Motley Kamuka

It's 2007 in America and bad investments about bad loans are crashing the economy. “For the public, it was tempting to see all this as a righteous comeuppance for greedy bankers and hedge fund managers; to want to stand by as firms failed and executives who'd drawn $20 million bonuses were forced to sell off their yachts, jets, and homes in the Hamptons. I'd encountered enough Wall Street executives personally to know that many (though not all) lived up to the stereotype: smug and entitled, conspicuous in their consumption, and indifferent to the impact their decisions might have on everyone else. The trouble was that in the midst of a financial panic, in a modern capitalist economy, it was impossible to isolate good businesses from bad, or administer pain only to the reckless or unscrupulous. Like it or not, everybody and everything was connected.” A Promised Land by Barack Obama p. 178. Reading this book, written by a man who wants to be a good leader for the American pe

Robert B. Palmer's introduction to his translation of Walter F. Otto's Dionysus: Myth and Cult (p. ix-xi) Gods of Hellas, gods of Hellas, Can ye listen in your silence? Can your mystic voices tell us Where ye hide? In floating islands,  With a wind that evermore Keeps you out of sight of shore?                                     Pan, Pan is dead. ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING The Dead Pan W H E N Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote these lines which sound so pessimistic and so limited to any lover of the beauty and truth of Greek mythology, she had in mind a famous passage out of Plutarch's De Oraculorum defectu {Mor. 419 A-E) in which it was reported on good authority that Pan had died. But let Plutarch tell the story (Philip is speaking):  As for death among such beings [i.e., deities], I have heard the words of a man who was not a fool nor an impostor. The father of Aemilianus the orator, to whom some of you have listened, was Epitherses, who lived in our town and was my teac

(I'm violating copyright and pasting this article because I believe the message is so important. Originally published in Guardian  1/29/2024.) Many explanations are proposed for the continued rise of Donald Trump, and the steadfastness of his support, even as the outrages and criminal charges pile up. Some of these explanations are powerful. But there is one I have seen mentioned nowhere, which could, I believe, be the most important: Trump is king of the extrinsics. Some psychologists believe our values tend to cluster around certain poles, described as “intrinsic” and “extrinsic”. People with a strong set of intrinsic values are inclined towards empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance. They tend to be open to challenge and change, interested in universal rights and equality, and protective of other people and the living world. People at the extrinsic end of the spectrum are more attracted to prestige, status, image, fame, power and wealth. They are strongly motivated by the prospec

Trump learned that politics might often allow you to get away with things, but in time, the courts will hold you accountable, and that in fact you can't just do whatever you want regardless of the law. He likes to pretend he could get away with murder, and to some extent he did. His Covid lack of policy is said to have increased the death tolls by 40%. So in a way, he has gotten away with murder.  This was just a minor case, he's got serious ones going on still. There's a civil fraud case in New York, in which they're asking for $370 million. He has 4 cases regarding his attempts to overthrow the election he lost. 91 felony charges are yet to be ruled on.  He lost $5 million in the case already, and couldn't shut up, kept on defaming her. He's essentially paid 83 million dollars to not have to obey the law and just not further slander a woman he sexually assaulted. So far. I thought 5 million was a lot, but they argued in the case that he was worth 14 billion in

Louise Gluck (1943-2023) born in New York City, raised on Long Island, married twice, one child Noah Dranow, who is a Sommelier. Her family was of Russian Jewish and Hungarian descent. Her father invented the x-acto knife. She had anorexia as a teen, an effort to assert independence from her mother. Seven years of psychotherapy helped her recover. She won many prizes for her poetry. She is an autobiographical poet. Thematically, her poems have illuminated aspects of trauma, desire, and nature. She went to Sarah Lawrence and Columbia but didn't get a degree. she studied with poets Léonie Adams and Stanley Kunitz. She worked as a secretary and published her first book of poems in 1968. She taught at Goddard College, Williams College, Boston College, University of North Carolina--Greensboro, Iowa Writers Workshop, Yale, and Stanford. She had a child and the relationship with Keith Monley lasted until he was 2. They didn't speak for 20 years, but later became friends. Then she mar

One way of thinking: The 1% thinks people have it too easy, there should be food shortages, and electricity rationing. Too much personal freedom. ( source )  You can see the connections in extrapolation.  They want children working, child labor laws rolled back. Children have too much free time. Women should not have abortions, be forced to give birth, even to children who won't survive. There needs to not be contraception either. We need to roll things back to before contraception. Things should be harder, the authoritarian government should work at making lives harder not easier. Taxes for the poor should go up, but not for the rich.  Orwellian nightmares would be the pebble in people's shoes to create pearls.  That is why housing costs are insane and there won't be any government intervention. That is why greedflation raised prices.  What an interesting projection. 44% don’t have $1k savings ( source ). Not exactly.

Wyoming is the most red state, DC is the most blue area, but for states it's Vermont. I told my cousins I lost 3 friends to Trump stuff, and they hadn't lost anyone. They live in DC.  6 Purple states: Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania could be the states that determine the next election. The problem with electoral college is that pure votes aren't equal. We need to do away with the electoral college. It's a relic of slavery.  My sons are going to vote for the first time for a president, but New York is going for Biden, New York is just a blue state. Everyone everywhere should vote though, you never know what's going to happen. I can't tell if these polls saying Trump is leading are real, and if the left wing hysteria is just trying to whip up the base. Trump tells his voters to stay home, he communicates in paradoxes. His cult followers know what he's really saying--which could be anything and doesn't pin him down to

Russia is at war with Ukraine. Want to get the Soviet Union back together. Started 24 February 2022. Russia is undergoing some civil unrest regarding a prisoner who is a minority rights activist. ( NY Times ) Pro-Russia journalist is murdered. ( Meduza ) Hamas attacks Israel. October 7th 2023. Today is day 105 of this war. Pakistan attacked Iran. ( source ) USA attacks Syria. Houthi rebels in Yemen attack USA. ( source ) Venezuela might war with Gayana, want their oil. Fight for resources. Ecuador is fighting for gangs not to control the country. Government versus crime.  An investigator into the crimes is shot dead. ( Al Jazeera ) Gangs are taking of Haiti. ( source ) Thailand is in civil war. Ethnic groups at war. People are freezing to death in England ( source )--class war. Nato wars of an all out war with Russia. ( source , two ) Nato is doing more war drills. ( source ) America has a plague of violent gun deaths. ( source ) America is the closest to civil war we've ever had i

My first wife questioned the way I like jazz. I like the idea of it, and I'm even willing to listen to my least favorite forms, which is free, avant garde jazz. I find merit even in my least favorite form of jazz. This set is eclectic like Hall.  Imagine when jazz was so revolutionary that people were afraid of it. See this video on Twitter  of Django. Russell Hall Septet set is on Smalls YouTube . Septet is seven and there's even a trombone.  I love the women in the little black dress crossing the set. Everyone is bundled up for the cold, and she's practically streaking in that little black dress. She might be a waitress with how much she's walking around. Yea, she's a waitress. I love the old guy who's somehow connected to the group, who shakes everyone's hands and yells a lot in the background, at the appropriate moments.  Russell Hall is the bassist. "Russell Hall (b), Ben Seacrist (t), Mike Troy (as), Bruno Tzinas (tr), Leo Larrett (g), Esteban Cas

I like this show. It's a combination of family life, special needs and brilliance.  My favorite character is Dr. John Sturgis. Memaw is a hoot too.  I spent a month every summer with my southern baptist grandparents, so the Baptist in the south culture is interesting. Texas of course is a mystery to me, I've only landed there and changed planes, or drove away right away, but I loath the right wing politics, murder and stupid power grid.  The show gets into real issues and it quite deep, and funny. I enjoy lots of the intellectual exploration with a human touch. I like seeing how the characters develop. Good mix of high and low culture.  Mary Cooper sees how fragile life and success is, and tries to momma bird it all. Georgie is brash and pushes the boundaries. Sheldon is confident like a Texan but about intellectual things. Melissa (Missy) is the intuitive people person, the psychologist, but she's young and not in control of her jealousy, or sees profit in misbehaviors. Me

My daughter's class is talking about leaders, people they admire, pioneers the next 3 weeks. Who do I admire? There's way to many people of course, but here are some: I'm reading Bill Bryson 's book on Shakespeare and I admire both.  Sangharakshita is my deceased root guru, I've read most of his many words, and appreciate the Buddhist order he created.  Wes Anderson 's movies are good. Greta Thunberg's activism to save the planet and the environment is admirable. Just read a biography of Henry David Thoreau , really like him. Best president in my lifetime was Barack Obama.  So many musicians I love, but just to pick one jazz pianist, Bill Evans . John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, Miles Davis. Last jazz I saw was Ari Hoenig on drums, amazing. I took a class with Richard Davis at Wisconsin, he played bass. Best symphony? Mahler 's 5th.  Favorite opera: La Traviata by  Giuseppe Verdi . Favorite pop band? Maybe REM with singer Michael Stipe . I like the pai

Isaiah 58:10: If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  That's a good statement of the potential of altruism. And the priest doesn't share his sandwich with Loudermilk after giving the quote. The show alternates between compassion and callousness.  The premise is Loudermilk used to be a rock and roll journalist documenting the debauchery of bands on tour, and then he couldn't do it anymore because he went over the invisible line. That's what the priest quotes to Loudermilk to the filth talking substance abuse counselor. He wouldn't let him use the room in his church unless he helped a rich ladies' daughter. He has a roommate who isn't sober, and that is discovered when the wretch of a daughter lives with him to get sober. Anja Savcic is Claire the messed up daughter. Loudermilk is played by Ron Livingston. Will Sasso plays Ben Burns, who is Lo