http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1681384,00.html
"The fact that absolute pitch — the ability to name any isolated musical tone — shows up on the scanner as an exaggerated asymmetry between the size of certain structures in the right and left sides of the brain falls far short of explaining how it's acquired. What gets closer are the observations that 50% of people born blind or blind from a young age have absolute pitch, and that it's four times more common among first-year music students in Beijing than those in New York — a reflection of the fact that the Chinese are more attuned to pitch, having had to master the precise tones used in spoken Mandarin.
The son of a musical family who still plays his father's Bechstein, Sacks has a strong empathy for the loss suffered by the many neurally damaged musicians who have found their way to him. Most touching of all is his tale of Clive Wearing, an English musician stricken in 1985 with a post-brain-infection amnesia so devastating that from one minute to the next he does not know who, where or what he is. At 69, just two things are unscathed in his inner life: a profound love for his wife and the ability to sing or play on the piano any piece of music set in front of him. Sacks describes Wearing's music as a rope let down from heaven: "Without performance, the thread is broken, and he is thrown back once again into the abyss."
Love for music is a simple joy of life, but even that can be overwhelming, as Sacks found with Tony Cicoria, a surgeon who survived being struck by lightning only to find himself possessed by an all-consuming, life-disrupting passion for listening to, playing and composing piano music. After grappling with Cicoria's musicophilia for 12 years, Sacks decided to let things be — to acknowledge that some of music's eternal riddles are better left unsolved. "His was a lucky strike," writes Sacks, "and the music, however it had come, was a blessing, a grace — not to be questioned."
11/10/2007
Thomas Middleton
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/globeeducation/research/researchevents/middletonlaunch/
Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works
The eagerly anticipated Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works brings together for the first time in a single volume all the works currently attributed to Thomas Middleton. It is the first edition of Middleton's works since 1886. This is a major event for those who are interested in early modern theatre.
To celebrate this publication Globe Education and Oxford University Press are hosting a lecture and reception:
Our Other Shakespeare: Thomas Middleton's Boys (and Girls) Able to Ravish a Man
Professor Gary Taylor (Florida State University)
Wednesday 21st November6pmNancy W. Knowles Lecture Theatre
In addition to the lecture there will be a short reading/performance of a scene from a Middleton play.
This event is by invitation only. For more information please contactDr Farah Karim-Cooper.
Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works
The eagerly anticipated Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works brings together for the first time in a single volume all the works currently attributed to Thomas Middleton. It is the first edition of Middleton's works since 1886. This is a major event for those who are interested in early modern theatre.
To celebrate this publication Globe Education and Oxford University Press are hosting a lecture and reception:
Our Other Shakespeare: Thomas Middleton's Boys (and Girls) Able to Ravish a Man
Professor Gary Taylor (Florida State University)
Wednesday 21st November6pmNancy W. Knowles Lecture Theatre
In addition to the lecture there will be a short reading/performance of a scene from a Middleton play.
This event is by invitation only. For more information please contactDr Farah Karim-Cooper.
Technological matriarchy
From a Time article by Belinda Luscombe:
"The crazy thing is, we already have the technology. Only this year a bunch of Hong Kong researchers published a paper in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics—a publication that I imagine is on your bedside table right now—that used 3-D anthropometric measuring equipment to take a very close look at 456 young Chinese women's breasts. (I know, can you imagine writing the grant proposal for that?) Their conclusions make for some tough reading. They note that 70% of British women are wearing the wrong size bra, and that among bigger-breasted women the sizing is particularly inappropriate.
Instead of taking two measurements (under the bust and over the bust) to find a bra size, the Hong Kong researchers took 98. The key to building a better bra, they concluded, is to use a depth-width ratio rather than just volume to figure out the cup size. Warren, can you see what's happening here? Are you going to let Chinese women have better-fitting bras than we do? Where is your sense of patriotism? First it's superior bras, then it's superior weapons, and before long the fat lady in her too-snug undergarment has sung, and it's over.
As you know, W.B., bras carry a lot more freight than just the bosomy kind. When women stand in front of the mirror, they don't see a bra that doesn't fit. They see a woman who doesn't fit—whose cup runneth over, who is insufficiently endowed, who is goat-shaped.
About half the adult population wears bras. The other half strategizes about them. Building a better-fitting one is not just good for female self-esteem, it's good for business. And you are the guy to do it. Can't you see the ad campaigns? "The Buffett Bustier: because one size does not fit all." Or "Get yourself into a neBRAska. We've got room for everyone."
Warren, I beseech you, just spare one moment today to think about breasts. I know you can."
"The crazy thing is, we already have the technology. Only this year a bunch of Hong Kong researchers published a paper in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics—a publication that I imagine is on your bedside table right now—that used 3-D anthropometric measuring equipment to take a very close look at 456 young Chinese women's breasts. (I know, can you imagine writing the grant proposal for that?) Their conclusions make for some tough reading. They note that 70% of British women are wearing the wrong size bra, and that among bigger-breasted women the sizing is particularly inappropriate.
Instead of taking two measurements (under the bust and over the bust) to find a bra size, the Hong Kong researchers took 98. The key to building a better bra, they concluded, is to use a depth-width ratio rather than just volume to figure out the cup size. Warren, can you see what's happening here? Are you going to let Chinese women have better-fitting bras than we do? Where is your sense of patriotism? First it's superior bras, then it's superior weapons, and before long the fat lady in her too-snug undergarment has sung, and it's over.
As you know, W.B., bras carry a lot more freight than just the bosomy kind. When women stand in front of the mirror, they don't see a bra that doesn't fit. They see a woman who doesn't fit—whose cup runneth over, who is insufficiently endowed, who is goat-shaped.
About half the adult population wears bras. The other half strategizes about them. Building a better-fitting one is not just good for female self-esteem, it's good for business. And you are the guy to do it. Can't you see the ad campaigns? "The Buffett Bustier: because one size does not fit all." Or "Get yourself into a neBRAska. We've got room for everyone."
Warren, I beseech you, just spare one moment today to think about breasts. I know you can."
11/08/2007
有意思
最近盖瑞·施耐德说了
"Buddhism challenges the Abrahamic religions with the ethical principle of "non-harming" - ahimsa - as applied to all beings. Buddhism has a clear and impeccable argument with regard to violence and war. Once again, we are reminded of the futility of war in this country."
还有这个
"Human beings everywhere in the world are affected by the global media now. Still, what I have noticed in the east Asia, in the indigenous world (Alaska in particular) and in back country farm and ranch country, is a higher sense of etiquette, and more respectful manners. Urban middle class cosmopolitan world peoples of all races have become speedy and rude. This is a pretty big generalization though."
"Buddhism challenges the Abrahamic religions with the ethical principle of "non-harming" - ahimsa - as applied to all beings. Buddhism has a clear and impeccable argument with regard to violence and war. Once again, we are reminded of the futility of war in this country."
还有这个
"Human beings everywhere in the world are affected by the global media now. Still, what I have noticed in the east Asia, in the indigenous world (Alaska in particular) and in back country farm and ranch country, is a higher sense of etiquette, and more respectful manners. Urban middle class cosmopolitan world peoples of all races have become speedy and rude. This is a pretty big generalization though."
11/03/2007
Some considerations made by Peter Hessler
"The American perception of China tends to be quite negative. Our media generally focuses on human rights and political events, neither of which, in my opinion, is the appropriate lens through which to view China during this period. These are not fundamental issues for the average Chinese, whose interests should set the tone for any responsible coverage of the country. But foreign journalists tend to focus on extremes, just like the Chinese textbook. The motivation is different, of course. That textbook was government-produced propaganda, whereas independent American publications are trying to fulfill a more noble ambition — the great journalistic tradition of exposing problems and inequalities. This plays a critical role in American communities, and it also serves a purpose in foreign countries that can't function on their own or require outside intervention.
A correspondent who writes about a famine in Africa can save lives. But China is a very different place: it's stable, functioning, independent, and increasingly powerful. There's a limit to what Americans can do there, and more importantly, the U.S. doesn't need to do very much. China has been steadily improving the lives of the vast majority of its citizens for twenty years, under its own governance. When Americans look across the Pacific, the central question isn't how they can change China, but how they can understand the people who live there. Again, context is the key. Americans need a better sense of how the average Chinese lives and thinks. I know that this is often frightening to Americans — the sense that they can't do much to help the Chinese. Personally, I find this to be a relief. Given how difficult it's proven to fix up relatively small countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans should be grateful that they aren't responsible for the welfare of 1.3 billion Chinese.
In this sense, China is a unique place, and our media hasn't quite figured out how to respond. There have always been standard ways of covering foreign countries, and foreign correspondents generally bounce from one place to another. It might be time to rethink this strategy. As we learn more about the outside world, we realize that different countries should be covered differently, and it makes sense to find specialists —people who speak the language and are willing to spend more time on the ground.
I want to emphasize that I'm not saying that everything in China is good, and my opinion isn't based on a desire to "help" China or show the country in a strictly positive light. I'm an apolitical person; I see myself as an observer, not an activist. I have no patience for either Chinese or American nationalism, and I believe that both countries have serious trouble understanding and interacting with the rest of the world. My experiences as a teacher showed me how damaging it is to give people a warped view of a faraway place. It disgusted me to see Americans depicted in extreme terms, and I react the same way to inaccurate portraits of Chinese."
Complete Q&A here
A correspondent who writes about a famine in Africa can save lives. But China is a very different place: it's stable, functioning, independent, and increasingly powerful. There's a limit to what Americans can do there, and more importantly, the U.S. doesn't need to do very much. China has been steadily improving the lives of the vast majority of its citizens for twenty years, under its own governance. When Americans look across the Pacific, the central question isn't how they can change China, but how they can understand the people who live there. Again, context is the key. Americans need a better sense of how the average Chinese lives and thinks. I know that this is often frightening to Americans — the sense that they can't do much to help the Chinese. Personally, I find this to be a relief. Given how difficult it's proven to fix up relatively small countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans should be grateful that they aren't responsible for the welfare of 1.3 billion Chinese.
In this sense, China is a unique place, and our media hasn't quite figured out how to respond. There have always been standard ways of covering foreign countries, and foreign correspondents generally bounce from one place to another. It might be time to rethink this strategy. As we learn more about the outside world, we realize that different countries should be covered differently, and it makes sense to find specialists —people who speak the language and are willing to spend more time on the ground.
I want to emphasize that I'm not saying that everything in China is good, and my opinion isn't based on a desire to "help" China or show the country in a strictly positive light. I'm an apolitical person; I see myself as an observer, not an activist. I have no patience for either Chinese or American nationalism, and I believe that both countries have serious trouble understanding and interacting with the rest of the world. My experiences as a teacher showed me how damaging it is to give people a warped view of a faraway place. It disgusted me to see Americans depicted in extreme terms, and I react the same way to inaccurate portraits of Chinese."
Complete Q&A here
10/28/2007
10/26/2007
10/25/2007
Ranking of most visited countries
1. France (79,1 Mio.)
2. Spain (58,5)
3. USA (51,1)
4. China (49,6)
In 2008, China could well become No. 3.
2. Spain (58,5)
3. USA (51,1)
4. China (49,6)
In 2008, China could well become No. 3.
"50
With the achievement of economic abundance, the concentrated result of social labor becomes visible, subjecting all reality to the appearances that are now that labor’s primary product. Capital is no longer the invisible center governing the production process; as it accumulates, it spreads to the ends of the earth in the form of tangible objects. The entire expanse of society is its portrait."
53
"Consciousness of desire and desire for consciousness are the same project, the project that in its negative form seeks the abolition of classes and thus the workers’ direct possession of every aspect of their activity. The opposite of this project is the society of the spectacle, where the commodity contemplates itself in a world of its own making."
9/30/2007
9/26/2007
Thou shalt not
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant,..., nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Blablabla
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant,..., nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Blablabla
9/18/2007
9/06/2007
BM and others
Late 10th c.: Tung Yuan
c. 1020-90: Kuo Hsi
c. 1040-1106: Li Kung-lin
1051-1107: Mi Fei (米芾), or Mi Fu (Chinese: 米黻; Pinyin: Mǐ Fú)
Chü-jan (fl. latter half of 10th c.), Five Dynasties Period (907-960)
"The English term 'jade' is used to translate the Chinese word yu, which in fact refers to a number of minerals including nephrite, jadeite, serpentine and bowenite, while jade refers only to nephrite and jadeite. Chemically nephrite is a calcium magnesium silicate and is white in colour. However, the presence of copper, chromium and iron gives colours ranging from subtle grey-greens to brilliant yellows and reds. Jadeite, which was very rarely used in China before the eighteenth century, is a silicate of sodium and magnesium and comes in a wider variety of colours than nephrite.
Nephrite is found within metamorphic rocks in mountains. As the rocks weather, the boulders of nephrite break off and are washed down to the foot of the mountain, from where they are retrieved. From the Han period (206 BC - AD 220) jade was obtained from the oasis region of Khotan on the Silk Route. The oasis lies about 5000 miles from the areas where jade was first worked in the Hongshan (in Inner Mongolia) and the Liangzhu cultures (near Shanghai) about 3000 years before. It is likely that sources were known that were much nearer to those centres in the early periods and were subsequently exhausted."
9/05/2007
Most used languages on the Internet
According to http://alis.isoc.org/palmares.en.html,
These are the most used languages on the Internet:
1 English 2 722 84,0 % 82,3 % 332 778
2 German 147 4,5 % 4,0 % 17 971
3 Japanese 101 3,1 % 1,6 % 12 348
4 French 59 1,8 % 1,5 % 7 213
5 Spanish 38 1,2 % 1,1 % 4 646
6 Swedish 35 1,1 % 0,6 % 4 279
7 Italian 31 1,0 % 0,8 % 3 790
8 Portuguese 21 0,7 % 0,7 % 2 567
9 Dutch 20 0,6 % 0,4 % 2 445
10 Norwegian 19 0,6 % 0,3 % 2 323
11 Finnish 14 0,4 % 0,3 % 1 712
12 Czech 11 0,3 % 0,3 % 1 345
13 Danish 9 0,3 % 0,3 % 1 100
14 Russian 8 0,3 % 0,1 % 978
15 Malay 4 0,1 % 0,1 % 489
These are the most used languages on the Internet:
1 English 2 722 84,0 % 82,3 % 332 778
2 German 147 4,5 % 4,0 % 17 971
3 Japanese 101 3,1 % 1,6 % 12 348
4 French 59 1,8 % 1,5 % 7 213
5 Spanish 38 1,2 % 1,1 % 4 646
6 Swedish 35 1,1 % 0,6 % 4 279
7 Italian 31 1,0 % 0,8 % 3 790
8 Portuguese 21 0,7 % 0,7 % 2 567
9 Dutch 20 0,6 % 0,4 % 2 445
10 Norwegian 19 0,6 % 0,3 % 2 323
11 Finnish 14 0,4 % 0,3 % 1 712
12 Czech 11 0,3 % 0,3 % 1 345
13 Danish 9 0,3 % 0,3 % 1 100
14 Russian 8 0,3 % 0,1 % 978
15 Malay 4 0,1 % 0,1 % 489
Gotama Buddha by Hajime Nakamura
the Japanese scholar Hajime Nakamura has written a very thorough biography on the Buddha. It is based on the most reliable texts. I want to speak about Volume Two
.
It starts with the last journey of the Tathagata and proceeds up to his death in Kusinagar. There is a final and very interesting chapter on the beginnings of deification of the Buddha. If I want to read the major texts of Buddhism, I need Pali, Sanskrit, Cinghalese, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese at least. Obviously I can't master all these languages, fortunately, Dr Nakamura is a very knowledgeable scholar who based his book on the most reliable texts and on his own experiences and anecdotes about his visits to the important sites in the life of Siddharta.
I have to add that the translation in English is great, so congratulations to Gaynor Sekimori too!
.It starts with the last journey of the Tathagata and proceeds up to his death in Kusinagar. There is a final and very interesting chapter on the beginnings of deification of the Buddha. If I want to read the major texts of Buddhism, I need Pali, Sanskrit, Cinghalese, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese at least. Obviously I can't master all these languages, fortunately, Dr Nakamura is a very knowledgeable scholar who based his book on the most reliable texts and on his own experiences and anecdotes about his visits to the important sites in the life of Siddharta.
I have to add that the translation in English is great, so congratulations to Gaynor Sekimori too!
The Analects translated by Burton Watson
The Analects,this little book of Zhongni has played such an important role in Asia over the centuries and it's a mere matter of a few hours to read it entirely. Now, Dr. Watson has given us a translation for the 21st century. Here are some quotes almost chosen randomly (in the book, the Chinese characters are not provided):
"The Master said, The gentleman is not a utensil."
子曰:「君子不器.」
"The Master said, In nature close one another, in practice far apart."
子曰:「性相近也,習相遠也。」子曰:「唯上知與下愚,不移。」
"The Master said, Persons who lack trustworthiness-I don't know how they get by!"
子曰:「人而無信,不知其可也。大車無輗,小車無軏,其何以行之哉?」
"A person who really hated the lack of humaneness would conduct himself humanely, never allowing those who lack humaneness to affect his behavior."
惡不仁者,其為仁矣,不使不仁者加乎其身。
"The Master's Way consists of loyalty and reciprocity alone."
「夫子之道,忠恕而已矣。」
And my favorite one: "Standing by a stream, the Master said, It flows on like this-does it not?- never ceasing, day or night."
子曰:「見賢思齊焉;見不賢而內自省也。」
Dr. Watson is a great translator of fine letters and we are all in his debt. The only regret is that publishers could stop taking the readers for ignorami and publish the Chinese and English face to face, as there are many free blank pages available in this charming book.
,this little book of Zhongni has played such an important role in Asia over the centuries and it's a mere matter of a few hours to read it entirely. Now, Dr. Watson has given us a translation for the 21st century. Here are some quotes almost chosen randomly (in the book, the Chinese characters are not provided): "The Master said, The gentleman is not a utensil."
子曰:「君子不器.」
"The Master said, In nature close one another, in practice far apart."
子曰:「性相近也,習相遠也。」子曰:「唯上知與下愚,不移。」
"The Master said, Persons who lack trustworthiness-I don't know how they get by!"
子曰:「人而無信,不知其可也。大車無輗,小車無軏,其何以行之哉?」
"A person who really hated the lack of humaneness would conduct himself humanely, never allowing those who lack humaneness to affect his behavior."
惡不仁者,其為仁矣,不使不仁者加乎其身。
"The Master's Way consists of loyalty and reciprocity alone."
「夫子之道,忠恕而已矣。」
And my favorite one: "Standing by a stream, the Master said, It flows on like this-does it not?- never ceasing, day or night."
子曰:「見賢思齊焉;見不賢而內自省也。」
Dr. Watson is a great translator of fine letters and we are all in his debt. The only regret is that publishers could stop taking the readers for ignorami and publish the Chinese and English face to face, as there are many free blank pages available in this charming book.
8/20/2007
Kuan tzu
At the moment, they are no available editions of the Kuan tzu, a Chinese text that is still not so well-known, compared to the Laozi or the Zhuangzi. Inside the Kuan tzu, there is a chapter where it is written how the heart governs the body as the chief governs the state. If the organs and senses submit to it, the heart can achieve an absence of desire and an emptiness that make it a receptacle of the inner heart. What would be good, would be a modern edition of this work, to elucidate this mumbo jumbo.
Kegon
"Kegon
Also known by its Chinese name Huayen (華厳), the Kegon school was founded by Dushun (杜順, Jp. Dojun), China, c. 600 AD, and introduced to Japan by Bodhisena in 736 AD. The Avatamsaka Sutra (Kegonkyo 華厳経) is the central text for the Kegon school."
"The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Chinese: 華嚴經; Pinyin: Huáyán Jīng) is one of the most influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flowers Ornament Scripture.
This text describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing each other. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for the creation of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism, which was characterized by a philosophy of interpenetration. Hua-yen is known as Kegon in Japan.
The sutra is also well known for its detailed description of the course of the bodhisattva's practice through fifty-two stages.
Three full Chinese translations of the Avatamsaka Sutra were made. Fragmentary translation probably began in the second century CE, and the famous Ten Stages Sutra (十地經), often treated as an individual scripture, was first translated in the third century. The first complete Chinese version was completed by Buddhabhadra around 420, the second by Śikṣānanda around 699, and the third by Prajñā around 798.
The last chapter of the Avatamsaka also circulates as a separate text known as the Gandavyuha Sutra. The Gandavyuha Sutra details the journey of the youth Sudhana, who undertakes a pilgrimage at the behest of the bodhisattva Manjushri. Sudhana will converse with 52 masters in his quest for enlightenment. The penultimate master of Sudhana's pilgrimage is Maitreya. It is here that Sudhana encounters "The Tower of Maitreya," which along with "Indra's net" is one of the most startling metaphors of the infinite to emerge from India.
"In the middle of the great tower... he saw the billion-world universe... and everywhere there was Sudhana at his feet... Thus Sudhana saw Maitreya's practices of... transcendence over countless eons, from each of the squares of the check board wall... In the same way Sudhana... saw the whole supernal manifestation, was perfectly aware it, understood it, contemplated it, used it as a means, beheld it, and saw himself there."[1]
The final master that Sudhana visits is Manjushri. The grandest and most exotic of Indian pilgrimages ends where it began. The Gandavyhua suggests that with a slight shift of perspective we may come to see that the enlightenment that the pilgrim so fervently sought was not only with him at every stage of his journey, but, as well, before he began:
"When this done, the world of the Gandavyuha (ceases) to be a mystery, a realm devoid of form and corporeality, for now it overlaps this earthly world; no, it becomes that 'Thou art it' and there is a perfect fusion of the two... Samamtabhdra's arms raised to save sentient beings become our own, which are now engaged in passing salt to a friend at the table and Maitreya's opening the Vairocana Tower for Sudhana is our ushering a caller into the parlor for a friendly chat."[2] "
Also known by its Chinese name Huayen (華厳), the Kegon school was founded by Dushun (杜順, Jp. Dojun), China, c. 600 AD, and introduced to Japan by Bodhisena in 736 AD. The Avatamsaka Sutra (Kegonkyo 華厳経) is the central text for the Kegon school."
"The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Chinese: 華嚴經; Pinyin: Huáyán Jīng) is one of the most influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flowers Ornament Scripture.
This text describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing each other. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for the creation of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism, which was characterized by a philosophy of interpenetration. Hua-yen is known as Kegon in Japan.
The sutra is also well known for its detailed description of the course of the bodhisattva's practice through fifty-two stages.
Three full Chinese translations of the Avatamsaka Sutra were made. Fragmentary translation probably began in the second century CE, and the famous Ten Stages Sutra (十地經), often treated as an individual scripture, was first translated in the third century. The first complete Chinese version was completed by Buddhabhadra around 420, the second by Śikṣānanda around 699, and the third by Prajñā around 798.
The last chapter of the Avatamsaka also circulates as a separate text known as the Gandavyuha Sutra. The Gandavyuha Sutra details the journey of the youth Sudhana, who undertakes a pilgrimage at the behest of the bodhisattva Manjushri. Sudhana will converse with 52 masters in his quest for enlightenment. The penultimate master of Sudhana's pilgrimage is Maitreya. It is here that Sudhana encounters "The Tower of Maitreya," which along with "Indra's net" is one of the most startling metaphors of the infinite to emerge from India.
"In the middle of the great tower... he saw the billion-world universe... and everywhere there was Sudhana at his feet... Thus Sudhana saw Maitreya's practices of... transcendence over countless eons, from each of the squares of the check board wall... In the same way Sudhana... saw the whole supernal manifestation, was perfectly aware it, understood it, contemplated it, used it as a means, beheld it, and saw himself there."[1]
The final master that Sudhana visits is Manjushri. The grandest and most exotic of Indian pilgrimages ends where it began. The Gandavyhua suggests that with a slight shift of perspective we may come to see that the enlightenment that the pilgrim so fervently sought was not only with him at every stage of his journey, but, as well, before he began:
"When this done, the world of the Gandavyuha (ceases) to be a mystery, a realm devoid of form and corporeality, for now it overlaps this earthly world; no, it becomes that 'Thou art it' and there is a perfect fusion of the two... Samamtabhdra's arms raised to save sentient beings become our own, which are now engaged in passing salt to a friend at the table and Maitreya's opening the Vairocana Tower for Sudhana is our ushering a caller into the parlor for a friendly chat."[2] "
Richard of Saint Victor
This is a quote from Wikipedia: Richard, a Scot, was prior of the famous Augustinian abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris from 1162 until his death in 1173.
Richard was a student of the great German mystic Hugo of St. Victor, whose principles and methods he adopted and developed. His most important work, De Trinitate ("On the Trinity") contains his best-known philosophical work in which he stressed that it was possible to reach the essentials of the doctrine of the Trinity by the process of speculative reasoning. Richard had great influence on Bonaventure and the Franciscan mystics. His writings on mystical contemplation earned for him the title "Magnus Contemplator", the great contemplator.
In Dante's Paradise (Paradiso' X.130), he is mentioned among theologians and doctors of the church alongside Isidore of Seville and the Englishman Bede (the latter is the only other Briton in Dante's Paradise).
Richard was a student of the great German mystic Hugo of St. Victor, whose principles and methods he adopted and developed. His most important work, De Trinitate ("On the Trinity") contains his best-known philosophical work in which he stressed that it was possible to reach the essentials of the doctrine of the Trinity by the process of speculative reasoning. Richard had great influence on Bonaventure and the Franciscan mystics. His writings on mystical contemplation earned for him the title "Magnus Contemplator", the great contemplator.
In Dante's Paradise (Paradiso' X.130), he is mentioned among theologians and doctors of the church alongside Isidore of Seville and the Englishman Bede (the latter is the only other Briton in Dante's Paradise).
8/05/2007
"Restons très peu, là où il faut"
"Ensemble tout devient impossible, restons très peu là où il faut."
7/29/2007
7/27/2007
7/24/2007
7/20/2007
Back to two thousand three, with the magic key!
(listen up , listen up , listen up......) (End to my days, changed my ways) This sudden end to my days Makes me wish I'd changed my ways Spent more time with the posse One-t, nine-t, bull-t, me From up here, life seems so small what's the meaning of it all? Miss the way it used to be One-t, nine-t, bull-t, me Where in the world could I be? Homies looking so cool, cool, I'm cool-t! Tuxedos made of snow Is there something I should know? Mom and Pop and littre bro Dead and gone so long ago Could this be paradise at last? The first test I've ever passed Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen find the magic key Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen let your life be free Blissful days, whatcha gonna do? Still I miss my old t-crew Can't afterlive without'em I just wish they only knew! May have lived without a home But my homies' love me kept me warm Taught me to forget the game Money, hatred, hunger, pain This sudden end to my days Makes me wish I'd changed my ways Spent more time with the posse One-t, Nine-t, Bull-t, me Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen find the magic key (yours truly) Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen let your life be free Missing you, missing you, Missing you,magic crew Missing you, missing you, Missing you,magic crew Had a meeting with my maker The superhuman baker He popped me in the oven And set the dial to lovin' Now I watch over my boys Help'em keep on making noise Never pictured me with wings Guess I've heard of stranger things Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen find the magic key (cool-t yours truly) Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen like your life be free (cool-t yours truly) Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen find the magic key (listen up) Music's the odyssey It's here for you, for me Just listen like your life be free (listen up , listen up , listen up......)
7/14/2007
Techno goliath
Choi Hong-man is a South-korean kickboxer and former ssirum wrestler. He currently competes in the notorious K-1 tournament. He got his nickname "Techno Goliath" when he was a wrestler in South Korea because of his dancing on techno after winning a combat. It's easy to spot him because he is 218cm and 164 kg.
7/13/2007
From Hunk to Hulk
Three little pictures to show the evolution of the representation of the male body. Obviously there is a muscle mania, though this is not the case of the cell phones which have evolved the other way round, ever more small and discreet.
Beck's pecs and Vic's assets
To celebrate the arrival of the couple to the U.S, the fashion magazine W made a little photo shoot.
It reminds me once, I had just arrived at the airport terminal and there were so many young female fans all around. I was wondering why, but later learnt that the football star was arriving on the same day.
7/08/2007
Blatella germanica
These insects have started to appear here due to an usually warm winter. They have been on the surface of this planet for 200'000'000 years and can survive under radioactivity, so they should continue to prosper and live well. It doesn't seem to be easy to get rid of them once they start to invade homes' interiors. There are a lot of interesting infos at the Insectarium of Montréal:
They are of course a health hazard and thorough cleaning is the first step to take.
6/24/2007
6/23/2007
醉翁亭记
醉翁亭记 欧阳修
环滁皆山也。其西南诸峰,林壑尤美。望之蔚然而深秀者,琅琊也。山行六七里,渐闻水声潺潺,而泄出于两峰之间者,酿泉也。峰回路转,有亭翼然临于泉上者,醉翁亭也。作亭者谁?山之僧智仙也。名之者谁?太守自谓也。太守与客来饮于此,饮少辄醉,而年又最高,故自号曰“醉翁”也。醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之间也。山水之乐,得之心而寓之酒也。
若夫日出而林霏开,云归而岩穴暝,晦明变化者,山间之朝暮也。野芳发而幽香,佳木秀而繁阴,风霜高洁,水落而石出者,山间之四时也。朝而往,暮而归,四时之景不同,而乐亦无穷也。
至于负者歌于滁,行者休于树,前者呼,后者应,伛偻提携,往来而不绝者,滁人游也。临溪而渔,溪深而鱼肥;酿泉为酒,泉香而酒冽;山肴野蔌,杂然而前陈者,太守宴也。宴酣之乐,非丝非竹,射者中,弈者胜,觥筹交错,坐起而喧哗者,众宾欢也。苍然白发,颓乎其中者,太守醉也。
已而夕阳在山,人影散乱,太守归而宾客从也。树林阴翳,鸣声上下,游人去而禽鸟乐也。然而禽鸟知山林之乐,而不知人之乐;人知从太守游而乐,而不知太守之乐其乐也。醉能同其乐,醒能述其文者,太守也。太守谓谁?庐陵欧阳修也。
此篇乃作者于宋仁宗庆历五年降职出任滁州知州时所作。据《朱子语类》卷一三九:“顷有人买得他《醉翁亭记》稿,初说滁州四面有山,凡数十字。末后改定,只曰‘环滁皆山也’五字而已。”通篇用解释句,连用二十一个“也”字,宋人王应麟认为这种体例本于《易经》的《杂卦》。
古者富贵而名磨灭,不可胜记,唯倜傥非常之人称焉。昔文王拘而演《周易》;仲尼厄而作《春秋》;屈原放逐乃赋《离骚》;左丘失明厥有《国语》;孙子膑脚《兵法》修列;不韦迁蜀世传《吕览》;韩非囚秦《说难》、《孤愤》;《诗》三百篇大底圣贤发愤之所为作也。 司马迁《报任安书》
环滁皆山也。其西南诸峰,林壑尤美。望之蔚然而深秀者,琅琊也。山行六七里,渐闻水声潺潺,而泄出于两峰之间者,酿泉也。峰回路转,有亭翼然临于泉上者,醉翁亭也。作亭者谁?山之僧智仙也。名之者谁?太守自谓也。太守与客来饮于此,饮少辄醉,而年又最高,故自号曰“醉翁”也。醉翁之意不在酒,在乎山水之间也。山水之乐,得之心而寓之酒也。
若夫日出而林霏开,云归而岩穴暝,晦明变化者,山间之朝暮也。野芳发而幽香,佳木秀而繁阴,风霜高洁,水落而石出者,山间之四时也。朝而往,暮而归,四时之景不同,而乐亦无穷也。
至于负者歌于滁,行者休于树,前者呼,后者应,伛偻提携,往来而不绝者,滁人游也。临溪而渔,溪深而鱼肥;酿泉为酒,泉香而酒冽;山肴野蔌,杂然而前陈者,太守宴也。宴酣之乐,非丝非竹,射者中,弈者胜,觥筹交错,坐起而喧哗者,众宾欢也。苍然白发,颓乎其中者,太守醉也。
已而夕阳在山,人影散乱,太守归而宾客从也。树林阴翳,鸣声上下,游人去而禽鸟乐也。然而禽鸟知山林之乐,而不知人之乐;人知从太守游而乐,而不知太守之乐其乐也。醉能同其乐,醒能述其文者,太守也。太守谓谁?庐陵欧阳修也。
此篇乃作者于宋仁宗庆历五年降职出任滁州知州时所作。据《朱子语类》卷一三九:“顷有人买得他《醉翁亭记》稿,初说滁州四面有山,凡数十字。末后改定,只曰‘环滁皆山也’五字而已。”通篇用解释句,连用二十一个“也”字,宋人王应麟认为这种体例本于《易经》的《杂卦》。
古者富贵而名磨灭,不可胜记,唯倜傥非常之人称焉。昔文王拘而演《周易》;仲尼厄而作《春秋》;屈原放逐乃赋《离骚》;左丘失明厥有《国语》;孙子膑脚《兵法》修列;不韦迁蜀世传《吕览》;韩非囚秦《说难》、《孤愤》;《诗》三百篇大底圣贤发愤之所为作也。 司马迁《报任安书》
Boom boom boom
An article of Peter Hessler for the National Geographic on the booming towns in Zhejiang:
"At 2:30 in the afternoon, the bosses began designing the factory. The three-story building they had rented was perfectly empty: white walls, bare floors, a front door without a lock. You could come or go; everything in the Lishui Economic Development Zone shared that openness. Neighboring buildings were also empty shells, and they flanked a dirt road that pointed toward an unfinished highway. Blank silver billboards reflected the sky, advertising nothing but late October sunlight.Wang Aiguo and Gao Xiaomeng had driven the 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Wenzhou, a city on China's southeastern coast. They were family—uncle and nephew—and they had come to Lishui to start a new business. "This whole area just opened up," Boss Gao explained, when I met him at the factory gate. "Wenzhou used to be this way, but now it's quite expensive, especially for a small company. It's better to be in a place like this."On the first floor, we were joined by a contractor and his assistant. There was no architect, no draftsman; nobody had brought a ruler or a plumb line. Instead, Boss Gao began by handing out 555-brand cigarettes. He was 33 years old, with a sharp crewcut and a nervous air that intensified whenever his uncle was around. After everybody lit up, the young man reached into his shoulder bag for a pen and a scrap of paper.First, he sketched the room's exterior walls. Then he started designing; every pen stroke represented a wall to be installed, and the factory began to take shape before our eyes. He drew two lines in the southwest corner: a future machine room. Next to that, a chemist's laboratory, followed by a storeroom and a secondary machine room. Boss Wang, the uncle, studied the page and said, "We don't need this room."They conferred and then scratched it out. In 27 minutes, they had finished designing the ground floor, and we went upstairs. More cigarettes. Boss Gao flipped over the paper."This is too small for an office.""Put the wall here instead. That's big enough.""Can you build another wall here?"In 23 minutes, they designed an office, a hallway, and three living rooms for factory managers. On the top floor, the workers' dormitories required another 14 minutes. All told, they had mapped out a 21,500-square-foot (2,000 square meters) factory, from bottom to top, in one hour and four minutes. Boss Gao handed the scrap of paper to the contractor. The man asked when they wanted the estimate."How about this afternoon?"The contractor looked at his watch. It was 3:48 p.m."I can't do it that fast!""Well, then tell me early in the morning."They discussed materials—paint, cement, cinder blocks. "We want the ten-dollar doors," Boss Wang told the contractor, who was a Lishui native. "And don't try to make money by getting cheaper materials—do a good job now, and we'll hire you again. That's how we make money in Wenzhou. Do you understand?"a sea of commoditiesThe Wenzhou airport bookstore stocks a volume titled, Actually, You Don't Understand the Wenzhou People. It shares a shelf with The Feared Wenzhou People, The Collected Secrets of How Wenzhou People Make Money, and The Jews of the East: The Commercial Stories of Fifty Wenzhou Businessmen. For the Chinese, this part of Zhejiang Province has become a source of fascination, and the local press contributes to the legend. Recently, Wenzhou's Fortune Weekly conducted a survey of local millionaires. One question was: If forced to choose between your business and your family, which would it be? Of the respondents, 60 percent chose business, and 20 percent chose family. The other 20 percent couldn't make up their minds.From the beginning, an element of desperation helped create the Wenzhou business tradition. The region has little arable soil, and the mountainous landscape made for bad roads to the interior. With few options, Wenzhou natives turned to the sea, developing a strong trading culture by the end of the Ming dynasty, in the 17th century. But they lost their edge after 1949, when the communists came to power and cut off overseas trade links, as well as most private entrepreneurship. Even in the early 1980s, when Deng Xiaoping's free-market reforms began to take hold, Wenzhou started with distinct disadvantages. Residents lacked the education of people in Beijing, and they didn't attract the foreign investment of Shanghai. When the government established the first Special Economic Zone, whose trade and tax privileges were designed to spur growth, they chose Shenzhen, which is near Hong Kong.But Wenzhou had the priceless capital of native instinct. Families opened tiny workshops, often with fewer than a dozen workers, and they produced simple goods. Over time, workshops blossomed into full-scale factories, and Wenzhou came to dominate certain low-tech industries. Today, one-quarter of all shoes bought in China come from Wenzhou. The city makes 70 percent of the world's cigarette lighters. Over 90 percent of Wenzhou's economy is private.The Wenzhou Model, as it became known, spread throughout southern Zhejiang Province. Although nearly 80 percent of all Zhejiang entrepreneurs have a formal education of only eight years or less, the province has become the richest in China by most measures. The per capita incomes for both rural and urban residents are the highest of any Chinese province (this excludes specially administered cities such as Shanghai and Beijing). Zhejiang reflects China's economic miracle: a poor, overwhelmingly rural nation that has somehow become the world's most vibrant factory center."
rest of the article at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0706/feature4/
"At 2:30 in the afternoon, the bosses began designing the factory. The three-story building they had rented was perfectly empty: white walls, bare floors, a front door without a lock. You could come or go; everything in the Lishui Economic Development Zone shared that openness. Neighboring buildings were also empty shells, and they flanked a dirt road that pointed toward an unfinished highway. Blank silver billboards reflected the sky, advertising nothing but late October sunlight.Wang Aiguo and Gao Xiaomeng had driven the 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Wenzhou, a city on China's southeastern coast. They were family—uncle and nephew—and they had come to Lishui to start a new business. "This whole area just opened up," Boss Gao explained, when I met him at the factory gate. "Wenzhou used to be this way, but now it's quite expensive, especially for a small company. It's better to be in a place like this."On the first floor, we were joined by a contractor and his assistant. There was no architect, no draftsman; nobody had brought a ruler or a plumb line. Instead, Boss Gao began by handing out 555-brand cigarettes. He was 33 years old, with a sharp crewcut and a nervous air that intensified whenever his uncle was around. After everybody lit up, the young man reached into his shoulder bag for a pen and a scrap of paper.First, he sketched the room's exterior walls. Then he started designing; every pen stroke represented a wall to be installed, and the factory began to take shape before our eyes. He drew two lines in the southwest corner: a future machine room. Next to that, a chemist's laboratory, followed by a storeroom and a secondary machine room. Boss Wang, the uncle, studied the page and said, "We don't need this room."They conferred and then scratched it out. In 27 minutes, they had finished designing the ground floor, and we went upstairs. More cigarettes. Boss Gao flipped over the paper."This is too small for an office.""Put the wall here instead. That's big enough.""Can you build another wall here?"In 23 minutes, they designed an office, a hallway, and three living rooms for factory managers. On the top floor, the workers' dormitories required another 14 minutes. All told, they had mapped out a 21,500-square-foot (2,000 square meters) factory, from bottom to top, in one hour and four minutes. Boss Gao handed the scrap of paper to the contractor. The man asked when they wanted the estimate."How about this afternoon?"The contractor looked at his watch. It was 3:48 p.m."I can't do it that fast!""Well, then tell me early in the morning."They discussed materials—paint, cement, cinder blocks. "We want the ten-dollar doors," Boss Wang told the contractor, who was a Lishui native. "And don't try to make money by getting cheaper materials—do a good job now, and we'll hire you again. That's how we make money in Wenzhou. Do you understand?"a sea of commoditiesThe Wenzhou airport bookstore stocks a volume titled, Actually, You Don't Understand the Wenzhou People. It shares a shelf with The Feared Wenzhou People, The Collected Secrets of How Wenzhou People Make Money, and The Jews of the East: The Commercial Stories of Fifty Wenzhou Businessmen. For the Chinese, this part of Zhejiang Province has become a source of fascination, and the local press contributes to the legend. Recently, Wenzhou's Fortune Weekly conducted a survey of local millionaires. One question was: If forced to choose between your business and your family, which would it be? Of the respondents, 60 percent chose business, and 20 percent chose family. The other 20 percent couldn't make up their minds.From the beginning, an element of desperation helped create the Wenzhou business tradition. The region has little arable soil, and the mountainous landscape made for bad roads to the interior. With few options, Wenzhou natives turned to the sea, developing a strong trading culture by the end of the Ming dynasty, in the 17th century. But they lost their edge after 1949, when the communists came to power and cut off overseas trade links, as well as most private entrepreneurship. Even in the early 1980s, when Deng Xiaoping's free-market reforms began to take hold, Wenzhou started with distinct disadvantages. Residents lacked the education of people in Beijing, and they didn't attract the foreign investment of Shanghai. When the government established the first Special Economic Zone, whose trade and tax privileges were designed to spur growth, they chose Shenzhen, which is near Hong Kong.But Wenzhou had the priceless capital of native instinct. Families opened tiny workshops, often with fewer than a dozen workers, and they produced simple goods. Over time, workshops blossomed into full-scale factories, and Wenzhou came to dominate certain low-tech industries. Today, one-quarter of all shoes bought in China come from Wenzhou. The city makes 70 percent of the world's cigarette lighters. Over 90 percent of Wenzhou's economy is private.The Wenzhou Model, as it became known, spread throughout southern Zhejiang Province. Although nearly 80 percent of all Zhejiang entrepreneurs have a formal education of only eight years or less, the province has become the richest in China by most measures. The per capita incomes for both rural and urban residents are the highest of any Chinese province (this excludes specially administered cities such as Shanghai and Beijing). Zhejiang reflects China's economic miracle: a poor, overwhelmingly rural nation that has somehow become the world's most vibrant factory center."
rest of the article at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0706/feature4/
Ranking
"China has overtaken the United States as the world's top producer of carbon dioxide emissions — the biggest man-made contributor to global warming — based on the latest widely accepted energy consumption data, a Dutch research group says.
According to a report released Tuesday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China overtook the U.S. in emissions of CO2 by about 7.5 percent in 2006. While China was 2 percent below the United States in 2005, voracious coal consumption and increased cement production caused the numbers to rise rapidly, the group said.
...
The study said China, which relies on coal for two-thirds of its energy needs and makes 44 percent of the world's cement, produced 6.23 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2006. In comparison, the U.S., which gets half its electricity from coal, produced 5.8 billion metric tons of CO2.
The group's analysis makes sense and had been predicted to happen by 2009 or 2010, said experts from the United Nations and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and outside academics.
...
Telephone calls to China's State Environmental Protection Agency and the National Development and Reform Commission, the Cabinet-level economic planning agency, were not answered Wednesday.
Earlier figures indicated China would likely surpass the U.S. in greenhouse gas emissions as early as 2009, although other predictions said it could happen this year.
Chinese environmental officials have said that while total emissions are going up, they are still less than one quarter of those of the United States on a per capita basis. Because China's population of 1.3 billion people is more than four times that of the United States, China spews about 10,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per person, while in the United States it is nearly 42,500 pounds per person.
...
This month, China unveiled its first national program to combat global warming with promises to rein in greenhouse gas production. While the program offered few new concrete targets for greenhouse gas emissions, it outlined steps the country would take to meet a previously announced goal of improving energy efficiency in 2010 by 20 percent over 2005's level.
Yang Ailun of Greenpeace China called on the country to take more steps to protect the environment. "Due to the urgency of climate change, China has the responsibility to take immediate actions to reform its energy structure and curb its CO2 emissions," Yang said in a statement.
She noted that Western consumers use products made in China.
"All the West has done is export a great slice of its carbon footprint to China and make China the world's factory," she said. "This trend has kept the price of projects in the West down, but led to a climate disaster in the long term."
Associated Press writer Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report."
Complete article at:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1635530,00.html
According to a report released Tuesday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China overtook the U.S. in emissions of CO2 by about 7.5 percent in 2006. While China was 2 percent below the United States in 2005, voracious coal consumption and increased cement production caused the numbers to rise rapidly, the group said.
...
The study said China, which relies on coal for two-thirds of its energy needs and makes 44 percent of the world's cement, produced 6.23 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2006. In comparison, the U.S., which gets half its electricity from coal, produced 5.8 billion metric tons of CO2.
The group's analysis makes sense and had been predicted to happen by 2009 or 2010, said experts from the United Nations and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and outside academics.
...
Telephone calls to China's State Environmental Protection Agency and the National Development and Reform Commission, the Cabinet-level economic planning agency, were not answered Wednesday.
Earlier figures indicated China would likely surpass the U.S. in greenhouse gas emissions as early as 2009, although other predictions said it could happen this year.
Chinese environmental officials have said that while total emissions are going up, they are still less than one quarter of those of the United States on a per capita basis. Because China's population of 1.3 billion people is more than four times that of the United States, China spews about 10,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per person, while in the United States it is nearly 42,500 pounds per person.
...
This month, China unveiled its first national program to combat global warming with promises to rein in greenhouse gas production. While the program offered few new concrete targets for greenhouse gas emissions, it outlined steps the country would take to meet a previously announced goal of improving energy efficiency in 2010 by 20 percent over 2005's level.
Yang Ailun of Greenpeace China called on the country to take more steps to protect the environment. "Due to the urgency of climate change, China has the responsibility to take immediate actions to reform its energy structure and curb its CO2 emissions," Yang said in a statement.
She noted that Western consumers use products made in China.
"All the West has done is export a great slice of its carbon footprint to China and make China the world's factory," she said. "This trend has kept the price of projects in the West down, but led to a climate disaster in the long term."
Associated Press writer Arthur Max in Amsterdam and Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report."
Complete article at:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1635530,00.html
Mo Yan
Here is an excellent speech by the writer Mo Yan at the Open University of Hong Kong:
http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/WCM/?FUELAP_TEMPLATENAME=tcSingPage&ITEMID=CCASSCONTENT_57095858&lang=eng
http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/WCM/?FUELAP_TEMPLATENAME=tcSingPage&ITEMID=CCASSCONTENT_57095858&lang=eng
人文社會學院於去年十二月十七日舉行一場公開論壇，邀請享譽國際文壇的中國作家莫言與葛浩文(Howard Goldblatt)教授主講。主題是“中國文學──世界文學：作家、譯者、評論家”。
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