Beijing is one thing, but this kind of thing is another altogether. People forget that the rule of the Dalai Lama in Tibet (and I'm not just talking about the present holder of the title, but in general) has both secular and theocratic aspects. If the Tibetans abandon Buddhism, they abandon the Dalai Lama. That's …
China’s six-to-one advantage over the US: Piano Lessons
This, from the incomparable Spengler: America outspends China on defense by a margin of more than six to one, the Pentagon estimates. [1] In another strategic dimension, though, China already holds a six-to-one advantage over the United States. Thirty-six million Chinese children study piano today, compared to only 6 million in the United States.[2] The …
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In the Last Depression, The Hobos Rode the Rails
As did my mother and her brother: I'm not sure of the date but it probably was taken in the late 1920's. Their father worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, so this photo was a natural. Although most people think of the Great Depression having its start with the 1929 crash, because of depressed commodity …
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By Your Side
One of the albums I feature on this site is the eponymous Outpouring, from the Community of the Cross. I noticed that another song from this group is performed by "the old guy" on this YouTube Video The vocals aren't the best, but the guitar work is fine. Long songs were Outpouring's specialty.
It’s Not What School You Went To, It’s the Kind of Person You Are
In the middle of all the other excitement followed on this blog, last weekend I got to do something completely different: attend my high school class reunion, the first one I had even been to. People were taken aback that I was going to Boca Raton, FL, to do this, but there's no mystery: someone's …
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Christianisation of the Masonic Lodge?
With all the recent complaining I've had to deal with from James Alexander, now this, from a Masonic site: For instance in some states conservative Christian evangelicals have overtaken some Grand Lodges and written into their state Masonic code a Christianization of their state's Freemasonry. Freemasonry had previously gradually evolved into being religiously neutral and …
Laïcité (Secularisation) is Great. For Some People. And Then There are Others…
In my recent post replying to the fundamentalist-obsessed James Alexander, I said that "Since 9/11 they (European secularists) have become quite vocal, because they realise they face being overrun by same Muslims whom they don’t have the stomach to fight. So they attack the Christians once again, because they know the Christians won’t resort to …
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Apple Settles the Derivative Litigation. But They Didn’t Use a Mac!
Apple shareholders were recently notified by this court document that the "Apple Derivative Litigation" has been settled. A brief summary of this--which relates to backdating of Apple stock options--is as follows: Apple Inc. and several of its officers and directors, including chief executive Steve Jobs, have agreed to settle a stock options backdating case for …
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Blast from the Past: Coming Home from Heathrow
In 1976 I made a month-long trip to the UK. At the end of this I headed to Heathrow Airport for the flight back to Miami and from there home just up the coast. This piece was originally put up 11 August 2006, the 30th anniversary of my return. I'm reposting this on the seventh …
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Little Children
I'm back on the podcast trail this week with Little Children, from Cookin' Mama's New Day album. This group was very progressive and the music is still fresh and moves after all these years. I've featured this album before, but now it's hosted on this site, and you can find it here.
Positive Infinity 