It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.  – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry When I was about six years old I received the essential bodhichitta teaching from an old … Continue reading
Bristling Badger has some musings on the popular support for Chavez in comparison to Bush. He mentions in passing The mayor of Venezuela’s capital Caracas says he plans to expropriate two exclusive golf courses and use the land for homes … Continue reading
Eric Reeves on Darfur and Eastern Chad: “Humanitarian assistance is rapidly collapsing. Khartoum, having secured the security status quo in “negotiations†with the UN and African Union, has returned to its genocidal onslaught.”
This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not … Continue reading
The Yes-men managed another wonderful stunt the other day: At a Wharton Business School conference on business in Africa, World Trade Organization representative Hanniford Schmidt announced the creation of a WTO initiative for “full private stewardry of labor” for the … Continue reading
The media have portrayed the anti-globalisation protests as a struggle between violent protestors and well restrained police. It’s true that the protests have been marked by violence, from at least a section of the large demonstration, but that’s only one … Continue reading
TURNING and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; … Continue reading
This week I’ve found myself by turns angry and sad about politics for the first time since the Israeli bombardment of civilians in Lebanon. This time the reason, I think, is that I had begun to believe that the right … Continue reading
Cheney seems to have ordered the US air force not to attack the commercial airliners hijacked on September 11. The link and discussion is here
Mark Kaplan, 18 months ago, presented the ultimate blog argument. Titled “Notes on Rhetoric” it was a list of the phrases and techniques used in dodgy comment thread debate. It’s hilarious and very much to the point. I’ll give you … Continue reading
Andrew Bacevich writing in the Australian today says the chickens have come home to roost in Iraq: Historians of the global war on terror will likely recall September 2006 as a pivotal moment. Throughout this month, chickens have come home … Continue reading
Carnival of the Liberals has bulldozed my little shanty town and set up its tents on my metaphorical village green. Some Bloodthirsty Vegetarians even took time out from a glass of Shiraz and an attempt to discover which science fiction … Continue reading
MarketWatch reports on Project Censored’s annual list of stories the media has ignored. It points out that censorship in the US is usually more about what the MSM chooses not to report, either because it won’t help circulation figures or … Continue reading
From Comment is Free a summary of Bush’s true failure: America is dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Had Thomas Jefferson never written those words, it would be hard to invent better ideals to set against the … Continue reading
Christopher Alexander was interviewed recently on radio in Australia. He mentioned that several years ago he had been appointed part of the planning approvals process for Pasadena housing units. His contribution was to insist that the developers show how their … Continue reading
From Eric Reeves: On Thursday, August 31, 2006, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1706, ‘inviting’ the National Islamic Front regime in Khartoum to allow a large and robust UN to enter Darfur with the primary goal of protecting acutely … Continue reading
From The Anthropik Network: According to hydrologists, government officers and industrial leaders, water and waste pollution is the single most serious issue facing China. Presently, one in three rural inhabitants lacks access to safe drinking water. The urban situation is … Continue reading
As John Allison points out so clearly here what the middle east needs is not Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes but for Israel to help Lebanon to casualty and hang around for 8 hours to make sure she’s alright.
Funny and sad. George Galloway has a few things to say to the US Senate.
Sixty one years ago the human race left behind the unconscious cruelty of children to demonstrate a studied and mature capacity for evil. Seventy five thousand lives were snuffed out in an instant, and as many again died more slowly … Continue reading