and a bored look during the televised arrival sword ceremony. While these are minor points, the fact our Saudi contacts mentioned them shows their discontent. These incidents
RIYADH 00000102 003 OF 003
characterized one overarching private comment from the Saudis, that Pres Sarkozy has not replaced Pres Chirac in Saudi eyes. Other usually well-informed Saudi contacts have lamented the overtly commercial nature of the visit. Sarkozy reportedly presented a list of fourteen (14) sales that French firms would like to make to the Saudi government, complete with the original price and discounts that Sarkozy was prepared to negotiate. END COMMENT. FRAKER
Following is proof that America is a butcher, Saudi Arabia a hypocrit and Sarkozy a dim witted moron averse to tasting anything not resembling in both texture and taste, a snail. Go figure.
Mirror protection sites here (folks can add to the back up via their own server if they choose): http://213.251.145.96/mirrors.html
"American" soldiers laugh as they murder Iraqi citizens in cold blood. Reuter's reporters also murdered in this attack revealed by Wikileaks. Assange wanted for sexual assault? Right. Yeah, right. And some of the most disgusting 'casual' banter is engaged in by the murderers in the cockpit. Cock Pit. It only gets worse as the American soldiers who are in no danger whatsoever and never were, issue a request to kill the men who arrive to try and render aid to the one remaining victim of this barbaric attack. And then they basically murder the rescuers which ended up including two children as well. One of them laughs as he 'drives over a body' in his Bradley. And there's more....this little jackass states that it is the fault of the Iraqi for 'bringing his kid into battle'.....uh....what battle? This is their home. I do wonder where these soldiers are now, if they are remorseful or unchanged by their own horrendous lack of humanity.
The rules of engagement 'are a joke' according to this soldier who was there and tried to rescue the two children:
Of interest on Wikileaks site, Saudi Arabia's request for UN/US help in neutralizing Hezbollah in S. Lebanon (gosh with friends like that who needs enemies!):
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000768
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS IR, IS, IZ, LE, MASS, MCAP, MNUC, MOPS, PGOV, PINR,
PREL, SA
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SAG FM SAYS UN PEACE KEEPING FORCE NEEDED
NOW
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)
¶1. (S) SUMMARY. S/I Ambassador David Satterfield and an MNF-I/Embassy Baghdad team met with SAG Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on May 10. While Iraq was the main topic discussed, Saud brought up events taking place in Beirut and emphasized the need for a “security response†to Hizballah,s “military challenge to the Government of Lebanon.†Specifically, Saud argued for an “Arab force†to create and maintain order in and around Beirut, which would be assisted in its efforts and come under the “cover†of a deployment of UNIFIL troops from south Lebanon. The US and NATO would need to provide movement and logistic support, as well as “naval and air cover.†Saud said that a Hizballah victory in Beirut would mean the end of the Siniora government and the “Iranian takeover†of Lebanon. END SUMMARY.
Lebanon: A “Military†Problem with a Military Solution
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶2. (S) Opening a discussion with S/I Satterfield focused largely on Iraq, Saud first turned to Lebanon and stated that the effort by “Hizballah and Iran†to take over Beirut was the first step in a process that would lead to the overthrow of the Siniora government and an “Iranian takeover of all Lebanon.†Such a victory, combined with Iranian actions in Iraq and on the Palestinian front, would be a disaster for the US and the entire region. Saud argued that the present situation in Beirut was “entirely military†and that the solution must be military as well. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were too fragile to bear more pressure; they needed urgent backing to secure Beirut from Hizballah’s assault. What was needed was an “Arab force†drawn from Arab “periphery†states to deploy to Beirut under the “cover of the UN†and with a significant presence drawn from UNIFIL in south Lebanon “which is sitting doing nothing.†The US and NATO would be asked to provide equipment for such a force as well as logistics, movement support, and “naval and air cover.â€
¶3. (S) Satterfield asked what support this concept had from Siniora and from other Arab states. Saud responded that “Siniora strongly supports,†but that only Jordan and Egypt “as well as Arab League SYG Moussa†were aware of the proposal, lest premature surfacing result in its demise. No contacts had been made with Syria on any Beirut developments, Saud said, adding, “what would be the use?â€
An “Easier Battle to Winâ€
-------------------------
¶4. (S) Saud said that of all the regional fronts on which Iran was now advancing, the battle in Lebanon to secure peace would be an “easier battle to win†(than Iraq or on the Palestinian front). Satterfield said that the “political and military†feasibility of the undertaking Saud had outlined would appear very much open to question. In particular, attempting to establish a new mandate for UNIFIL would be very problematic. Satterfield said the US would carefully
RIYADH 00000768 002 OF 002
study any Arab decision on a way forward. Saud concluded by underscoring that a UN/Arab peace-keeping force coupled with US air and naval support would “keep out Hezbollah forever†in Lebanon.
¶5. (U) Ambassador Satterfield has cleared this cable.
FRAKER
And the French Faux Pas:
comments. Minor in substance, but significant to Saudi sensibilities. Initially, Sarkozy’s fiance Carla Bruni was expected to accompany him (but finally did not travel), which the Saudis found offensive given their strict, conservative culture against the company of an unmarried woman. Various protocol faux pas were committed by the French delegation during the visit. The French advance made, in Saudi opinion, unreasonable logistical demands. Finally, Pres Sarkozy was viewed as less than gracious, in Saudi eyes, during certain events, such as avoiding tasting traditional Arab foods and a bored look during the televised arrival sword ceremony. While these are minor points, the fact our Saudi contacts mentioned them shows their discontent. These incidents
RIYADH 00000102 003 OF 003
characterized one overarching private comment from the Saudis, that Pres Sarkozy has not replaced Pres Chirac in Saudi eyes. Other usually well-informed Saudi contacts have lamented the overtly commercial nature of the visit. Sarkozy reportedly presented a list of fourteen (14) sales that French firms would like to make to the Saudi government, complete with the original price and discounts that Sarkozy was prepared to negotiate. END COMMENT. FRAKER
6.12.10
http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/islamic-hadith-rare-muhammad/most-expensive-nov10.shtml
Last month’s most expensive sale, a rare Islamic book about the work and words of the prophet Muhammad, was our sixth most expensive sale in the history of AbeBooks and our biggest sale for five years. The $45,000 book is around 800 years old and details Hadith methodology. Hadith are collections of narrations dedicated to explaining the prophet’s actions and words. They are important tools in understanding the Qu'ran and Islamic law, and have existed for more than 1,200 years. They are a cornerstone of Islamic life.
Muhammad died in 632 A.D and his traditions were passed on orally for several centuries before the Hadith were formally recorded. By the 9th century, there were many different versions of the Hadith and today the Shia and Sunni denominations have different ones.
Most Darling of the Poetry section at Abe's Rare? Keats tied with Elliot. Oddly enough, Jim Morrison of the Doors comes in at #4. Go figure.
3.12.10
Athenian Demos Resource
and more importantly, "a safe house for literary misfits" is here at
Odd Books
and more importantly, "a safe house for literary misfits" is here at
Odd Books
29.11.10
Federal creation of Micro-Terrorist bomb threats leads to the burning of Oregon mosque and nationwide fear of retaliation against specifically Somalian Muslims.
This article says it all or at least, it says it finally...down toward the bottom that no one reads...it relates the real news that a mosque was set on fire. That actually happened.
The terrorist incident didn't and in fact was literally set up and sponsored by the federal law enforcement agencies tasked with keeping Islamophobia alive and kicking in underwear and in our lightbulbs. Everything from the empty garbage cans and inert blast caps to the van that was driven to the CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING ceremony was provided by the dark hairy hand of the GOV.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_re_us/us_portland_car_bomb_plot
This article says it all or at least, it says it finally...down toward the bottom that no one reads...it relates the real news that a mosque was set on fire. That actually happened.
The terrorist incident didn't and in fact was literally set up and sponsored by the federal law enforcement agencies tasked with keeping Islamophobia alive and kicking in underwear and in our lightbulbs. Everything from the empty garbage cans and inert blast caps to the van that was driven to the CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING ceremony was provided by the dark hairy hand of the GOV.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_re_us/us_portland_car_bomb_plot
24.11.10
20.11.10
And this just in...the Pope is found to be a Creationist afterall!
"VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI formally created 24 new cardinals on Saturday amid cheers in St. Peter's Basilica, bringing a mostly Italian group into the elite club that will eventually elect his successor."
16.11.10
Laura Elrick's STALK with Kai Beverly-Whittemore and Kristim Prevallet and Kythe Heller Using actual detainee logs from the Secret Orcon Interrogation Log here:
"Head break and 10 minute exercise. Interrogator allowed detainee to choose a
topic to talk about. Detainee wanted to talk about dinosaurs. Interrogator gave
history of dinosaurs and talked about the meteor that wiped them out, and equated
this event with nuclear war. Detainee expresses great ignorance about dinosaurs
and space, topics that are taught in U.S. grade schools. Detainee asked
interrogator if the sun revolved around the earth."
...and that my friends is incredibly sad and should make every American citizen bury themselves in mud for eternity.
http://ccrjustice.org/files/Publication_AlQahtaniLog.pdf
"Interrogators began “bad muslim” theme. Ran “circumstantial evidence” theme."
"Detainee was taken to bathroom and walked 10 minutes. Detainee offered water
– refused. Interrogators covered the resistance techniques he had used and asked him to perform the “crazy Mohammed” facial expressions again. Detainee began to cry. Interrogators recounted the “emotional Mohammed” from earlier in the session and the detainee became stoic again."
"Detainee began to cry during pride and ego down. Detainee was reminded that no one loved, cared or remembered him. He was reminded that he was less than
human and that animals had more freedom and love than he does. He was taken
outside to see a family of banana rats. The banana rats were moving around
freely, playing, eating, showing concern for one another. Detainee was compared
to the family of banana rats and reinforced that they had more love, freedom, and concern than he had. Detainee began to cry during this comparison."
"Head break and 10 minute exercise. Interrogator allowed detainee to choose a
topic to talk about. Detainee wanted to talk about dinosaurs. Interrogator gave
history of dinosaurs and talked about the meteor that wiped them out, and equated
this event with nuclear war. Detainee expresses great ignorance about dinosaurs
and space, topics that are taught in U.S. grade schools. Detainee asked
interrogator if the sun revolved around the earth."
...and that my friends is incredibly sad and should make every American citizen bury themselves in mud for eternity.
14.11.10
7.11.10
Some Good Pomes for my birthday. I listened to them while nibbling on leftover Kibbe Suniyeh i.e. Kibbe in Pan. Kibbe was constructed out of a beautiful filet (Halal) purchased at Babylon Market in Tucson (boy did I pay alot for this hunk of fresh beef). This was a truly beautiful piece of meat. This is ground into a near puree and combined with Kibbe Base. Kibbe Base is made by grinding an onion, several radishes, a hot pepper (any type) and a sweet pepper plus some fine bulghur with a liberal couple of spoons of ground "camooni" which is a conconction of cumin, allspice, mint, rosehips, cardommon, cinnamon bark, black peppercorns...and some other stuff actually. So, this is mushed up into a giant blob of raw meat with wheat and spices and all of that stuff......you have to eat some of that raw too while preparing the dish (called Kibbe Naye at that stage and it is oh so delicious)....so then you fry up some ground meat (preferably halal) with some onions, hot pepper, sweet pepper in olive oil and season it with cinnamon and allspice and salt....so this is placed between two layers of the Kibbe (from filet and patted into adobe like layers) and you bake it for 20 minutes or so....helps to brush some olive oil on top of the whole mess. So...it's pretty good the day you make it but the real treat is to eat it COLD the next day. Oh and I forgot..throw in some pine nuts when you fry the ground meat....this is really important. Also put some pine nuts on top of the whole thing...slash diamond like cuts across the top and place one or two nuts in each diamond so it looks like the real deal.
Goes great with some nice hot coffee (perc'd in an old Pyrex stovetop) and some Jim Pomes. Nice start to a birthday if you ask me.
Goes great with some nice hot coffee (perc'd in an old Pyrex stovetop) and some Jim Pomes. Nice start to a birthday if you ask me.
JIM BEHRLE FOR POETEEVEE from Alex Abelson on Vimeo.
RATED: Wunderful and One of a Kind Video although cannot quite comparet to Dramatic Reading of a Break Up Letter, The Numa Numa or Power Thirst but it is up there in the top twenty or thirty all time super videos.
I also found this refreshing this on Linh Dinh's blog Detainees
...and the two somehow go together:
I also found this refreshing this on Linh Dinh's blog Detainees
...and the two somehow go together:
4.11.10
The Tea for Two Party or how to split the vote and still end up winning:
Wunderbar essay by Ammiel Alcalay. From Baraka to Olson and How the West Was Won Yesterday........................again!
Drat!
Wunderbar essay by Ammiel Alcalay. From Baraka to Olson and How the West Was Won Yesterday........................again!
Drat!
1.11.10
29.10.10
Leave it to the Gulls and John Latta
Great (as is his usual)
The real-life rules of Charles Olson versus Old Skool and TransplantAtlantic Values.
One must wonder if this might have anything to do with Reality TV and the birth of same. Heh. And Lordy. Lordy Lordy we hope not.
Polis is This
Great (as is his usual)
The real-life rules of Charles Olson versus Old Skool and TransplantAtlantic Values.
One must wonder if this might have anything to do with Reality TV and the birth of same. Heh. And Lordy. Lordy Lordy we hope not.
Polis is This
27.10.10
Misunderstanding the Messih (ar.)
http://abecedarianfx.blogspot.com/2010/10/magic-mysticism-politics-in-poetry-few.html
A great Halloween Treat for the spectrally inclined Derrida-ist. So many ghosts and you know, it's a good thing we can still buy some eggs. I'd hate it if those things turned into vampires and all we could do is eat the image of an egg. And by gum, worse yet, I am an image too.
Most importantly, the misreading of the Messih by not one but two very important groups of people (those who create the Judeo-Christian dyad)....has led to this type of self important economic theory not to mention a generous amount of literary theory as well...the haves and have nots...all that important stuff about what we call 'reality'. Thing is, reality cannot be considered reality unless someone gets the facts straight and then, reality becomes only a superficial code for something far more important than a mere day's wage.
No Gnosis Required to grasp this problem.....not at all.
[4.157] And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. -The Women in The Glorious Quran
http://abecedarianfx.blogspot.com/2010/10/magic-mysticism-politics-in-poetry-few.html
A great Halloween Treat for the spectrally inclined Derrida-ist. So many ghosts and you know, it's a good thing we can still buy some eggs. I'd hate it if those things turned into vampires and all we could do is eat the image of an egg. And by gum, worse yet, I am an image too.
Most importantly, the misreading of the Messih by not one but two very important groups of people (those who create the Judeo-Christian dyad)....has led to this type of self important economic theory not to mention a generous amount of literary theory as well...the haves and have nots...all that important stuff about what we call 'reality'. Thing is, reality cannot be considered reality unless someone gets the facts straight and then, reality becomes only a superficial code for something far more important than a mere day's wage.
No Gnosis Required to grasp this problem.....not at all.
[4.157] And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. -The Women in The Glorious Quran
25.10.10
The Unreadable, Unmanagable poems of Jared Schickling and here is one example of, I believe, a poem that starts and is possibly titled INVECTIVE. It has a fine last line which is simply "inertia" and is constructed like a poorly prepared term paper or something. It translates into something that might be a time capsule received by a race on another planet who is unable to read in English and cannot fathom why John Tesh's last appearance on Entertainment Tonight is worth commenting on.
A truly, truly fascinating excursion into experimental poetry:
http://www.ditchpoetry.com/Jared%20Schickling.pdf
Mr. Schickling's new book out from Blaze Vox, Zero's Blooming Excursion is probably, I can only imagine, an equally fancy delight:
http://www.blazevox.org/bk-js4.htm
A truly, truly fascinating excursion into experimental poetry:
http://www.ditchpoetry.com/Jared%20Schickling.pdf
Mr. Schickling's new book out from Blaze Vox, Zero's Blooming Excursion is probably, I can only imagine, an equally fancy delight:
http://www.blazevox.org/bk-js4.htm
23.10.10
22.10.10
20.10.10
REAL Iranian News here: http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node
CASMII is a non profit organization which aims to educate people about and eradicate sanctions against the peaceful sovereign state of Iran.
CASMII is a non profit organization which aims to educate people about and eradicate sanctions against the peaceful sovereign state of Iran.
Mahmoud Ahmadinijad's First State Visit to Lebanon
Marked by Animal Slaughter and other Anti Western (ahem) activities like Ribbon Cuttings and Victory Speeches. The NERVE of those people!
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/10920
"I'm not even going to reach for a book on my shelf or search Wikipedia to find Islam's connection to animal killing. Instead I'll resort to common sense: human beings kill animals. In English we call them butchers. Not one article bothered to mention that the "sacrificed" camels, with "their long, graceful necks slit open" would actually be eaten afterwards. When it involves Arabs or Muslims, the implication is that they're savages killing merely for the sake of killing." -Mathew Cassel for CASMII Media Watch
This in response to an article in Slate written by one Ruth Ackerman who seems to take delight in not only slanting the news for her own think tank in order to line her pockets with think-tank gold but who probably is a zionist herself. Not much doubt about those people you know....they either are Zionists or work for them and often times they are both.
Alastair Crooke writes in Race for Iran:
The visit was, in fact, a State visit. The Iranian President was formally invited by the Maronite Christian President of Lebanon some while ago. Iran is a prominent regional state, just as Turkey is – whose Prime Minister happens to be visiting Beirut today.
Iran’s popularity on the streets should not surprise anyone. It is real, and it is heartfelt – and extends beyond the Shi’i of the south of Beirut. Having been present here in Beirut throughout the war of 2006, I experienced the almost universal shock at how leaders and so-called ‘friends of Lebanon’ such as Tony Blair and Condoleezza Rice tried to fend-off and delay a ceasefire – in order to allow Israel more time to ‘finish the job’, i.e. to destroy more bridges, more infrastructure and impose civilian casualties – as our ‘price’ to be paid for Hizbullah’s seizure of Israeli soldiers. Feelings here are still raw on this point, and all sectors of opinion know that the only real support for Lebanon in those dark hours came from Syria and Iran. Unsurprisingly, there was a direct element of gratitude in expression to Iran in recent days both for the support then, and its subsequent economic assistance to repair the damage.
Mr. Crooke goes on to describe the importance of the Shi'i philosophy in combating the world-wide sense of oppression that is overwhelmingly present throughout not only the Middle East but in every quarter of the globe:
In May this year, Zbig Brezezinski gave a brief talk at the Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) in Montreal. He told his audience that there were two factors shaping global politics in the world today. The first, he said was that “for the first time in all of human history, mankind is politically awakened and stirring”, adding that “all over the world people were aware of what was happening politically and are “consciously aware of global inequities, inequalities, lack of respect, and of exploitation”.
His second point was that the élites that rule us are less united and more diversified than before (he gave the transition of the G8 into the G20 as example); the élite is both less homogeneous and less restrained by adherence to traditional values and culture; the consequence of this is a more surveilled, and a more controlled society, Brzezinski has written.
When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Hassan Nasrallah quote Imam Ali (the son-in-law of The Prophet)’s dictum that Muslims should be the ‘friend of the oppressed; and enemies of the oppressor’, or speak of western ‘double-standards’, New York Times sophisticates may sneer at this talk as ‘all hat and no cattle’; but they simply miss the point.
In short Islam – particularly Shi’i Islam – is taking over the clothes of the European early Renaissance (before the Enlightenment); Islam stands, for many Muslims, for a humanism and a respect for justice, human dignity and defiance of tyranny that Europe once espoused. Of course, few in the West will see it in these terms: they have been too busy creating an inverted mirror image of what they perceive still to be western ‘virtues’ – and call it Iranian ‘theocracy’.
"Elsewhere" in the media (Slate which is run by the Jerusalem Post folks), Christopher Hitchens, the well known pro Zionist athiest takes a break from treatments to treat his throat cancer caused by addiction to booze and cigarettes (not Allah of course) to write a little expose on "how" Hezbollah became the most powerful broker in Lebanon and probably the most powerful broker in the Middle East. He shows no shame in bad reportage, obvious propaganda and innuendo for which he brings forth no supporting evidence (insinuating Hezbollah in the murder of Hariri and not mentioning the fact that Hezbollah has actual evidence of Israeli involvement (surprise-not!) in the 2005 Israeli engineered and executed Valentine's Day massacre of the former prime minister who single handedly had rebuilt Beirut and restored it's international public image. Something Israel really hates is a Middle East with a Good Public Image.
I'll bet he'd fire his doctors if they treated his cancer that way!
http://www.slate.com/id/2271511/
Marked by Animal Slaughter and other Anti Western (ahem) activities like Ribbon Cuttings and Victory Speeches. The NERVE of those people!
http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/10920
"I'm not even going to reach for a book on my shelf or search Wikipedia to find Islam's connection to animal killing. Instead I'll resort to common sense: human beings kill animals. In English we call them butchers. Not one article bothered to mention that the "sacrificed" camels, with "their long, graceful necks slit open" would actually be eaten afterwards. When it involves Arabs or Muslims, the implication is that they're savages killing merely for the sake of killing." -Mathew Cassel for CASMII Media Watch
This in response to an article in Slate written by one Ruth Ackerman who seems to take delight in not only slanting the news for her own think tank in order to line her pockets with think-tank gold but who probably is a zionist herself. Not much doubt about those people you know....they either are Zionists or work for them and often times they are both.
Alastair Crooke writes in Race for Iran:
The visit was, in fact, a State visit. The Iranian President was formally invited by the Maronite Christian President of Lebanon some while ago. Iran is a prominent regional state, just as Turkey is – whose Prime Minister happens to be visiting Beirut today.
Iran’s popularity on the streets should not surprise anyone. It is real, and it is heartfelt – and extends beyond the Shi’i of the south of Beirut. Having been present here in Beirut throughout the war of 2006, I experienced the almost universal shock at how leaders and so-called ‘friends of Lebanon’ such as Tony Blair and Condoleezza Rice tried to fend-off and delay a ceasefire – in order to allow Israel more time to ‘finish the job’, i.e. to destroy more bridges, more infrastructure and impose civilian casualties – as our ‘price’ to be paid for Hizbullah’s seizure of Israeli soldiers. Feelings here are still raw on this point, and all sectors of opinion know that the only real support for Lebanon in those dark hours came from Syria and Iran. Unsurprisingly, there was a direct element of gratitude in expression to Iran in recent days both for the support then, and its subsequent economic assistance to repair the damage.
Mr. Crooke goes on to describe the importance of the Shi'i philosophy in combating the world-wide sense of oppression that is overwhelmingly present throughout not only the Middle East but in every quarter of the globe:
In May this year, Zbig Brezezinski gave a brief talk at the Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) in Montreal. He told his audience that there were two factors shaping global politics in the world today. The first, he said was that “for the first time in all of human history, mankind is politically awakened and stirring”, adding that “all over the world people were aware of what was happening politically and are “consciously aware of global inequities, inequalities, lack of respect, and of exploitation”.
His second point was that the élites that rule us are less united and more diversified than before (he gave the transition of the G8 into the G20 as example); the élite is both less homogeneous and less restrained by adherence to traditional values and culture; the consequence of this is a more surveilled, and a more controlled society, Brzezinski has written.
When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Hassan Nasrallah quote Imam Ali (the son-in-law of The Prophet)’s dictum that Muslims should be the ‘friend of the oppressed; and enemies of the oppressor’, or speak of western ‘double-standards’, New York Times sophisticates may sneer at this talk as ‘all hat and no cattle’; but they simply miss the point.
In short Islam – particularly Shi’i Islam – is taking over the clothes of the European early Renaissance (before the Enlightenment); Islam stands, for many Muslims, for a humanism and a respect for justice, human dignity and defiance of tyranny that Europe once espoused. Of course, few in the West will see it in these terms: they have been too busy creating an inverted mirror image of what they perceive still to be western ‘virtues’ – and call it Iranian ‘theocracy’.
"Elsewhere" in the media (Slate which is run by the Jerusalem Post folks), Christopher Hitchens, the well known pro Zionist athiest takes a break from treatments to treat his throat cancer caused by addiction to booze and cigarettes (not Allah of course) to write a little expose on "how" Hezbollah became the most powerful broker in Lebanon and probably the most powerful broker in the Middle East. He shows no shame in bad reportage, obvious propaganda and innuendo for which he brings forth no supporting evidence (insinuating Hezbollah in the murder of Hariri and not mentioning the fact that Hezbollah has actual evidence of Israeli involvement (surprise-not!) in the 2005 Israeli engineered and executed Valentine's Day massacre of the former prime minister who single handedly had rebuilt Beirut and restored it's international public image. Something Israel really hates is a Middle East with a Good Public Image.
I'll bet he'd fire his doctors if they treated his cancer that way!
http://www.slate.com/id/2271511/
19.10.10
The Beginning of Right Versus Wrong or Original Sin*
Reposting this video in which a Shi'a scholar describes the logic behind the murder of the grandson of the Prophet Mohamed, SA i.e. the murder of Hussein at Kerbala, pbuh. Recently, a person has asked if that is what divides Sunni from Shia and I think it is important to understand a couple of things about that.
At the time of Mohamed's death, Islam was not technically divided into two branches (the right one and the sect). However, it is well known and supported in the Quran itself, that Islam already had two branches i.e. the right one and the errant one. These two groups are referred to in the Quran and in this instance, allegorically related to the two sects during another important phase in Islam:
[27.45] And certainly We sent to Samood their brother Salih, saying: Serve Allah; and lo! they became two sects quarrelling with each other.
Logically, unless both groups are wrong, one group becomes a splinter 'faction' and splits from the mainstream. Logically as well, if this were not the case and the two groups split into two new groups, it would mean a disappearance in its entirety of the 'seed' group. That would be illogical.
Therefore, what happened in Islam from the very beginning is that people became divided into two groups basically. Those that believe in Allah and those that don't. There are always only two groups in that affair. One is absolutely sincere and the others become, in a sense, agnostics to belief. Some progress into full hypocrisy in that affair and still others graduate into absolute disbelief. This has happened in every phase of Allah's religion including the notable affair of the split into sects of the Companions of Jesus Christ (Isa, SA) who after the Last Supper found themselves at odds with each other and set up the sectarian nature of all of Christendom and to this day it remains split into sects:
[5.115] Allah said: Surely I will send it down to you, but whoever shall disbelieve afterwards from among you, surely I will chastise him with a chastisement with which I will not chastise, anyone among the nations. -From the Sura called The Dinner Table which describes the true miracle of the Last Supper and the last act of the apostle known as Jesus.
The Shia/Sunni split is the only split that is in any sense noteworthy in Islam. That is because you will find all sects are a type of one of those groups regardless of how they themselves might align themselves or stress their own "independence" from the crowd. For instance, the Baha'i are not truly muslim by definition because they do not follow any of the Islamic rituals such as fasting during Ramadan, prayer five times a day or Hajj. The do however attribute their existence entirely to the Ahl Bayt and hence are considered by many theologians as Shi'a. In my estimation it is like calling a Jehovah's Witness a Roman Catholic. About the same. In this case however the Baha'i can be compared to the Christian sect known as Mormonism because in effect they exist on the basis of a delusional pschodrama of one person who then translated and transcribed their messianic complex into hard text and produced a 'bible' for their followers: The Book of Mormon versus the Bayan.
By the time however that the prophet's grandson Hussein was murdered, the Sunni/Shia divide was in full swing and ethnic cleansing was either occurring or being forced upon the quiet members of the sect. It is what necessitated the need for what is called Taqiyya or "Religious Dissimulation". Without it, the Shia would have been purged and Islam as we know it would already be dead. No doubt it has much to do with the reason the US and Israel attack Shia countries so agressively...hoping to "wipe Shia Islam off the face of the earth" so to speak with talk of nuking Iran and destroying Hezbollah in South Lebanon.
I like the following video because it really shows the nature of Shia logic. Shia logic is what distinguishes Sunnite from Shi'ite followers of Islam. There are other things that distinguish these two groups of course but logic is the single most important quality that differentiates between the two. I don't think anyone can understand it all just from a video or two but this is a great example of what Shia scholars are talking about when they try to emphasize and dissociate themselves from modern Sunni movements like Al Qaeda.
And no, we Shia have nothing to apologize for and hence we don't when asked to apologize for the Crimes against humanity that "Sunni" Islam has incurred. We are not guilty and in fact are the victims of the same band of idiocracy that was produced with Sunni logic that lauded the death of the relatives of the last prophet and aggrandized the role of the murderer of Hussein and ridiculed the muslim who in turn killed the killer.
*Original Sin is defined as listening to advice from a source other than Allah
Reposting this video in which a Shi'a scholar describes the logic behind the murder of the grandson of the Prophet Mohamed, SA i.e. the murder of Hussein at Kerbala, pbuh. Recently, a person has asked if that is what divides Sunni from Shia and I think it is important to understand a couple of things about that.
At the time of Mohamed's death, Islam was not technically divided into two branches (the right one and the sect). However, it is well known and supported in the Quran itself, that Islam already had two branches i.e. the right one and the errant one. These two groups are referred to in the Quran and in this instance, allegorically related to the two sects during another important phase in Islam:
[27.45] And certainly We sent to Samood their brother Salih, saying: Serve Allah; and lo! they became two sects quarrelling with each other.
Logically, unless both groups are wrong, one group becomes a splinter 'faction' and splits from the mainstream. Logically as well, if this were not the case and the two groups split into two new groups, it would mean a disappearance in its entirety of the 'seed' group. That would be illogical.
Therefore, what happened in Islam from the very beginning is that people became divided into two groups basically. Those that believe in Allah and those that don't. There are always only two groups in that affair. One is absolutely sincere and the others become, in a sense, agnostics to belief. Some progress into full hypocrisy in that affair and still others graduate into absolute disbelief. This has happened in every phase of Allah's religion including the notable affair of the split into sects of the Companions of Jesus Christ (Isa, SA) who after the Last Supper found themselves at odds with each other and set up the sectarian nature of all of Christendom and to this day it remains split into sects:
[5.115] Allah said: Surely I will send it down to you, but whoever shall disbelieve afterwards from among you, surely I will chastise him with a chastisement with which I will not chastise, anyone among the nations. -From the Sura called The Dinner Table which describes the true miracle of the Last Supper and the last act of the apostle known as Jesus.
The Shia/Sunni split is the only split that is in any sense noteworthy in Islam. That is because you will find all sects are a type of one of those groups regardless of how they themselves might align themselves or stress their own "independence" from the crowd. For instance, the Baha'i are not truly muslim by definition because they do not follow any of the Islamic rituals such as fasting during Ramadan, prayer five times a day or Hajj. The do however attribute their existence entirely to the Ahl Bayt and hence are considered by many theologians as Shi'a. In my estimation it is like calling a Jehovah's Witness a Roman Catholic. About the same. In this case however the Baha'i can be compared to the Christian sect known as Mormonism because in effect they exist on the basis of a delusional pschodrama of one person who then translated and transcribed their messianic complex into hard text and produced a 'bible' for their followers: The Book of Mormon versus the Bayan.
By the time however that the prophet's grandson Hussein was murdered, the Sunni/Shia divide was in full swing and ethnic cleansing was either occurring or being forced upon the quiet members of the sect. It is what necessitated the need for what is called Taqiyya or "Religious Dissimulation". Without it, the Shia would have been purged and Islam as we know it would already be dead. No doubt it has much to do with the reason the US and Israel attack Shia countries so agressively...hoping to "wipe Shia Islam off the face of the earth" so to speak with talk of nuking Iran and destroying Hezbollah in South Lebanon.
I like the following video because it really shows the nature of Shia logic. Shia logic is what distinguishes Sunnite from Shi'ite followers of Islam. There are other things that distinguish these two groups of course but logic is the single most important quality that differentiates between the two. I don't think anyone can understand it all just from a video or two but this is a great example of what Shia scholars are talking about when they try to emphasize and dissociate themselves from modern Sunni movements like Al Qaeda.
And no, we Shia have nothing to apologize for and hence we don't when asked to apologize for the Crimes against humanity that "Sunni" Islam has incurred. We are not guilty and in fact are the victims of the same band of idiocracy that was produced with Sunni logic that lauded the death of the relatives of the last prophet and aggrandized the role of the murderer of Hussein and ridiculed the muslim who in turn killed the killer.
*Original Sin is defined as listening to advice from a source other than Allah
18.10.10
14.10.10
13.10.10
Ode To Rocks
In pockets and gardens, under
our beds for miners carry
a fair share in long gray
pails with jugs of soup
near shanks and flesh
with crusts plus those
stored in the chests.
The spare parts of the world
cast about pose a craving
as deep as the ocean is long
as the rivers are wide. A record
of perennial harvests hauled
up from the ground
on ladders of iron, even that!
Beloved fountains of slag
pour into banks of remains
where genuflection pays
paper for gold and time with loss.
Poor men fair well in shifts,
forever on the way in or out
with dirt clinging, dirt in love
with the heroic skin, part
ancient shroud part, let me in.
They are out. I doubt that there is one miner or miner's family who is not completely touched by this momentous occassion. My own father who worked underground for Phelps Dodge refused to be buried when he died for exactly this reason...the fear of being caught in a mine collapse. It's really something to see the world pay attention to the miners and their families...men who work underground and go relatively unnoticed by society day to day....have never been unnoticed by those who love them. Every time there is a mine collapse, I post this poem (In the Mines in Mexico, They Weep) which started many, many years ago and looked quite different then. It's still not finished and today I am adding the line toward the middle, "The small white butterflies." because the miner's themselves (not all) attribute their safety to having stopped to watch a small white butterfly from outside the mine....2000 some feet down into the ground that is. Much of my early work concentrates most definitely on being raised in a mining town and in a mining family including all of the Odes like the one above, Ode to Rocks. And this year we are noticing Freport McMoran returning our old town to its mining focus....roads being built, big machines and men in hard hats wondering around doing this and that...strange lights up on the slag heaps at all hours.
ooh, aah, wonderful! then another interim and another,
one day the sun will die
First draft sometime 03/06 however the sketch for this poem much earlier...probably in the mid 90's.
In pockets and gardens, under
our beds for miners carry
a fair share in long gray
pails with jugs of soup
near shanks and flesh
with crusts plus those
stored in the chests.
The spare parts of the world
cast about pose a craving
as deep as the ocean is long
as the rivers are wide. A record
of perennial harvests hauled
up from the ground
on ladders of iron, even that!
Beloved fountains of slag
pour into banks of remains
where genuflection pays
paper for gold and time with loss.
Poor men fair well in shifts,
forever on the way in or out
with dirt clinging, dirt in love
with the heroic skin, part
ancient shroud part, let me in.
They are out. I doubt that there is one miner or miner's family who is not completely touched by this momentous occassion. My own father who worked underground for Phelps Dodge refused to be buried when he died for exactly this reason...the fear of being caught in a mine collapse. It's really something to see the world pay attention to the miners and their families...men who work underground and go relatively unnoticed by society day to day....have never been unnoticed by those who love them. Every time there is a mine collapse, I post this poem (In the Mines in Mexico, They Weep) which started many, many years ago and looked quite different then. It's still not finished and today I am adding the line toward the middle, "The small white butterflies." because the miner's themselves (not all) attribute their safety to having stopped to watch a small white butterfly from outside the mine....2000 some feet down into the ground that is. Much of my early work concentrates most definitely on being raised in a mining town and in a mining family including all of the Odes like the one above, Ode to Rocks. And this year we are noticing Freport McMoran returning our old town to its mining focus....roads being built, big machines and men in hard hats wondering around doing this and that...strange lights up on the slag heaps at all hours.
In The Mines Of Mexico They Weep
Now there shall be a man cohered out of tumult and chaos . . . . the elder encourages the younger and shows him how . . . they two shall launch off fearlessly together till the new world fits an orbit for itself and looks unabashed on the lesser orbits of the stars and sweeps through the ceaseless rings and shall never be quiet again. - Walt Whitman, in the preface to Leaves of Grass.
In a twilight pilgrimmage
via these frost cracked streets
close to the Campbell shaft
full of our fathers breath and breathing,
we unfold our own cloth on the Fourth of July,
one crease at a time on the crags
near the ballpark in Warren, down from
the Loma Linda and the old mine-boss housing.
Flashlights dangle from the hands
of children. The night catches us deeply
unaware, but they don't think like that,
they are that,
think more about the starting time,
and the firemen on top of the dumps
who signal the end by waving lanterns,
how they crave that sort of thing
up there on those mountains of slag
thinking, as ours do, of the breath
of canaries and candles deep in those old holes.
Now there shall be a man cohered out of tumult and chaos . . . . the elder encourages the younger and shows him how . . . they two shall launch off fearlessly together till the new world fits an orbit for itself and looks unabashed on the lesser orbits of the stars and sweeps through the ceaseless rings and shall never be quiet again. - Walt Whitman, in the preface to Leaves of Grass.
In a twilight pilgrimmage
via these frost cracked streets
close to the Campbell shaft
full of our fathers breath and breathing,
we unfold our own cloth on the Fourth of July,
one crease at a time on the crags
near the ballpark in Warren, down from
the Loma Linda and the old mine-boss housing.
Flashlights dangle from the hands
of children. The night catches us deeply
unaware, but they don't think like that,
they are that,
think more about the starting time,
and the firemen on top of the dumps
who signal the end by waving lanterns,
how they crave that sort of thing
up there on those mountains of slag
thinking, as ours do, of the breath
of canaries and candles deep in those old holes.
The small white butterflies.
A persistent and unheard whimper
fills space on this weary-
happy picnic in July or maybe
it only fills the weariness with something else.
I clasp a child tight in my arms,
a finger closes the tender wound,
hush hush, our waiting begins, we settle down.
Our Fourth of July is in sweet tortuous ruins
thrown in a trash bin of appetites lost.
We've run from one excitement to another
A persistent and unheard whimper
fills space on this weary-
happy picnic in July or maybe
it only fills the weariness with something else.
I clasp a child tight in my arms,
a finger closes the tender wound,
hush hush, our waiting begins, we settle down.
Our Fourth of July is in sweet tortuous ruins
thrown in a trash bin of appetites lost.
We've run from one excitement to another
races, parades, contests, reunions
thankful for a gentle sun, there was no burning
and there will be few scars if any.
The miles between this and that
contract like stars in heaven where
light reaches us much too late
and we as well, get there accordingly.
This is the anniversary of all
that's happened here
for each body on this ragged old quilt,
each poor soul and dumbstruck
face tipped up toward the sky.
The silence between one person and the next
is only the truth where commentary has failed.
I look around me one last time
before the sun takes all the light away -
count the faces I own, erase what's left,
a small town thing to do on an occasion like this.
The darkness is complete and the fireworks begin.
My daughter tells me, during one of the beautiful
interims which goes like this:
thankful for a gentle sun, there was no burning
and there will be few scars if any.
The miles between this and that
contract like stars in heaven where
light reaches us much too late
and we as well, get there accordingly.
This is the anniversary of all
that's happened here
for each body on this ragged old quilt,
each poor soul and dumbstruck
face tipped up toward the sky.
The silence between one person and the next
is only the truth where commentary has failed.
I look around me one last time
before the sun takes all the light away -
count the faces I own, erase what's left,
a small town thing to do on an occasion like this.
The darkness is complete and the fireworks begin.
My daughter tells me, during one of the beautiful
interims which goes like this:
ooh, aah, wonderful! then another interim and another,
one day the sun will die
as copper sulphur spark comets flower dark,
my father scatters in the sky,
my father scatters in the sky,
Oh! Mufasa, talk to me!
First draft sometime 03/06 however the sketch for this poem much earlier...probably in the mid 90's.
5.10.10
Is that a wedgie Eileen Myles is pulling out of her backside? Only she can get away with stunts like that and then there's the stinky poem with super graphics:
Eileen Myles from Monofonus Press on Vimeo.
3.10.10
Israel Guilty of Murder of US citizen
Israel executes six people including one US citizen. Media coverage is practically nil of course because US citizens matter about as much as Palestinians. Which is they matter not at all. Anyways...in the Middle East, most people now believe that Israel is not only a doomed country but it probably only has a decade or less left. This isn't just a handful of people saying this but it is a widespread belief in the Middle East and in the headlines of their newspapers.
Read more about Israel's desperate actions against the flotilla: here
The report reveals that Dogan, the 19-year-old US citizen of Turkish descent, was filming with a small video camera on the top deck of the Mavi Marmara when he was shot twice in the head, once in the back and in the left leg and foot and that he was shot in the face at point blank range while lying on the ground.
The report says Dogan had apparently been "lying on the deck in a conscious or semi-conscious, state for some time" before being shot in his face.
The forensic evidence that establishes that fact is "tattooing around the wound in his face," indicating that the shot was "delivered at point blank range." The report describes the forensic evidence as showing that "the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back."
Israel executes six people including one US citizen. Media coverage is practically nil of course because US citizens matter about as much as Palestinians. Which is they matter not at all. Anyways...in the Middle East, most people now believe that Israel is not only a doomed country but it probably only has a decade or less left. This isn't just a handful of people saying this but it is a widespread belief in the Middle East and in the headlines of their newspapers.
Read more about Israel's desperate actions against the flotilla: here
The report reveals that Dogan, the 19-year-old US citizen of Turkish descent, was filming with a small video camera on the top deck of the Mavi Marmara when he was shot twice in the head, once in the back and in the left leg and foot and that he was shot in the face at point blank range while lying on the ground.
The report says Dogan had apparently been "lying on the deck in a conscious or semi-conscious, state for some time" before being shot in his face.
The forensic evidence that establishes that fact is "tattooing around the wound in his face," indicating that the shot was "delivered at point blank range." The report describes the forensic evidence as showing that "the trajectory of the wound, from bottom to top, together with a vital abrasion to the left shoulder that could be consistent with the bullet exit point, is compatible with the shot being received while he was lying on the ground on his back."
1.10.10
28.9.10
I ran into a young lady last month...at the Saturday Morning Farmer's Market...and we got to talking about Ecoasis which is a visionary plan to change some old cruddy lots around here into community gardens, etc. I think it is truly exciting to be living in such a time and such a place that invites people to exchange ideas, good food and according to an email I just received...good words. Open Mic night is projected for first Fridays and this is truly needed in the poetic environs of Bisbee, Arizona.
27.9.10
So Far So Good
To erase it all up and memorize
the gaps run through it as mis-spellings
truly rain. Body up and pretend
to know what it is you are doing
again, wash it up and thread
it with one eye closed as they used
to do this in borrowed tenses.
That was silence for it is
not remembered as much until
the last licked thread lingers
a great long time in the wrong mouth,
the bitten cheeks and punctual
lips pursed to help fingers
to sequel the camel,
balance the angels,
squish out the remaining air,
the gaps, the light in the gaps.
The light is in the gaps now,
tire dish now, surer than that
tire dish now, please be speaking
on between sundowns. On after the overs
and he is gone now, those are his now.
This isn't ours or us anymore.
Some sentences tear apart
and tear apart the aperture
where the light works, the hole surrenders.
To erase it all up and memorize
the gaps run through it as mis-spellings
truly rain. Body up and pretend
to know what it is you are doing
again, wash it up and thread
it with one eye closed as they used
to do this in borrowed tenses.
That was silence for it is
not remembered as much until
the last licked thread lingers
a great long time in the wrong mouth,
the bitten cheeks and punctual
lips pursed to help fingers
to sequel the camel,
balance the angels,
squish out the remaining air,
the gaps, the light in the gaps.
The light is in the gaps now,
tire dish now, surer than that
tire dish now, please be speaking
on between sundowns. On after the overs
and he is gone now, those are his now.
This isn't ours or us anymore.
Some sentences tear apart
and tear apart the aperture
where the light works, the hole surrenders.
Anselm Berrigan interlocutes an eloquent statement to an offscreen partner regarding his own particular refusenik status pertaining perhaps to poetry or perhaps to angelism scornforkery. Hard to tell but all the same, it's worth a read and holds the reader save for a bit of clumsy shirk-quirkspew in the middle. Perhaps he is not the most boring poet alive afterall.
http://peacockonlinereview.com/poems/july10/anselm_berrigan.pdf
http://peacockonlinereview.com/poems/july10/anselm_berrigan.pdf
22.9.10
Haris Homestead, 09/10
We know exactly where the grapes
these figs start and stop
where they fell and by which
hand they are brought to tent
and table, I wish for a longer
but less a vist than a lifestyle,
on the two banks of the ocean,
the water spelling and spreading
me, my eyes, cutting
all this property we've acquired
all of this in half, even
the memory of which closet
I locked last
is parceled out like summer
melon, the fog is sure
rolling in, peeling up
the summer layers, the weddings
scalping the low low waves
of the Mediterranean Sea
as boys are prepared for school,
each new book is a promise
and each girls' first smile
but there's no one to stop this
moving on that we're doing,
no tree to grab onto
as we flash by and away
years at a time.
We know exactly where the grapes
these figs start and stop
where they fell and by which
hand they are brought to tent
and table, I wish for a longer
but less a vist than a lifestyle,
on the two banks of the ocean,
the water spelling and spreading
me, my eyes, cutting
all this property we've acquired
all of this in half, even
the memory of which closet
I locked last
is parceled out like summer
melon, the fog is sure
rolling in, peeling up
the summer layers, the weddings
scalping the low low waves
of the Mediterranean Sea
as boys are prepared for school,
each new book is a promise
and each girls' first smile
but there's no one to stop this
moving on that we're doing,
no tree to grab onto
as we flash by and away
years at a time.
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