Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
a quote from walter benjamin ...
To
historians who wish to relive an era, Fustel de Coulanges recommends that they
blot out everything they know about the later course of history.
There
is no better way of characterizing the method with which historical materialism
has broken. It is a process of empathy whose origin is the indolence of the
heart, acedia, which despairs of grasping and holding the genuine historical
image as it flares up briefly. Among medieval theologians it was regarded as
the root cause of sadness.
Flaubert,
who was familiar with it, wrote:
‘Peu
de gens devineront combien il a fallu être triste pour ressusciter Carthage.’*
* ‘Few will be able to guess
how sad one had to be in order to resuscitate Carthage.’
The
nature of this sadness stands out more clearly if one asks with whom the
adherents of historicism actually empathize. The answer is inevitable: with the
victor. And all rulers are the heirs of those who conquered before them. Hence,
empathy with the victor invariably benefits the rulers.
Historical
materialists know what that means. Whoever has emerged victorious participates
to this day in the triumphal procession in which the present rulers step over
those who are lying prostrate. According to traditional practice, the spoils
are carried along in the procession. They are called cultural treasures, and a
historical materialist views them with cautious detachment. For without
exception the cultural treasures he surveys have an origin which he cannot
contemplate without horror. They owe their existence not only to the efforts of
the great minds and talents who have created them, but also to the anonymous
toil of their contemporaries.
There
is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of
barbarism. And just as such a document is not free of barbarism, barbarism
taints also the manner in which it was transmitted from one owner to another. A
historical materialist therefore dissociates himself from it as far as
possible. He regards it as his task to brush history against the grain.
Ennit ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Trains/ICC_valuations/Chicago,_Burlington_and_Quincy_Railroad
EDITOR'S NOTE :
without specious and spurious links there'd be no entertainment ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9U4Cbb4wg
Saturday, August 24, 2013
creatures of habit ...
long before sunrise, there is a minute's disorientation and delay whilst i am preparing Her-indoors' first cup of earl grey ... her old porcelain mug with the chintzy roses has been given the elbow and i have a sleep-walker's blind spot for the new one with lickle birds ... and i, being born a creature of hard-to-break-habit, will never ever ever be able to throw out my old tea-stained velasquez ... eventually the tea gets made and the new cup stands cooling in the near darkness besides her sleeping shadow
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
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Friday, August 16, 2013
3BT ... no ! 4 !!!
Four swallows shoulder to shoulder on a wire
A blackbird feeding her enormous squeaking fledgling
In the back of the bus, but not together, four smart young wimmin with freckles and ginger hair
Lastly, lots of cards and texts and e-mails for my birthday ... thanxxx you'all
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The question of ... what was the question ?
Yesterday afternoon, at the end of quite a long and unnecessarily physical shift, I parked the truck and took the day’s paperwork up to the office. Then I hung the keys of the truck on a little hook in the keys’ cupboard.
Finally, as if somnabulent, I neatly hung my own set of house keys on the adjacent hook, and went home without them. Hmmm !
Today, a customer named Paul recommended the services of an organization in Switzerland named Dignitas.
I could see his point.
It’ll be OK, I told him, as long as they have nice curtains; you know the sort of thing …
We thought a little motto embroidered on some fancy scroll-work might look nice ...
"Diende tempore felicius"
Sunday, August 11, 2013
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