Thursday Open Thread 7-12-2018
Morning. Continuing with the China review. It is interesting how many of our modern problems and challenges existed in the past and keep repeating.
Between the Zhou and Qin dynasties about 2200 years ago the idea of benevolent government and self-development through study were formalized in the philosophy of Confucianism. Two biographies by Qu Chunli, Life of Mencius and Life of Confucius, changed my understanding of Chinese history and lifestyles.
The fathers of both men died when they were young and they were raised by their mother. Confucius's father was an minor aristocrat. After his death their was enough funds to purchase a modest family home and provide for a frugal lifestyle. Early education was provided by his mother and then by his maternal Grandfather. Writings on Confucius thoughts are attributed to his students.
Mencius's mother worked in their home as a spinner and weaver after his father died. She moved the family three times to ensure Mencius a quality education. He studied under Confucius's grandson, Zi Si. Considered the second Sage of Confucianism. He was assisted by his students in the last years of his life writing on human nature, education, destiny and politics.
Forgotten Thinkers: Mencius by Wes Cecil - discusses philosophy of Confucius, Mencius and the revival of their philosophy in modern China. If you do not have an hour, please to listen 20:21 - 23:30 discussing the problem of a ruler governing with the intent to profit.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvxk4ryX-CI]
copy of handout Mencius (pdf)
short overview of Mencius philosophy (approx 7 minutes)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DWO5QDKMQo]
Link to Mencius, James Legge, Translator of the Chinese Classics, Vol. 2 [1895]
The second book in the Confucian canon, the Meng-tzu, is named after its author, also known as Meng K'o or Mencius (371-289 B.C.E.).
Confucian Canon.
Although three of four of these books are traditionally attributed to Confucius (K'ung-tzu, 551-479 B.C.E.) it has been established that he did not write a single word of them; they were written down by his students after his death. The Analects come closest to an actual exposition of his philosophy. These works were put into their present form by Chu Hsi in the late twelfth century C.E. These four books were required reading in order to pass the civil service exminations, (started in 1315), which were the gateway to employment in the Imperial bureaucracy. The translations are by James Legge, from his 'Chinese Classics' series. Works traditionally attributed to Confucius, but of uncertain authorship, have an asterisk following his name.
Political Propaganda
The first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, used an altered portrait in his quest to help convince the people of China he was the Son of Heaven.
part 2
[video: https://youtu.be/GslinHjSCVw?t=17]
part 1
[video:https://youtu.be/g-51t4VQGqM?t=16]
Follow-up on the Thai Boys and the Cave Rescue
The original reporting blaming the coach for the cave exploration was wrong.
It has since emerged the boys actually entered the caves on their own and Ekkapol Chantawong, 25, went in to look for them and then managed to keep up their spirits during their 17-day ordeal.
Chantawong, a former Buddhist monk, taught the boys, who were aged between 11 and 16, how to meditate.
Farm Report
The week went by fast. Realized I had not take any pictures this week. Next few days could be close to 100 degrees, fortunately nights projected to be in mid-50's. I am making sure everybody has shade available.
Comments
Both Trump and Clinton campaigns failed to pay bills
In Albany NY where both Trump and Clinton held rallies. The local news agencies are reporting they both have failed to pay the bills for police overtime. Both the Sanders and Kasich campaigns have paid their bills.
link to local television news story
Eastern philosophy...
has had a good bit more time to cycle and recycle. I'll look forward to the videos tonight.
We've not hit 100 this year, but have had several days in the 90's. Night time temps are 60-70. We have a whole house fan and pull in the cool morning air. Then we shut up the house and it stays cool till afternoon when we run the AC for a few hours. We finally broke down an installed AC a few years ago when we had 100 during the day and 80's at night.
Thought you might like to see the daily harvest of berries and mushrooms from last week -
The berries are still going strong, but the chanterelles have played out as the rains have slowed. You asked last week if we help them along. No, they are totally wild.
Mycologist,Paul Stamets shows several interesting mushrooms...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLcZLfF8eH8]
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Mushrooms and blueberries - beautiful
And I love the Mushroom Hunter. Have not watched him for a while. Thanks!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Good morning, SOE. It was 68 at 6:29 am and is headed for
96, so I'm going to try to get some shade cloth up on some of the stuff. My Portuguese Kale mostly bolted while we were up in the sierras, even though it only gets part sun. Today will be salvage operations plus a last late attempt at starting some more spinach chard (I have a plan, he says to himself, self-deludingly).
Still unpacking, cleaning and re-stowing from sierra trip plus fixing stuff that keeps breaking just to keep me from getting done.
Thanks for the China continuation.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Emmett Till case being re-opened
Emmett Till was a 15 year old black kid from Chicago who in 1955, went down to Mississippi to visit relatives. He bought some items from a country store in Money, Mississippi and, being from Chicago, he was unaware that he needed to show the proper subserviant edicut when dealing with white people. When Emmett gave his money to the lady behind the counter, Carolyn Bryant Donham, he put the money in her hand instead of on the counter. That provided Donham's racist husband and his half-brother an opportunity to go on a blood thirsty rampage against black people. Emmett was brutally beaten and killed as were a witness, a man who was highly thought of in the local black community, and his wife. The 2 later killings are rarely mentioned. At trial, the defense made the case that Till was displaying "inappropriate behavior" towards Donham. The racist killers were acquitted by the white jury. This helped spark the Civil Rights movement.
Now the case is being re-opened. I believe everybody involved has passed away except for Donham, who is 86. In a 2008 interview, she admitted that she lied in her testimony at the trial. Coincidentally when visiting my mom, last month, we went to an excellent play about Emmett Till. That piqued my interest in the story. The play made the case that Donham was made to lie about Till by her volatile husband. I guess Donham felt pretty bad about that later, or else she's trying to get into Heaven, or both.
Beware the bullshit factories.
How wonderful for us. We the people, and especially the
classic "white liberals" can proudly pat ourselves on the back to remind ourselves that we really are, albeit belatedly, against Jim Crow (in the South) and all the horrors that were perpetrated there (back then). This enables us to complacently ignore the racism, injustice, horrors and crimes today, including most especially those committed in our names by our law enforcement thugs, with a smug clean conscience.
Yeah us!
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I agree
What about justice for Trayvon Martin?
Beware the bullshit factories.
This list is long but funny enuf on Duck Duck Go
it stops in the year 2016, nothing for
17,18....hmmmm
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-people-killed-by-police-ameri...
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
What about justice for all the people we killed in Iraq & Libya?
Don’t they count too, in the grand scheme of things?
Shouldn’t Black Lives Matter go hand in hand with Iraq Lives Matter? But somehow people don’t feel it, see it, act on it. I guess the impediment to feeling that Iraq Lives Matter is the knowledge that in this case, the thugs are all of us who followed our American leaders and obeyed our American government’s orders.
The military is a sacred nstitutin in the US. It's actions
are beyond question and above reproach, always and forever. Besides, you presume that furriners, such as Iraqis, are people. They ain't. It says right in our foundatinal documents "WE the people" -- that's us, not them.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Not really
The history of black oppression in America is pretty different than the issue of American imperialism in the world. Both really serious issues, but different.
Beware the bullshit factories.
We should try to be more proactive
Iranian lives matter.
Venezuelan lives matter.
s/
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Not so much
The country hasn't moved away from its Jim Crow laws as we we think it has. The difference is that the white citizenry are usually held accountable if they kill blacks, but the cops are still getting away with killing them.
Some said that the country finally moved on from its racism after Obama was elected, but not according to people on the right. They said that he divided the country, but they never explained how he did that. But now that Trump is president the country is starting to heal again. Nope. I don't know what any of that means, I'm just still seeing people saying it.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Interview with Grover Furr
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJNjwxcjDn8&list=PLbnLysSug0vRcl_yKBOBrC...
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
Love hearing about other's explorations...
into history.
Empires come and go, but the song remains the same.
What's interesting to me is how the Empires always seem to think the way to ensure that they will live forever is to erase the past. Of course, if you do that, you've got nobody to blame but yourself if thing go to hell.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Plan to read more . . . have bookmarked the pages
I have never read much about Confucius . . . never heard of Mencius. Thanks.
First. Last week I wrote an essay about coping with seeing the big picture. Lots of great advice from folks - thanks! Song of the Lark recommended a book, which I then purchased. Sacred Demise: Walking the Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization's Collapse. I am about 1/5 of the way into it and wow. It's a . . . "so we can connect the dots and know what is happening. But we evolve and transverse it by connecting to our indigenous root souls." It is by Carolyn Baker, Ph.D.
Next. https://localfoodacademy.kartra.com/page/uVR9 I have been watching the Local Food Summit. https://vimeo.com/279206469/605d190ea3 I think I want to become involved. It seems like part of coping is action? I like these guys quite a bit.
Last. Garden. I am replanting quite a bit right now. Who knows . . . maybe this is the right time to plant certain veggies? I soaked a bunch of seeds to sprout them. Some worked and some did not. Replanting tomatoes from hot climates. Successes - definitely the short day onions! Also, two varieties of butternut squash (though I have to kill squash bugs every day). Harvested about 30 so far. The Armenian cucumbers are a nice discovery since standard cucumbers do not do well. Actually a melon, I like eating them raw. Picked a Bateekh Samara Melon from Iraq today. Love it and am saving the seeds. Picked 2 banana squash before the squash bug killed the plant. Gave them to friends who are probably more apt to do something with them than I. They are supposed to be good in pie. ?? Have planted more seeds though.
Hope more of you will share gardening stories.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
heh, good reading, and my two cents...
remove all traces of squash plants, even the soil, if necessary, as the bugs winter well.
cheers!
Thanks for the advice!
Yes, they do seem to winter well. I am soaking the squash bug soil with cheap dish soap. The plants don't seem to care and it seems like I am seeing a significant reduction. I pull up affected plants and stomp on them too. Just trying the soap for the first time this year and hope I won't have to remove soil since it is my only good growing soil!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo