Do you know why the conjoined twins moved to England?
So the other one could drive.
Posts by Lewis
-
10Driving On The Other Side Of The Road.
by Englishman ini have.. easy, yeah?.
or really tricky, maybe even terrifing?.
englishman.
-
-
-
89
CAPITALISM: Do you know what it is? What is your opinion?
by Terry in.
i'll just let the question stand before i spout off.. i hear alot of people speak disparagingly about capitalism.. i'd like to hear your opinion before i give mine.. terry.
-
-
Lewis
Hey! It's time for an uplifting little melody from the IWW. (I really like the Faith Petric version.)
"You Ain't Done Nuthin' If You Ain't Been Called A Red
When I was just a little thing I used to love parades. With banners, bands, red balloons, and maybe lemonade. When I came home one May Day, my neighbour's father said, "Them marchers is all commies. Tell me kid, are you a Red?" Well I didn't know just what he meant- my hair back then was brown. Our house was plain red brick- like most others in the town. So I went and asked my momma why our neighbour called me red. My mummy took me on her knee and this is what she said, "Well ya ain't done nothing if ya ain't been called a Red. If you marched or agitated, then you're bound to hear it said. So you might as well ignore it or love the word instead. Cuz ya ain't been doing nothing if ya ain't been called a Red." When I was growing up, had my troubles I suppose. When someone took exception to my face or to my clothes. Or tried to cheat me on the job or hit me on the head. When I organized to fight back, why the stinkers called me Red But ya ain't done nothing if ya ain't been called a Red if you marched or agitated, then you're bound to hear it said. So you might as well ignore it or love the word instead. Cuz ya ain't been doing nothing if ya ain't been called a Red. When I was living on my own, one apartment that I had. Had a lousy rotten landlord Let me tell you he was bad. But when he tried to throw me out, I rubbed my hands and said, "You haven't seen a struggle if you haven't fought a Red!" And ya ain't done nothing if ya ain't been called a Red. If you marched or agitated, then you're bound to hear it said. So you might as well ignore it or love the word instead. Cuz ya ain't been doing nothing if ya ain't been called a Red.
###
-
-
-
Lewis
What a great response, HS. There is definitely a strong vein of poet running through you. (And diplomat too.) Did you read much secular poetry when you were a Witness? Have you been published?
Best, Lewis
-
-
-
Lewis
Regarding translations:
So very true. Thunder wrote:
Usually translated pieces don't retain the flow and meter one language to another.
HS wrote:
I have found that this is almost universally an issue of translator and not poetry or language. Too often the translator is a language expert and not a poet and approaches the challenge in a prosaic manner. Poetry as you know, requires an altogether different emotional discipline than prose and those that lack this discipline will sacrifice metre and pace on the altar of grammatical accuracy.
Excellent observation HS. (Especially translations that have been eviscerated in doctoral dissertations.) Since English is my primary language, I usually consult two to three different translations of a poets work. I have three different translations of Constantine Cavafy's poetry -- and it is interesting to note the nuances and -- differences -- that varous translators make. Reading Robert Bly's translations of Antonio Machado or R.M. Rilke or Rumi can be quite different from another translator. (Especially Rilke.) I do believe that a good translator will always bring something of him or herself to another's work.
Also, HS, I'll check out your suggestions. Thanks.
The best, Lewis
-
-
-
Lewis
The War Works Hard
How magnificent the war is
How eager
and efficient!
Early in the morning
it wakes up the sirens
and dispatches ambulances
to various places
swings corpses through the air
rolls stretchers to the wounded
summons rain
from the eyes of mothers
digs into the earth
dislodging many things
from under the ruins
some are lifeless and glistening
others are pale and still throbbing
it produces the most questions
in the minds of children
entertains the gods
by shooting fireworks and missiles
into the sky
sows mines in the fields
and reaps punctures and blisters
urges families to emigrate
stands beside the clergymen
as they curse the devil
(while the poor remain
with one hand in the searing fire).
The war continues working, day and night
it inspires tyrants
to deliver long speeches
awards medals to generals
and themes to poets
it contributes to the industry
of artificial limbs
provides food for flies
adds pages to the history books
achieves equality
between killer and killed
teaches lovers to write letters
accustoms young women to waiting
fills the newspapers
with articles and pictures
builds new houses
for the orphans
invigorates the coffin makers
and gives grave diggers
a pat on the back
paints a smile on the leader?s face.
It works with unparalleled diligence!
Yet no one gives it a word of praise.By Dunya Mikhail
Translated by Elizabeth Winslow and Saadi A. Simawe -
22
What campaign slogan would you give for the Presidential candidates?
by JH in.
http://www.presidentsusa.net/campaignslogans.html
.
-
-
Lewis
Never change BUSH and DICK
In the Middle of a SCREW!
-
WMD -- a major intellegence mistake (NY Times)
by Lewis inboth republicans and democrats agree!
if the truth be told, this will soon lead to bush and his obsession in finishing daddy's war ... let's hope the truth does come out.
report says key assertions leading to war were wrong.
-
Lewis
Both Republicans and Democrats agree! If the truth be told, this will soon lead to Bush and his obsession in finishing daddy's war ... let's hope the truth does come out.
Report Says Key Assertions Leading to War Were Wrong
By DAVID STOUT
Published: July 9, 2004ASHINGTON, July 9 ? The Central Intelligence Agency greatly overestimated the danger presented by deadly unconventional weapons in Iraq because of runaway assumptions that were never sufficiently challenged, the Senate Intelligence Committee said today.In a long-awaited report that goes to the heart of President Bush's rationale for going to war against Iraq, the committee said that prewar assessments of Saddam Hussein's supposed arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, and his desire to have nuclear weapons, were wildly off the mark.
"Today, we know these assessments were wrong, and as our inquiry will show, they were also unreasonable and largely unsupported by the available intelligence," Senator Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican who heads the panel, said at a briefing on the 511-page report.
Mr. Roberts said the committee had found no evidence that intelligence analysts were subjected to overt political pressure to tailor their findings. And the senator praised the men and women in the intelligence field as "true and dedicated professionals."
But he said the committee's investigation of many months had also concluded that intelligence analysis and conclusions about Iraq's weapons had been warped by "a collective group-think" that caused ambiguous evidence to be elevated to the level of conclusive evidence.
"It is clear that this group-think also extended to our allies and to the United Nations and several other nations as well, all of whom did believe that Saddam Hussein had active w.m.d. programs," Mr. Roberts said, using the abbreviation for weapons of mass destruction. "This was a global intelligence failure."
Mr. Roberts said the report was harshly critical of the C.I.A., asserting that it had "abused its unique position" by failing to share information with other agencies. That sharing, Mr. Roberts seemed to suggest, might have subjected some overblown C.I.A. findings to a probing analysis.
On one important point, the committee found the C.I.A.'s conclusions reasonable ? that there had been no significant ties between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda terrorists.
The chairman said the problems with the C.I.A., whose director, George Tenet, stepped down this week, will not be fixed just by adding more money and more people. The nature of the necessary reforms is not entirely clear, he said, although his remarks implicitly urged a deep cultural change.
Whatever changes are eventually adopted, he said, must be based on sound judgment rather than "expediency or media-generated momentum."
Mr. Roberts and the committee's ranking Democrat, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, praised each other's energy and dedication. But even a cursory examination of Mr. Rockefeller's remarks made it clear that the report will be hotly debated during the presidential campaign.
"There is simply no question that mistakes leading up to the war in Iraq rank among the most devastating losses and intelligence failures in the history of the nation," Mr. Rockefeller said. "The fact is that the administration at all levels, and to some extent us, used bad information to bolster its case for war. And we in Congress would not have authorized that war ? we would NOT have authorized that war ? with 75 votes if we knew what we know now."
Mr. Rockefeller went on to challenge one of the Bush administration's basic positions: that the war to topple Saddam Hussein had made the United States, the Middle East and the world safer, notwithstanding the failure so far to find the weapons of mass destruction that the administration had said were a growing danger.
"Tragically, the intelligence failure set forth in this report will affect our national security for generations to come," Mr. Rockefeller said. "Our credibility is diminished. Our standing in the world has never been lower. We have fostered a deep hatred of Americans in the Muslim world, and that will grow. As a direct consequence, our nation is more vulnerable today than ever before."
That assertion is sure to be debated at length, as is the committee's finding that intelligence analysts were not subjected to political pressure. It is known, for instance, that Vice President Dick Cheney has been a frequent visitor to C.I.A. headquarters in Langley, Va.
Mr. Rockefeller said the report issued today, coupled with indications that terrorists may be planning an attack in the United States in an attempt to disrupt the nation's political process, convey a disturbing message: "All of this simply is a way of saying time has run out."
-
19
Bush joke!
by pudd ingeorge w. bush meets with the queen of england.
he asks her, "your majesty, how do you run such an efficient government?
are there any tips you can give to me?".
-
-
Lewis
Another joke:
"Did you hear that G.W. Bush's personal library completely burned down? Yes, it destroyed all three books! And one of them he hadn't finished coloring!
-
91
How to Be a Republican - A Primer
by Michael3000 inenjoy .
1. being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host.
then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.. .
-
-
Lewis
Excellent information, Corvin. One has to wonder why some of the middle-class continues to support a political party that really has no honest concerns for them.
-
145
Invitation To Americans To Find Fault With The British..
by Englishman in.
i thought we ought to even things up a little... go for it!.
no obscenities please.
-
-
Lewis
OK, I was never impressed with the food (but I was really let down by the French's offerings -- maybe I was expecting too much). And yes, you Brits should give the Elgin Marbles back to Greece ...
but I really have had a good experience with people in the UK, very creative and edgy ... oh, I'll add I loved Ireland. So green and the people (that I met) were so friendly.
Britain! The anchor of contemporary Western Civilization.
... and bad teeth? I thought the guests on the Jerry Springer Show had a monopoly on that.
ASHINGTON, July 9 ? The Central Intelligence Agency greatly overestimated the danger presented by deadly unconventional weapons in Iraq because of runaway assumptions that were never sufficiently challenged, the Senate Intelligence Committee said today.