Poem: Changes 52/Keeping Still

1
The mountain is the youngest child
Of heaven and earth
Striving ever upward

And simultaneously tumbling down

Like the volcanoes
That surround me

2
It is difficult to bring quiet to the heart
Stillness is a state of polarity
With motion as its complement

True quiet means keeping still
When the time comes to keep still
And going forward

When the time comes to go forward
The end and the beginning of movement
Buddhism strives for rest

Through an ebbing away
Of all movement in nirvana
The Book of Changes holds that rest

Is a state of polarity
With movement as its complement
When you have thus become calm

You turn
To the outside world
To the mountains standing close together

3
The beginning is a time of few mistakes
When you are still in harmony
Not influenced by obscuring interests and desires

You see things as they really are
Like the man who plays
The Blue Guitar

4
A person who halts at the beginning
As long as they have not abandoned truth
Finds the way

But resolve is needed to prevent drifting
The leg cannot move independently
It depends on body movement

If a legs stops
While the body is in motion
The body falls

5

The restless heart may be subdued by forcible means
But a smothered fire
Changes into acrid smoke

That suffocates as it spreads
Calmness must develop organically
From inner composure
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Big Star video: September Gurls - with lyrics

Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer of The Posies have been members, now, of Big Star for over a decade. Here is a video of one of Alex Chilton's greatest songs from Stockholm on a recent tour. On drums, Jody Stephens, of course.




September Gurls


September gurls do so much
I was your butch and you were touched
I loved you well never mind
I've been crying all the time
December boys got it bad.
September gurls I don't know why
how can I deny what's inside
even thought I keep away
maybe we'll love all our days.
When I get to bed
late at night
that's the time
she makes things right
ooh when she makes luv to me.
---o0o---

Ascii art, updated

click the image to see the animation
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George Bush Takes A Chunk Out Of Our Lady Of The Harbor

I don't know who did this illustration, but I like it. It may be from a t-shirt. Various people were claiming credit for the work. If you did it, let me know, and we'll give you credit, a link to your t-shirt, or take it down...

ed. note: Tony Ravo has informed me "the artist that did this is Alex Ross. His work is extremely well known in the comics world, as he's been called the "Norman Rockwell of Comics. "You can check his stuff out at http://alexrossart.com



I think this is what catapulting the propaganda can lead to!
---o0o---

Scarred For Life?

Sometimes I wonder what it has meant, raising three children in the reign of George Bush? In their hearts what do they think of The President? And The Presidency? Have they been scarred for life?

When I was a kid people kind of liked the President (even if he was from the "other" party. Did that kind of fizzle out around about 1969, not long after President Nixon took office? Or maybe it was LBJ that killed it. I just don't remember people so actively disliking, say, Ike, or JFK, or even Ronald Reagan. As much as we disagreed with Reagan, at least you thought he believed in what he was doing. We just don't get that vibe from President Bush.
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Jesus Obama Christ?

A sculpture depicting Senator Barack Obama as Jesus Christ is on display at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Unfortunately, the only link I found to the story was here, at Fox News.
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Poem: changes 51/The Arousing

1
Thunder bursts from the earth
Its shock causes fear and trembling
The shock terrifies for a hundred miles

2
You search your heart lest it harbor
Any secret opposition
To the will of God

Shock comes bringing danger
You lose your treasures
And must climb the nine hills

3
Nothing is lost
There are things
To be done
---o0o---

The Entire Sopranos Story In Seven Minutes - The Last Season Starts A Week From Today!

Click the controls 2x to play the Joe Sabia's video

The final season of The Sopranos begins one week from today. In honor of that, Joe Sabia has put together a videomontage of all six seasons, outlining the story in seven minutes. Nice work Joe!

click to enlarge

---o0o---

Painting: The Impasto President

The Cars: Just What I Needed - Song, Photomontage and lyrics

click 2x to play the vid

Just What I Needed

I don't mind you coming here
and wasting all my time
'cause when you're standing oh so near
I kinda lose my mind
it's not the perfume that you wear
it's not the ribbons in your hair
I don't mind you coming here
and wasting all my time
I don't mind you hanging out
and talking in your sleep
it doesn't matter where you've been
as long as it was deep
you always knew to wear it well
you look so fancy I can tell
I don't mind you hanging out
and talking in your sleep
I guess you're just what I needed
I needed someone to feed
I guess you're just what I needed
I needed someone to bleed
---o0o---

Illustration: Attorney General Gonzales' Hand Caught In The Scandal Meat-grinder

Click illustration to enlarge

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Two More Blows Against The King: Another Rough Week At The White House

click the George flag to enlarge

1) An Ex-Aide Loses Faith in the President. Matthew Dowd joined George W. Bush’s in 1999, jumping from the Democratic Party. He believed in George Bush, and was one of the top aides who built the flip-flop strategy that tarred John Kerry throughout his Preidential bid. He was Bush's 2004 chief campaign strategist. In an interview, Dowd called for a withdrawal from Iraq and expressed extreme disappointment with The President. Dowd has even considered writing an editorial "John Kerry was right."



2) D. Kyle Sampson calls A.G. Gonzales a liar, and by extension, The President. Gonzales' credibility is already in the toilet due to changing stories, and damaging document disclosures. Now, he may have taken a fatal hit when Sampson told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the attorney general had been long and deeply involved in an action that Gonzales has said he knew little or nothing about.





3) At least five other stories surfaced this week depicting mayhem in The White House. The President is slowly becoming President in name only and his bellicose sabre-rattling has become just irritating background noise. The mood of the country seems to be "let's just get through this next 21 months with as little damage as possible."
---o0o---