VARIOUS THOUGHTS ABR-MAY 2011

VARIOUS THOUGHTS ABR-MAY 2011


A couple of these never-until-now-posted entries seem rather laughable in the light of the recently “resolved” debt crisis in the US … but oh well.

2011 17 abr

Part of the reason it is good to learn a new piece of music every once in a while is that it serves to remember HOW to learn a piece of music. Particularly a rather difficult one, by a composer whose music one hasn’t played much.

Wael Ghonim at the IMF roundtable, 15 April 2011:
“We wanted our dignity back. And dignity does have an economic aspect.” He was talking about the Tahrir Square events, the “Arab Spring”. This is why economists should not only study history but also listen to music, read –and maybe even write!-- poetry. It’s the only chance they have of understanding such realities, given their largely insular formation.


2011-5 APR
Speaker of the House John Boehner claims that the “poor and lazy” caused the current economic crisis during an interview with Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone

http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-new-york/boehner-s-poor-and-lazy-comments-to-rolling-stone-reflect-his-party-s-beliefs?fb_comment=31606156

As I think about this it occurs to me that is Mr. Boehner himself who is both poor and lazy. He shows himself to be spiritually impoverished --which is what really counts in this world and in the next, supposing it exists; and intellectually lazy, by which I mean his apparently total refusal to undertake the work of overcoming his ignorance.

This would all be pretty small potatoes if we were just talking about the local dogcatcher or something; but Mr. Boehner is in a position to do real harm to the people he deems "poor and lazy", through his own poverty and laziness.

2011_19 abr

NYT today: “How far can a presidential candidate get with fame and money, but with no knowledge of policy or governing?” … speaking of Donald Trump. Well, given many of the people who won in the midterm elections it seems the answer might be “Quite far”. Those “tea-baggers” as people have started to call them, appear not only to have no knowledge of policy or governing, but also no respect for same; and are proud of their ignorance. Thus, I suppose, their anti-education stance.