'Por la boca vive el pez', Fito & Fitipaldis

watercolor by marguerita

Fito & Fitipaldis Lyrics

Artist: Fito & Fitipaldis Album: Por la boca vive el pez Song: Por la boca vive el pez Algo lo que me invade, todo viene de dentro Nunca lo que me sacie, siempre quiero, lobo hambriento. Todo me queda grande para no estar contigo. Sabes, quisiera darte siempre un poco más de lo que te pido. Sabes que soñaré, si no estás que me despierto contigo. Sabes que quiero más, no se vivir solo con 5 sentidos. Este mar cada vez guarda mas barcos hundidos. Tu eres aire, yo papel, donde vayas yo me iré, si me quedo a oscuras luz de la locura ven y alumbrame. Alguien dijo alguna vez por la boca vive el pez y yo lo estoy diciendo, te lo estoy diciendo otra vez. Dime porque preguntas cuanto te he echao de menos, si en cada canción que escribo corazón eres tú el acento. No quiero estrella errante, no quiero ver la aurora quiero mirar tus ojos del color de la cocacola Sabes que soñaré, si no estas que me despierto contigo. Sabes que quiero más, no se vivir solo con 5 sentidos. Este mar cada vez guarda mas barcos hundidos. No estas conmigo siempre que te canto, yo hago canciones para estar contigo, porque escribo igual que sangro, porque sangro todo lo que escribo. me he dado cuenta cada vez que canto que si no canto no se lo que digo. La pena está bailando con el llanto y cuando quiera bailará conmigo. La vida apenas solo dura un rato y es lo que tengo para estar contigo para decirte lo que nunca canto, para cantarte lo que nunca digo. These lyrics are copyrighted by their respective owners and are provided for educational purposes only.

Temerity

Inflected Form(s):

plural te·mer·i·ties

Etymology:

Middle English temeryte, from Latin temeritas, from temere blindly, recklessly; akin to Old High German demar darkness, Latin tenebrae, Sanskrit tamas

Date:15th century

1 : unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness recklessness 2 : an act or instance of temerity

synonyms temerity audacity hardihood effrontery nerve cheek gall chutzpah mean conspicuous or flagrant boldness. temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger temerity to refuse>. audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence audacity and vision>. hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance hardihood>. effronteryeffrontery>. nerve cheek gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery nerve of that guy>cheek to call herself a singer> gall to demand proof> chutzpah needed for a career in show business>. implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy.from Merriam-Webster's

Benazir Bhutto : The Nation's 120th Anniversary Issue

The Little Girl in The Jungle of Man

On Thursday a heartbroken Bhutto-lover called and left a teary message on my voice mail. He just wanted to share his grief, but reminded me of something else: “She might have lost her political battle, but look at it this way. She raised three kids, took care of an ailing mother and still managed to stay in South Asia’s most notorious arranged marriage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/opinion/30hanif.html

Culture Shock : America and History

“I was amazed at how people talked to their parents — not enough respect,” she later told The Washington Post.- Benazir Bhutto
In the end, Benazir Bhutto’s American connections only underscored how little the United States fathomed the feudal politics of South Asia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/weekinreview/30bumiller.html?hp

Sindh: A Little History about Pakistan :"Peccavi"

enazir Bhutto a été enterrée, vendredi 28 décembre, dans sa province natale du Sind, dans le sud du Pakistan, devant une foule de plusieurs centaines de milliers de partisans, massés devant le cercueil de la défunte pour lui rendre un dernier hommage. L'ancienne première ministre repose dans le mausolée familial de Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, dans le village de Naudero, aux côtés de son père, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, ancien premier ministre tué par l'armée en 1979.

http://www28.brinkster.com/pakistan4ever/htmls/sindh/sindh.asp

Sindh - Ancient history. The first known village settlements date as far back as 7000 BCE. Permanent settlements at Mehrgarh to the west expanded into Sindh. The original inhabitants of ancient Sindh, and other regions of Pakistan, were the aborigine tribes speaking languages related to Munda languages. The Dravidians invaded from the Iranian plateau and settled in the Indus valley around 4000 BCE. The Dravidian culture blossomed over the centuries and gave rise to the Indus Valley Civilization of Pakistan around ...
In ancient times, the territory of the modern Sindh province was sometimes known as Sovira (or Souveera) and also as Sindhudesh, Sindhu being the original name for Indus River and the suffix 'desh' roughly corresponding to country or territory.The first known village settlements date as far back as 7000 BCE. Permanent settlements at Mehrgarh to the west expanded into Sindh. This culture blossomed over several millennia and gave rise to the Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BCE.

The Indus Valley Civilization rivalled the contemporary civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in both size and scope numbering nearly half a million inhabitants at its height with well-planned grid cities and sewer systems. It is known that the Indus Valley Civilization traded with ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt via established shipping lanes. In ancient Egypt, the word for cotton was Sindh denoting that the bulk of that civilizations cotton was predominantly imported from the Indus Valley Civilization.

Sindh (Sindhī: سنڌ, Urdū: سندھ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. Different cultural and ethnic groups also reside in Sindh including Urdu speaking people who migrated from India at the time of independence and partition as well as the people migrated from other provinces after independence. Neighbouring regions are Balochistan to the west and north, Punjab in the north, Rajasthan and Gujarat (India) to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the south. The main languages are Sindhi and Urdu. In Sanskrit, the province was dubbed Sindhu meaning "ocean". The Assyrians (as early as the seventh century BCE) knew the region as Sinda, the Persians Abisind, the Greeks Sinthus, the Romans Sindus, the Chinese Sintow, while the Arabs dubbed it Sind. It is mentioned to be a part of Abhirrdesh (Abhira Kingdom) in Srimad Bhagavatam [2]. Historically it was also known as Aparanta.^[3] Sindh was the first place where Islam spread in South Asia. As a result, it is often referred to as "Bab-al-Islam" (Gate of Islam).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindh#History
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sindh_-_History/id/2119349

Sindh became a vassal-state of the Afghan Durrani Empire by 1747. It was then ruled by Kalhora rulers and later the Balochi Talpurs^[5] from 1783.

British forces under General Charles Napier arrived in Sindh in the 19th century and conquered it in 1843.

It is said that he sent back to the Governor General a one-word message, "Peccavi" – Latin for "I have sinned".
In actual fact, this pun first appeared as a cartoon in Punch magazine. The first Aga Khan helped the British in the conquest of Sindh and was granted a pension as a result.^{[citation needed]}.

After 1853, Sindh was divided into provinces, each being assigned a Zamindar or 'Wadara' to collect taxes for the British (a system already used under the Mughals). In a highly controversial move, Sindh was later made part of British India's Bombay Presidency much to the surprise of the local population who found the decision illogical, shortly afterwards, the decision was reversed and became a separate province in 1935. The British ruled the area for a century and Sindh was home to many prominent Muslim leaders including Muhammad Ali Jinnah who agitated for greater Muslim autonomy.

Rule Britannia.......& the origins of war

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:Y99-TH76_vYJ:mahbubani.net/speeches/International%2520Sindhi%2520Sammelan%2520Text%2520Speech.pdf+Sind:+A+Little+History+about+Pakistan+:%22Peccavi%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us
n 1947 when the British left. Pakistan was created from the partitioning of British India. All of Sindh was allotted to Pakistan. In 1947, 25 per cent of the population of Sindh was Hindu Sindhi. Most of the Hindu Sindhis were city dwellers and were largely occupied with trade and commerce. They were responsible for export of products made in Sindh and contributed significantly to the economy of Sindh. When Partition of British India occurred Hindus Sindhi expected to remain in Sindh. Generally, there was good relation between Hindu Sindhis and Muslims Sindhis. When large waves of Mohajirs started to pour into Sindh, violence erupted on the streets. The Hindu Sindhis were forced to flee Sindh leaving everything behind. Popati Hirandani who was a Sindhi Hindu tells in her autobiography that the Police were merely onlookers when violence erupted and they did not protect the Hindus community [4]. Many Hindu Sindhis wanted to return to their native Sindh, when the violence settled down, but this was not possible. Property belonging to the Hindus was appropriated by the Mohajirs. Hindu Sindhis are scattered throughout the world and feel like a stateless people. They still, however, regard Sindh as their homeland. It should be noted, that many Sindhi Hindus still reside in the province of Sindh and relations have considerably improved.
Following World War II, Britain withdrew from British India and Sind voted to join Pakistan in 1947 during partition as the largely Hindu educated elites were replaced by Muslim immigrants from India. Relations in the province have since been defined by power struggles between the immigrants and their descendents and the local Sindhis who have also resented the influx of Pashtun and Punjabi immigrants to Karachi. Nonetheless, traditional Sindhis families remained prominent in Pakistani politics and none have been more important than the Bhutto dynasty. In recent years Sindhi dissatisfaction has grown as larger and more influential ethnic groups in Pakistan have prompted the growth of a Sindhi separatist movement known as Sindhudeshwhich envisions an independent Sindhi entity based upon what is viewed as a unique local history and veneration of such local figures as Shah Abdul Latif. Dr. Safdar Sarki is a prominent activist for the independance of Sindh.
At present, Sindh remains both an economic center of activity due to the prominence of Karachi and a potential cauldron of ethnic and religious strife in Pakistan.

Let her be judged by her character and her mind, not by her clothing.

"Roti, kapra, makan"(bread, clothing, shelter)

"Quite true," she said and then remembered that a Queen Raziyya had ruled the Delhi sultanate in the 13th century. I checked the reference. According to a near-contemporary historian, Siraj, the queen had been "wise, just and generous" and endowed with all the qualities befitting a king. "But she was not born of the right sex, and so, in the estimation of men, all these virtues were worthless."

Eventually men had murdered her.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2233104,00.html
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/bhu0int-1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232525,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232937,00.html

(ruled 1236-1240)

Raziyya (or Razia, or Radiyya) Iltutmish (or Altamsh) was the first Sultana (a Moslem woman ruler) of Northern India. Her father was Shamsudin Iltutmish, a former Turkish slave who became the greatest Sultan of the Mamluk ("Slave") Dynasty in Delhi. The father realized that his two sons were not worthy of the throne, so he designated his daughter Raziyya as his successor. Neither her half-brothers nor many of the subjects were pleased with this announcement and, in response, riots broke out in the city. Raziyya herself led the troops that put down these riots.Her first act as a sovereign was to have coins minted with her name and the following inscription:
Pillar of Women
Queen of the Times
Sultana Radiyya Bint Shams al-Din Iltutmish²

Although courageous and intelligent, she had difficulty gaining the loyalty of her subjects because she was a woman. She didn't wear a veil, but dressed like a man, wearing trousers, a turban and a sword. She hunted, held court and led her army in battle. She also tried to raise non-Turks to high positions. It has been speculated that Raziyya fell in love with Jamal al-Din Yaqut, the Master of the Horse, an Ethiopian slave in her court, and that she promoted him too fast, which caused jealousies in the court. One day it was witnessed that Yaqut helped Raziyya get on her horse by lifting her up. The fact that Sultana allowed herself to be touched by a slave was seen as a violation of ethical behavior and was used by her enemies as a pretext to have her removed from the throne. An army led by Ikhtiyar al-Din Altuniyya engaged Raziyya's troops in battle and Raziyya was captured. Unexpectedly, Altuniyya fell in love with Raziyya and they married. Together they tried to reconquer Delhi, but they lost.
Ibn Battuta, a 14-century Arab traveler and author of Rihlah (Travels) left the following account of Raziyya's demise:

"Raziya's troops suffered a defeat and she fled. Overpowered by hunger and strained by fatigue she repaired to a peasant whom she found tilling the soil. She asked him for something to eat. He gave her a piece of bread which she ate and fell asleep; and she was dressed like a man. But, while she was asleep, the peasant's eyes fell upon a gown (gaba) studded with jewels which she was wearing under her clothes. He realized that she was a woman. So he killed her, plundered her and drove away her horse, and then buried her in his field. Then he went to the market to dispose of one of her garments. But the people of the market became suspicious of him and took him to the shihna (police magistrate)... There he was beaten into confessing his murder and pointed out where he had burried her. Her body was then disinterred, washed, shrouded, and buried there." ²

Raziyya had been on the throne only four years.

Contributed by Danuta Bois, 1998.

Brain Power for Man & Woman

1-Mix with people who make you laugh, have a good sense of humour
or who share the same interests as you, and avoid people who whine and complain, as people who are negative will make you depressed"
2-To boost your brain power, eat dark chocolate, consume cold meat and have plenty of sex, if possible every day.Sex keeps the brain fit in later life, the Daily Mail reported.The researchers have claimed that sex has a very positive impact, listing seven chemical reactions the brain undergoes during intercourse which actually helps in improving its functioning ability.The books says that sex raises levels of oxytocin or the 'trust' hormone which increases a person's readiness to think of novel or risky solutions to a problem.
3-To improve their mental ability should also avoid smoking cannabis, watching soap operas and hanging out with those who moan.http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/03study.htm

Artichokes & Male Power!

photo by marguerita
In the 16th century, eating an artichoke was reserved only for men. Women were denied the pleasure because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac and was thought to enhance sexual power.

A man's world:Zoe Margolis

How can we ensure that sex is seen as something healthy and positive and fun, and not just a means to make money or a way for women to win male validation?
The misogynistic, sexist, offensive crap that saturates the majority of the porn market has a lot to answer for here, in my opinion. With its disposable attitude towards the women it features and the lack of empathy displayed, porn has a huge influence on the development of young men's sexuality and teaches boys from a young age not to respect or appreciate women. Instead, boys learn that they are consumers; that their desires will be catered for, that women are there to be enjoyed. Men, almost always assumed to be the viewers of porn, are therefore provided with an unrealistic, never-ending fantasy of sex, where an assortment of freely available beautiful women will respond to their every sexual whim.http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/zoe_margolis/2007/12/a_mans_world.html

Man & Woman Department: Benazir

Pakistan looked to me, I decided to make a personal sacrifice in what I thought would be, more or less, a loveless marriage, a marriage of convenience. The surprising part is that we are very close and that it's been a very good match. Q: At the time of your engagement, many women's rights advocates felt betrayed because they saw arranged marriages as part of the second-class status of women. A: Well, I don't agree with that. People today do computer dating. Is that a betrayal? When it's difficult to find a man, for whatever reason, one has to look for mediation. I feel there is someone to spoil me, to take care of me, comfort me. It's so nice to have somebody who cares about you. I was so lonely after my father died. I felt I was taking care of everybody else. With Asif, for once, I had somebody with whom I'd lay my hair on the pillow and feel I was safe. I'd love to arrange my own children's marriages. I say that because I've been so happy.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E2DC1739F936A25756C0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4

What now for Pakistan? What now for the World?

art by marguerita

Through the Mind

Seemed to assert that erotic desire and human tenderness had a place .

Beaver or El Carpincho,Capivara,Castor

photo byDavid Westphalen/Painet Inc
Beavers are more than intriguing animals with flat tails and lustrous fur.They are a very docile herbivore.
American Indians called the beaver the "sacred center" of the land because this species creates small dams, rich habitats for other mammals, fish, turtles, frogs, birds,dragonflies,otters and ducks and river plants.often controlling flood waters in winter.
Since beavers prefer to dam streams in shallow valleys, much of the flooded area becomes wetlands. Such wetlands are cradles of life with biodiversity that can rival tropical rain forests.
Wildlife rehabilitators find beavers to be gentle, reasoning beings who enjoy playing practical jokes.
Maybe we humans could learn something from them,eh?
Beavers' ability to change the landscape is second only to humans.
An adult beaver may weigh over 40 pounds.
Beavers mate for life during their third year and both parents care for the kits (usually one to four).
Kits normally stay with their parents for two years, with the yearlings acting as babysitters for the new litter.

Food for Thought: Urbi et Orbi

Wearing gold-embroidered vestments and a bejeweled bishops' hat, or miter,
Benedict urged the crowd to rejoice over the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth, which he said he hoped would bring consolation to all people ''who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war.''
''May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions,'' he said.
Poor Jesus died on a cross ,naked with only a worn out schmatte on his private parts.
Praise the Lord. Aleluia.''to the city and to the world''.

He said he hoped for consolation to ''those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity.''

Such injustices and discrimination are destroying the internal fabric of many countries and souring international relations, he said.

HappyHopeHappy Days for All of the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIH9efH7Yps&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfZkm6IcQ7E&eurl=http://denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com/

Phenomenology : Society as a Human Construction

Phenomenology is used in two basic ways in sociology: (1) to theorize about substantive sociological problems and (2) to enhance the adequacy of sociological research methods. Since phenomenology insists that society is a human construction, sociology itself and its theories and methods are also constructions (Cicourel 1964; 1973). Thus, phenomenology seeks to offer a corrective to the field's emphasis on positivist conceptualizations and research methods that may take for granted the very issues that phenomenologists find of interest. Phenomenology presents theoretical techniques and qualitative methods that illuminate the human meanings of social life.
Phenomenology has until recently been viewed as at most a challenger of the more conventional styles of sociological work and at the least an irritant. Increasingly, phenomenology is coming to be viewed as an adjunctive or even integral part of the discipline, contributing useful analytic tools to balance objectivist approaches (Aho 1998; Levesque-Lopman 1988; Luckmann 1978; Psathas 1973; Rogers 1983).

THEORY

The central task in social phenomenology is to demonstrate the reciprocal interactions among the processes of human action, situational structuring, and reality construction. Rather than contending that any aspect is a causal factor, phenomenology views all dimensions as constitutive of all others. Phenomenologists use the term reflexivity to characterize the way in which constituent dimensions serve as both foundation and consequence of all human projects. The task of phenomenology, then, is to make manifest the incessant tangle or reflexivity of action, situation, and reality in the various modes of being in the world.

Phenomenology commences with an analysis of the natural attitude. This is understood as the way ordinary individuals participate in the world, taking its existence for granted, assuming its objectivity, and undertaking action projects as if they were predetermined. Language, culture, and common sense are experienced in the natural attitude as objective features of an external world that are learned by actors in the course of their lives.
Human beings are open to patterned social experience and strive toward meaningful involvement in a knowable world. They are characterized by a typifying mode of consciousness tending to classify sense data. In phenomenological terms humans experience the world in terms of typifications: Children are exposed to the common sounds and sights of their environments, including their own bodies, people, animals, vehicles, and so on. They come to apprehend the categorical identity and typified meanings of each in terms of conventional linguistic forms. In a similar manner, children learn the formulas for doing common activities. These practical means of doing are called recipes for action. Typifications and recipes, once internalized, tend to settle beneath the level of full awareness, that is, become sedimented, as do layers of rock. Thus, in the natural attitude, the foundations of actors' knowledge of meaning and action are obscured to the actors themselves.

Actors assume that knowledge is objective and all people reason in a like manner. Each actor assumes that every other actor knows what he or she knows of this world: All believe that they share common sense. However, each person's biography is unique, and each develops a relatively distinct stock of typifications and recipes. Therefore, interpretations may diverge. Everyday social interaction is replete with ways in which actors create feelings that common sense is shared, that mutual understanding is occurring, and that everything is all right. Phenomenology emphasizes that humans live within an intersubjective world, yet they at best approximate shared realities. While a paramount reality is commonly experienced in this manner, particular realities or finite provinces of meaning are also constructed and experienced by diverse cultural, social, or occupational groupings.

For phenomenology, all human consciousness is practical.

it is always of something. Actors intend projects into the world; they act in order to implement goals based on their typifications and recipes, their stock of knowledge at hand. Consciousness as an intentional process is composed of thinking, perceiving, feeling, remembering, imagining, and anticipating directed toward the world. The objects of consciousness, these intentional acts, are the sources of all social realities that are, in turn, the materials of common sense.

Thus, typifications derived from common sense are internalized, becoming the tools that individual consciousness uses to constitute a lifeworld, the unified arena of human awareness and action. Common sense serves as an ever-present resource to assure actors that the reality that is projected from human subjectivity is an objective reality. Since all actors are involved in this intentional work, they sustain the collaborative effort to reify their projections and thereby reinforce the very frameworks that provide the construction tools.

Social interaction is viewed phenomenologically as a process of reciprocal interpretive constructions of actors applying their stock of knowledge at hand to the occasion. Interactors orient themselves to others by taking into account typified meanings of actors in typified situations known to them through common sense. Action schemes are geared by each to the presumed projects of others. The conduct resulting from the intersection of intentional acts indicates to members of the collectivity that communication or coordination or something of the like is occurring among them. For these members, conduct and utterances serve as indexical expressions of the properties of the situation enabling each to proceed with the interaction while interpreting others, context, and self. Through the use of certain interpretive practices, members order the situation for themselves in sensical and coherent terms: In their talk they gloss over apparent irrelevancies, fill in innumerable gaps, ignore inconsistencies, and assume a continuity of meaning, thereby formulating the occasion itself.

AS HERE:

Mr. Glaser — the designer of the “I Heart N.Y.” icon, Gothamist points out — was apparently asked about, or simply offered (it’s unclear), his opinion on why so few women achieve greatness in graphic design. Here’s how Gothamist said the awkward moment went down:

Glaser said that the reason there are so few female rock star graphic designers is that “women get pregnant, have children, go home and take care of their children. And those essential years that men are building their careers and becoming visible are basically denied to women who choose to be at home.” He continued: “Unless something very dramatic happens to the nature of the human experience then it’s never going to change.” About day care and nannies, he said, “None of them are good solutions.”

???????

http://hss.fullerton.edu/sociology/orleans/phenomenology.htm

Exploring the Ineffable :Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

( 1907- 1972) a history of trauma and dislocation made him more alert to disruptions in others.

“Is it possible that in the kitchen there might be some water?” Yes, she acknowledged. “Is it possible that in the refrigerator you might find a couple of eggs?” Perhaps, she admitted. Well, then, Heschel said, if you boiled the eggs in the water, “that would be just fine.”

She shot back, “And why should I?”

The confrontation dissolves into a conversation, the hostility into humor.

The temptation would have been to do the opposite — to chide or stiffen with resentment — particularly given Heschel’s own personal trials.
In a book about the Sabbath he describes Judaism’s focus on the sanctification of time. In referring to God he does not imagine an Aristotelian prime mover but a transcendent being who needed humanity to fulfill himself. In thinking about humanity Heschel asked, “What way of living is compatible with the grandeur and mystery of life?”
Such speculations crossed doctrinal boundaries and helped make him an important ecumenical force. “No religion is an island,” he wrote.But amid this fervor Heschel was also a follower of Jewish laws, putting an emphasis on ritual and actions, not just on devotion and belief.
This was also the source of Heschel’s ethical perspective:
Every deed poses a problem with moral and religious implications.
“Judaism,” he wrote, “is not a science of nature but a science of what man ought to do with nature.” No act is permitted to escape scrutiny.
Had those kinds of views shaped Heschel’s perspective at the airport, instead of accepting the eggs from the offending woman, he might have thrown them in her face.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/24/arts/24conn.html?em&ex=1198645200&en=3a0202c77522a855&ei=5087%0A

For Heschel, there is a direct connection between our psychological experience of wonder and the moral imperative to act, even if our initial experience cannot be expressed by human language, because it is a religious mystery. Heschel understood God is pervading the universe and including all that is contained in the universe; our awareness of God's unity entails a demand upon our lives. Here, Heschel again returns to the prophets as the idealized role models of the spiritual life. The prophets experience God's pathos (outrage at injustice and human suffering) and are inspired to act accordingly. At the same time, however, Heschel argued that a Jew can live a holy life through following the halakhah (Jewish law) because doing leads to understanding. Hence a life of observance is a deeply spiritual existence which will, in its own way, lead to revelation:

Man is never as open to fellowship as he is in moments of misery and distress.

Indeed, there is a light in the midst of the darkness of this hour. But, alas, most of us have no eyes.
First and foremost we meet as human beings who have so much in common : a heart, a face, a voice, the presence of a soul, fears, hope, the ability to trust, a capacity for compassion and understanding, the kinship of being human. My first task in every encounter is to comprehend the personhood of the human being I face, to sense the kinship of being human, solidarity of being.

To meet a human being is a major challenge to mind and heart. I must recall what I normally forget. A person is not just a specimen of the species called homo sapiens. He is all of humanity in one, and whenever one man is hurt we are all injured. The human is a disclosure of the divine, and all men are one in God's care for man. Many things on earth are precious, some are holy, humanity is holy of holies.

Dialogue must not degenerate into a dispute, into an effort on the part of each to get the upper hand.

The Pope and Reality:A paixão é a mais pura razão

“In some ways, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near,” he said. “But when the moment comes, there is no room for him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such an urgent need for all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others — for his neighbor, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves.”

Composição:

Mark London / D. Black / Versão: Fátima Leão / Zezé di Camargo

Gosto de ver o sol no amanhecer
Brilhando em seu olhar
Gosto de ter seu beijo de manhã
Em cada despertar
Sentir seu coração pulsando de leve em minhas mãos
Pulsando de leve em minhas mãos

A paixão é a mais pura razão que me prende a você
É a magia, é o sonho, é o prazer
Que existe em mim, em mim

Só sei dizer que a luz da emoção brilhou entre nós dois
Só sei dizer que em nossos corações nasceu o mesmo amor
Amor que fez enfim o desejo real de viver a dois
Desejo de viver a dois

A paixão é a mais pura razão que me prende a você
É a magia, é o sonho, é o prazer
Que existe em mim, em mim

The Cost of Being Alive or“You listen to what’s happening inside you,”

So, considering Beckett's thinking:
I always remember a comment ,years ago ,by a neurologist of mine, then,Dr John Schaeffer.
.He said: Marguerita,you want to live,not just survive.
I had a stroke,and strangely enough survived,with recurring and painful headaches, ,seizures and some collateral damage to my body.
My hearing is affected.
The most incredible effect was to the astonishment of the medical world and others around,I returned from the ashes with an incredible recharge on my of joie de vivre,
the sense I always had,inherited from my mother and father,who both having lost everything in their lives,never gave up that feeling.
And an ever so curiosity percolating within me.
I can attest to that sensation through my work.Through my drawings,through my line.
I keenly watch myself ,my state of being alive,through my creative input and my vision towards existence.
Every time I have a seizure ,there is that monologue or a secret dialog with Death.
I tell Death that I am not ready to go. I still have a lot of things that I did not get to do and want them realized,by me.I become a Fellinian character,like that dude in one of Fellini's,where he dreams of all the desires and wishes running through his mind.
Mine and the environment.
My sons and their inevitable growing challenges and questions of what is Life about.
The pleasure of feeling life,looking at the skies,seeing the different tones of blue,feeling the drop of water from the rain,watching my birds,my ginger plant,that is growing and had a bloom,the first one this year. From a little branch and a leaf,I brought seven years ago from Jamaica, when I visited a beautiful garden there and noticed a pink ginger flower,the curator of the garden simply pulled a branch and gave it to me . I remember as a dream,George the peacock wandering around, while my boys, still little boys running around and playing there.The hummingbird landing on my finger for a drink of water and sugar....
And so the times have been passing with great hardship and a constant battle for survival.
A battle that rimes with the cadence of Ravel's bolero.
Living with that sword stuck on my throat as much as I am pushing it away.
But you are fabulous! as someone I met recently has said to me.
No one could ever see that on you,your struggle!!!????
Oh yeah.
I am facing the basic needs to be alive. A place in the sun.
There is a strong spirit guiding me.
I wonder.
Hitler killed all of my ancestors.
And here I come out as a surprise. My mother wanted to call me Beatrix ,like the muse of Dante.I only looked up recently the name in a dictionnary: Beatrix,Beatricce A variant of Beatrix meaning bringer of joy. Famous bearer: Beatrice was Dante's guide through Paradise in the 'Divine Comedy', perhaps inspired by Beatrice Portinari, Dante's earliest love.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/

In the Mind Department

watercolor by marguerita
Women experiencing inner battles between strength and vulnerability, with vulnerability usually emerging victorious.

Napoleon &: Food for Thought

Experience versus theory, upon which Napoleon so often commented, should also be taken into consideration.

The Hungarians have liberally consumed paprika for a thousand years and are convinced that it has contributed in a great measure to their health and temperament.

Apropos: How to Eat a Camembert

Here the cheese is ripe, creamy and just beginning to ooze:
http://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/how-to/how-to-choose-camembert,4,AR.html

Va Va Voum: Voila!

http://correcteurs.blog.lemonde.fr/2004/11/20/2004_11_va_va_voum_/

Be warned, Paris is going to the dogs.

photo by mark
and drawing by marguerita
Quel dommage!
If my Chiquinho Dudley was still alive,eh?
he could be friends with Big......Meanwhile, President Nicolas Sarkozy has an unassuming Chihuahua who nonetheless calls himself Big.
In Paris, dogs are a must-have for every fashionable lady and new shops are opening selling everything from canine rain coats to jewel-encrusted collars. Why do these dogs have it so good?http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7071715.stm

Sarkofascine

drawing by marguerita
Sarkozy is very close to a lot of media barons and he has managed to create for himself a sort of phenomenon. He has almost become an icon, a complete media animal.
In a country where virility is prized almost as much as a perfectly ripe Camembert, Sarkozy's ability to seduce such an alpha female has lent him a certain frisson. Despite Sarkozy's small stature - he stands at barely 5ft 5in - and his well-publicised marital problems, he has always proved popular with the female electorate, Sarkozy's mixture of arrogance and toughness that proves so potent among French women, although Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is said to be irritated by his habit of hugging and kissing her on the cheek at every meeting. 'He's got a lot of energy and I think the French have a sort of split relationship with him that shifts between a sense of admiration and a sense, almost, of jealousy.' Voila: Sarkozy rimes with Jealousy....... But until the glossy patina wears off, there will doubtless continue to be a steady trade in 'I love Sarko' underpants.
And: He had a large plate of sliced saucisson in front of him that he ate all through the interview without offering it to anyone else.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2231732,00.html

The Va-Va Voum: Nipples by marguerita

Where have all the nipples gone?
The idiosyncratic women of New York are becoming veritable cleavage cyborgs, eschewing lace-enhanced, natural, sexy bustlines for formidable foam facades.http://www.observer.com/2007/pad-girls-attack-21st-century-falsies

Christmas Shopping

drawing by marguerita

About Youth, Sex and the Status Quo

Maybe it's time we consider our choice of role models; the Spears girls are role models because they are physically attractive girls; little, if anything, about their character or personality is appealing. We have become a society so focused on superficial characteristics, we ignore those in our community who truly offer value. The Spears family, including the parents, clearly appears to offer no moral value to our youth, yet their young women are idolized. We should spend a fraction of this attention focused on our female doctors, scientists, teachers and other professionals. Yet, they don't seem as appealing lip-synching in leather outfits so we, the shallow, superficial society we are, ignore them. And then we are horrified when these wrecks derail - are we not the foolish ones for expecting more from the shallow and meaningless?

— Jon S., Hoboken, NJ

As a mother I am very concerned about the way our children are behaving regarding sex.love,feelings and how they position themselves in this world of ours.
The issues are as old as humanity,and ever evolving and ever the same.

Having two sons, I experienced a great hardship with the first one,who only now,after seven years of reckless conduct,as much as I tried to prevent him of getting in trouble ,he is emerging and focusing his life into a productive path.He still has a long way to get himself under his total control.

Now I am facing the same with my younger one,who finding himself an eager girlfriend,(similar to my older son's girlfriend)he is jumping into boiling water,refusing to listen to me.

What is causing me most aprehension is the conduct of this young girls,who have no concern for personal hygiene,demonstrate no responsibility with their body ,no shame or idea of privacy and acting with no concern to others cultivating danger.
I am shocked about their depraved outlook,the exposure and display of vulgarity.
This is not freedom,just a perfect misunderstanding of how to use the mind ,body and feelings.
I do observe that this is is a rampant syndrome and a cause of alarm.
The barriers,limits of safety are being totally trespassed,no respect for their own selves and consequently the results of this car "running without a driver" can only bring more chaos to the world and disaster upon themselves.
There must be a call for some introspection,a self control and a human understanding of a proven law.
Thousands of years ago,the Bible was apparently created,a book of metaphors to scare people,as otherwise they would not obey the warnings.It was then made into religion,as a way to enforce.as it is obvious that disease,and unhappiness is the only outcome of thoughtless minds.

Food forThought

thoughts and sensations

La Divina Comedia

drawing by marguerita
El hombre es capaz de situarse en el mundo en el momento que simboliza, está capacidad de simbolización se da porque imagina y genera una actitud ético-estetica ante el mundo. "Ciencia, arte, técnica, mito, magia... en fin, todas las figuras de la acción humana son fragmentos cuajados de la fuerza desbordante de la imaginación que humaniza lo real y humaniza al hombre". Para el historiador o teórico, directa o indirectamente, la información literaria como intensificación de la experiencia urbana, constituye una reserva importante de reflexiones, sugerencias e implicaciones
http://www.architecthum.edu.mx/Architecthumtemp/numerodos/ponencia25.htm