[Marxism-Thaxis] Obama seeks to abolish world nukes (!)
http://news.aol.com/main/obama-presidency/article/obama-nuclear-weapons/412784?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http://news.aol.com/main/obama-presidency/article/obama-nuclear-weapons/412784 ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Paul Cockshott on Leonid Kantorovich and the socialist > calculation debate
CeJ jannuzi If Cockshott had waited a bit more, he might not look the complete fool he does here. This is still largely an argument based on the idea that logistics is economics turned into a hard science. That would be logistics on a macro-economic scale. That may be, but it is no more a science of political economy than econometrics. CJ ^ CB: What's logistics ? ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Paul Cockshott on Leonid Kantorovich and the socialist calculation debate
CeJ jannuzi > The Nobel Prize in Economics is arguably > not a "real" Nobel Prize since Alfred Nobel > made no provision for such a prize in his > will. It was instead established by the > Bank of Sweden in the late 1960s as a Prize > in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Yeah most people don't recall that it was first awarded in 1969! > And they arguably did this for ideological > reasons since conventional mainstream > economics was coming under fire in the > wake of the upheavals of the 1960s. Do you think it was still yet another time when the liberal-conservative spectrum was afraid of the success of some form of socialism (while both liberals and conservatives have long cherry-picked the weirdo Austrians and other various heterodoxists and libertarians) ? CB: Think about it. To admit that macroeconomics can be understood scientifically is to admit that there can be macroeconomic planning, ie. centralized planning, that Hayek is wrong. So, the bourgeoisie are always going to be leery of a prize for the science of economics. This contradiction also must doom the project of every school of bourgeois, i.e. "free market", economics to "fail" or else it undermines free market ideology. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Paul Cockshott on Leonid Kantorovich and the socialist calculation debate
CeJ jannuzi at gmail.com >>CB: What's logistics ?<< Basically, the science of how an economy supplies and distributes goods. ^^^ CB: Not to be cute, but isn't economics the science of supply and distribution of goods ? ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Paul Cockshott on Leonid Kantorovich and the socialist calculation debate
CeJ jannuzi at gmail.com >>CB: Think about it. To admit that macroeconomics can be understood scientifically is to admit that there can be macroeconomic planning, ie. centralized planning, that Hayek is wrong. So, the bourgeoisie are always going to be leery of a prize for the science of economics. This contradiction also must doom the project of every school of bourgeois, i.e. "free market", economics to "fail" or else it undermines free market ideology.<< Perhaps, but not necessarily. This is why the Vienna line of economists emphasize 'logic'. They think they are tapping into some sort of subsistent realm and providing a picture that captures the reality. ^ CB: What means "tapping in " ? smile. Somehow they "tap into" it, and provide a picture, but that tap in and picture don't allow using it to guide practice and plan. Sounds like some kind of Kantian unknowable thing-in-itself , what Engels calls shamefaced materialism. If the Viennans can't do anything with their "logic" , I don't think they should get credit for knowing anything. So according to a lot of thinkers following on Hayek, markets are rational because they encompass the totality of economic activity and express a 'collective will'. What the market does is rational, even if it doesn't make sense to an individual businessman, ponzi schemer, duped investor or academic economist. CB: The only ones it makes "sense" to are the anti-Communist ideologues trying to claim centralized planning is "impossible". What a mytifying crock of shit. ^ I don't buy recent arguments that the advent of supercomputers will result in our ability to model sufficiently in order to 'see all'. I'm still waiting for a three day extended weather forecast that is actually correct. CB: What, with such a supercomputer, hurricanes will suddenly make "sense" or be "logical" ? They make "sense" now. When one is coming , move out of town until it blows over. That's centralized weather planning. ^^^ I think the debate of public vs. private is largely irrelevant here. The question is more along the lines of on what scale can you undertake economic planning and business. The calamities of the US's occupation of Iraq shows both the calamities of central planning and the 'magic of the markets'. ^ CB: The calamaties of the US's occupation of Iraq show that centralized planning of war causes mass death and destruction. Centralized planning of production and distribution of goods and services averts and remedies death and destruction. Of course Hayek would look at recent financial events and see them as a rational change, a rational collective action of the market, I guess. ^^^ CB: What an idiot and prostitute for capitalism Hayek was As for being anti-science, as the paper that started this thread states, anti-science has often been associated with post-mo Marxists--literary Marxists and social theorists (although I disagree and don't seem them following mainly from Althusser). That potential was always there in the thought of Marx himself. ^ CB: Wheres the potential for anti-science in the thought of Marx ? Which brings us back to a recurring but much larger debate: is there such thing as a social science? Will there be a body of thought that unifies the various 'soft sciences' (social, psycho-, logico-formal--such as formal linguistics-- etc.)? Will there be a body of thought that ultimately unifies the social sciences with the natural sciences, etc? ^ CB: Historical materialism is the social science from Marxism. See my posts from a few months back on materialism. ^ I tend to take an anti-scientific stance in the fields that affect me the most--applied linguistics, second language acquisition, language education, education, etc. This often gets me backed into a corner with the children of the romantics, but for me it is more a stance of rationalism--destroy all pseudo-sciences and their various forms of oppression. ^^^ CB: Well, you are the linguist, but I'm not convinced there aren't laws and regular patterns in languages, grammars. Clearly we follow rules in speaking. There are definite grammatically correct and incorrect statements. There's lots of science in law, jurisprudence. It's very materialist. Must base legal claims on material evidence, etc. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Humanity in the Capitalist Cul-de-sac
Humanity in the Capitalist Cul-de-sac As a result of 200 years of capitalism, humanity is deep in a very dangerous cul-de-sac which could result in barbarism on an unprecedented scale by Daniel Tanuro climateandcapitalism.com (June 05 2009) Climate change is a major challenge for humanity and the environment. Thirty percent of animal and vegetable species could disappear in a few decades, due to rapid changes in rainfall, temperature, acidity, et cetera. Hundreds of millions of people live under the threat of rising sea-levels, droughts, floods and disease. Billions more could suffer water scarcity. The poor are the most exposed, especially in Africa, where the productivity of non irrigated agriculture could decline by as much as fifty percent, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Can a catastrophe be avoided? It depends on where you're living. The people of Tuvalu {1} for instance, will probably have to move before the end of this century. Climate change is a reality, affecting millions of people on Earth. It must be mitigated, but some adaptation to its effects is unavoidable and necessary. The more quickly and radically we address the basic causes of global warming to mitigate it, the less we will have to adapt. On the other hand, the less we mitigate, the more we will have to adapt, and the more the poor will suffer the negative consequences. At a certain point, though, adaptation will become practically impossible. The IPCC 4th Assessment Report proposes six climate stabilization scenarios. The most radical requires a cut in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by fifty to 85% before 2050, with a peak before 2015. Because the "developed world" is historically responsible for more than seventy percent of global warming, it should reduce its own emissions by eighty to 95%, if it follows the IPCC {2}. But this is not enough: the situation is so serious now that no escape can be found without the participation of countries like Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Mexico. The main GHG is carbon dioxide (CO2); the main cause of its accumulation in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and this burning provides the world with eighty percent of its energy. As a consequence, a radical reduction in GHG emissions in forty years would require a herculean effort, with ominous social, technical and economic implication. But there is simply no alternative: even the most radical IPCC scenario foresees a temperature rise of between two percent and 2.4 percent Celsius. This is above the threshold where climate change is thought to have dangerous human and environmental consequences {3}. Can we make that effort? From a scientific point of view, the answer is: "yes, we can". We can stop burning finite supplies of fossil fuels and use renewable, mostly solar, energy sources (wind energy, energy of the oceans, biomass, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal power et cetera). The technical potential of these sources is seventeen times the global energy demand in 2001 {4}. By the way, this potential could improve very quickly if a clear political priority was given to the research on renewable energy, instead of nuclear, or even fossil energy. In other words, humanity is not doomed to energy scarcity and the societies in the South are not doomed to poverty and underdevelopment . How could we make this effort? The answer is mainly social and political, not technological, for three reasons: 1. Renewable sources are still more expensive than fossil sources and this situation will prevail for 25 to thirty years. 2. The global distribution of wealth has to be dealt with in order to provide poor countries, and the poor in general, with the considerable means necessary for the clean development and adaptation of these resources. 3. The energy transition is complex. It doesn't boil down to the replacement of one fuel with another in the same energy system: a different energy system is necessary, with different infrastructure and equipment. There will be a transitional period in which the building of new infrastructure will require an increase in conventional energy consumption . This will necessitate reductions in consumption elsewhere. However, a new system in place would be one in which there is a new way to satisfy human needs, even another view of these needs and another way to determine them. In short, another society. To clarify this point, let us take the example of the transportation sector. The easiest and cheapest way to replace petrol is to produce agrofuels. But agrofuels compete with crop production, and therefore with the satisfaction of fundamental human needs. As we have experienced over the last few years, we risk seeing the poor starving because wheat, maize, cassava, palm oil and other crops fundamental to people's lives are used to produce "green petrol". Massive agrofuel production for export intensifies speculative pressure o
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] An anti-imperialist perspective
The comment is by a comrade from another list. I'll ask him On 6/25/09, steiger2...@centrum.cz wrote: > Being not of the old list members I would very much appreciate being told the > source of this extremely interesting document. Thanks in advance. > Stephen Steiger steger2...@centrum.cz > __ > > Od: cdb1...@prodigy.net > > Komu: marxism-thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu, a-l...@lists.econ.utah.edu > > Datum: 25.06.2009 17:29 > > Předmět: [Marxism-Thaxis] An anti-imperialist perspective > > > > Date: Tues, Jun 23 2009 12:45 pm by Julio > > The passages below are from an old (mid 1970s) document. Some list > members will recognize the author. If you don't and are interested in > locating the source, please e-mail me off-list. (Between * designates > Italics from the author. Between _ designates my emphasis. > Unbracketed ellipsis ... indicating quote discontinuity are the > author's while bracketed ones [...] are mine.) > > IMHO, this is one of the most thought-provoking works in the classical > Marxist tradition ever written. In the best intellectual tradition of > Marx and Engels, the author grappled deeply and seriously with the > existing conditions and ideologies, acknowledging their rationales, > following their logic to the point where they forced him to a deeper > and broader understanding of the issues. Like Marx's best works, it > shows readers how a an engaged mind, committed to the struggle, sorts > things out. > > I read it fresh in 1979, almost as soon as its Spanish version became > available in Mexico. The first few chapters were divulged first in a > short-lived Marxist journal named Teoría y Política published by a > group of South American exiles. The entire work followed under > Alfaguara. I re-read it a few times as an undergrad student in Cuba > and discussed it at length with friends from -- I believe -- at least > four continents, although I can now see how one-sided my concerns > were. While some friends got really agitated about some of the -- IMO > rather subsidiary -- propositions advanced in the work, some rendered > irrelevant by subsequent developments (the bulk of the work is devoted > to a critique of the Soviet socialist formation), the passages below > taken on their own have maintained a large measure of relevance (not > necessarily validity) all along. > > The tension at the center of the quoted section below has been > splitting Marxists since Marx & Engels's times (e.g. the Irish and > Slavic question). On a formal level, the issue reappeared in the late > 19th century/early 20th century chasm between the early > social-democrats (Lenin, Plekhanov, etc.) and the narodniki. (As > shown below, on this matter, Lenin himself experienced a 180 degree > turn over his political life. Just keep in mind the early concerns > Lenin had about proving the political relevance of the social > democracy in Russia in the light of Russia's backwardness. The young > Lenin wasn't emphasizing the lack of capitalist development in Russia, > but precisely the opposite. Naturally, with his responsibilities as > head of the Soviet state, in the middle of a civil war, after a > devastating world war, things looked quite differently.) At a deeper > level, though, the controversy had intrinsic intellectual roots in > Russian history (and other "backward" places), dating back to the > conflict between the liberal modernizers and the ancestors of the > populists. In their historical essays, E.H. Carr and Isaac Deutscher > discussed the matter in some detail. Rosa Luxemburg clashed with the > Polish, Galician, and Baltic nationalists on this very issue. Etc. > > My decision to post these passages in extenso is, of course, prompted > by the current debate re. the Mousavi-Ahmedinajad conflict. > > IMO, the ideological cloak of the anti-imperialist struggle is > secondary. The key thing is the social character of the movement and > its *objective logic* (if I'm allowed to use that old Hegelian > formula). It is of course twisted, ironic and shameful, historically > speaking, that the global discredit of Marxism and -- more tragically > and decisively -- the mechanical suppression of Marxists and > socialists in central Asia and the Middle East (including here > repression conducted by the very forces that now appear to lead the > anti-imperialist resistance, blemishes and all) have limited its role > in the local anti-imperialist struggles, which have turned instead to > the ideological straight-jacketed form of political Islam. > > However, secondary doesn't mean unimportant. If the strictures of the > religious integument have dulled beyond a point the anti-imperialism > it portends, all bets are off. In that case, the triumph of the > popular movement excited by Mir Hossein Mousavi or the aftermath may > turn out to be the necessary precondition for a better political > framework for the anti-imperialist struggle in Iran
[Marxism-Thaxis] Remarks
Author: Sam Webb, National Chair First published 07/01/2009 00:54 (Remarks to National Committee Meeting June 20, 2009) I make no attempt to be comprehensive in these remarks. My aim is much more modest, as you will see. Let me begin with a simple observation: If the last 30 years were an era of reaction, then the coming decade could turn into an era of reform, even radical reform. Six months into the Obama presidency, I would say without hesitation that the landscape, atmosphere, conversation, and agenda have strikingly changed compared to the previous eight years. In this legislative session, we can envision winning a Medicare-like public option and then going further in the years ahead. We can visualize passing tough regulatory reforms on the financial industry, which brought the economy to ruin. We can imagine the troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan while U.S. representatives participate in a regional process that brings peace and stability to the entire region. In the current political climate, the expansion of union rights becomes a real possibility. Much the same can be said about winning a second stimulus bill, and we sure need one, given the still-rising rate, and likely long term persistence, of unemployment. Isn’t it possible in the Obama era to create millions of green jobs in manufacturing and other sectors of the economy in tandem with an attack on global warming? Can’t we envision taking new strides in the long journey for racial and gender equality in this new era, marked at its beginning by the election of the first African American to the presidency? And isn’t the overhaul of the criminal justice and prison system – a system steeped in racism – no longer pie-in-the sky, but something that can be done in the foreseeable future? All these things are within reach now! I make this observation because in the ebb and flow of the first six months of the Obama presidency, it is easy to lose sight of the overall dynamics and promise of this new era. Obama’s role The new conditions of struggle are possible only – and I want to emphasize only – because we elected President Obama and a Congress with pronounced progressive and center currents. So far Obama’s presidency has both broken from the right-wing extremist policies of the Bush administration and taken steps domestically and internationally that go in a progressive direction. At the same time, the administration hasn’t gone as far as we would have liked on a number of issues. On economic matters as well as matters of war and occupation we, along with others, advocated bolder actions. All and all, however, the new President in deeds and words – and words do matter – has created new democratic space for peace, equality, and economic justice struggles. Whether this continues and takes on a consistently progressive, pro-people, radical reform direction depends in large measure on whether the movement that elected him fills and expands this space. The struggle going forward, much like the New Deal, will be the outcome of a contested and fluid process involving broad class and social constituencies, taking multiple forms, and working out over time. It will pivot on the expansion of social and economic rights, the reconfiguring of the functions of government to the advantage of working people, and the embedding of a new economic architecture and developmental path into the nation’s political economy. No less importantly, it will also entail the recasting of the role of the U.S. in the global community along egalitarian and non-imperial lines. “What’s all this talk about reform?” you may be asking. “Aren’t we radicals? Isn’t socialism our objective?” Yes, socialism is our objective and, according to recent public opinion polls, it is increasingly attractive to the American people. But clearly it is not on the immediate political agenda. Neither the current balance of forces nor the thinking of millions of Americans – the starting point in any serious discussion of strategy and tactics – has reached that point. That socialism isn’t on the people’s action agenda, however, doesn’t mean that we should zip our lips. Quite the contrary! We should talk it up and bring our modern, deeply democratic Twenty-First-Century vision of U.S. socialism into coalitions and mass movements. And with the use of the Internet we can reach an exponentially bigger audience than we could in the past. As for our radicalism, we should be as radical as reality itself. And reality strongly suggests that our main task is to bring the weight of the working class and other democratic forces to bear on the reform process with the aim of deepening its anti-corporate content and direction. Current phase of struggle How do we understand the current phase of struggle? On the one hand, our strategic policy of defeating right wing extremism doesn’t quite fit the new correlation of class forces. On the other hand, neither have we arrived at the anti-mon
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson 50 Bessie Smith 37 Billie Holiday 44 Charlie Parker 34 John Coltrane 40 Jimi Hendrix 28 Mozart 35 Tupac Shakur 25 Biggie Smalls 24 Elvis Presley 42 Fats Waller39 Judy Garland 47 Marvin Gaye44 David Ruffin 50 Paul Williams 34 John Lennon40 Edith Piaf 47 Janis Joplin 27 Jim Morrison 28 Paul Chambers 33 Duane Allman 24 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American lead guitarist, co-founder of the Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band, and respected session musician. He is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band, expressive slide guitar playing, and formidable improvisational skills.[citation needed] A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Herbie Mann. His contributions to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos went on to become a part of Rock history. Phillipe Wynn 43 Philippé Wynne (April 3, 1941 – July 13, 1984), born Phillip Walker, was an American R&B vocalist. Best known for his role as the lead singer in the popular R&B group The Spinners (a role he shared with fellow group member Bobby Smith), Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", "I'll Be Around", "Mighty Love", "Sadie", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", and "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick). After leaving The Spinners, Wynne never regained the same success, although his voice was featured in hits such as "(Not Just) Knee Deep". Wynne died of a heart attack while performing at a night club on July 13, 1984. Charlie Christian 26 Hank Williams 29 Florence Ballard 32 Mary Wells 49 Tammi Terrell 24 Scott Joplin 48 Dinah Washington 39 Nat King Cole 45 Buddy Holly 22 Ritchie Valens 17 ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Comrade
http://www.evergreenreaders.com/online_publication.htm >>> "Evergreen Readers and Writes" 07/10/2009 >>> 11:33 AM >>> Dear Comrade Charles Brown, Revolutionary Greetings! Enclosed is an article, Recession: A Bolshevik Viewpoint, which I would like to have your comments about. If you wish to publish it anywhere, please do. Best regards, Zihannasheen ** ** Team Leader of Translation, Transcription and Editing Services for: English, Tibetan, Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Ladakhi, Zanaskari, Sherpa and other Nepali and North Eastern Indian Languages... Chief Editor:Evergreen Readers and Writers-- A Literary Quarterly in English, Hindi, Urdu and Nepali-- GPO Box 25145, Kathmandu, NEPAL Tel: +977-1-4800044 Fax: +977-1-4800871 www.evergreenreaders.com Skype: zihannash...@skype.com Yahoo: zihannash...@yahoo.com MSN: rjnjaath...@hotmail.com CV, Project History and References at: http://www.proz.com/profile/56268 ** ** ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Behind the Facade
NY Times, July 4, 2009 Op-Ed Columnist Behind the Facade By BOB HERBERT Meeting Michael Jackson in the mid-1980s was one of the creepier experiences of my life. I was an editor at The Daily News and had to present him with an award in a large room with just a handful of onlookers and a photographer at Madison Square Garden. I wasn’t put off by the fact that Jackson, then in his mid-20s, couldn’t make small talk. Lots of people have trouble with that. There was something about his overall behavior that weirded me out. He seemed, even then, to be a person who was trying with all of his being to step outside of reality and leave it behind. Emmanuel Lewis, the child star of the hit TV series “Webster,” was with Jackson that evening. The undersized Lewis was probably 13 at the time, but he looked much younger, maybe 7 or 8. Jackson seemed to relate only to Lewis. He made faces at the tiny boy and giggled as Lewis hopped around and climbed over furniture, much to Jackson’s delight. I remember thinking as I left the Garden that Jackson had treated Lewis almost as a pet. I’ve never heard any suggestion of anything improper about the relationship between Jackson and Lewis. But what I wish I had thought more about in those long-ago days of Michael-mania was the era of extreme immaturity and grotesque irresponsibility that was already well under way in America. The craziness played out on a shockingly broad front and Jackson’s life, among many others, would prove to be a shining and ultimately tragic example. Ronald Reagan was president, making promises he couldn’t keep about taxes and deficits and allowing the readings of a West Coast astrologer to shape his public schedule. The movie “Wall Street” would soon appear, accurately reflecting the nation’s wholesale acceptance of unrestrained greed and other excesses of the rich and powerful. In neighborhoods through much of black America, crack was taking a fearful toll. Young criminals were arming themselves with ever more powerful weapons, and prison garb was used to set fashion trends. Motown was the label that gave us the Jackson 5. But when Michael and his brothers released their first album in 1969, the label had already reached its creative peak and most of the best work — the stunning originality of the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, the Supremes, the Temptations, and others — had been done. Hip-hop would soon appear, and then the violence and misogyny of gangsta rap. All kinds of restraints were coming off. It was almost as if the adults had gone into hiding. The deregulation that we were told would be great for the economy was being applied to the culture as a whole. Women could be treated as sex objects again as misogyny, hardly limited to hip-hop, went mainstream. (Have you looked at network television lately, or listened to the radio?) Astonishing numbers of men abandoned their children with impunity. Most of the nation seemed fine with the idea of going to war without a draft and without raising taxes. In many ways we descended as a society into a fantasyland, trying to leave the limits and consequences and obligations of the real world behind. Politicians stopped talking about the poor. We built up staggering amounts of debt and called it an economic boom. We shipped jobs overseas by the millions without ever thinking seriously about how to replace them. We let New Orleans drown. Jackson was the perfect star for the era, the embodiment of fantasy gone wild. He tried to carve himself up into another person, but, of course, there was the same Michael Jackson underneath — talented but psychologically disabled to the point where he was a danger to himself and others. Reality is unforgiving. There is no escape. Behind the Jackson facade was the horror of child abuse. Court records and reams of well-documented media accounts contain a stream of serious allegations of child sex abuse and other inappropriate behavior with very young boys. Jackson, a multimillionaire megastar, was excused as an eccentric. Small children were delivered into his company, to spend the night in his bed, often by their parents. One case of alleged pedophilia against Jackson, the details of which would make your hair stand on end, was settled for a reported $25 million. He beat another case in court. The Michael-mania that has erupted since Jackson’s death — not just an appreciation of his music, but a giddy celebration of his life — is yet another spasm of the culture opting for fantasy over reality. We don’t want to look under the rock that was Jackson’s real life. As with so many other things, we don’t want to know. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Clearly ,even, Michael Jackson reached out to White people in a graphic and bodily manner , even. He sort of turned himself into a White person. He married Elvis Presley's daughter, the princess of white anglo saxon working masses. What a political marriage of old. He had children with very wasp working class women. He's the original uniter , not divider. Black and white , unite and fight, workers of all races unite. And he was an extraordinary artist. On 7/10/09, Ralph Dumain wrote: > And all of them far worthier of attention than Michael Jackson, > except for Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls--good riddance! > > And what this has to do with this list, I can't imagine. > > > > > _ > > "If you don't know the '70s, you don't know shit!" > > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Michael Jackson
Well, Adorno started thinking out this over 65 years ago. And this is when popular taste was probably far more discerning than it is today, pace Adorno's notions about jazz. The steady debasement of pop music since the late '70s is not much of a mystery, and with generational turnover and the revolution in media technology, it's easy to condition children practically from birth to consume the shit that gets churned out with ever having to hear any real music, popular or otherwise. The results are easily discernable. Oddly, one feels older even than what one really is in confronting the young and ignorant. What was once mega-popular becomes completely unknown to the clueless teenager of today. The memory hole has swallowed up all knowledge of the past, even the most common knowledge. I think of a gaggle of teenage black girls I encountered in the subway a year or two ago. They inquired what I was listening to on my headphones, and subsequent conversation revealed they never heard of P-Funk, George Clinton, or Bootsy. What's this world coming to? ^ CB: I bet George Clinton and Bootsey recognize Michael Jackson as one of the baddest motherfuckers of all times. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Michael Jackson - Marxism-Thaxis Digest, Vol 69, Issue 6
> > Of course this stuff is silly. Aside from the obvious, it might be > > interesting to delve into the ideological content of Jackson's songs > > and his views. Also, the social basis of his pathology. > > > > But to tell the truth, I'm more interested in the Jazz Icons DVDs, > > consisting of video footage of concerts by the greats such as Sonny > > Rollins, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, etc. I want to spend my > > time with real music, not pop culture bullshit. > > But it's immensely popular with the working class, while the stuff you > list is not. So how does a Marxist deal with that? > > Doug > ^ When an idea grips masses it becomes a material force. Charles ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Behind the Facade
Motown was the label that gave us the Jackson 5. But when Michael and his brothers released their first album in 1969, the label had already reached its creative peak and most of the best work — the stunning originality of the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, the Supremes, the Temptations, and others — had been done. Hip-hop would soon appear, and then the violence and misogyny of gangsta rap. ^^^ CB: This is a poor historical summary. He leaves out the whole 70's which was extraordinarily rich musically. What about Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder ? Aretha Franklin. The Spinners, O-Jay's , Earth, Wind and Fire, Ohio Players and the Isley's ? 70's Soul music is the high point of music so far in history (smile). Jackson became paramount in the 80's. Hip-hop isn't until the 90's ! And gangsta doesn't take over rap until then. This demonstrates that Herbert really doesn't know his popular music much. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Michael Jackson
Well, Adorno started thinking out this over 65 years ago. And this is when popular taste was probably far more discerning than it is today, pace Adorno's notions about jazz. ^^^ CB: Didn't Adorno conclude that the working class is no longer the revolutionary "subject" class ? ^^^ The steady debasement of pop music since the late '70s is not much of a mystery, and with generational turnover and the revolution in media technology, it's easy to condition children practically from birth to consume the shit that gets churned out with ever having to hear any real music, popular or otherwise. The results are easily discernable. Oddly, one feels older even than what one really is in confronting the young and ignorant. What was once mega-popular becomes completely unknown to the clueless teenager of today. The memory hole has swallowed up all knowledge of the past, even the most common knowledge. I think of a gaggle of teenage black girls I encountered in the subway a year or two ago. They inquired what I was listening to on my headphones, and subsequent conversation revealed they never heard of P-Funk, George Clinton, or Bootsy. What's this world coming to? ^ ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Adorno
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_W._Adorno Theory Adorno was chiefly influenced by Max Weber's critique of disenchantment, Georg Lukacs's Hegelian interpretation of Marxism, as well as Walter Benjamin's philosophy of history, although Weber's influence has until recently been underestimated. Adorno, along with the other major Frankfurt School theorists Max Horkheimer and Herbert Marcuse, argued that advanced capitalism had managed to contain or liquidate the forces that would bring about its collapse and that the revolutionary moment, when it would have been possible to transform it into socialism, had passed. As he put it at the beginning of his Negative Dialectics (1966), philosophy is still necessary because the time to realise it was missed. Adorno argued that capitalism had become more entrenched through its attack on the objective basis of revolutionary consciousness and through liquidation of the individualism that had been the basis of critical consciousness. Whilst Adorno's work focuses on art, literature and music as key areas of sensual, indirect critique of the established culture and modes of thought, there is also a strand of distinctly political utopianism evident in his reflections especially on history. The argument, which is complex and dialectic, dominates his Aesthetic Theory, Philosophy of New Music and many other works. Adorno saw the culture industry as an arena in which critical tendencies or potentialities were eliminated. He argued that the culture industry, which produced and circulated cultural commodities through the mass media, manipulated the population. Popular culture was identified as a reason why people become passive; the easy pleasures available through consumption of popular culture made people docile and content, no matter how terrible their economic circumstances. * (See "Don't Worry; Be Happy") The differences among cultural goods make them appear different, but they are in fact just variations on the same theme. He wrote that "the same thing is offered to everybody by the standardised production of consumption goods" but this is concealed under "the manipulation of taste and the official culture's pretense of individualism". [10] Adorno conceptualised this phenomenon as pseudo-individualization and the always-the-same. He saw this mass-produced culture as a danger to the more difficult high arts. Culture industries cultivate false needs; that is, needs created and satisfied by capitalism. True needs, in contrast, are freedom, creativity, and genuine happiness. But the subtle dialectician was also able to say that the problem with capitalism was that it blurred the line between false and true needs altogether. The work of Adorno and Horkheimer heavily influenced intellectual discourse on popular culture and scholarly popular culture studies. At the time Adorno began writing, there was a tremendous unease among many intellectuals as to the results of mass culture and mass production on the character of individuals within a nation. By exploring the mechanisms for the creation of mass culture, Adorno presented a framework which gave specific terms to what had been a more general concern. At the time this was considered important because of the role which the state took in cultural production; Adorno's analysis allowed for a critique of mass culture from the left which balanced the critique of popular culture from the right. From both perspectives — left and right — the nature of cultural production was felt to be at the root of social and moral problems resulting from the consumption of culture. However, while the critique from the right emphasized moral degeneracy ascribed to sexual and racial influences within popular culture, Adorno located the problem not with the content, but with the objective realities of the production of mass culture and its effects, e.g. as a form of reverse psychology. Many aspects of Adorno's work are relevant today and have been developed in many strands of contemporary critical theory, media theory, and sociology. Thinkers influenced by Adorno believe that today's society has evolved in a direction foreseen by him, especially in regard to the past (Auschwitz), morals or the Culture Industry. The latter has become a particularly productive, yet highly contested term in cultural studies. Many of Adorno's reflections on aesthetics and music have only just begun to be debated, as a collection of essays on the subject, many of which had not previously been translated into English, has only recently been collected and published as Essays on Music. His work on the culture industry has been criticized by such writers as Christian Bethune, who point out both that Adorno's critique is not based on a thorough knowledge of popular cultural forms, but also that it has an "end of history" tone to it. Taking Adorno's critique of popular music to its logical conclusion, one would have to conclude that Blues or rocknroll, jazz, rap or punk, w
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Another thing about the list below is so many of the people named were perhaps the "top" person in their area. Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams, John Lennon, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix Mozart were all top "superstars" of their moments. > Another one is Duane Allman. He was in his twenties. Allman > Brothers were a Georgia guitar band from the sixties and > seventies. > > > All > > in list were under 50! > > Partial list of famous musical artists who died as > young or > > younger than Michael Jackson > > > > > > Michael Jackson 50 > > > > Bessie Smith 37 > > Billie Holiday 44 > > Charlie Parker 34 > > John Coltrane 40 > > Jimi Hendrix 28 > > Mozart 35 > > Tupac Shakur 25 > > Biggie Smalls 24 > > Elvis Presley 42 > > Fats Waller39 > > Judy Garland 47 > > Marvin Gaye > >44 > > David Ruffin 50 > > Paul Williams 34 > > John Lennon40 > > Edith Piaf > 47 > > Janis Joplin 27 > > Jim Morrison 28 > > Paul Chambers 33 > > Charlie Christian 26 > > Hank Williams 29 > > Florence Ballard 32 > > Mary Wells 49 > > Tammi Terrell 24 > > Scott Joplin 48 > > Dinah Washington 39 > > Nat King Cole 45 > > Buddy Holly 22 > > Ritchie Valens 17 > > > > > > > > > On 7/13/09, Ralph Dumain wrote: > Reading your posts, I dread whatever senility awaits me. > > At 08:31 AM 7/13/2009, c b wrote: > >Clearly ,even, Michael Jackson reached out to White people in a > >graphic and bodily manner , even. He sort of turned himself into a > >White person. He married Elvis Presley's daughter, the princess of > >white anglo saxon working masses. What a political marriage of old. He > >had children with very wasp working class women. He's the original > >uniter , not divider. > > > >Black and white , unite and fight, workers of all races unite. > > > >And he was an extraordinary artist. > > > >On 7/10/09, Ralph Dumain wrote: > > > And all of them far worthier of attention than Michael Jackson, > > > except for Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls--good riddance! > > > > > > And what this has to do with this list, I can't imagine. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Ralph Dumain Reading your posts, I dread whatever senility awaits me. ^ Reading your post, evidently ,your senility has already arrived ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Adorno
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_W._Adorno [edit] Adorno and Music Theory See also: Critical Theory, New musicology. Adorno's theoretical method is closely related to his understanding of music and Arnold Schoenberg and other contemporary composers' atonal (less so "twelve-tone") techniques (Adorno had studied composition for several years with Alban Berg), which challenged the hierarchical nature of traditional tonality in composition. For even if "the whole is untrue", for Adorno we retain the ability to form partial critical conceptions and submit them to a test as we progress towards a "higher" awareness. This role of a critical consciousness was a common concern in the Second Viennese School prior to the Second World War, and demanded that composers relate to the traditions more as a canon of taboos rather than as a canon of masterpieces that should be imitated. For the composer (poet, artist, philosopher) of this era, every work of art or thought was thus likely to be shocking or difficult to understand. Only through its "corrosive unacceptability" to the commercially-defined sensibilities of the middle class could new art hope to challenge dominant cultural assumptions. Adorno's followers argue that he seems to have managed the very idea that one can abandon tonality while still being able to rank artistic and ethical phenomena on a tentative scale, not because he was a sentimentalist about this ability but because he saw the drive towards totality (whether the Stalinist or Fascist totality of his time) as derivative of the ability to make ethical and artistic judgement, which, following Kant, Adorno thought part of being human. Thus his method (better: anti-method) was to use language and its "big" concepts tentatively and musically, partly to see if they "sound right" and fit the data. Adorno was concerned that a genuine sociology retain a commitment to truth including the willingness to self-apply. Today, his life can be read as a protest against what he would call the "reification" of political polls and spin as well as a culture that in being aggressively "anti" high culture, seems every year to make more and more cultural artifacts of less and less quality that are consumed with some disgust by their "fans", viewed as objects themselves[citation needed]. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno First published Mon May 5, 2003; substantive revision Fri Aug 3, 2007 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/adorno/#2 2. Dialectic of Enlightenment Long before "postmodernism" became fashionable, Adorno and Horkheimer wrote one of the most searching critiques of modernity to have emerged among progressive European intellectuals. Dialectic of Enlightenment is a product of their wartime exile. It first appeared as a mimeograph titled Philosophical Fragments in 1944. This title became the subtitle when the book was published in 1947. Their book opens with a grim assessment of the modern West: "Enlightenment, understood in the widest sense as the advance of thought, has always aimed at liberating human beings from fear and installing them as masters. Yet the wholly enlightened earth radiates under the sign of disaster triumphant" (DE 1, translation modified). How can this be, the authors ask. How can the progress of modern science and medicine and industry promise to liberate people from ignorance, disease, and brutal, mind-numbing work, yet help create a world where people willingly swallow fascist ideology, knowingly practice deliberate genocide, and energetically develop lethal weapons of mass destruction? Reason, they answer, has become irrational. ^ CB: Gee, interesting theory, but since they call themselves "Marxists" you'd think they might mention the concepts "capitalism", "class oppression" in looking for an explanation of "modernity's" discontents. Ya think ? Why not drop the "Marxist" tag to avoid this confusion. Put another way, what exactly is "Marxist" in Adorno's thinking ? ^ ^ Although they cite Francis Bacon as a leading spokesman for an instrumentalized reason that becomes irrational, Horkheimer and Adorno do not think that modern science and scientism are the sole culprits. The tendency of rational progress to become irrational regress arises much earlier. Indeed, they cite both the Hebrew scriptures and Greek philosophers as contributing to regressive tendencies. If Horkheimer and Adorno are right, then a critique of modernity must also be a critique of premodernity, and a turn toward the postmodern cannot simply be a return to the premodern. Otherwise the failures of modernity will continue in a new guise under postmodern conditions. Society as a whole needs to be transformed. ^ CB: Does it now ? Especially, since "the whole is false". Horkheimer and Adorno believe that society and culture form a historical totality, such that the pursuit of freedom in society is inseparable from the pursuit of enlightenment in culture (DE xvi). There is a flip side to this: a lack or loss of freedom in society—in the political, economic, and legal structures within which we live—signals a concomitant failure in cultural enlightenment—in philosophy, the arts, religion, and the like. The Nazi death camps are not an aberration, nor are mindless studio movies innocent entertainment. Both indicate that something fundamental has gone wrong in the modern West. ^ CB: How about white supremacy, the African slave trade , the genocidal usurpation of the Western Hemisphere and worldwide imperialism before these ? They should have read _The World and Africa_ by Dubois. Something had been done gone wrong in the modern West way before the Nazi death camps and studio movies. ^ According to Horkheimer and Adorno, the source of today's disaster is a pattern of blind domination, domination in a triple sense: the domination of nature by human beings, the domination of nature within human beings, and, in both of these forms of domination, the domination of some human beings by others. CB: Now there's a contradiction. Human beings are dominating nature and nature is dominating human beings at the same time. ^^^ What motivates such triple domination is an irrational fear of the unknown: "Humans believe themselves free of fear when there is no longer anything unknown. This has determined the path of demythologization … . Enlightenment is mythical fear radicalized" (DE 11). In an unfree society whose culture pursues so-called progress no matter what the cost, that which is "other," whether human or nonhuman, gets shoved aside, exploited, or destroyed. The means of destruction may be more sophisticated in the modern West, and the exploitation may be less direct than outright slavery, but blind, fear-driven domination continues, with ever greater global consequences. The all-consuming engine driving this process is an ever-expanding capitalist economy, fed by scientific research and the latest technologies. ^ CB: Ok here's capitalism, but really it's scientific research. ^ Contrary to some interpretations, Horkheimer and Adorno do not reject the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Nor do they provide a negative "metanarrative" of universal historical decline. Rather, through a highly unusual combination of philosophical argument, sociological reflection
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Michael Jackson - Marxism-Thaxis Digest, Vol 69, Issue 6
On 7/14/09, waistli...@aol.com > > All this stuff about MJ brings people - black and white, together is a tad > bit much. I believe what is meant is how in the flesh he expressed a > certain homogenizing of the culture. First in America with the destruction of > segregation and the "race records as an industry," and then in world culture. > There is a long tradition of black artists moving overseas where American > music is more appreciated. I believe the best documentary I have seen on > John Coltrane comes from Japan. One of James Brown best performances at the > London Palladium comes out of Japan on the Sony label. ^ CB: A bit much ? (smile) from he of the "very much posts". Anyway, the few facts I presented on Jackson's race uniting symbolic actions demonstrates fairly well that Jackson was a race uniter, which is politically important and important to Marxists with respect to class unity. Jackson was the ultimate "crossover" artist. Marrying Presley was an obvious and wonderful gesture for racial unity. He used his celebrity to reach across racial barriers. His "We are the World " project was in the same vein. Jackson had a unique and creative way of expressing his Dubosian double-consciouisness. He also cultivated a very anti-macho, gentle persona. > > Interestingly, I recall an old James Brown interview where he apologizes > profusely for any disruption his performances may have caused within foreign > cultures. I do believe this was said in connection with touring Africa. > Michael Jackson body of work occurs in another period of time, when > America's imperial impact on the world cultures is such that no apology was > needed > or perceived to be necessary by Jackson. > > In other words capital brings us together. > > For better or worse; in victory and defeat, in life and death. > > Here is the degeneracy of our ruling class and the utter bankruptcy of the > Southern political elite. Much of American popular music is southern in its > genesis. The aristocratic bourbon culture of the agrarian capitalist slave > holding class; their utter hate and disdain for slave/working class of the > South, and then the overthrow of Reconstruction, meant thy lost forever > any moral right to inherit and champion any cultural forms of American social > life. It is not like Elvis in the flesh or in death could/can thrive in > Mississippi. > > From the standpoint of capital and profit if Mississippi had developed > honoring the Mississippi blues man and this unique sounds, upwards of a > million > people a year would trek to Mississippi to pay homage. David Ruffin of the > Temptations was born in Mississippi into a gospel singing family. Won't be > no monuments to a "singing nig***"" in Mississippi anytime soon, although > it is admitted David is one of the greatest male vocalist in American > history. Two of the other Temptations comes out of Alabama and James Brown > South > Carolina. > > Interestingly there is a Bogangles statue. The statue has Bogangles > appearing as he is doing everything in his power to escape the old South. > Interesting statue. > > I do feel discussion about Mr. Jackson's personal life - who he married and > his children, is inappropriate to a Marxist list, unless such discussion > is framework within the context of the changing form and structure of the > bourgeois family as a historically evolved social and economic unit. Further, > the color factor should - as much as possible, be treated as it arose a > historical question and persists. > > > WL. > > > > > > > **Can love help you live longer? Find out now. > (http://personals.aol.com/articles/2009/02/18/longer-lives-through-relationships/?ncid=emlweu > slove0001) > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Crossover (music) >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres.[1] If the second chart is a pop chart, such as a "Hot 100" list, the work is not a crossover since the pop charts only track popularity and do not constitute a separate genre. In some contexts the term "crossover" can have negative connotations, implying the watering-down of a music's distinctive qualities to accommodate to mass tastes. For example, in the early years of rock and roll, many songs originally recorded by African-American musicians were re-recorded by white artists (such as Pat Boone) in a more toned-down style (often with changed lyrics) that lacked the hard edge of the original versions. These covers were popular with a much broader audience. In practice crossover frequently results from the appearance of the music in question in a film soundtrack. For instance, Sacred Harp music experienced a spurt of crossover popularity as a result of its appearance in the 2003 film Cold Mountain, and bluegrass music experienced a revival due to the reception of 2000's O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Even atonal music, which tends to be less popular among classical enthusiasts, has a kind of crossover niche, since it is widely used in film and television scores "to depict an approaching menace," as noted by Charles Rosen[citation needed] The largest figure to date for a crossover hit in the US has come from Grammy Award-winning country singer LeAnn Rimes, whose song "How Do I Live" sold over 3 million copies and spent a world record breaking 69 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, more than any other song in history, despite peaking only at number 2. It was also a massive hit in Europe. Contents [hide] 1 Classical crossover 2 Crossover rock 3 Crossover country 4 Christian crossover artists 5 Crossover as a mix of genres 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 See also [edit] Classical crossover Particular works of classical music sometimes become popular among individuals who mostly listen to popular music. Some classical works that achieved crossover status in the twentieth century include the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, the Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki, and the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467 (from its appearance in the 1967 film Elvira Madigan). Within the classical recording industry the term "crossover" is applied particularly to classical artists' recordings of popular repertoire such as Broadway show tunes, or collaborations between classical and popular performers such as Sting and Edin Karamazov's album Songs from the Labyrinth. Early examples of this are Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969) and Gemini Suite Live (1970) as well as Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974) and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975). Metallica's S&M (1999) is a recent example of classical music crossover. Vocally, the most popular crossover artist was American tenor and film star Mario Lanza, although there was no such recognized genre as "crossover" at the time of Lanza's greatest popularity in the 1950s. Signed to RCA Victor as an artist on its premium Red Seal label, Lanza's magnificent voice reached beyond classical music-buying audiences. His recording of Be My Love, from his second film, The Toast of New Orleans, hit Number One on the Billboard pop singles chart in February 1951 and sold more than 2-million copies, a feat no classical artist before or since has achieved. Lanza recorded two other million-selling singles that made Billboard's top ten, The Loveliest Night of the Year and Because You're Mine. Five of Lanza's albums hit Number One on Billboard's pop album chart between 1951 and 1955. The Great Caruso was the first and to date is the only recording comprised exclusively of operatic arias to reach Number One on the pop album charts. The Student Prince, released in 1954, was Number One for 42 weeks. No classical label artist, including The Three Tenors has achieved the success on the popular charts that Mario Lanza did in the 1950s. [edit] Crossover rock Dream Theater had a very strange and unexpected crossover with their song "Pull Me Under" in the early 1990s. Their style of progressive metal was never intended for mainstream audiences, and yet the song received extensive MTV rotation and radio play. [edit] Crossover country During the late 1960s, Glen Campbell began aiming his music at the mainstream pop charts, adding strings, horns and other pop music flurishes to such songs as "Witchita Lineman", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", and "Galveston", which allowed his music to chart both in country and pop. While such artists as Lynn Anderson and Charlie Rich followed Campbell's example into the early 1970s, it was Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers who, dur
[Marxism-Thaxis] Adorno
Here's some "Marxism" in it (smile) 3. Critical Social Theory Dialectic of Enlightenment presupposes a critical social theory indebted to Karl Marx. Adorno reads Marx as a Hegelian materialist whose critique of capitalism unavoidably includes a critique of the ideologies that capitalism sustains and requires. The most important of these is what Marx called "the fetishism of commodities." Marx aimed his critique of commodity fetishism against bourgeois social scientists who simply describe the capitalist economy but, in so doing, simultaneously misdescribe it and prescribe a false social vision. According to Marx, bourgeois economists necessarily ignore the exploitation intrinsic to capitalist production. They fail to understand that capitalist production, for all its surface "freedom" and "fairness," must extract surplus value from the labor of the working class. Like ordinary producers and consumers under capitalist conditions, bourgeois economists treat the commodity as a fetish. They treat it as if it were a neutral object, with a life of its own, that directly relates to other commodities, in independence from the human interactions that actually sustain all commodities. Marx, by contrast, argues that whatever makes a product a commodity goes back to human needs, desires, and practices. The commodity would not have "use value" if it did not satisfy human wants. It would not have "exchange value" if no one wished to exchange it for something else. And its exchange value could not be calculated if the commodity did not share with other commodities a "value" created by the expenditure of human labor power and measured by the average labor time socially necessary to produce commodities of various sorts. Adorno's social theory attempts to make Marx's central insights applicable to "late capitalism." Although in agreement with Marx's analysis of the commodity, Adorno thinks his critique of commodity fetishism does not go far enough. Significant changes have occurred in the structure of capitalism since Marx's day. This requires revisions on a number of topics: the dialectic between forces of production and relations of production; the relationship between state and economy; the sociology of classes and class consciousness; the nature and function of ideology; and the role of expert cultures, such as modern art and social theory, in criticizing capitalism and calling for the transformation of society as a whole. The primary clues to these revisions come from a theory of reification proposed by the Hungarian socialist Georg Lukács in the 1920s and from interdisciplinary projects and debates conducted by members of the Institute of Social Research in the 1930s and 1940s. Building on Max Weber's theory of rationalization, Lukács argues that the capitalist economy is no longer one sector of society alongside others. Rather, commodity exchange has become the central organizing principle for all sectors of society. CB: This is already in Marx before Luckacs. The qualitative shift is indicated in labor power becoming a commodity, wage-labor. It defines capitalist economy, distinguishing it from pre-capitalist economies where commodity exchange is on the "periphery" of society. (See _Capital_ Vol. I) ^ ^^ This allows commodity fetishism to permeate all social institutions (e.g., law, administration, journalism) as well as all academic disciplines, including philosophy. "Reification" refers to "the structural process whereby the commodity form permeates life in capitalist society." Lukács was especially concerned with how reification makes human beings "seem like mere things obeying the inexorable laws of the marketplace" (Zuidervaart 1991, 76). Initially Adorno shared this concern, even though he never had Lukács's confidence that the revolutionary working class could overcome reification. Later Adorno called the reification of consciousness an "epiphenomenon." What a critical social theory really needs to address is why hunger, poverty, and other forms of human suffering persist despite the technological and scientific potential to mitigate them or to eliminate them altogether. The root cause, Adorno says, lies in how capitalist relations of production have come to dominate society as a whole, leading to extreme, albeit often invisible, concentrations of wealth and power (ND 189-92). Society has come to be organized around the production of exchange values for the sake of producing exchange values, which, of course, always already requires a silent appropriation of surplus value. Adorno refers to this nexus of production and power as the "principle of exchange" (Tauschprinzip). A society where this nexus prevails is an "exchange society" (Tauschgesellschaft). Adorno's diagnosis of the exchange society has three levels: politico-economic, social-psychological, and cultural. Politically and economically he responds to a theory of state capitalism proposed by Friedrich Pollock during the war y
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
efriends Molly Aster and young George Darling. Peter appears to be known to all the residents of Neverland, including the Indian princess Tiger Lily and her tribe, the mermaids, and the fairies. In Hook, Peter states the reason he wanted to grow up was to be a father. He married Wendy's granddaughter, Moira, and they have two children, Maggie and Jack. [edit] In popular culture The character of Peter Pan (or thinly disguised versions of him) has appeared in countless tributes and parodies, and has been the subject of several later works of fiction. (See Works based on Peter Pan for notable examples.) J. R. R. Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter has speculated that Tolkien's impressions of a production of Barrie's Peter Pan in Birmingham in 1910 "may have had a little to do with" his original conception of the Elves of Middle Earth.[2] Since featuring the character in their 1953 animated film, Walt Disney has continued to use him as one of their traditional characters, featuring him in the sequel film Return to Neverland and in their parks as a meetable character, and the focus of the dark ride, Peter Pan's Flight; he appears in House of Mouse, The Lion King 1½, Mickey's Magical Christmas, and the Kingdom Hearts video games. The name "Peter Pan" has been adopted for various purposes over the years. Three thoroughbred racehorses have been given the name, the first born in 1904. It has been adopted by several businesses, including Peter Pan peanut butter, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and Peter Pan Records. An early 1960s program in which Cuban children were sent unattended to Miami to escape feared mistreatment under the then-new Castro regime was called Operation Peter Pan (or 'Operación Pedro Pan'). The term Peter Pan syndrome was popularized in 1983 by a book with that name, about individuals (usually male) with underdeveloped maturity. Peter Pan is depicted in public sculpture. There are seven statues cast from a mould by sculptor George Frampton, following an original commission by Barrie in 1912. The statues are in Kensington Gardens in London, England; Liverpool, England; Brussels, Belgium; Camden, New Jersey, United States; Perth, Western Australia; Toronto, Ontario,[3] Canada; and St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Two more statues (though not of Frampton's mould) are in Kirriemuir, Scotland, the birthplace of JM Barrie. A new bronze statue by Diarmuid Byron O'Connor was commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and unveiled in 2000, showing Peter blowing fairy dust, with Tinker Bell added in 2005.[4] [edit] References ^ Birkin, Andrew (2003). J.M. Barrie & the Lost Boys. Yale University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0300098227. ^ Carpenter, Humphrey (1977), Tolkien: A Biography, New York: Ballantine Books, ISBN 0-04-928037-6 ^ in small park on NW corner of Avenue Rd and St. Clair Ave West ^ Tinker Bell statue dedication press release Wikisource has original text related to this article: Peter and Wendy[hide]v • d • ePeter Pan Characters Peter Pan · Wendy Darling · Captain Hook · Tinker Bell · The Lost Boys · other characters Official books and plays The Little White Bird · Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens · Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up · Peter and Wendy · Peter Pan in Scarlet Films/TV series Peter Pan (1924) · Peter Pan (1953) · The Lost Boys (1978) · Peter Pan no Bōken (1989) · Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990-1991) · Hook (1991) · Return to Never Land (2002) · Peter Pan (2003) · Finding Neverland (2004) · Tinker Bell (2008) Video games Peter Pan and the Pirates · Hook Related people J. M. Barrie · Llewelyn Davies boys · Sylvia Llewelyn Davies · Arthur Llewelyn Davies · Charles Frohman Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan"; Categories: Disney's Peter Pan characters | Fictional characters in children's literature | Fictional immortals | Fictional sword fighters | Child characters in written fiction | Kingdom Hearts characters | Peter Pan On 7/10/09, c b wrote: > Michael Jackson 50 > > Bessie Smith 37 > Billie Holiday 44 > Charlie Parker 34 > John Coltrane 40 > Jimi Hendrix 28 > Mozart 35 > Tupac Shakur 25 > Biggie Smalls 24 > Elvis Presley 42 > Fats Waller39 > Judy Garland 47 > Marvin Gaye44 > David Ruffin 50 > Paul Williams 34 > John Lennon40 > Edith Piaf 47 > Janis Joplin 27 > Jim Morrison 28 > Paul Chambers 33 > Duane Allman 24 > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Allman > > Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an > American lead guitarist, co-founder of the Southern rock group the > Allman Brothers Band, and respected session musician. He is best > remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band, > expressive slide guitar playing, and formidable improvisational > skills.[citati
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
On 7/15/09, Shane Mage wrote: > > On Jul 15, 2009, at 11:31 AM, c b wrote: > > > It would seem that Michael Jackson aesthetic was a species of the > > bourgeois Romanticists "Peter Pan" philosophy..."child as the father > > of the man",which more abstractly is probably part of the process of > > the origin of > > the human species. "Pan" is part of the species name of the > > chimpanzee. > > > But "pan" as genus (not species) name for chimpanzees is taken from > the resemblance of chimps and bonobos to the iconography of the Great > God Pan. And there is absolutely nothing childlike about Pan. > ^ CB: And as you know, a species has two names - genus name and species name- for example, _homo sapiens_, in which "homo" is a genus name, no ? Chimps are _pan troglodyte_. There may be nothing childlike about Pan, but Peter Pan never wants to grow up, and kids act like chimps and monkeys sometimes. Chimpanzee >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Chimpanzees[1] Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Subfamily: Homininae Tribe: Hominini Subtribe: Panina Genus: Pan Oken, 1816 Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Pan spp. Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially known as a chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan where the Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:[2] Common Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes: the better known chimpanzee lives primarily in West and Central Africa. Bonobo, Pan paniscus: also known as the "Pygmy Chimpanzee", this species is found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chimpanzees are members of the Hominidae family, along with gorillas, humans, and orangutans. Chimpanzee are thought to have split from human evolution about 6 million years ago and thus the two chimpanzee species are the closest living relatives to humans; all being members of the Hominini tribe (along with extinct species of Hominina subtribe). Chimpanzees are the only known members of the Panina subtribe. The two Pan species split only about one million years ago > > Shane Mage > > > This cosmos did none of gods or men make, but it > > always was and is and shall be: an everlasting fire, > > kindling in measures and going out in measures." > > > > Herakleitos of Ephesos > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
The Great God Pan >From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Great God Pan Author Arthur Machen Country United Kingdom Language English Genre(s) Horror novella Publisher Creation Books Publication date 1926 Media type print (hardback) Pages 128 The Great God Pan is a novella written by Arthur Machen. The original story was published in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it in 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of horror. Machen’s story was only one of many at the time to focus on Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. Contents [hide] 1 Plot summary 2 Critical opinion 3 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations 4 Influence 5 References 6 External links [edit] Plot summary A woman in Wales has her mind destroyed by a scientist's attempt to enable her to see the god of nature Pan. Years later, a young woman named Helen Vaughan arrives on the London social scene, disturbing many young men and causing some to commit suicide; it transpires that she is the monstrous offspring of the god Pan and the woman in the experiment. [edit] Critical opinion In "Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1926; revised 1933), H. P. Lovecraft praised the novel, saying: "No one could begin to describe the cumulative suspense and ultimate horror with which every paragraph abounds"; he added that "the sensitive reader" reaches the end with "an appreciative shudder." Lovecraft also noted, however, that "melodrama is undeniably present, and coincidence is stretched to a length which appears absurd upon analysis." The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993) notes "The story begins with an sf rationale (brain surgery) which remains one of the most dramatically horrible and misogynistic in fiction." [edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations "The Great God" was brought to the stage in 2008 by WildClaw Theatre Company in Chicago. It was adapted and directed by WildClaw Artistic Director Charley Sherman. [edit] Influence The story's depiction of a monstrous half-human hybrid inspired the main plotline of Lovecraft’s "The Dunwich Horror", which refers by name to Machen’s story. According to Lovecraft scholar Robert M. Price, "'The Dunwich Horror' is in every sense an homage to Machen and even a pastiche. There is little in Lovecraft's wonderful story that does not come directly out of Machen's fiction."[1] It also inspired Peter Straub's Ghost Story. The book was translated into French by Paul-Jean Toulet (Le grand dieu Pan, Paris, 1901). It was a major influence on his first novel, Monsieur du Paur, homme public. Stephen King wrote in the endnotes for his story collection Just After Sunset (2008) that his newly published novella N. was "strongly influenced" by Machen's piece, which he noted, "surmounts its rather clumsy prose and works its way relentlessly into the reader's terror-zone. How many sleepless nights has it caused? God knows, but a few of them were mine. I think "Pan" is as close as the horror genre comes to a great white whale." In another interview he stated: "Not Lovecraft; it’s a riff on Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan,” which is one of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language. Mine isn’t anywhere near that good, but I loved the chance to put neurotic behavior—obsessive/compulsive disorder—together with the idea of a monster-filled macroverse." [2] [edit] References ^ Price, pp. ix-x. ^ "SELF-INTERVIEW By Stephen King 10:50am September 4th, 2008 [edit] External links On 7/15/09, Shane Mage wrote: > > On Jul 15, 2009, at 11:31 AM, c b wrote: > > > It would seem that Michael Jackson aesthetic was a species of the > > bourgeois Romanticists "Peter Pan" philosophy..."child as the father > > of the man",which more abstractly is probably part of the process of > > the origin of > > the human species. "Pan" is part of the species name of the > > chimpanzee. > > > But "pan" as genus (not species) name for chimpanzees is taken from > the resemblance of chimps and bonobos to the iconography of the Great > God Pan. And there is absolutely nothing childlike about Pan. > > > Shane Mage > > > This cosmos did none of gods or men make, but it > > always was and is and shall be: an everlasting fire, > > kindling in measures and going out in measures." > > > > Herakleitos of Ephesos > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
ood of Panes.") ^ "In this Hermes is clearly out of place. He was one of the youngest sons of Zeus and was brought into the story only because... he was a master-thief. The real participant in the story was Aigipan: the god Pan, that is to say. in his quality of a goat (aix). (Kerenyi 1951:28). Kerenyi points out that Python of Delphi had a son Aix (Plutarch, Moralia 293c) and detects a note of kinship betrayal. ^ Dio Chrysostom, Discourses, vi. 20. ^ a b Kerenyi 1951:95. ^ Lucan, ix. 536; Lucretius, v. 614. ^ "Where or what was Palodes?". ^ Payne-Knight, R. Discourse on the Worship of Priapus, 1786, p.73 ^ The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, Ronald Hutton, page 161-162 ^ Patricia Merivale, Pan the Goat-God: his Myth in Modern Times, Harvard University Press, 1969, p.vii. ^ The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, Ronald Hutton, page 199 [edit] References Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. Kerenyi, Karl (1951). The Gods of the Greeks. Thames & Hudson. Ruck, Carl A.P.; Danny Staples (1994). The World of Classical Myth. Carolina Academic Press. ISBN 0-89089-575-9. Borgeaud, Philippe (1979). Recherches sur le Dieu Pan. Geneva University. Vinci, Leo (1993), Pan: Great God Of Nature, Neptune Press, London Malini, Roberto (1998), Pan dio della selva, Edizioni dell'Ambrosino, Milano Diotima, (2007), ' 'The Goat Foot God, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, [edit] See also Pan in popular culture Pangu Puck Erotic art in Pompeii Faun Satyr Kokopelli Daveli's Cave Syrinx [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pan (mythology) The story of Pan and Daphnis Original resources on Faunus/Phaunos Original resources on Pan Pan Mythology [http://www.et-in-arcadia-ego.com / Pan and the Arcadian theme in the paintings of Poussin, Geurcino,Et in Arcadia Ego Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(mythology)" Categories: Nature gods | Love and lust gods | Arts gods | Oracular gods | Animal gods | Horned deities | Greek gods | Greek mythology | Sexuality in ancient Rome | Offspring of Zeus | Offspring of Hermes On 7/15/09, c b wrote: > The Great God Pan > From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia > Jump to: navigation, search > The Great God Pan > Author Arthur Machen > Country United Kingdom > Language English > Genre(s) Horror novella > Publisher Creation Books > Publication date 1926 > Media type print (hardback) > Pages 128 > The Great God Pan is a novella written by Arthur Machen. The original > story was published in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it in > 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as > degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual > content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of > horror. Machen’s story was only one of many at the time to focus on > Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. > > Contents [hide] > 1 Plot summary > 2 Critical opinion > 3 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations > 4 Influence > 5 References > 6 External links > > > > [edit] Plot summary > A woman in Wales has her mind destroyed by a scientist's attempt to > enable her to see the god of nature Pan. Years later, a young woman > named Helen Vaughan arrives on the London social scene, disturbing > many young men and causing some to commit suicide; it transpires that > she is the monstrous offspring of the god Pan and the woman in the > experiment. > > > [edit] Critical opinion > In "Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1926; revised 1933), H. P. > Lovecraft praised the novel, saying: "No one could begin to describe > the cumulative suspense and ultimate horror with which every paragraph > abounds"; he added that "the sensitive reader" reaches the end with > "an appreciative shudder." Lovecraft also noted, however, that > "melodrama is undeniably present, and coincidence is stretched to a > length which appears absurd upon analysis." The Encyclopedia of > Science Fiction (1993) notes "The story begins with an sf rationale > (brain surgery) which remains one of the most dramatically horrible > and misogynistic in fiction." > > > [edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations > "The Great God" was brought to the stage in 2008 by WildClaw Theatre > Company in Chicago. It was adapted and directed by WildClaw Artistic > Director Charley Sherman. > > > [edit] Influence > The story's depiction of a monstrous half-human hybrid inspired the > main plotline of Lovecraft’s "The Dunwich Horror", which refers by > name to Machen’s story. According to Lovecraft scholar Robert M. > Price, "'The Dunwich Horror' is in every sense an h
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson's Thriller ( video) "Michael Jackson's Thriller" title card. Directed by John Landis Produced by George Folsey Jr. Written by John Landis Michael Jackson Starring Michael Jackson Ola Ray Distributed by Columbia Pictures Epic Records Productions Release date(s) December 2, 1983 Running time 13:43 Language English Budget $500,000[1] Sales: 9 million units "Michael Jackson's Thriller" is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. The mini-film music video was broadcast on MTV three weeks before Christmas 1983. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing US$500,000[1], and Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units.[2] "Thriller" was less a conventional music video and more a full-fledged short subject or mini-film: a horror film homage featuring choreographed zombies performing with Jackson. The music was re-edited to match the video, with the verses being sung one after the other followed by the ending rap from Vincent Price, then the main dance sequence (filmed at 3701 Union Pacific Avenue in East Los Angeles[3]) to an instrumental loop, and finally the final: the choruses in a "big dance number" climactic scene. During the video, Jackson transforms into both a zombie and a werecat (although makeup artist Rick Baker referred to it as a "cat monster" in the "Making of Thriller" documentary); familiar territory for Landis, who had directed An American Werewolf in London two years earlier. Co-starring with Jackson was former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray. The video was choreographed by Michael Peters (who had worked with the singer on his prior hit "Beat It"), with Michael Jackson. The video also contains incidental music by film music composer Elmer Bernstein, who had previously also worked with Landis on An American Werewolf in London. The video (like the song) contains a spoken word performance by horror film veteran Vincent Price. Rick Baker assisted in prosthetics and makeup for the production. The red jacket that Jackson wore was designed by John Landis' wife Deborah Landis to make him appear more "virile".[4] Jackson, who at the time was one of Jehovah's Witnesses, added a disclaimer to the start of the video, saying: “ Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult. ” To qualify for an Academy Award, "Thriller" debuted at a special theatrical screening, along with the 1940 animated motion picture Fantasia. Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Awards 2.1 Grammy Award 2.2 MTV Award 3 Making Michael Jackson's Thriller 3.1 Behind the Scenes 4 Broadway and litigation 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External links [edit] Plot Jackson dancing with the undead.It is the early 1960s. A teenaged Michael and his unnamed date (Ola Ray) run out of gas in a dark, wooded area. They walk off into the forest, and Michael asks her if she would like to go steady. She accepts and he gives her a ring. He warns her, however, that he is "different". A full moon appears, and Michael begins convulsing in agony – transforming into a horrifying werecat. His date shrieks and runs away, but the werecat catches up, knocking her down and begins lunging at her with its claws. The scene cuts away to a modern-day movie theater (exteriors filmed at the Palace Theatre in downtown Los Angeles[5]), where Michael and his date – along with a repulsed audience – are actually watching this scene unfold in a movie called "Thriller" starring Vincent Price. Michael's date is scared, but he is clearly enjoying the horror flick. Frightened, his date leaves the theatre. Michael puts his popcorn down, and catches up to her, smiling and saying "It's only a movie!" Some debate follows over whether or not she was scared by the scene; she denies it, but Michael disagrees. Michael and his date then walk down a foggy street, and he teases her with the opening verses of "Thriller". They pass a graveyard, where corpses suddenly begin to rise from their graves as Vincent Price performs his rap. Michael and his date then find themselves surrounded by the zombies, and suddenly, Michael becomes a zombie himself. Michael and the undead perform an elaborate song and dance number together, followed by the chorus of "Thriller" (in which Michael is changed back into human form), frightening his girlfriend to the point where she runs for cover. The girl is chased into an abandoned house (filmed in the Angeleno Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles at 1345 Carroll Avenue[6]), where Michael (who reverts back to zombie form) and his fellow zombies back her into a corner. As Michael slowly reaches for her throat, she lets out with a blood-curdling scream, only to awake and realize it was all a dream. As a human Michael calmly asks "What's the problem?", he offers to take her home. As the t
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
In the late nineteenth century Pan became an increasingly common figure in literature and art. Patricia Merivale states that between 1890 and 1926 there was an "astonishing resurgence of interest in the Pan motif".[21] He appears in poetry, in novels and childrens' books such as The Wind in the Willows during this period. Pan (mythology) Pan Pan teaching his eromenos, the shepherd Daphnis, to play the panpipes 2nd century AD Roman copy of Greek original ca. 100 BC attributed to Heliodorus (found in Pompeii) God of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds and rustic music Abode Arcadia Parents Hermes and Penelope Roman equivalent Faunus This box: view • talk Pan (Greek Πάν, genitive Πανός), in Greek religion and mythology, is the companion of the nymphs,[1] god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein, meaning "to pasture".[2] He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr. With his homeland in rustic Arcadia, he is recognized as the god of fields, groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of theatrical criticism.[3] In Roman mythology, Pan's counterpart was Faunus, a nature spirit who was the father of Bona Dea (Fauna). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Pan became a significant figure in the romanticist movement of western Europe, and also in the 20th century Neopagan movement.[4] Contents [hide] 1 Origins 2 Worship 3 Mythology 3.1 Erotic aspects 3.2 Pan and music 3.3 Capricornus 3.4 Epithets 4 The Death of Pan 5 Influence 5.1 Satan 5.2 Revivalist imagery 5.3 Neopaganism 6 Notes 7 References 8 See also 9 External links [edit] Origins In his earliest appearance in literature, Pindar's Pythian Ode iii. 78, [5] Pan appears as the "agent", "guardian" or "attendant" of the Great Goddess (Cybele). The parentage of Pan is unclear;[6] in some myths he is the son of Zeus, though generally he is the son of Hermes or Dionysus, with whom his mother is said to be a nymph, sometimes Dryope or, in Nonnus, Dionysiaca (14.92), a Penelope of Mantineia in Arcadia.[7] Following Plato's inventive etymology,[8] his name is sometimes mistakenly thought to be identical to the Greek word pan, meaning "all", when it is more likely to be cognate with paein, "to pasture", and to share an origin with the modern English word "pasture". In 1924, Hermann Collitz suggested that Greek Pan and Indic Pushan might have a common Indo-European origin.[9] In the Mystery cults of the highly syncretic Hellenistic era[10] Pan is made cognate with Phanes/Protogonos, Zeus, Dionysus and Eros.[11] Probably the beginning of the linguistic misunderstanding is the Homeric Hymn to Pan, which describes him as delighting all the gods, and thus getting his name.[12] The Roman Faunus, a god of Indo-European origin, was equated with Pan. However, accounts of Pan's genealogy are so varied that it must lie buried deep in mythic time. Like other nature spirits, Pan appears to be older than the Olympians, if it is true that he gave Artemis her hunting dogs and taught the secret of prophecy to Apollo. Pan might be multiplied as the Panes (Burkert 1985, III.3.2; Ruck and Staples 1994 p 132[13]) or the Paniskoi. Kerenyi (1951 p 174) notes from scholia that Aeschylus in Rhesus distinguished between two Pans, one the son of Zeus and twin of Arcas, and one a son of Kronos. "In the retinue of Dionysos, or in depictions of wild landscapes, there appeared not only a great Pan, but also little Pans, Paniskoi, who played the same part as the Satyrs". [edit] Worship The worship of Pan began in Arcadia which was always the principal seat of his worship. Arcadia was a district of mountain people whom other Greeks disdained. Arcadian hunters used to scourge the statue of the god if they had been disappointed in the chase (Theocritus. vii. 107). Pan inspired sudden fear in lonely places, Panic (panikon deima). Following the Titans' assault on Olympus, Pan claimed credit for the victory of the gods because he had inspired disorder and fear in the attackers resulting in the word 'panic' to describe these emotions. Of course, Pan was later known for his music, capable of arousing inspiration, sexuality, or panic, depending on his intentions. In the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), it is said that Pan favored the Athenians and so inspired panic in the hearts of their enemies, the Persians. [edit] Mythology Greek deities series Primordial deities Titans and Olympians Aquatic deities Chthonic deities Personified concepts Other deities Asclepius, god of medicine Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis Pan, shepherd god Nymphs Anatolian deities The goat-god Aegipan was nurtured by Amalthea with the infant Zeus in Crete. In Zeus' battle with Typhon, Aegipan and Hermes stole back Zeus' "sinews" that Typhon had hidden away in the Corycian
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
As far as the horror story/movie genre, Michael Pan Jackson's greatest album was _Thriller_, in the video of which he transforms from a teenage boy dating a girl into a Wherewolf stalking her, thereby weaving in the classic myth of "The Beauty and the Beast". He features the voice of the classic horror film actor Vincent Price. Thriller (album) Thriller Studio album by Michael Jackson Released November 30, 1982 Recorded April 14 - November 8, 1982 Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) Genre R&B, dance, dance-pop, pop/rock, funk[1] Length 42:19 Label Epic EK-38112 Producer Michael Jackson Quincy Jones Professional reviews Allmusic [1] Robert Christgau (A-)[2] Melody Maker (unfavorable) 1982[3] Q [4] Rolling Stone [5] Slant [6] Stylus (favorable)[7] The New York Times (favorable)[8] Michael Jackson chronology Off the Wall (1979) Thriller (1982) Bad (1987) Singles from Thriller "The Girl Is Mine" Released: October 18, 1982 "Billie Jean" Released: January 3, 1983 "Beat It" Released: February 14, 1983 "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Released: May 8, 1983 "Human Nature" Released: July 3, 1983 "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" Released: September 19, 1983 "Thriller" Released: January 23, 1984 2001 Special Edition Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including funk, disco, soul, soft rock, R&B, and pop. Thriller's lyrics deal with themes including paranoia and the supernatural. With a production budget of $750,000, recording sessions took place between April and November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California.[9] Assisted by producer Quincy Jones, Jackson wrote four of Thriller's nine tracks. Following the release of the album's first single "The Girl Is Mine", some observers assumed Thriller would only be a minor hit record. With the release of the second single "Billie Jean", the album topped the charts in many countries. At its peak, the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In just over a year, Thriller became--and currently remains--the best-selling album of all time. Sales are estimated to be over 50 million copies sold worldwide. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys. Thriller cemented Jackson's status as one of the predominant pop stars of the late 20th century, and enabled him to break down racial barriers via his appearances on MTV and meetings with President Ronald Reagan at the White House. The album was one of the first to use music videos as successful promotional tools--the videos for "Thriller", "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" all received regular rotation on MTV. In 2001, a special edition issue of the album was released, which contains additional audio interviews, a demo recording and the song "Someone In the Dark", which was a Grammy-winning track from the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook.[10] In 2008, the album was reissued again as Thriller 25, containing re-mixes that feature contemporary artists, a previously unreleased song and a DVD. Thriller ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003, and was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three in its Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Thriller was preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry, as it was deemed "culturally significant". Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Recording 3 Music 4 Release and reception 5 Influence and legacy 5.1 Music industry 5.2 Music videos and racial equality 5.3 Contemporary appeal 6 Reissues and catalog sales 7 Track listing 8 Personnel 9 See also 10 References 11 Notes [edit] Background Jackson's previous album Off the Wall (1979) was a critical success and received generally favorable reviews.[11][12] It was also a commercial success, eventually selling over 20 million copies worldwide.[13] The years between Off the Wall and Thriller were a transitional period for the singer, a time of increasing independence and struggles with his family. In 1973, Jackson's father Joseph began a secret affair with a woman 20 years younger than he; the couple had a child in secret. In 1980, Joseph told his family of the affair and child. Michael, already angry with his father over his childhood abuse, felt so betrayed that he fell out with Joseph for many years.[14] The period saw the singer become deeply unhappy; Jackson explained, "Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's so hard to make friends ... I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home."[15] When Jackson turn
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
http://www.bartleby.com/people/WordswthW.html The Child is father of the Man. —My Heart Leaps up When I Behold William Wordsworth "MY HEART LEAPS UP WHEN I BEHOLD" My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! The Child is father of the Man; I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. 1802. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
s The poem was read by actor Timothy West at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles[9]. It is also cited several times in the first story, "Rumpole and the Younger Generation" by John Mortimer.[10] Audio [edit] References ^ The Poetical Works of Wordsworth, pp. 353. Introduction by Paul D. Sheats. Cambridge ed. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, 1982. ^ Sheats, Introduction. ^ Compare Wordsworth's sonnet "The world is too much with us". ^ Phillips, Brian. SparkNote on Wordsworth's Poetry. "Ode: Intimations of Immortality." 18 Aug. 2007. ^ Ibid ^ Ibid ^ Alfred Louis Bacharach, The New Musical Companion, London, V. Gollancz, 1957; p. 498. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Beast-Love-Hope/dp/B08DBI ^ "Timetable: The royal wedding day". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4421763.stm. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. ^ John Mortimer, Rumpole of the Bailey, pp. 7-47. Penguin Books, London, 1978. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode:_Intimations_of_Immortality"; Categories: Poetry by William Wordsworth | 1807 poems On 7/15/09, c b wrote: > http://www.bartleby.com/people/WordswthW.html > > The Child is father of the Man. > —My Heart Leaps up When I Behold > William > Wordsworth > > > > "MY HEART LEAPS UP WHEN I BEHOLD" > My heart leaps up when I behold > A rainbow in the sky: > So was it when my life began; > So is it now I am a man; > So be it when I shall grow old, > Or let me die! > The Child is father of the Man; > I could wish my days to be > Bound each to each by natural piety. > 1802. > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
The Great God Pan The Great God Pan Author Arthur Machen Country United Kingdom Language English Genre(s) Horror novella Publisher Creation Books Publication date 1926 Media type print (hardback) Pages 128 The Great God Pan is a novella written by Arthur Machen. The original story was published in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it in 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of horror. Machen’s story was only one of many at the time to focus on Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. Contents [hide] 1 Plot summary 2 Critical opinion 3 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations 4 Influence 5 References 6 External links [edit] Plot summary A woman in Wales has her mind destroyed by a scientist's attempt to enable her to see the god of nature Pan. Years later, a young woman named Helen Vaughan arrives on the London social scene, disturbing many young men and causing some to commit suicide; it transpires that she is the monstrous offspring of the god Pan and the woman in the experiment. [edit] Critical opinion In "Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1926; revised 1933), H. P. Lovecraft praised the novel, saying: "No one could begin to describe the cumulative suspense and ultimate horror with which every paragraph abounds"; he added that "the sensitive reader" reaches the end with "an appreciative shudder." Lovecraft also noted, however, that "melodrama is undeniably present, and coincidence is stretched to a length which appears absurd upon analysis." The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993) notes "The story begins with an sf rationale (brain surgery) which remains one of the most dramatically horrible and misogynistic in fiction." [edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations "The Great God" was brought to the stage in 2008 by WildClaw Theatre Company in Chicago. It was adapted and directed by WildClaw Artistic Director Charley Sherman. [edit] Influence The story's depiction of a monstrous half-human hybrid inspired the main plotline of Lovecraft’s "The Dunwich Horror", which refers by name to Machen’s story. According to Lovecraft scholar Robert M. Price, "'The Dunwich Horror' is in every sense an homage to Machen and even a pastiche. There is little in Lovecraft's wonderful story that does not come directly out of Machen's fiction."[1] It also inspired Peter Straub's Ghost Story. The book was translated into French by Paul-Jean Toulet (Le grand dieu Pan, Paris, 1901). It was a major influence on his first novel, Monsieur du Paur, homme public. Stephen King wrote in the endnotes for his story collection Just After Sunset (2008) that his newly published novella N. was "strongly influenced" by Machen's piece, which he noted, "surmounts its rather clumsy prose and works its way relentlessly into the reader's terror-zone. How many sleepless nights has it caused? God knows, but a few of them were mine. I think "Pan" is as close as the horror genre comes to a great white whale." In another interview he stated: "Not Lovecraft; it’s a riff on Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan,” which is one of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language. Mine isn’t anywhere near that good, but I loved the chance to put neurotic behavior—obsessive/compulsive disorder—together with the idea of a monster-filled macroverse." [2] [edit] References ^ Price, pp. ix-x. ^ "SELF-INTERVIEW By Stephen King 10:50am September 4th, 2008 [edit] External links has original text related to this article: The Great God PanThe Great God Pan at Project Gutenberg This article about a 19th century novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. On 7/15/09, c b wrote: > As far as the horror story/movie genre, Michael Pan Jackson's greatest > album was _Thriller_, in the video of which he transforms from a > teenage boy dating a girl into a Wherewolf stalking her, thereby > weaving in the classic myth of "The Beauty and the Beast". He > features the voice of the classic horror film actor Vincent Price. > > > Thriller (album) > > > > Thriller > > Studio album by Michael Jackson > Released November 30, 1982 > Recorded April 14 - November 8, 1982 > Westlake Recording Studios > (Los Angeles, California) > Genre R&B, dance, dance-pop, pop/rock, funk[1] > Length 42:19 > Label Epic > EK-38112 > Producer Michael Jackson > Quincy Jones > Professional reviews > Allmusic [1] > Robert Christgau (A-)[2] > Melody Maker (unfavorable) 1982[3] > Q [4] > Rolling Stone [5] > Slant [6] > Stylus (favorable)[7] > The New York Times (favorable)[8] >
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] questions
Usually, "wooden tircotomies" refers to some kind of poor and "rigid" effort at Hegelian dialectic. Look at Engels _The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State_ where the Teutonic-Christian , ancient Greek and Roman forms of the family are discussed from a Marxist standpoint. Word "family" has a Latin origin. Roman family is "pater" ruled. On 7/16/09, justicelov...@yahoo.com wrote: > > Will some one kindly let me know what was Stein's Wooden Trichotomies, and > shed light on this passage of Marx by explaining the mentioned forms of > families: "It is, > of course, just as absurd to hold the Teutonic-Christian form of the family > to be absolute as it would be to apply that character to the ancient Roman, > the ancient Greek, or the Eastern forms" > > > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Marxism-Thaxis Digest, Vol 69, Issue 11
Listen up better. In brief, Michael Jackson who had the "ears" of millions sought to unite Black and White. Any _Marxist_ in the United States who is not concerned about this issue is not a Marxist. Are you a "Marxist" or what ? Pay attention and respond to that. On 7/16/09, Karl Dallas wrote: > And the relevance of this stuff about aa deluded young pop star and a > 19th Century horror author to the subject of this list (which, I seem > to recall, once was Marxism) would be what, exactly? > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] relevance
Spoken like a true autosundry On 7/16/09, Ralph Dumain wrote: > The relevance consists in this: > > IF: > > (1) You constantly submit to the list whole entries from wikipedia in > an unreadable format, without comment, assuming that we can't use > Wikipedia ourselves; > > (2) Randomly pick up on any idea that crosses your mind and run with > it in an arbitrary and superficial fashion; > > (3) Mechanically correlate every piece of information that crosses > your path with your confused understanding of isolated phrases culled > from the classics of dialectical materialism; > > (4) Make idiotic assertions about everything based on arbitrary > self-delusion, such as representing Obama's victory as a > manifestation of a anti-racism; > > (5) Lie through your teeth about China being a socialist country; > > (6) Think that the USSR was your friend and had your interests at heart; > > (7) Are a follower of the Communist Party: > > THEN: > > You demonstrate to all and sundry that you are a dumb ass with > nothing worthwhile to say about anything. > > At 06:02 PM 7/16/2009, Karl Dallas wrote: > >And the relevance of this stuff about aa deluded young pop star and a > >19th Century horror author to the subject of this list (which, I seem > >to recall, once was Marxism) would be what, exactly? > > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Marxism-Thaxis Digest, Vol 69, Issue 11
Marxists "should" be interested in mass "phenonomena", mass culture, mass consciousness of many forms. Adorno may have been "wrong" about popular music and culture (smile), but he wasn't "wrong" to "investigate" popular music and culture vis-a-vis working class mass consciousness. That was not a project irrelevant to Marxism. Socialist realist aesthetics concerns itself with working class highlife, play, fun, life _outside_ of work, because in reality workers have life outside of work. Work hard, play hard. See Marxist Thaxis discussions from circa 1998 -2000 on need for Marxists to learn about working class partying, music, arts ,recreation, relaxation. See Angela Davis book on women blues singers, and the African American music tradition as blues tradition. See discussion of relationship between modern popular music and this blues tradition. See discussions of "relevance" of this and relationships between women and men , as well as Black culture and Black/White relations ( on Marxism - Thaxis) See relationship between Communists of the 30's and 40's and jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker. Consider concerns of Sidney Finkelstein on these issues Sidney Finkelstein Birth/Death: July 4, 1909 — January 14, 1974. Sidney Finkelstein was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 1909, studied at City College in New York, and did graduate work at Columbia University and New York University. In the 1930s he was a book reviewer for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and worked for the United States Postal Service. In the 1940s he joined the music staff of the Herald Tribune and was also a music reviewer for New Masses, Masses, and Mainstream. Between 1951 and 1973 he worked for Vanguard Records, specializing in jazz and classical recordings. As an author he was most noted for a number of books that brought a socialist realist perspective to the arts, partricularly Jazz, a People's Music, in 1948. Finkelstein died in Brooklyn on January 14, 1974. Resources by this Author Inner and Outer Jazz Jazz Studies Online is sponsored by the Center for Jazz Studies, with funding from the Ford Foundation | Credits © 2008 Columbia University | Copyright Policy Sidney Finkelstein | Jazz Studies OnlineSidney Finkelstein was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 1909, ... a People's Music, in 1948. Finkelstein died in Brooklyn on January 14, 1974. ... jazzstudiesonline.org/?q=node/280 - Cached - Similar - Composer and Nation. By Sidney Finkelstein. pp. 333. (Lawrence ...By Sidney Finkelstein. pp. 333. (Lawrence & Wishart,. London, 1960, 30s.) ... Mr. Finkelstein's, wide and detailed knowledge of the music of the past ... ml.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/42/1/63.pdf - Similar - Sidney Finkelstein, Welk Music Group, Santa Monica, CA in Jigsaw's ...Sidney Finkelstein in Jigsaw's business directory includes Sidney's title, phone as well as business email address. Jigsaw's business directory provides ... www.jigsaw.com/scid1052451/sidney_finkelstein.xhtml - Cached - Similar - Sidney Finkelstein - Music - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at ...Sidney Finkelstein - 2 results like the Jazz, a People's Music, Composer and Nation: The Folk Heritage in Music Sidney Finkelstein - Music. www.nextag.com/Music--zzSidney+Finkelsteinz220026zB6z5---html - Cached - Similar - Jazz: A People's Music. by Sidney Finkelstein : riverrun bookshop :Jazz: A People's Music. by Finkelstein, Sidney. Publisher Information: Citadel 1948. 278 pp. Edition: First. Binding: Hardbound ... www.riverrunbookshop.com/cgi-bin/rrbooks/4837.html - Cached - Similar - Music and ideology in Cold War Europe - Google Books Resultby Mark Carroll - 2003 - Music - 245 pages ... who had been lionised by the Left for his 'proletarian music', was criticised ... The critique was written by the New York Marxist Sidney Finkelstein, ... books.google.com/books?isbn=0521820723... - Sidney Finkelstein (Open Library)How music expresses ideas. by Sidney Finkelstein. (International Publishers, 1970). Art and society. by Sidney Finkelstein. (International Publishers, 1947) ... openlibrary.org/a/OL4374214A - Cached - Similar - Also, it is not the Marxist position on philosophy and art to ignore bourgeois philosophies and arts, but to consider especially progressive bourgeois and petit bourgeois thinkers and artists as capable of giving great insight on mass thinking . The textbook example on this is Marx liked to read Flaubert or some other French novelist who was a reactionary politically, because even reactionary artists can have useful insights for the cause of the working class, and otherwise in terms of understanding humanity and society. And always remember: The Soviet Union is your friend. On 7/17/09, c b wrote: > Listen up better. In brief, Michael Jackson who had the "ears" of > millions sought to unite Blac
[Marxism-Thaxis] Free Thought
MY SON WAS TAUGHT TO BELIEVE IN JESUS BY HIS MOTHER -- HOW DO I HELP HIM BECOME A FREE THINKER? By Danny Postel, New Humanist Panicked by his son's Jesus references, an agnostic dad discovers a skeptic's reading list for kids. But is counter-indoctrination really the answer? http://www.alternet.org/rights/141410/my_son_was_taught_to_believe_in_jesus_by_his_mother_--_how_do_i_help_him_become_a_free_thinker/ ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Marx playing chess ?
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1278768 Karl Marx vs Meyer "Chess Manifesto" (game of the day Jul-24-08) Casual Game 1867 · King's Gambit: Accepted. Double Muzio Gambit Paulsen Defense (C37 ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Book on Marx and Wittgenstein
Preview this book Marx and Wittgenstein By D. Rubinstein http://books.google.com/books?id=F0FEE89yojQC&dq=rubin+stein+karl+marx&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=sAqhn1i1vp&sig=PJkih73R0XicL_vPZBkhtERFPEI&hl=en&ei=WsVoSpWKNovUM-HFpYQF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5 ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] questions
Frederick Engels Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State Chapter IV. The Greek Gens >From prehistoric times Greeks and Pelasgians alike, and other peoples of kindred stock, had been organized in the same organic series as the Americans: gens, phratry, tribe, confederacy of tribes. The phratry might be absent, as among the Dorians, and the confederacy of tribes was not necessarily fully developed everywhere as yet; but in every case the gens was the unit. At the time of their entry into history, the Greeks are on the threshold of civilization; between them and the American tribes, of whom we spoke above, lie almost two entire great periods of development, by which the Greeks of the heroic age are ahead of the Iroquois. The gens of the Greeks is therefore no longer the archaic gens of the Iroquois; the impress of group marriage is beginning to be a good deal blurred. Mother-right has given way to father-right; increasing private wealth has thus made its first breach in the gentile constitution. A second breach followed naturally from the first. After the introduction of father-right the property of a rich heiress would have passed to her husband and thus into another gens on her marriage, but the foundation of all gentile law was now violated and in such a case the girl was not only permitted but ordered to marry within the gens, in order that her property should be retained for the gens. According to Grote's History of Greece, the Athenian gens, in particular, was held together by the following institutions and customs: 1. Common religious rites, and the exclusive privilege of priesthood in honor of a particular god, the supposed ancestral father of the gens, who in this attribute was designated by a special surname. 2. A common burial place (cf. Demosthenes' Eubulides). 3. Mutual right of inheritance. 4. Mutual obligations of help, protection, and assistance in case of violence. 5. Mutual right and obligation to marry within the gens in certain cases, especially for orphan girls and heiresses. 6. Possession, at least in some cases, of common property, with a special archon (head man or president) and treasurer. Next, several gentes were united in the phratry, but less closely; though here also we find mutual rights and obligations of a similar kind, particularly the common celebration of certain religious ceremonies and the right to avenge the death of a phrator. Similarly, all the phratries of a tribe held regularly recurring religious festivals in common, at which a leader of the tribe (phylobasileus), elected from the nobility (Eupatridai), officiated. Rest at: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1884/origin-family/ch04.htm On 7/16/09, c b wrote: > Usually, "wooden tircotomies" refers to some kind of poor and "rigid" > effort at Hegelian dialectic. > > Look at Engels _The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the > State_ where the Teutonic-Christian , ancient Greek and Roman forms of > the family are discussed from a Marxist standpoint. Word "family" has > a Latin origin. Roman family is "pater" ruled. > > On 7/16/09, justicelov...@yahoo.com wrote: > > > > Will some one kindly let me know what was Stein's Wooden Trichotomies, and > > shed light on this passage of Marx by explaining the mentioned forms of > > families: "It is, > > of course, just as absurd to hold the Teutonic-Christian form of the family > > to be absolute as it would be to apply that character to the ancient Roman, > > the ancient Greek, or the Eastern forms" > > > > > > > > ___ > > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > > > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] questions
of kindred stock, had been organized in the same organic series as the Americans: gens, phratry, tribe, confederacy of tribes. The phratry might be absent, as among the Dorians, and the confederacy of tribes was not necessarily fully developed everywhere as yet; but in every case the gens was the unit. At the time of their entry into history, the Greeks are on the threshold of civilization; between them and the American tribes, of whom we spoke above, lie almost two entire great periods of development, by which the Greeks of the heroic age are ahead of the Iroquois. The gens of the Greeks is therefore no longer the archaic gens of the Iroquois; the impress of group marriage is beginning to be a good deal blurred. Mother-right has given way to father-right; increasing private wealth has thus made its first breach in the gentile constitution. A second breach followed naturally from the first. After the introduction of father-right the property of a rich heiress would have passed to her husband and thus into another gens on her marriage, but the foundation of all gentile law was now violated and in such a case the girl was not only permitted but ordered to marry within the gens, in order that her property should be retained for the gens. According to Grote's History of Greece, the Athenian gens, in particular, was held together by the following institutions and customs: 1. Common religious rites, and the exclusive privilege of priesthood in honor of a particular god, the supposed ancestral father of the gens, who in this attribute was designated by a special surname. 2. A common burial place (cf. Demosthenes' Eubulides). 3. Mutual right of inheritance. 4. Mutual obligations of help, protection, and assistance in case of violence. 5. Mutual right and obligation to marry within the gens in certain cases, especially for orphan girls and heiresses. 6. Possession, at least in some cases, of common property, with a special archon (head man or president) and treasurer. Next, several gentes were united in the phratry, but less closely; though here also we find mutual rights and obligations of a similar kind, particularly the common celebration of certain religious ceremonies and the right to avenge the death of a phrator. Similarly, all the phratries of a tribe held regularly recurring religious festivals in common, at which a leader of the tribe (phylobasileus), elected from the nobility (Eupatridai), officiated. Rest at: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1884/origin-family/ch04.htm ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Future is agenda at Boggs’ 94 th birthday celebration
Future is agenda at Boggs’ 94th birthday celebration By Terry Kelly The Michigan Citizen http://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=7596&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com DETROIT — “We exist in a failed paradigm,” Danny Glover told the 250 celebrants at the 94th birthday party for Grace Lee Boggs, held Sun., July 19, at Central United Methodist Church. “It has failed everything. How do we come out of the ashes?” It was the right group to ask. >From Glover, 62, to rapper Invincible who performed, to Boggs’ comrades from the sixties, who shared memories of change and growth, to the spill-over crowd of participants from the concluding Allied Media Conference, to the national planners in town preparing for the U.S. Social Forum that is coming to Detroit next year, the future was the agenda for the 94th birthday gathering. Grace’s concluding comments carried on the theme, following how the very idea of revolution developed. “I was taught that to be a revolutionary you had to be as tough as nails,” she said. “The idea was to get angry people angrier. If you talked about love in connection with revolution you were likely to be ridiculed.” As she traced the changes in the idea of revolution she had witnessed over her 70 years in the struggle, Grace noted that those gathered for the celebration “embody the new ideas.” The women’s movement introduced the idea that the personal is political. How can you then talk of revolution as tough? The ecology movement talked about loving the earth. Dr. Martin Luther King talked of the beloved community and challenged Americans to create the beloved community or have chaos. “Now we have the chaos,” Boggs said. “So we have to build community.” The effort to do so is global. People are resisting globalization and damage to the earth, building community; she said, and traced the movement in recent decades. In 1994 the Sandinistas took over the military with arms, but gave up the arms and went back to work to build up and improve their communities. In 1999, young people closed down the Worth Trade Organization saying people, not trade matters. The World Social Forum started in Puerto Allegro based on the belief that another world was possible. Organizers were not interested in begging government, she said. It is up to us to make another world possible. We do that, she said, by changing ourselves from the ultra individualistic style of Darwin’s survival of the fittest, to transforming ourselves to people growing our souls by working with others to build communities. Boggs believes this is the change Detroit needs. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/4054/1/DRUGS-THE-DESTOYERS/Page1.html DRUGS. THE DESTOYERS By Steve Holesey There will be debates, new information, denials, revelations, speculation, and just about anything else you can think of, for perhaps years to come. But the known facts make it clear that what took the life of Michael Jackson was his overuse of heavy-duty prescription drugs. Even his brother, Tito, has publicly acknowledged that there was a serious problem as far back as the ’90s. Because he was rich and famous, Jackson was able to get pretty much anything he wanted. Michael was surrounded by enablers, yes-men and various other hangers-on which made it that much easier. They formed a fence around him that blocked the outside world, which included concerned people who could have helped him. BILLIE HOLIDAY was, and will always be, one the finest jazz singers of all time. In fact, she, Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter rank as the three most accomplished and effective female jazz vocalists ever. They are untouchable. Holiday was plagued by an addiction to heroin that hampered her every step of the way. However, it was only near the end of her celebrated career that this affliction began to affect her special voice. But even then she was still capable of brilliance. “Lady in Satin” is one of the most powerful and soul-touching albums ever recorded, featuring Billie with an orchestra. The sound is lush and beautiful. By this time there was a ravaged edge to her voice, but she still delivers songs like “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” superbly. In a strange, almost haunting way, the condition of her voice made the songs that much more effective. AMY WINEHOUSE is a fascinating singer from England with a voice and style steeped in Black culture and music traditions (R&B and jazz especially). Her 2006 album, “Back to Black,” was a huge success, finding favor with music buyers of many persuasions and ethnicities. Its success and artistic merit also resulted in Winehouse receiving the coveted Best New Artist Grammy. But while all this was happening, the songstress with the exotic look reminiscent of the Ronettes from the 1960s, was, with much media attention, battling substance abuse (cocaine, heroin and more). Interestingly, one of her biggest hits is titled “Rehab.” Fans are wishing the best for the talented lady. SLY STONE (real name: Sylvester Stewart) exploded on the music scene in the latter half of the ’60s, offering sounds and looks no one had heard or seen before. The music of Sly & the Family Stone was exciting, energetic and often life-affirming. The best of the best included “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” “Hot Fun the Summertime,” “I Want to Take You Higher” and “Stand!” In 1971, he introduced a completely different, much slowed down sound with “Family Affair” and continued with “If You Want Me to Stay” and others. But drug use ultimately made Sly undependable and far less creative. Eventually he became a recluse and today is only seen occasionally. WHITNEY HOUSTON knows there is a lot riding on her “I Look to You” album, which will probably be released by the time you read this. It can be accurately defined as a comeback project because Houston is rising from the depths of drug hell, after reaching megastardom in the 1980s with a gift-from-God voice and outstanding material. Some blamed her downward plunge on her former husband, Bobby Brown, also a recovering addict, but that is not fair. She made her own decisions, and now she has made the decision to get her life and career back together. The odds are in her favor. RAY CHARLES was a heroin addict for many years, was arrested for it and had to go through an extremely difficult detox program, all of which was made graphically clear in the remarkable movie “Ray,” with Jamie Foxx turning in an Academy Award-winning performance. Although Charles would never in a million years have advocated anyone using drugs, he said he had no regrets about his own drug use because that was what he chose to do at the time and had to go through. Like so many before him, Michael Jackson, one of the greatest entertainers and recording artists of all time, became, much like Elvis Presley, a prisoner of his massive fame. In many ways another legend, jazz icon Miles Davis, was representative of the many jazz musicians who were addicted to hard drugs. No one knows for sure why jazz musicians tend to be more prone to drug abuse. But some believe it has something to do with the music itself emerging from such a deep place in the musicians’ psyche and heart. This is compounded by the pain of making music that is not fully accepted or understood, and the fact that so many jazz musicians have to struggle to survive. NATALIE COLE has many people praying for her and sending out other expressions of support as she gallantly fights a battle with hepatitis C, the result of hard-core drug use
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Bix Beiderbecke Bix Beiderbecke - died at 28 Background information Birth name Leon Bismark Beiderbecke Born March 10, 1903(1903-03-10) Origin Davenport, Iowa,[1] U.S. Died August 6, 1931 (aged 28) Genre(s) Jazz Dixieland Occupation(s) Musician composer Instrument(s) Cornet, Piano Years active 1924-1931 Website bixbeiderbecke.com Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist and composer, as well as a skilled classical and jazz pianist. One of the leading names in 1920s jazz, Beiderbecke's career was cut short by chronic poor health, exacerbated by alcoholism. Critic Scott Yanow describes Beiderbecke as the "possessor of a beautiful, distinctive tone and a strikingly original improvising style. Beiderbecke's chief competitor among cornetists in the 1920s was Louis Armstrong, but (due to their different sounds and styles) one really could not compare them."[2] Bix Beiderbecke recorded many jazz standards during his career in the 1920s and early 1930s, including "Riverboat Shuffle", "Copenhagen", "Davenport Blues", "Singin' the Blues", "In a Mist", "Mississippi Mud", "I'm Coming, Virginia", and "Georgia On My Mind". Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death 4 Influences 5 Influence on later musicians 6 Popular culture 7 Name 8 Compositions by Bix Beiderbecke 9 Major Recordings, 1924-1930 10 Cover Versions of "In a Mist" 11 Cover Versions of "Davenport Blues" 12 Honors 13 References 14 External links [edit] Early life Beiderbecke's childhood home in Davenport.Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa[1], the son of Bismark and Agatha Beiderbeckes, both natives of Iowa. He was the youngest of three children in the middle-class family of German origin. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to bands play on the riverboats arriving from the south. Illness frequently kept Beiderbecke out of school, and his grades suffered. He attended Davenport High School briefly, but his parents felt that enrolling him in the exclusive Lake Forest Academy, north of Chicago in Lake Forest, Illinois, as a boarding student would provide him with both the necessary faculty attention and discipline to improve his academic performance. However, the change of scenery did not improve Beiderbecke's academic record, as the only subjects in which he displayed interest were music and sports. Beiderbecke began going into Chicago to catch the hot jazz bands at clubs and speakeasies. He often failed to return to his dormitory before curfew, and sometimes stayed off-campus the next day. Beiderbecke was dismissed from the academy due to his academic failings and extracurricular activities. His time now free, he began his musical career. [edit] Career Bix Beiderbecke was one of the great jazz musicians of the 1920s, the Jazz Age. Beiderbecke first recorded with the Wolverine Orchestra in 1924. The ensemble was casually called the Wolverines. The group recorded the jazz standards "Riverboat Shuffle", written for the band by Hoagy Carmichael, and "Copenhagen", written by Charlie Davis. Jazz composer and pianist Hoagy Carmichael had booked their appearance at Indiana University in 1924. Bix Beiderbecke became a sought-after musician in Chicago and New York City. He made innovative and influential recordings with Frankie Trumbauer ("Tram") and the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. In 1927, he played cornet on the landmark Okeh recording "Singin' the Blues", with Frankie Trumbauer on C-melody saxophone and Eddie Lang on guitar, one of the most important and influential jazz recordings of the 1920s. The orchestra on that session also included Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and alto saxophone, Miff Mole on trombone, Chauncey Morehouse on drums, and Paul Madeira Mertz on piano. When the Goldkette Orchestra disbanded after their last recording ("Clementine (From New Orleans)"), released as Victor 20994, in September 1927, Beiderbecke and Trumbauer, a 'C' melody and alto saxophone player, briefly joined Adrian Rollini's band at the Club New Yorker, New York. Beiderbecke then moved on to the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the most popular and highest paid band of the day. Although some historians have derided Whiteman and lamented Beiderbecke's tenure with the large orchestra, historian Dick Sudhalter, in his book Lost Chords, asserts: "Colleagues have testified that, far from feeling bound or stifled by the Whiteman Orchestra, as [saxophonist and author Benny] Green and others have suggested, Beiderbecke often felt a sense of exhilaration. It was like attending a music school, learning and broadening; formal music, especially the synthesis of the American vernacular idiom with a more classical orientation, so much sought-after in the 1920s, were calling out to him." Bix Beiderbecke also played piano, sometimes switching from cornet for a chorus or two during a song (e.g., "For No Reason at All in C", 1927). He wrote several compositions for the piano, and recorded one o
[Marxism-Thaxis] Young muscians' deaths
Aaliyah This article is about the singer. For her self-titled album, see Aaliyah (album). Aaliyah Background information Birth name Aaliyah Dana Haughton Born January 16, 1979(1979-01-16) Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States Origin Detroit, Michigan, United States Died August 25, 2001 (aged 22) Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands, The Bahamas Genre(s) R&B, pop, hip hop Occupation(s) Singer, dancer, actress, model Voice type(s) Soprano Years active 1991–2001 Label(s) Blackground, Jive, Atlantic, Virgin, Universal Website www.aaliyah.com Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah (pronounced /əˈliːə/), was an American recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah was signed to Jive Records and Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry Hankerson. He introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album. Age Ain't Nothing But a Number sold two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed to Atlantic Records. Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold two million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first major film, Romeo Must Die. She also contributed to the film's soundtrack, where "Try Again" was released as a single. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on radio airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this feat. "Try Again" earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. After filming Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her part in Queen of the Damned. She released her third and final album, Aaliyah, in 2001. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in an airplane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Since then, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with several posthumous releases. Selling over 24 million records worldwide, she has been credited for helping redefine R&B and hip hop and has been named the "Queen of Urban Pop". Contents [hide] 1 Life and career 1.1 1979–1991: Early life 1.2 1992–1995: Age Ain't Nothing But a Number 1.3 1996–1999: One in a Million 1.4 2000–2001: Romeo Must Die and eponymous album 1.4.1 Plane crash, death and wrongful death lawsuit 1.5 2001–2005: Posthumous career 2 Musical style and image 3 Legacy 4 Discography 4.1 Studio albums 4.2 Compilations 5 Filmography 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links Life and career 1979–1991: Early life Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.[1] Born of African American and Native American descent,[2][3] she was the second and youngest child of Diane and Michael Haughton.[4] At a young age, Aaliyah was enrolled in voice lessons by her mother.[1] When she was five years old, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was raised along with her older brother, Rashad.[5][6] She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where she received a part in the stage play Annie in first grade; from then on, she was determined to be an entertainer.[7] Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer who was previously married to Gladys Knight.[6] As a child, Aaliyah traveled with Knight and worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and television programs, including Family Matters; she went on to appear appeared on Star Search at the age of nine.[1][8] She then auditioned for several record labels and appeared in concert alongside Knight at age 11.[6][9] 1992–1995: Age Ain't Nothing But a Number After Barry Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his Blackground Records label at the age of 12.[10][11] Hankerson then introduced her to recording artist and producer R. Kelly.[9] He became Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of the album.[12][13] They began recording her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, when she was 14.[11] Released in June 1994, the album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and sold over two million copies in the United States.[14][15] Aaliyah's debut single, "Back & Forth", topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks and was cert
[Marxism-Thaxis] I'm an atheist, so what?
O STREET PIMP MY BLOG CHALLENGE I'm an atheist, so what? FINALIST By PETER JURICH • O STREET GUEST BLOGGER • August 3, 2009 I was at work when someone brought up that I am an atheist. A nearby coworker nearly had a heart attack. "You are?" she asked. "But ... you're such a ... good person!" In the words of Oneita: Oh, my. I'd like to set the record straight on atheism. Being an atheist opens up my world to the different possibilities I may have otherwise missed. It makes me an accepting individual because it is an exercise in questioning that allows me to explore any and all walks of life. Atheism breaks down the barriers put up by racism, sexism, xenophobia and other discrimination because I have an understanding that there is nothing more important (i.e. an invitation into heaven) than the feelings I share with others. I explained this to my coworker. "Well, I'm older than you," she said. "I understand more." I didn't tell her that I attended a strict, private Catholic school for eight years, that I had questions my teachers nervously refused to answer, and that I've since answered those questions myself. I did, however, tell her my views were not without research. Yes, she is older, but that doesn't mean anything. I am capable of empathy, optimism, sadness, patriotism, guilt and love. I told her I'm more confident because I'm not ashamed of any thoughts. I neglected to stress that I still differentiate between right and wrong, but I assumed she knew that. I don't do drugs, have sex with strangers, drive insanely fast or bust caps in asses. Her response? "Someday, you'll get it." In respect to the warm and fuzzy feeling one gets (and I've tried very hard to get) from organized religion, I can get that same feeling by going to a concert. All we are feeling is the energy of a group of people coming together enthusiastically for a common interest. The difference is the context: Believers feel God brought them together; fans think it was Ticketmaster. I ended the conversation out of respect for the workplace -- a public school. Begrudgingly, I let my coworker have the final word. "Don't give up," she said. "Just try keeping a more open mind." PETER JURICH, 23, of Dearborn is a Wayne State University student who wrote "Typing With One Hand." Oneita the Editor's Note: I met Peter in February when he interviewed me for a homework assignment. That was flattering, but it didn't curry any favor: I rejected the first blog entry he submitted for this challenge because it was lame. I chose this one because of Peter's honesty and his perspective, and because I knew it would produce a good conversation. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Marx relation to morality
[lbo-talk] Blue Dogs cashing in c b cb31450 at gmail.com Thu Aug 6 13:20:33 PDT 2009 Previous message: [lbo-talk] you know its bad when... Next message: [lbo-talk] Blue Dogs cashing in Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] Search LBO-Talk Archives Limit search to: Subject & Body Subject Author Sort by: Date Rank Author Subject Reverse Sort Marx is also an amoralist for the following reason: morality concerns judging action that impacts that interests of _other_ people not the self-interests of the actor. Marx is trying to get the working class, working class individuals, to take action in their own self-interest. Marx does not appeal to the working class to revolt against the immorality of the ruling class, but to act in its own self-interest , which is an amoral motive. In my opinion, Marx does hold that the ruling class exploitation and oppression of the ruled class are wicked ,lbecause they have a bad impact on the ruled class' individuals' interests. But he does not try to get the working class to act because of this ruling class wickedness. He appeals to a non-moral motive: self-interest. Charles ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Marx and morality
[lbo-talk] Blue Dogs cashing in c b cb31450 at gmail.com Fri Aug 7 07:25:16 PDT 2009 Marv Gandall Shane M. writes: > > On Aug 6, 2009, at 4:20 PM, c b wrote: > >> Marx is also an amoralist for the following reason: morality concerns >> judging action that impacts that interests of _other_ people not the >> self-interests of the actor. Marx is trying to get the working class, >> working class individuals, to take action in their own self-interest. >> Marx does not appeal to the working class to revolt against the >> immorality of the ruling class, but to act in its own self-interest , >> which is an amoral motive. > > > But the "self-interest" of the proletariat, as Marx conceives it, has > nothing to do with "interest" (economic advantage) as conceived by > individuals, including individual proletarians, in bourgeois society. > The "self-interest" of the proletariat as a class *fur sich* consists of > its *abolition as a class == But it is only when individual workers identify their own economic self-interest with the interest of all who work for wages and salaries that they combine for collective action in the workplace and in politics - that which presents them with the possibility of transcending their status as workers, ie. the abolition of the working class. This newly awakened social consciousness is conceived of as the "highest expression" of morality in contradistinction to bourgeois morality which exalts the individual, but it follows rather than precedes the development of class consciousness arising out of the realm of production. ^^ c b wrote: > Marx is also an amoralist for the following reason: morality concerns > judging action that impacts the interests of _other_ people not the > self-interests of the actor. Hard to see how someone could affect their own self interest without impacting others. ie?? martin ^ CB: No doubt. In general, in these times, an individual worker can seek to fulfill her own self-intetest by helping to make socialism while impacting others' self-interests positively, no ? So, no moral dilemma in following Marx's suggestions. Marxism is selfish and moral at the same time. The original win-win approach. By the way, there's nothing immoral about impacting the rich's overinflated, ballooned even, wealth by deflating it. Rich individuals can satisfy their self-interests with much less wealth than they have now.. Matthias Wasser > Individual self-interest doesn't get you there, though. As far as any one individual is concerned, your material-reward-to-effort ratio is going to be a lot higher trying to get into the ruling class than overthrowing them. You can push out the boundaries of the self to include the community, of course, but that encroaches on the territory of - gasp! - morality. ^^^ CB: So far, yes. So far it hasn't gotten us there, but the struggle continues; victory is certain. ^ ^ Shane Mage : But the "self-interest" of the proletariat, as Marx conceives it, has nothing to do with "interest" (economic advantage) as conceived by individuals, including individual proletarians, in bourgeois society. The "self-interest" of the proletariat as a class *fur sich* consists of its *abolition as a class*. This is an entirely moral, not amoral, motive because it grounds communism in a concrete teleology--the planetary historical mission of human consciousness as the embodiment of what Hegel called "objective spirit." ^ CB: Yes, I think as it has turned out historically, the failure to achieve socialist reovolutions, especially in the Western, big power nations, means that there is an ironic convergence of Marxism with the Christian trope of pie-in-the-sky-in-the-bye-and-bye or ,individual Marxists and workers sacrificing their immediate and short-term self-interests for the cause of the interests of others to be fulfilled in the longer run in the planetary mission. The Party bookstore in Highland Park 10 -15 years ago was "Longview Bookstore". However, Marx seemed to seek to help make revolution in his lifetime, not to say that he opposed it in the long run. And each generation of Marxists "should" look for a way to make revolution within their lifetime, even if as with Sisyphus, the revolutionary rock has rolled some ways back down the hill again. Note that Marx -and Engels, Lenin , Angela Davis, et al, (most LBOers ) - not being in the working class were thoroughly morally motivated, I.e. they could have me
[Marxism-Thaxis] G.A. Cohen Goes Home
"farmela...@juno.com" "Above all, I found much of *Lire Capital* critically vague. It is perhaps a matter for regret that logical positivism, with its insistence on precision of intellectual commitment, never caught on in Paris. Anglophone philosophy left logical positivism behind long ago, but it is lastingly the better for having engaged with it. The Althusserian vogue could have unfortunate consequences for Marxism in Britain, where lucidity is a precious heritage, and where it is not generally supposed that a theoretical statement, to be one, must be hard to comprehend." Alas, one consequence of Cohen's work was to revive the very sort of mechanical materialism that Althusser had rejected along with humanist Marxism, but which the young Jerry Cohen seems to have imbibed along with his mother's milk, having been born and raised within the milieu of the Canadian CP. CB: Seems likely that the Canadian CP's materialism was dialectical, not mechanical. Stages of history or mode of production analysis denigratingly labelled "stagist" seems to be a Trotskyist theoretical shortcoming. Also, history in the Soviet Union and China seem to lend support to a more "stagist" interpretation of the world movement to socialism. Perhaps this means Cohen's work is supported by these real history , real world developments. ^^^ Cohen, himself, years later, came to see the inadequacy of this type of historical materialism but seemed to draw the conclusion that the problem laid with historical materialism in general rather than with the specific variety of historical materialism that he had embraced. ^ CB: Real history is looking more "stagist" , actually. Jim Farmelant -- Original Message -- From: jksc...@yahoo.com To: "marxist philosophy" Subject: [marxistphilosophy] G.A. Cohen Goes Home Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 17:57:20 + Unless I missed it the death the other day of Jerry Cohen attracted no comment on a list devoted to Marxist philosophy. I know that as first a founder of analytical Marxism, then as a refugee from Marxism to liberal egalitarianism, he was not favored among the participants here. But IMHO he was one of the most influential and important Marxist thinkers of the latter half of the 20th century, and his legacy requires comment. Not much time here but I will note a few thoughts; - In the context of a sharp decline in the quantity and quality of Marxist theory, Cohen and the AMs stood for the disconnection of theory from practice, the entrenchment of Marxism as another academic exercise. In some ways this was not their fault giving the collapse of Marxism as a movement and a force in the world. - Cohen helped bring a level of rigor and precision in Marxist thinking that had been sorely lacking for a very long time. If it's complained that his work lacked popular accessibility, what are we to say about Adorno, a favorite here who gets wide discussion? - Cohen's major work on Karl Marx's Theory Of History is very valuable, but went down the wrong track in reviving a stagist, mechanical, primacy of the productive forces 2d Internat'l conception of historical materialism. (Possibly due in part to his roots in the Canadian CP.) True, Marx gave that view a lot of space, but Cohen almost totally neglected Marx's alternative class struggle view, which I think is more true and valuable and gets no less, arguably more, space. Brenner is far better on this (and no less rigorous). - Cohen's turn to traditional style moral philosophy as important, first as a complement to his idea of historical materialism, then as a replacement for Marxism and materialist analysis, was a major retrogression. No doubt there is more ethics in Marx and Marxism than Marx cared to admit, but Marx pointed the way in integrating these into materialist analysis. Cohen's own positive ethical views were, moreover, disappointingly primitive and underdeveloped. See his awful Egalitarianism book, but also earlier papers on exploitation and his paper critiquing value theory -- a real train wreck. And I don't accept value theory myself! I haven't carefully read the last book in Rawls. Btw in that book Cohen lists as the big three books on political philosophy Rawls' A Theory of Justice, Hobbes' Leviathan, and Plato's Republic. Marx's Capital doesn't make his cut. Given Cohen's a priori turn to liberal morality, Marx might be happy to be left out. - Cohen was nonetheless a major influence, one of the few really original thinkers in late 20th century Marxism, along with perhaps Althusser -- who, it might argued, paralleled him in a French sort of way. The people we tend to discuss, Marx, the Western Marxists, all had their roots and did much or all of their important work before 1950. It says something about the state of Marxism that Cohen and Althusser are among the giants of postwar Marxism. More later. Justin
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] [marxistphilosophy] G.A. Cohen Goes Home
On 8/7/09, Phil Walden wrote: > I live in Oxford and clashed with G. A. Cohen at seminars at which I tried > to persuade him to take Hegel's dialectics and Marx's dialectics seriously. > In particular, Hegel's Science of Logic was a completely closed book to > Cohen because for reasons of professional advantage, Cohen adopted the > British Professional Philosopher view of Bertrand Russell etc. that Hegel's > logic is simply irrational. This was always just stated as an assertion, or > with a 'clever' Oxford academic 'joke', without any thought of having a real > engagement with Hegel's Logic. My efforts, at least as far as Cohen were > concerned, were completely forlorn, I think because his background in the > Canadian CP had corroded and fixed his mind and intellect to the extent that > he could not grasp Hegel's dialectics or Marx's dialectics, and he took > refuge in analytical 'Marxism' and abstract moral 'theory'. ^ CB: Maybe there's a dialectical contradiction here (smile_, but CP's teach dialectics, Hegelian and Marxist. See for example , Lenin's essay on Karl Marx or Engels' _Ludwig Feuerbach_ or _Anti-Duhring_ very much featured in CP teaching in this area. _The Manifesto of the Communist Party_ is informed by dialectics. It seems very unlikely that Cohen'a dismissal of dialectics came from following any example of the Canadian CP ^ His always > arrogant dismissal of dialectics did, I think, do some and probably all of > his students a lot of damage. He was, of course, rigorous, in an analytical > philosophical kind of way, but at the level of imagination he was very > limited. Ralph Dumain would have absolutely knocked spots off him, given > Ralph's wide reading and relatively undogmatic approach. Look at 'Analytical > Marxism' now. It has utterly disintegrated. That is partly because it never > had any connection with Marx's thought, although it tried, through > linguistic tricks, to claim that it did have something to do with Marx. Ask > yourself the question: what are the positive proposals of 'Analytical > Marxism' for how society should be in the futurean individualistic > 'utopia' in which there is a strategic denial that the fundamental > contradiction in human society is that between capital and labour. > > Phil Walden > > > > -Original Message- > From: marxism-thaxis-boun...@lists.econ.utah.edu > [mailto:marxism-thaxis-boun...@lists.econ.utah.edu] On Behalf Of > farmela...@juno.com > Sent: 07 August 2009 19:14 > To: marxistphiloso...@yahoogroups.com > Cc: marxism-thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > Subject: Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] [marxistphilosophy] G.A. Cohen Goes Home > > > > Well on Marxmail I had posted > the following in response to > another poster, who had drawn > a comparison between Cohen and > Althusser. > > --- > I suspect that Jerry Cohen would > not have minded if people took > note of his passing by debating > the merits of his works. > > Actually, I find his reading > of Marx to have been closer > to the readings that were > provided by such Second > International Marxists like > Kautsky and Plekhanov. > I believe that > somewhere in KMTH he makes > such an acknowledgement. > But yet he did seem to have > to come to such a reading by way > of Althusser, even though > he rejected Althusserianism. > > G.A. Cohen discussed Althusser > in his foreword to KMTH. There, > after detailing some of the > positive contributions of the > Althusserians to Marxism > (which for Cohen included the re-emphasis > on Marx's more mature writings like > *Capital* rather than the earlier > writings like the *1844 Manuscripts* > and the attention that > Althusser and his followers paid to > historical materialism) then > proceeded to note what he regarded > as some of their more negative attributes. > > Writing thus: > > "Above all, I found much of *Lire Capital* critically vague. It > is perhaps a matter for regret that logical positivism, with its > insistence on precision of intellectual commitment, never > caught on in Paris. Anglophone philosophy left logical positivism > behind long ago, but it is lastingly the better for having engaged > with it. The Althusserian vogue could have unfortunate consequences > for Marxism in Britain, where lucidity is a precious heritage, and > where it is not generally supposed that a theoretical statement, > to be one, must be hard to comprehend." > > Alas, one consequence of Cohen's work was to revive the > very sort of mechanical materialism that Althusser had > rejected along with humanist Marxism, but which > the young Jerry Cohen seems to have imbibed along with his > mother's milk, having been born and raised within > the milieu of the Canadian CP. Cohen, himself, years > later, came to see the inadequacy of this type of historical > materialism but seemed to draw the conclusion that the > problem laid with historical materialism in general rather > than with the specific variety of historical materialism > that he h
[Marxism-Thaxis] Eating Less May Extend Your Lifespan -- But Is it Worth It?
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141792/eating_less_may_extend_your_lifespan_--_but_is_it_worth_it/ Eating Less May Extend Your Lifespan -- But Is it Worth It? By Ari LeVaux, AlterNet. Posted August 8, 2009. Recent studies indicate cutting your diet by 30 percent of what you're supposed to eat can extend your life, but living longer isn't everything. AlterNet Social Networks: The idea that eating less can prolong life has been gaining traction in recent years, thanks to studies on many organisms, including mice, spiders, dogs and worms, that correlate fewer calories with longer life. A group called the Calorie Restriction Society has formed to encourage and assist people in reducing their long-term caloric intake for the sake of health. Their diet, called Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition (CRON), is intended to drastically reduce caloric intake without starving the body. CRONies, as they call themselves, claim that in addition to the possibility of living longer and retarding the effects of aging, they experience increased energy and mental clarity. We're talking about more than skipping dessert. The CRON diet aims for a weight of 10-25 percent less than what you weighed in college (assuming you were healthy, not anorexic or obese). I'm 6' 2'' and weighed 160 pounds when I was 20. So if I were a CRONie, I'd aim to weigh about 130 pounds -- 55 pounds less than my current weight. That may sound extreme, but CRONies received a recent boost from the results of a long-term study on rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were divided into two groups, one of which was fed 30 percent fewer calories than the other. The researchers, led by Ricki J. Colman and Richard Weindruch at the University of Wisconsin, reported in Science magazine's July 9 issue that after 20 years, the dieting monkeys show significantly less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease than the control group. Calorie restriction entered the mainstream in the 1980s, when UCLA researcher Dr. Roy Walford began publishing books, including The 120-Year Diet, based on his research with mice. Walford died at 79 of Lou Gehrig's disease, and his daughter Lisa Walford now carries the torch. A prominent CRONie, she's 5 feet tall, weighs 80 lbs, and according to her recent book, The Longevity Diet, enjoys a daily breakfast of four walnuts, six almonds and 10 peanuts, which is eerily similar to, but somewhat less, than what I fed a five-ounce parakeet I recently babysat. Another of Dr. Walford's disciples is Richard Weindruch, co-author of the recent monkey study. Weindruch also co-founded LifeGen Technologies LLC, a company that "works with drug makers to quantify the effect of possible life-extending drugs." LifeGen's business plan, based on the premise that most people don't have the willpower to limit their caloric intake by 30 percent, is to identify and replicate in pill form the biochemical processes triggered by caloric restriction. When I reached Weindruch by e-mail, he admitted that he himself doesn't follow a calorie-restricted diet, though he does eat "lots of vegetables and not much meat." His co-author, Ricki Coleman, has similarly gone on record acknowledging that she doesn't follow a low-cal diet, despite their team's conclusion that "these data demonstrate that caloric restriction slows aging in a primate species." While the CRONies are fasting for joy, many scientists and health experts don't buy it. Most of the monkeys are still alive, and are expected to keep living for years, so it's too early to tell if the dieting monkeys really will live longer. And at this point, according to the researchers, the difference between the two groups in terms of the deaths that have occurred so far is not statistically significant. But if there's yet to be a significant difference in mortality between the two groups, why has this study made headlines around the world? Researchers employed some statistical fancy footwork to exclude monkey deaths deemed not due to age -- including deaths occurring under anesthesia while blood samples were taken. Thus the researches were able to show a statistically significant difference between the two groups of surviving moneys. Skeptics argue the low-cal diet could have made the monkeys more susceptible to health threats not usually associated with age. Infection, for example, isn't considered an age-related disease, but caloric restriction has been shown to disrupt the immune system and increase susceptibility to some types of infection, like listeria, in fruit flies. And the effects of undereating on a number of other health indicators, like bone density and fertility, while perhaps not life-threatening, are nonetheless negative. There's also reason to believe that laboratory conditions don't adequately simulate real life. Studies that show mice to live as much as 40 percent longer on a calorie restriction diet are done with lab mice, which have been bred for high fertility and other cha
[Marxism-Thaxis] IS THE U.S. ON THE BRINK OF FASCISM?
IS THE U.S. ON THE BRINK OF FASCISM? By Sara Robinson, Campaign for America's Future There are dangerous currents running through America's politics and the way we confront them is crucial. http://www.alternet.org/rights/141819/is_the_u.s._on_the_brink_of_fascism/ ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Detroit
AIG insuring of Detroit city bonds was not motivated by race hate or racism but profit motive. The first question is "why did the leaders of Detroit go to AIG in the first place?" I am not aware of any evidence that Detroit seeking insurance from AIG was racially motivated. AIG’s pricing of insurance or financial products was the motivation for Detroit entering into this market relation. ^ CB: On this issue, racism should be analyzed _structurally_, not in terms of individual motivation. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Inside Story on Town Hall Riots: Right-Wing Shock Troops Do Corporate America's Dirty Work
Inside Story on Town Hall Riots: Right-Wing Shock Troops Do Corporate America's Dirty Work By Adele M. Stan, AlterNet Posted on August 10, 2009, Printed on August 10, 2009 http://www.alternet.org/story/141860/ The recent spate of town hall dustups may look like an overnight sensation, but they've been years, even decades, in the making. Since the days in the late 1970s, when the New Right began its takeover of the Republican Party, it has cultivated a militia of white people armed with a grudge against those who brought forth the social changes of the '60s. These malcontents have been promised their day of retribution, a day for which they are more than ready. Few seem to understand that they are merely dupes for a corporate agenda that will only worsen the conditions in which they live. Why, you may ask, would men of power and fame shake the rough, unmanicured hands of gun enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, gay-haters, misogynists and racists? Because somebody's got to do the dirty work. Magnates don't like to soil their French cuffs, and it's hard for a bunch of rich guys to garner sympathy for threats to their bottom lines. It's the classic inside-outside game that the right wing of the GOP has played for the last two decades. The Health-Care Industry Executive Imagine you're an executive at a pharmaceutical company. Your U.S. operations are your cash cow; they earn you wild net profits because, unlike in other industrialized nations, you do not experience the price controls of a government-administered program in which the government negotiates for the best price on prescription drugs and devices. Along comes a government plan for health-insurance reform that includes a public, government-financed plan. The public option, they call it. As part of the plan, you will be required to negotiate with the government for the price of medications and devices to be distributed within the plan. Now that could really screw up your massive profit margins. Private plans might then insist on prices more like those the government is getting. Instead of increasing your profit by double digits in the worst year the economy has seen since the Great Depression, as did an outfit called The Medicines Co., your shareholders may have to settle for profits more in line with the overall growth of the economy. And wouldn't that just stink? Meanwhile, polls show a clear majority of Americans -- you know, regular Americans, the kind who don't want to own an AK-47, or who do accept the president's citizenship status -- favor the public option. In fact, in June, CBS News found that majority to be 72 percent. So, whaddaya do? Well, if your lobbying firm counts former Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, as its senior policy adviser, you don't have do much. Dick will take care of the rest through FreedomWorks, the ostensibly grassroots, nonprofit organization of anti-taxers, cold warriors and affirmative-action opponents, which he chairs. Need to make it look like regular Americans oppose the health-insurance reform bills now being considered by Congress? Make sure a handful of those angry white people turn up at the town hall meetings now being conducted by members of Congress throughout the country. Make sure they disrupt the meeting and rattle the congressperson. Capture it all on amateur video and put it up on a faux, amateur-looking Web site, and try to kid the media into thinking there's a widespread rebellion happening. After all, the media are gonna want that dramatic footage. The Republican Member of Congress Now, suppose you're a Republican member of Congress. Your party got totally throttled in the 2008 election, and if you don't derail this health care thing, it's going to be a big win for your Democratic opponents, as millions of underinsured and uninsured Americans finally have some health care coverage -- one bright spot in a largely dismal economy. Meanwhile, you get a lot of your campaign cash from health-care-related industries and from the Wall Street bankers and brokers who want to keep those profits soaring. A public option is going to stink for you, too. So, while Armey's army of taxphobes is useful to you, it would be great to get some really hard-core types to further stoke the fires -- especially if marshaled by guys who know how to really tar Democrats with racist imagery and slurs of unpatriotic behavior. That's where Grassfire.org and its brother networking site, ResistNet, come in. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who promised to make health-care reform President Obama's "Waterloo," is a big fan. Says so right there on the Grassfire Web site. ResistNet is yet another right-wing hub for organizing the disruption of health-care town hall meetings. The Media Mogul Okay, now put on the hat of a media mogul, one who rails against the minimal restrictions the U.S. has on multi-outlet ownership, and one for whom the bottom line is everything. In fact, you actually own the Wall Street Journal. If you can nip th
[Marxism-Thaxis] Short obit for Jerry Cohen
G. A. Cohen, 1941-2009 by James Farmelant Early in the morning on August 5th, one of the most notable left-wing political philosophers of the English-speaking world, Gerald Allan Cohen, (G. A. Cohen) or as he liked to be called by his friends, Jerry Cohen, died after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 68. Jerry Cohen was probably best known for his 1978 book, Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence (Oxford University Press), where he attempted to apply the techniques of analytical philosophy (including both logical analysis and linguistic analysis) to the elucidation and defense of Karl Marx's materialist conception of history. In doing so, he helped give birth to a new school Marxist thought, Analytical Marxism. This school sought to clarify Marxism, using not only the tools of analytical philosophy, along with tools of modern social science such as rational choice theory (i.e. game theory and even neoclassical economic analysis), to the clarification and defense of the theories of Karl Marx and his successors. Besides Jerry, other leading Analytical Marxists included the economist John Roemer, the political theorist Jon Elster, the economist and economic historian Robert Brenner, and the sociologist Erik Olin Wright. In this respect, Jerry Cohen offered a reading of Marx that rejected both traditional dialectical materialism, as well as the Hegelian readings associated with Western Marxist schools like the Frankfurt School as well as the structuralism of Louis Althusser. In this and other respects, this book was the product of Jerry's unique background. He was born the son of working class Jewish parents in Montreal. Both his parents were active in leftist politics, with his father active in trade unionism while his mother was a member of the Communist Party of Canada. As a young boy, Jerry Cohen for a time attended a left-wing Jewish day school that had the distinction of being raided by Quebec's red squad. That raid eventually led to the school's closure. During his teens, Jerry was active in the National Federation of Labour Youth, which was the youth arm of the Canadian Communists. He experienced the turmoil which tore the Party apart following Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization speech before the Twentieth Congress in 1956 and which led to the disintegration of the National Federation of Labour Youth in Quebec. Out of this milieu, Jerry went on to attend McGill University where he studied philosophy and was active in the university's Socialist Society, of which he became president. After graduating from McGill, Jerry Cohen then went to Oxford University to pursue graduate study in philosophy, earning a B.Phil degree and becoming fully trained as an analytical philosopher. At Oxford he studied under Gilbert Ryle who was one of the leading analytical philosophers of the twentieth century (among other notable students of Gilbert Ryle include A. J. Ayer and Daniel Dennett). He also studied under the political philosopher Isaiah Berlin, who was one of the leading lights of liberal political philosophy. While Jerry remained very much a socialist and he was quite critical of Berlin's analysis of negative liberty versus positive liberty, the two men became close personal friends. After completing his studies at Oxford, Jerry Cohen stayed in the UK and took a teaching position at University College London as an assistant lecturer, lecturer, and reader in the philosophy department of that institution. It was during those years, in the 1960s and 1970s, that he began the work, which led to the writing of his famous book. He would remain at University College London until his 1985 appointment as the Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at All Souls College, Oxford. He would then remain at Oxford until 2008 when he took emeritus status there and accepted a new position as the Quain Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London. A full evaluation of Jerry Cohen's thought and work would be beyond the scope of this article. However, it should be noted that his thought (and the thought of his fellow Analytical Marxists) followed a distinct trajectory. They started with a focus on historical materialism, but, over time, they became more and more focused on the ethical justification of socialism. Indeed, that was the focus of his later books including Self-Ownership, Freedom and Equality (Cambridge University Press, 1995) and If you're an egalitarian how come you're so rich? (Harvard University Press, 2000). He became intrigued with the arguments of libertarian political philosophers, especially those of Robert Nozick, as expressed in the latter's Anarchy, State, and Utopia (Basic Books, 1974). Jerry was intrigued by the libertarians, both because he thought that they had provided some of the strongest arguments available in defense of capitalism and because they appealed to premises which he himself embraced. Therefore, Jerry devoted much time and energy to
[Marxism-Thaxis] G.A. Cohen Goes Home
From: jkschw1 at yahoo.com To: "marxist philosophy" Subject: [marxistphilosophy] G.A. Cohen Goes Home Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 17:57:20 + Unless I missed it the death the other day of Jerry Cohen attracted no comment on a list devoted to Marxist philosophy. I know that as first a founder of analytical Marxism, then as a refugee from Marxism to liberal egalitarianism, he was not favored among the participants here. But IMHO he was one of the most influential and important Marxist thinkers of the latter half of the 20th century, and his legacy requires comment. ^^ CB: Cohen may have been important , but he was not unusually influential among Marxist thinkers. This conclusion can only be reached from the tendencies in Marxism that dismiss the Marxism of CP's and Trotskyist parties, and thinkers in these sections of Marxism ^ Not much time here but I will note a few thoughts; - In the context of a sharp decline in the quantity and quality of Marxist theory, ^ CB: This is a position held by only a section of Marxists, particularly academic and anti-Party Marxists. ^ Cohen and the AMs stood for the disconnection of theory from practice, CB: A telling admission, given that Marx himself put so much emphasis on the unity of theory and practice. "Philosophers (like Cohen) have interpreted the world in a number of ways; the thing is to change it." the entrenchment of Marxism as another academic exercise. In some ways this was not their fault giving the collapse of Marxism as a movement and a force in the world. ^ CB: This ignores that the Communist Party is the ruling party of China, Cuba, Viet Nam, parts of India, et al., and the revolutions in South America , which though they don't announce it, are obviously part of the Marxist movement. ^ - Cohen helped bring a level of rigor and precision in Marxist thinking that had been sorely lacking for a very long time. ^^^ CB: This is an assertion that is not demonstrated nor accepted by many Marxists. It's also a self-serving claim by Analytical Marxists. ^ If it's complained that his work lacked popular accessibility, what are we to say about Adorno, a favorite here who gets wide discussion? - Cohen's major work on Karl Marx's Theory Of History is very valuable, but went down the wrong track in reviving a stagist, mechanical, primacy of the productive forces 2d Internat'l conception of historical materialism. (Possibly due in part to his roots in the Canadian CP.) ^ CB: Why not say that his alleged greater rigor and precision are the results of his roots in the Canadian CP ? ^ True, Marx gave that view a lot of space, but Cohen almost totally neglected Marx's alternative class struggle view, which I think is more true and valuable and gets no less, arguably more, space. Brenner is far better on this (and no less rigorous). ^ CB: A "rigorous" look at actual history today would lead one to a more "stagist" view. And of course CP's , including the Canadian , give much primacy to "the class struggle view". So, this is a typical slanderous claim about CP's. If the alternative to the "stagist" view is a "class struggle" view, then the CP's don't promote a "stagist" view. ^^^ - Cohen's turn to traditional style moral philosophy as important, first as a complement to his idea of historical materialism, then as a replacement for Marxism and materialist analysis, was a major retrogression. No doubt there is more ethics in Marx and Marxism than Marx cared to admit, but Marx pointed the way in integrating these into materialist analysis. ^ CB: There's a recent thread on LBO-talk discussing this. Marx doesn't claim that capitalists are moral, he just appeals to self-interest among workers, and appeal to self-interest is not a moral appeal. ^^^ Cohen's own positive ethical views were, moreover, disappointingly primitive and underdeveloped. See his awful Egalitarianism book, but also earlier papers on exploitation and his paper critiquing value theory -- a real train wreck. And I don't accept value theory myself! I haven't carefully read the last book in Rawls. Btw in that book Cohen lists as the big three books on political philosophy Rawls' A Theory of Justice, Hobbes' Leviathan, and Plato's Republic. Marx's Capital doesn't make his cut. Given Cohen's a priori turn to liberal morality, Marx might be happy to be left out. CB: Cohen's earlier thesis is interesting to get a discussion on Marxism going, and to demonstrate how Marxism is different than mid-twentieth century British philosophy . However, he's not an unusual giant among Marxist or Marxian thinkers. - Cohen was nonetheless a major influence, one of the few really original thinkers in late 20th century Marxism, along with perhaps Althusser -- who, it might argued, paralleled him in a French sort of way. The people we tend to discuss, Marx, the Western Marxists, all had their roots and did much or all of their impo
[Marxism-Thaxis] Wooo !
Over the Top and Beneath Contempt By: Roger Simon Politico.com - August 11, 2009 04:44 AM EST http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/25991.html Today, we live in the age of rabid response. Not rapid response. Rapid response was yesterday. Rapid response was the political tactic of responding quickly to all attacks, no matter how outrageous or unbelievable. Those who did not respond rapidly, those who told themselves the public would not believe outright lies, failed to win higher office. (Thus Democrats still blame John Kerry for not responding rapidly enough in 2004 to the attacks of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.) Rabid response is different. The purpose of rabid response is to scorch the earth, to raise the stakes, to go nuclear in the hope that your opponent will be so shellshocked he can make no response at all. The purpose of rabid response is to grab the public by the throat and not let go. Have concerns over Barack Obama's health care plan? I don't doubt it. The plan is very long and very complicated and still a work in progress. But there is one thing we do know about it: It will establish "death panels." These death panels will determine whether you, your baby, your parents or your grandparents will receive health care or be left to die. In the street. Like a dog. How will the death panels operate? Who will be on them? Will they validate parking? We do not know. We know only that the death panels will judge each individual's "level of productivity in society" and render a life or death judgment. So says Sarah Palin on her Facebook page. In olden times, Palin might have made this claim at a speech or during a news conference where reporters might have asked questions like: "What proof do you have?" or "Aren't you just trying to scare people?" But Palin does not risk that. She takes no questions. She has done her duty as a rabid responder. She has rung the tocsin, sounded the alarm, lit the signal fire. Truth? Accuracy? Responsibility? Not her territory. Glenn Beck is a rabid responder on race. "This president, I think, he has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture," Beck says. "This guy is, I believe, a racist." Rush Limbaugh is a rabid responder on Nazis and swastikas. He knows a lot about swastikas. He sees them everywhere. He looks at the Obama health care logo - which incorporates the familiar medical symbol of twin serpents on a staff - and sees it as being "damn close to a Nazi swastika logo." Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi muddied the waters - surprise! - by saying those who oppose Obama's health care plan "are carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on health care." But Limbaugh had a rabid response for that: "There are far more similarities between Nancy Pelosi and Adolf Hitler than between these people showing up at town halls to protest a Hitler-like policy that's being heralded by a Hitler-like logo." And then, out of left (or right) field, came this: "Ted Kennedy's dad, by the way, Joe Kennedy, sympathetic to Hitler, sympathetic to the Nazis," Limbaugh said. But Limbaugh was not done with the Nazis or Hitler. In the world of rabid response, invoking the ultimate symbols of evil to describe one's political opponents is routine. It doesn't matter what you say, as long as it is over the top and beneath contempt. "Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate," Limbaugh said. "Hitler said he didn't need to meet with his Cabinet; he represented the will of the people. He was called the messiah. He said the people spoke through him." Which means, I guess, if Hitler were alive today, he would be a talk show host. [Roger Simon is POLITICO's chief political columnist.] c 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Wes Montgomery Wes Montgomery, 1965 Background information Birth name John Leslie Montgomery Born March 6, 1923(1923-03-06) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Died June 15, 1968 (aged 45) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Genre(s) Soul jazz, contemporary jazz, crossover jazz, mainstream jazz, jazz pop, hard bop Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter Instrument(s) Guitar Label(s) Riverside, Verve, CTI Notable instrument(s) Gibson L-5 CES John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (6 March 1923 - 15 June 1968)[1] was an American jazz guitarist. He is generally considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, and Pat Metheny. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Technique 3 Recording career 4 Discography 4.1 Riverside ( 1959-1963 ) 4.2 Verve ( 1964-1966 ) 4.3 A&M ( 1967-1968 ) 5 References 6 External links [edit] Biography Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He came from a musical family; his brothers, Monk (string bass and electric bass) and Buddy (vibraphone and piano), were jazz performers. The brothers released a number of albums together as the Montgomery Brothers. Although he was not skilled at reading music, he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. Montgomery started learning guitar relatively late, at the age of 19, by listening to and learning the recordings of his idol, guitarist Charlie Christian. He was known for his ability to play Christian solos note for note and was hired by Lionel Hampton for this ability.[1] Many fellow jazz guitarists consider Montgomery the greatest influence among modern jazz guitarists. Pat Metheny has praised him greatly, saying "I learned to play listening to Wes Montgomery's Smokin' At The Half Note." In addition, Metheny stated to the New York Times in 2005 that the solo on "If You Could See Me Now," from this album is his favorite of all time. Joe Pass indicated that, "To me, there have been only three real innovators on the guitar--Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, and Django Reinhardt," as cited in James Sallis's The Guitar Players and in his Hot Licks instructional video. In addition, George Benson attests, "Wes had a corn on his thumb, which gave his sound that point. He would get one sound for the soft parts, and then that point by using the corn. That's why no one will ever match Wes. And his thumb was double-jointed. He could bend it all the way back to touch his wrist, which he would do to shock people." Kenny Burrell states, "It was an honor that he called me as his second guitarist for a session." In addition, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix, David Becker, Joe Diorio and Pat Martino have pointed to him numerous times as a great influence. Following the early work of swing/pre-bop guitarist Charlie Christian and gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Wes joined Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Raney, and Barney Kessell to put guitar on the map as a bebop / post-bop instrument. While these men generally curtailed their own output in the 1960s, Montgomery recorded prolifically during this period, lending guitar to the same tunes contemporaries like John Coltrane and Miles Davis were recording. While many Jazz players are regarded as virtuosos, Montgomery had a very wide influence on other virtuosos who followed him, and in the respect he earned from his contemporaries. To many, Montgomery's playing defines jazz guitar and the sound that learners try to emulate. Dave Miele and Dan Bielowsky claim, "Wes Montgomery was certainly one of the most influential and most musical guitarists to ever pick up the instrumentHe took the use of octaves and chord melodies to a greater level than any other guitarist, before or sinceMontgomery is undoubtedly one of the most important voices in Jazz guitar that has ever lived-or most likely ever will live. A discussion of Jazz guitar is simply not thorough if it does not touch upon Wes Montgomery." (Jazz Improv Magazine, vol 7 # 4 p. 26). "Listening to [Wes Montgomery's] solos is like teetering at the edge of a brink," composer-conductor Gunther Schuller asserted, as quoted by Jazz & Pop critic Will Smith. "His playing at its peak becomes unbearably exciting, to the point where one feels unable to muster sufficient physical endurance to outlast it." Wes received many awards and accolades: Nominated for two Grammy Awards for Bumpin', 1965; received Grammy Award for Goin' Out of My Head as Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by Large Group or Soloist with Large Group, 1966; nominated for Grammy Awards for "Eleanor Rigby" and Down Here on the Ground, 1968; nominated for Grammy Award for Willow, Weep for Me, 1969. Wes' second album, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, earned him Down Beat magazine's "New Star" award in 1960. In addition, he won the Down Beat Critic's Poll award for best Jazz guitarist in 1960, '61, '62,'63, '66, and 1967. (NPR.org, Se
[Marxism-Thaxis] The Nature and Paradoxes of Freedom
farmelantj at juno.com farmelantj at juno.com Concerning the concepts of negative freedom that were embraced by both Hayek and Isaiah Berlin, Dogan is quite correct that for both men, the embracing of negative liberty (and the rejection of positive liberty) was very much motivated by their desire to defend capitalism. Where the two men differed, is that Berlin's embrace of negative liberty was in the context of his "pluralism." By pluralism, Berlin meant a "value pluralism" or a pluralism of values (not unlike Max Weber's conception) in which there are a plurality of ideals, which may all be equally valid, but which are not entirely compatible with one another. For Berlin, while negative liberty was a valid social ideal, it was not the only one. Berlin recognized as valid, the social ideals of equality and solidarity. Therefore, for Berlin, unlike Hayek, the good society while embracing negative liberty also might embrace other ideals like equality or solidarity. Therefore, Berlin was able to rationalize the emergence of the welfare state in the UK and the New Deal in the US. In this way, as Dogan suggests, Berlin's pluralism of values was closely tied to the pluralism of classes under capitalism, and so Berlin like a good social democratic liberal attempted to mediate between the interests of capitalists and workers under capitalism. Jim F. CB: Berlin seems to be espousing ye olde liberal creed of e pluribus unum. It is on US money as a sort of official American motto or something .".. E Pluribus Unum included in the Seal of the United States, being one of the nation's mottos at the time of the seal's creation ..." ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Detroit
Waistline2 In respect to AIG, I have not done the investigation into the rates charged to Detroit to determine if insurance of Detroit bonds required a higher premium rate. ^ CB: This switcheru was voted on in a public session, so, I'm sure of what I'm saying. AIG was insuring some of Detroit's bonds. When AIG went bankrupt, the bond agency lowered Detroit's bond rating , because its insurance was no good. Detroit had to enter into a draconian revision ( higher priority for the Wall Street bhe ond company to a casino revenue stream to the City) against its interests of its contract with the Wall Street bond company/parisite in order to avoid bankruptcy/receivership/in Michigan: Emergency Financial Manager. The Emergency Financial Manager acts as a financial dictator in cutting City jobs and stealing tax money for Wall Street. Wall Street Dictators by John Henry If one looks at the big picture, the City of Detroit is being set up by the powers-that-be, including the news media, for the same treatment as the school system - a financial dictatorship, with Wall Street and its agents ripping off the City workers and People of Detroit. Mayor Bing is demanding that the City workers take a 10% paycut over two years. The City unions are picketing today and may strike. A big part in this set-up is the years long project of portraying the elected officials of the City,Mayor and City Council, as so bad that the masses will accept a non-elected financial dictator to "clean up the mess" of these oh so foolish people elected by the citizenry. Whatever, faults they have, they are no worse than the dozens of white men who exclusively ran Detroit City government for so many decades. It is no coincidence that once the City Council became majority Black and women the forces that shape public opinion turned them into a bunch of fools in the minds of so many suckers and naive ones among us. Detroit financial problems are not due to City officials' bad decisions, but the disinvestment from and failures of corporate America in Detroit, and the related long term depopulation begun 60 years ago. The last thing the City needs is "CEO thinking" in leadership. CEO thinking has bankrupted all Wall Street, GM, Chrysler ! No exaggeration. At any rate, the effect of brainwashing so many citizens ignorant of Detroit's history and current events. has brought just such a CEO-style Mayor , who has all the appearances of someone who will facilitate handing the City over to a financial dictator, or emergency financial manager as over the DPS. Critically related to this looming financial rightwing coup, within the last several months, Wall Street bond holders tightened the noose through a swithcheroo perpetrated by Wall Street giant AIG's failure lowering Detroit's bond rating , triggering and threatening an emergency financial manager, i.e. financial dictator event. In the end Detroit was forced to let a Wallstreet firm get its teeth deeper into a City juggler vein/revenue stream from a casino. Then AIG was bailed out and Detroit was not by the federal government. Rushing Detroit to bankruptcy is very much about enriching Wall Street, the nation wide financial sector of America, at the expense of City workers and the People of Detroit. The financial dictator selected will be an agent of that finance capitalist class. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Michigan event launches drive to abolish nuclear weapons
Michigan event launches drive to abolish nuclear weapons Author: John Rummel People's Weekly World Newspaper, 08/11/09 16:01 BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Imagine if the threat of nuclear weapons and the billions that go to building and maintaining them instead went to provide health care, education and the prevention of global warming. It could become a reality when the United Nations meets in the spring of 2010 for the final review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. While the campaign to make it happen will be worldwide in scope, a local kickoff here came last week at the annual memorial service to commemorate the killing of innocent civilians in the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 44 years ago this month. Speaking to the assembled crowd, Al Fishman, a board member of Peace Action of Michigan, said this will be the first worldwide effort to ban nuclear weapons since 1950. “We have a chance to make this a success because for the first time in history, we have a president committed to goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Fishman said. He read aloud part of a petition addressed to President Obama that will be circulated during the next nine months leading up to the UN meeting: “Dear President Obama, We wholeheartedly applaud you for declaring in Prague, ‘I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.’ We commend you for your courageous and historic recognition that ‘as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the U.S. has a moral responsibility has to act.’” According to Fishman, another positive action the president is taking is his plan in the near future to resubmit the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Fishman said such initiatives from our president “gives us space to move.” Fishman said the petition to Obama will be circulated by many groups and that model resolutions will be available to take before organizations, city councils and other elected bodies. “This is a winner,” he said. To back up that confidence the first announced action will be signature collecting in Plymouth, Mich., the home district of conservative Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter. jrummel @ pww.org ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Socialist Feminist Revival
Socialist Feminist Revival If not now, when? August 09, 2009 By Reihana Mohideen Reihana Mohideen's ZSpace Page Join ZSpace [Contribution to the Reimagining Society Project hosted by ZCommunications] There is a revival of socialist feminism in Latin America, spearheaded by the Venezuelan and Cuban revolutions. I just returned from a workshop on gender-based violence organised by the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Venezuela and the UNDP. Speakers at the workshop included Maria Leon, Minister of Women's Affairs and Nora Casteneda President of Banmujer or Bank for the Development of Women. The two women explained the gains made by women as a result of Bolivarian socialist revolution in Venezuela. A record which was truly amazing in the attempts made in empowering women towards achieving gender equality, reported candidly by both women, who also outlined the challenges women in that country have as yet to overcome. The Bolivarian constitution is the first in the South (and possibly the world) to recognise women's housework as a legitimate economic activity producing wealth and contributing to the social welfare of the population: "The State will recognise household chores as an economic activity that creates added value, produces wealth and social welfare. Housewives have the right to social security according to the law." (Article 88) As Maria Leon explained in Article 88 "the work of all previous generations of women are also recognised and valued". In March 2007 the right of women to live a life free of violence became an organic law enacted by the National Assembly of Venezuela. Now the law must be effectively implemented. This includes setting up special courts or legal units to handle violence against women cases across the country, with some 19 courts already set up covering all regions. These courts were described as 'new institutions of the Venezuelan state to eradicate violence against women'. The first courts were on violence against women were set up in Caracas on June 27, 2008. These courts have the authority to temporarily arrest perpetrators of violence against women and prohibit them from leaving the country. The first dates for the trial should be set ten to twenty days after the act of violence, with sentencing on the same day with penalty and fines. Appeals processes exist. These courts were also described as 'specialised organs on violence against women' and as 'weapons in the struggle against violence against women'. According to Maria Leon, "Talking is not enough. Laws are not enough. Institutions are not enough. We need a cultural change in our views and outlook." This required mobilising women to become "a real force, a deterrent force, an army to combat violence against women and to change the notion of women as battered victims and weak human beings". To mobilise women some 25,000 'points of encounter' for women are being set up where women have easy access to information and services without cumbersome requirements and bureaucratic regulations. These 25,000 'points of encounter' will consist of at least ten women, who will then organise more women to create "an army to combat violence against women ... the point is not only to decrease violence against women, but to eradicate it". The Ministry for Women's Affairs and Gender Equality was set up on March 8, 2009. One of the first activities of the new Ministry was to organise a congress of women to consult women on the plans and work of the Ministry. A key objective of the Ministry is to advice the President on 'human development with gender equality' and the 'active participation in the defence and guarantee of women's rights in the revolutionary transformation of the country'. Linked to this a key task of the Ministry is to 'design the criteria for allocating financial and social resources and investments targeting women, especially those who are marginalised and excluded, suffering discrimination, exploitation and violence ... in order to promote a socialist production model with gender equity in the socialisation of the means of production'. Maria Leon and other Venezuelan women speakers all emphasised the importance of the local popular power structures, the commune councils, in the mobilisation and empowerment of women. According to Leon "Peoples power, popular power, is most important [and] 70% of the commune councils are headed by women". Nora Castaneda provided updates on the work of Banmujer. Banmujer is a key political instrument of the revolution in the economic and political empowerment of poor and ethnic minority women. Since 2001, Banmujer has redistributed wealth of around US$179 million in 106,616 microcredits to poor women. In 2008 alone it approved a total of 13,689 microcredit loans worth US$35 million. Meanwhile in Cuba pathbreaking proposals and measures are being advocated and discussed amongst the entire population to advance gender equality in relation to sexual rights, spearheaded by th
[Marxism-Thaxis] Encyclopédie
Encyclopédie Title page of the Encyclopédie.Main article: Encyclopédie André Le Breton, a bookseller and printer, approached Diderot with a project for the publication of a translation of Ephraim Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences into French, first undertaken by the Englishman John Mills, and followed by the German Gottfried Sellius. Diderot accepted the proposal. During this translation his creative mind and astute vision transformed the work. Instead of a mere reproduction of the Cyclopaedia, he persuaded Le Breton to enter upon a new work, which would collect all the active writers, ideas, and knowledge that were moving the cultivated class of the Republic of Letters to its depths; however, they were comparatively ineffective due to their lack of dispersion. His enthusiasm for the project was transmitted to the publishers; they collected a sufficient capital for a more vast enterprise than they had first planned. Jean le Rond d'Alembert was persuaded to become Diderot's colleague; the requisite permission was procured from the government. In 1750 an elaborate prospectus announced the project to a delighted public, and in 1751 the first volume was published. This work was very unorthodox and had many forward-thinking ideas for the time. Diderot stated within this work, "An encyclopedia ought to make good the failure to execute such a project hitherto, and should encompass not only the fields already covered by the academies, but each and every branch of human knowledge." Upon encompassing every branch of knowledge this will give, "the power to change men's common way of thinking." This idea was profound and intriguing, as it was one of the first works during the Enlightenment. Diderot wanted to give all people the ability to further their knowledge and, in a sense, allow every person to have any knowledge they sought of the world. The work, implementing not only the expertise of scholars and Academies in their respective fields but that of the common man in their proficiencies in their trades, sought to bring together all knowledge of the time and condense this information for all to use. These people would amalgamate and work under a society to perform such a project. They would work alone in order to shed societal conformities, and build a multitude of information on a desired subject with varying view points, methods, or philosophies. He emphasized the vast abundance of knowledge held within each subject with intricacies and details to provide the greatest amount of knowledge to be gained from the subject. All people would benefit from these insights into different subjects as a means of betterment; bettering society as a whole and individuals alike. This message under the Ancien Régime would severely dilute the regime's ability to control the people. Knowledge and power, two key items the upper class held over the lower class, were in jeopardy as knowledge would be more accessible, giving way to more power amongst the lower class. An encyclopedia would give the layman an ability to reason and use knowledge to better themselves; allowing for upward mobility and increased intellectual abundance amongst the lower class. A growth of knowledge amongst this segment of society would provide power to this group and a yearning to question the government. The numerated subjects in the folios were not just for the good of the people and society, but were for the promotion of the state as well. The state did not see any benefit in the works, instead viewing them as a contempt to contrive power and authority from the state. Diderot's work was plagued by controversy from the beginning; the project was suspended by the courts in 1752. Just as the second volume was completed accusations arose, regarding seditious content, concerning the editors entries on religion and natural law. Diderot was detained and his house was searched for manuscripts for subsequent articles. But the search proved fruitless as no manuscripts could be found. They were hidden in the house of an unlikely confederate—Chretien de Lamoignon Malesherbes, the very official who ordered the search. Although Malesherbis was a staunch absolutist-loyal to the monarchy, he was sympathetic to the literary project. Along with his support, and that of other well placed influential confederates, the project resumed. Diderot returned to his efforts only to be constantly embroiled in controversy. These twenty years were to Diderot not merely only a time of incessant drudgery, but harassing persecution and desertion of friends. The ecclesiastical party detested the Encyclopédie, in which they saw a rising stronghold for their philosophic enemies. By 1757 they could endure it no longer. The subscribers had grown from 2,000 to 4,000, a measure of the growth of the work in popular influence and power. The Encyclopédie threatened the governing social classes of France (aristocracy) because it took for granted the justice of re
[Marxism-Thaxis] Postal Service
EVERY CRISIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY Peter Rachleff St. Paul, Minnesota August 10, 2009 This year's Postal Press Association Editors Conference was abuzz with discussion of the Postal Service's threats to close hundreds of' stations. Virtually every editor present knew of one or more stations at risk in her or his own jurisdiction. The wolf which has loomed at the APWU's door for years - plant closings, job losses, disruptive excessing, economic insecurity, to be followed by the wage and benefit cuts and attacks on retirees' benefits which workers in other industries have experienced - is now huffing and puffing for real. In my workshop, "Learning From the Past to Conquer the Challenges of Today," we discussed ways to turn this crisis into an opportunity to revitalize the union, to secure its role not only in the workplace and at the bargaining table but also in the community, and to lead the fight to preserve - if not expand - public service. Our workshop revolved around three historical moments: (1) the revitalization of unions in the Great Depression era of the 1930s, using the Minneapolis teamsters as an example; (2) the incorporation and weakening of unions in World War II, the late 1940s, and 1950s; and (3) the attack on unions and their members by business' and government's turn to economic "neoliberalism" in the 1980s. We then discussed what we can learn from these historical moments that we can use in this crisis that we face now, so that we can turn it into an opportunity to rebuild the labor movement and redirect society as a whole. The architects of the Minneapolis teamsters' struggles picked the right context in which to act. They could feel the energy and hope of working people who had organized the summer 1932 Bonus Army protest in Washington, had elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt president in November 1932, and had begun a militant unemployed movement in city upon city, demanding an end to mortgage foreclosures and evictions and an expansion of relief. In February of 1934, at the depths of a Minnesota winter, they realized that coal delivery workers could hold an upper hand over their employer. Their victory in a three day strike sent a message to all Minneapolis workers - that with the right strategy and tactics, workers could defeat anti-union employers. Having decided that the time was right to act, the activists who built Local 574 from one hundred members in February of 1934 to 15,000 by August, paid particular attention to the roles of rank-and-file members, to the union's relationship with other unions and the community, and to its relationship to the government. The union asked each rank-and-file member to function as an organizer. Unionized drivers and helpers refused to allow their trucks to be loaded or unloaded at non-union warehouses, while unionized warehouse workers refused to load or unload non-union trucks. The union also reached out to other unions, offering them solidarity and receiving support in return. The Minneapolis teamsters became known for their refusal to cross picket lines, and they helped unions like the International Ladies Garment Workers win their own strikes. The union also reached out to the community, helping the unemployed organize in order to receive relief, participating in protests against foreclosures and evictions, and supporting farmers in establishing farmers' markets in the city. The union also pressed the government, at the local, state, and federal levels, to create jobs, to raise minimum wages, and to protect workers' rights to organize. Teamsters Local 574 experienced phenomenal growth not only in numbers but also in power and respect, based on the involvement of their own members, their supportive relationships with other unions and in the wider community, and their demands upon the government. Their experience typified much of what happened to American unions in the 1930s, as they grew from about two million members to fourteen million. This kind of organization and culture were eaten away in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as unions became integrated into a social contract with employers and the government. The latter, rather than opposing unions outright (since they really couldn't), developed rules, regulations, and institutions which limited union power. The dues check-off removed considerable day-to-day contact between stewards and workers. The great strike wave of 1945-1946 ended by allowing corporations to raise prices despite unions' initial demands that wage increases not be passed along to consumers. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 outlawed the two most important expressions of solidarity, the sympathy strike and the secondary boycott. Unions began to practice "productivity bargaining" in which they granted management authority to control the shopfloor and the introduction of new technologies, as long as workers got raises. By the merger of the AFL and the CIO in 1955, the labor movement had ceased growing and individual
[Marxism-Thaxis] Encyclopédie
The original encyclopedists were considered important contributors to the development of materialism by Engels. Is Wikipedia in that tradition ? Knowledge for masses. The whole essay, or book "Marx and Engels On Literature and Art" of which the reference to discussions of Diderot is a small section, has quite and index. CB Diderot 1. Ludwig Feuerbach 2. Marx to Engels 15 April 1869 3. Engels To Marx. 16 April 1869 In: Marx and Engels On Literature and Art Source: Marx Engels On Literature and Art. Progress Publishers. 1976; Transcribed: by Andy Blunden. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/art/index.htm ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Marx and Engels On Literature and Art
Marx and Engels On Literature and Art http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/art/index.htm Source: Marx Engels On Literature and Art. Progress Publishers. 1976; Transcribed: by Andy Blunden. Preface Materialist Conception of the History of Culture Social Being and Social Consciousness 1. Preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy 2. The German Ideology Natural Conditions and Development of Culture Landscapes Against Vulgarisation of Historical Materialism 1. Engels to Joseph Bloch. September 21-22 1890 2. Engels to W. Borgius. January 25 1894 3. Engels to Conrad Schmidt. October 27 1890 4. Engels to Joseph Bloch. September 21-22 1890 5. Engels to Conrad Schmidt. August 5 1890 Engels About Mehring’s The Lessing Legend 1. Engels to Franz Mehring. April 11 1893 2. Engels to Karl Kautsky. June 1 1893 3. Engels to Franz Mehring. July 14 1893 Class Relations and Class Ideology 1. The German Ideology 2. The Communist Manifesto Scientific and Vulgar Conceptions of Class Ideology Engels to Paul Ernst Historical Continuity and Its Contradictions 1. The German Ideology 2. Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte Uneven Character of Historical Development and Questions of Art Introduction to the Economic Manuscripts of 1857-58 General Problems of Art Ideological Content and Realism 1. Engels to Minna Kautsky, 26 November 1885 2. Engels to Margaret Harkness, beginning April 1888 3. Review of A Chenu, Les Conspirateurs and L. de la Hodde, La Renaissance de la République, Feb 1848 The Tragic and the Comic in Real History 1. Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. Introduction 2. Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte 3. Leading article in Kölnische Zeitung No. 179 4. Engels to Marx, 4 September 1870 5. Engels to August Bebel, 7 July 1892 Problems of Revolutionary Tragedy On Ferdinand Lassalle’s Drama Franz von Sickingen 1. Marx to Ferdinand Lassalle, 19 April 1859 2. Engels to Ferdinand Lassalle, 18 May 1859 Miscellaneous Items Language and Literature 1. Ideas do not exist separately from language, from Grundrisse 2. Materials on the History of France and Germany, Engels Improvisation and Poetry New-York Daily Tribune, 7 March 1853, Marx On Literary Style 1. On Proudhon, Letter to J B Schweizer, 24 January 1865 2. Marx To Engels, 31 July 1865 3. Engels to Eduard Bernstein, 12-13 July 1883 4. Engels to Sorge, 29 April 1886 On Literary Polemics 1. On Brentano’s Polemic Against Marx over Alleged Misquotation 2. Refugee Literature, IV 3. Engels to Marx, 25-26 October 1847 4. Engels to Eduard Bernstein, 12 March 1881 5. Engels to Eduard Bernstein, 29 June 1884 On Translation 1. Engels To Marx, 23 September 1852 2. Engels To Marx, 29 November 1873 3. Engels To Friedrich Sorge, 29 June 1883 4. Engels To Eduard Bernstein, 5 February 1884 5. How Not to Translate Marx, Engels, The Commonweal, 1885 6. Engels To Laura Lafargue, 16 November 1889 7. Engels To Laura Lafargue, 8 January 1890 Additional References On Translation of Marx’s works 8. Engels To Marx, 24 June 1867 9. Engels To Sorge, 20 June 1882 10. Engels To August Bebel, 18 August 1886 11. Engels To Laura Lafargue, 13 September 1886 12. Engels To Laura Lafargue, 28 April 1886 13. Engels To Sorge, 29 June 1888 Art in Class Society The Origin of Art Historical Development of the Artistic Sense 1. Private Property and Communism, 1844 2. The Division of Labour and Human Needs, 1844 3. Private Property and Communism, 1844 The Role of Labour in the Origin of Art, from Part Played by Labour Artistic Creation and Aesthetic Perception, from Critique Political Economy Social Division of Labour Division of Labour and Social Consciousness Estrangement of Labour and Condition of Workers in Capitalist Society Money and World Culture The Distorting Power of Money Capitalism and Spiritual Production Relation of Art to Capitalist Mode of Production, Theories of Surplus Value Bourgeois Taste and Its Evolution, Engels To Laura Lafargue, 14 January 1884 The Work of the Artist in Capitalist Society 1. Theories of Surplus Value, Chapter 4 2. Productive Labour, Economic writings of 1864 3. Theories of Surplus Value, Addenda Freedom of the Press and of Artistic Creation 1. Debates on Freedom of the Press, Marx 1842 2. Debates on Freedom of the Press, Marx 1842 3. Debates on Freedom of the Press, Marx 1842 4. Debates on Freedom of the Press, Marx 1842 5. Stamp Duty on Newspapers, Neue Oder Zeitung, 30 March 1855 Asceticism and Enjoyment, from German Ideology Work and Play, from Capital, Volume I Bourgeois Civilisation and Crime, from Theories of Surplus Value, Addendum Historical Mission of the Working Class The Proletariat and Wealth, from The Holy Family The Working Class and the Progressive Development of Society 1. Speech at Anniversary of
[Marxism-Thaxis] The Materialism of the Encyclopedists
The Materialism of the Encyclopedists 1. Socialism: Utopian & Scientific http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch02.htm 2. The Holy Family Frederick Engels Socialism: Utopian and Scientific II [Dialectics] In the meantime, along with and after the French philosophy of the 18th century, had arisen the new German philosophy, culminating in Hegel. Its greatest merit was the taking up again of dialectics as the highest form of reasoning. The old Greek philosophers were all born natural dialecticians, and Aristotle, the most encyclopaedic of them, had already analyzed the most essential forms of dialectic thought. The newer philosophy, on the other hand, although in it also dialectics had brilliant exponents (e.g. Descartes and Spinoza), had, especially through English influence, become more and more rigidly fixed in the so-called metaphysical mode of reasoning, by which also the French of the 18th century were almost wholly dominated, at all events in their special philosophical work. Outside philosophy in the restricted sense, the French nevertheless produced masterpieces of dialectic. We need only call to mind Diderot's Le Neveu de Rameau, and Rousseau's Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inegalite parmi less hommes. We give here, in brief, the essential character of these two modes of thought. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Hemingway, the American left, and the Soviet Union: some forgotten episodes
Hemingway, the American Left, and the Soviet Union: Some Forgotten Episodes Journal article by Cary Nelson; The Hemingway Review, Vol. 14, 1994 http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=KG9WPQZJhw8PGW8d12NnZQvpqRhgycgTMLcDJQltpBDvWWpXptlt!-229138872!-1934322800?docId=5000276828 Journal Article Excerpt Hemingway, the American left, and the Soviet Union: some forgotten episodes by Cary Nelson RECENT BIOGRAPHICAL scholarship--notably Kenneth S. Lynn's Hemingway (1987) and James R. Mellow's Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences (1992) --suggests that a consensus may be forming about the political judgments that coalesced in For Whom the Bell Tolls and that presumably carried Hemingway through the next two decades of his life. Briefly, the argument as Mellow puts it is that Hemingway by the end of 1938 experienced "growing disillusionment" with the cause of the Spanish Republic. His 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls as a result became, according to Mellow, "among other things, Hemingway's study of cowards and traitors and brave men in battle, as well as his apologia for supporting the Loyalists in the Spanish civil war" (517). "In both the marriage [to Martha Gellhorn] and the romance with left-wing politics," Lynn writes in a similar argument, "Hemingway would discover himself to have been sadly deceived" (442); "he said farewell to the Comintern in For Whom the Bell Tolls" (452). Putting in his own rhetoric the lesson he would have us believe Hemingway learned, Lynn writes that "the anti-Fascist propaganda being generated by the Comintern's cleverest liars, Willi Muenzenberg and Otto Katz (both later liquidated on Stalin's orders) was a rhetorical cover for the imperialistic designs of a system no less ruthless than Hitler's and infinitely more so than the repressive regime that Franco would establish" (444).(1) One exception to this pattern is Jeffrey Meyers' Hemingway: A Biography (1985), which sees For Whom the Bell Tolls as flowing from Hemingway's Loyalist sympathies rather than marking their end point. But Me... ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Reaction, fascism, fighting the ultra right and Health 2.
Shane Mage Waistline2 at aol.com wrote: > > Attacking the "ultra right" is nothing more than a clever way of > demanding > unconditional support of the Obama administration Exactly. ^ CB: A point upon which sectarians/ultra-lefts, whether Stalinist or Trotskyist, can agree. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Honduras Resistance
THE ORGANIZER NEWSPAPER P.O. Box 40009 San Francisco, CA 94140 Email: theorgani...@earthlink.net Website: www.socialistorganizer.org Honduras Resistance Deepens, With Working Class at the Helm International Labor Solidarity Needed Urgently to Defeat the Coup EDITORIAL: The Honduran people -- with the working class and their trade unions playing an increasing leadership role -- are on the move. Their revolutionary upsurge is shaking the fragile edifice of corporate-dominated politics across the continent and creating frictions within the U.S. ruling establishment itself. As we go to press, a week-long nationwide general strike of teachers and public sector workers is under way. It is a political strike to press for the resistance movement's three central demands: (1) the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya as the sole and legitimate president of Honduras, (2) a referendum on convening a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution, and (3) the immediate punishment of all the perpetrators of the June 28 coup for their crimes against the people. Up till now, there had been three two-day strikes (all on Thursdays and Fridays) called by the three main trade union federations in Honduras, all of which are part of the National Front Against the Coup. All the main decisions regarding what to do next in the struggle are made by a weekly Delegates Assembly of the Front, which is held at the hall of the Beverage Industry Workers Union (STIBYS). The Delegates Assembly -- which brings together more than 800 mandated representatives from unions and popular organizations throughout Honduras -- has become the nerve center and coordinating body of the resistance movement. The recent strike has been more widely followed than the previous two-day strikes. In addition to the teachers and State office workers, the workers and students at the National Autonomous University of Honduras hit the bricks, as did the workers at the National Agrarian Institute, the electrical workers of the Empresa Nacional de Energ? ??a, some private-sector workers, and the workers at the National Weather Service. Also, on August 11, tens of thousands of people converged from all corners of the country into Honduras' two main cities -- Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Most of the participants in this National March of Popular Resistance had left their villages and towns on August 6, the day that the unlimited general strike began, in response to the call from the National Front Against the Coup. Most of the marchers pledged to remain in these two cities throughout the week to participate in the planned demonstrations, roadblocks and plant/campus occupations. In Tegucigalpa, a mass march of 20,000 people -- with union banners displayed prominently -- buoyed people's determination to continue the struggle. One of the chants throughout the march was, "No Somos Cuatro Gatos!" -- or, we are not just a small handful of people (literally we are not four cats) -- a reply to the Micheletti media machine, which keeps trying to convince the world that 45 days after the coup things have "returned to normal," with only a handful of discontents -- four cats -- stirring up trouble. Washington's Conundrum It is now public knowledge that a wing of the Republican Party helped in one form or another to prepare the June 28 coup that overthrew democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya -- with hawks like John Negroponte, Otto Reich and current U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens in the forefront of this effort. Meetings between Llorens and the high military command took place throughout the entire week leading up to the coup. The mass public outrage that swept the Americas in the aftermath of the coup compelled the Organization of American States (OAS) to call for the "immediate and unconditional reinstatement of Zelaya as the legitimate president of Honduras." Having military coups break out in a continent marked by growing revolutionary upheavals -- especially after President Barack Obama's public pledge to "turn the page" on the era of military dictatorship of past decades -- posed a serious risk to the overall position of U.S. imperialism in the region. Obama and all the heads of state in the Western Hemisphere voted in favor of the OAS resolution. No sooner had those votes been taken, however, than the U.S. State Department, under Hillary Clinton, set out to subvert the OAS resolution by drafting a script for a "mediated settlement" in Honduras that legitimized the perpetrators of the June 28 coup. One week later, Clinton anointed a credible regional leader to serve as the mediator for this U.S.-initiated plan: President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica. (Two of Clinton's associates, Lanny Davis and Bennet Ratcliff are, in fact, running strategy for the coup government.) The Arias Plan calls for the return of Zelaya to Honduras BUT only if he accepts to form a "government of national reconciliation" with the perpetrators of the
[Marxism-Thaxis] Twitter: >40% pointless babble
Here's a link for Ralph the purpose meister. http://www.pearanalytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Twitter-Study-August-2009.pdf ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Forward from Rosa Lichtenstein on Analytic Marxism
Some might conclude that the relatively hard line adopted in my Essays toward the alien-class origins of DM sits rather awkwardly with the apparently uncritical acceptance of ideas drawn from Wittgenstein's work --, an allegedly bourgeois philosopher and mystic himself. ^ CB: The class of the originators of DM , Marx and Engels, was petit bourgeois and bourgeois ( smile) ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Rosa
Clearly, the idea that the world is rational must be forced onto nature; it cannot be read from it, since nature is not Mind. ^ CB: This seems an "a priori" statement by Rosa. It is not "clear" that the idea that the world is rational must be forced onto nature, nor that to "read" rationality from it, it must be Mind. For example, Darwin's theory , in contrast to "intelligent design" , can be termed "intelligible happenstance". Nature evolves its life forms, species originated , in a rational or intelligible manner. This is not imposing ideas on nature. It is using ideas to represent what is in objective reality. Similarly dialectical and historical historical materialism, rooted in Marx and Engels' thinking, reflect and intelligible aspect of the objective reality of human history. ^^ Nevertheless, it is far easier to rationalise the imposition of a hierarchical and grossly unequal class system on 'disorderly' workers if ruling-class ideologues can persuade one and all that the 'law-like' order of the natural world actually reflects, and is reflected in turn by the social order from which their patrons just so happen to benefit --, the fundamental aspects of which none may question. CB: Of course, Marx and Engels dialectical materialism does the opposite with respect to rationalising the imposition of hiearchical and grossly unequal class system on workers. It helps expose the exploitative class relations in objective reality , rather than imposing them on reality. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Rosa
Surely, the most that could legitimately be claimed here is that up to now the available evidence supports a dialectical view of reality. ^ CB: Correct . See Marxism thaxis threads in which I point out that for Engels, the dialectical quality of reality is an a posteriori, not a priori, conclusion. ^^^ It plainly shouldn't be that this widely touted 'cautious approach' is only possible because "reality itself is dialectically structured." If that were the case, caution could be thrown to the wind. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Soviet philosophy preserved online
Ralph Dumain Though I think most of the productions of Soviet Marxism-Leninism should have been flushed down the toilet long before they were, and that the Soviet version of dialectical materialism has done a great deal of harm as has most else that came from that source, CB: You say this often, but you don't produce good arguments for it. You just assert it in a conclusory manner, usually with cuss words. Who cares that you think it should be flushed. You don't make even a minimum argument as to why . Fine to organize on the www so extensively others' essays. What a nice service you do. But what is _your_ thinking, your theses on Marxism ? What is your thinking _at length_ ? ^ I am nonetheless dedicated to preserving unjustly forgotten and neglected work. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Legendary Lawyer Doris Brin Walker
I didn't see it in the article below, but Dobby was an assistant prosecutor of the Nazis at the Nuremburg trials. CB Legendary Lawyer Doris Brin Walker Dies; Represented Angela Davis, Smith Act Defendants Aug 16, 2009 By Marjorie Cohn Marjorie Cohn's ZSpace Page / ZSpace http://www.zmag.org/zspace/commentaries/3954 Doris "Dobby" Brin Walker, the first woman president of the National Lawyers Guild, died on August 13 at the age of 90. Doris was a brilliant lawyer and a tenacious defender of human rights. The only woman in her University of California Berkeley law school class, Doris defied the odds throughout her life, achieving significant victories for labor, and political activists. Doris' legal and political activism spanned several decades and some of the most turbulent but significant periods in US history. She organized workers, fought against Jim Crow and McCarthyism, was active in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, and actively opposed the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At UCLA, Doris became a marxist. After she was sworn in as a member of the California State Bar, Doris joined the Communist Party USA, remaining a member until her death. Upon graduation from law school, Doris began practicing labor law; but a few years later, she went to work in California canneries as a labor organizer. When Cutter Labs fired Doris in 1956, the case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Although the Court refused to hear the case, Justice Douglas, joined in dissent by Chief Justice Warren and Justice Black, wrote, "The blunt truth is that Doris Walker is not discharged for misconduct but either because of her legitimate labor union activities or because of her political ideology or belief. Belief cannot be penalized consistently with the First Amendment . . . The Court today allows belief, not conduct, to be regulated. We sanction a flagrant violation of the First Amendment when we allow California, acting through her highest court, to sustain Mrs. Walker's discharge because of her belief." Doris returned to the practice of law and represented people charged under the Alien Registration Act of 1940 (the Smith Act) in California. The Act required all resident aliens to register with the government, enacted procedures to facilitate deportation, and made it a crime for any person to knowingly or willfully advocate the overthrow of the government by force or violence. The work of Doris and other NLG lawyers led to Yates v. United States, in which the Supreme Court overturned the convictions of Smith Act defendants in 1957. After Yates, the government never filed another prosecution under the Smith Act. During the McCarthy era, Doris was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and she also represented several HUAC witnesses. From 1956 to 1961, Doris successfully defended William and Sylvia Powell, who faced the death penalty, against Korean War sedition charges. The US government charged that articles Powell had written reporting and criticizing US biological weapons use in Korea were false and written with intent to hinder the war effort. When a mistrial ended the sedition case, the government charged the Powells with treason. Attorney General Robert Kennedy dismissed the case in 1961. A partner with the NLG firm of Treuhaft & Walker in Oakland, California from 1961 to 1977, Doris' practice focused on civil rights, free speech and draft cases during the Vietnam War. She also defended death penalty cases. Perhaps best known for her defense of Angela Davis, Doris was part of a legal team that secured Angela's acquittal on charges of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy. In that case, which Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree in 2005 called "clearly the trial of the 20th century, and one that exemplified the vast and diverse talents of the true Dream Team of the legal profession," the defense pioneered the use of jury consultants. Doris was elected president of the NLG in 1970 after a bruising battle during which one opponent labeled her "a man in a woman's skirt." She paved the way for the election of five women NLG presidents in the ensuing years. Serving as Vice President of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers from 1970 to 1978, Doris supported the struggles of victims of U.S. imperialism throughout the world and was instrumental in the development of international human rights law. In 1996, Doris served as one of eight international observers at the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings led by Desmond Tutu. In 2004, Doris submitted a resolution on behalf of the NLG Bay Area Chapter to the Conference of Delegates of the California Bar Association asking for an investigation of representations the Bush administration used to justify the war in Iraq, for possible impeachment. Noted writer Jessica Mitford and Doris were close friends for years; Jessica was married to Robert Truehaft, Doris' law partner. When Doris inv
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
The idea of creating "better humans" presuppose qualifying what is "better" and according to the founder of the eugenics movement, "better" is a class and social construct based on economic status and productive worth for capital. Productive worth for capital is called survival of the fittest. Those who cannot find a buyer of their labor power are deemed unfit, with their idleness serving as prove of "unfitness" rather than prove of capital inherent inability to grow human productiveness free of crisis and catastrophe. One can simply punch in the word Eugenics and read the wealth of material on this subject. Eugenics is a social movement reacting to capital's creation of a surplus population whose value to society - organized as capital, could only be realized during periods of industrial boom. *** CB: On the other hand, there is some truth to the old saying that the rich get richer and the poor get children under capitalism. That is, those who are poor because they have trouble selling their labor power may end up more fit than the rich in Darwinian sense of fitness : being represented by children in future generations. The relative surplus population may be more Darwinan fit than the rich, with all their geniuses. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] It takes a fight to win
It takes a fight to win By Sam Webb It seems clear that the prospects for a bipartisan health care bill are diminishing with each passing day. And as far as I'm concerned that is a good thing. Nothing good, nothing resembling "reform" could come from bipartisanship in this Congress. The Republicans have no appetite for real health care reform. The health care system isn't broken in their view. So why fix it? A few cosmetic changes maybe, but nothing more. According to media reports, the Democrats have begun devising a strategy to pass a bill without Republican support. I applaud them. While I can understand President Obama's desire to pass a bipartisan bill, there is nothing necessarily virtuous about bipartisanship, it should not be turned into a principle of political governance. Conversely, political partisanship is not necessarily a dirty word either. The appropriate method of governing can't be decided abstractly. Process in politics is important, but it shouldn't trump the democratic will. Millions elected Barack Obama and a new Congress in the expectation that they would bring real change to their lives. But the health care debate is making crystal clear that the Republicans and to a degree some Democrats are in no mood to assist the the legislative agenda of the Obama administration, - an agenda that the majority of Americans elected him to carry out. The mission of the extreme right in the Republican Party (and the extreme right dominates the GOP), in fact, is to sabotge health care reform and Obama's Presidency by any means necessary. It will embrace bipartisanship only in words and only to the degree that it stalls the reform agenda of the President. Once negotiations become substantive, right wing extremists turn nasty and let loose their attack dogs, including their gun toting ones, on the President and other advocates of real change. I know the American people would like to have less rancor and partisanship in politics, but it is hard to imagine that changing anytime soon. For one thing, the extreme right turned mean spirited and divisive politics into its trademark three decades ago and there is little reason to think that will change going forward. In fact, the noise from the right wing is becoming more strident and shrill, more dangerous, and more irresponsible since President Obama was elected. For another thing, eras of deepgoing democratic reform - the 1930s and 1960s come to mind - are a product of clashing partisan interests and political coalitions. Feelings are intense, democratic life is charged, divisions along class and social lines emerge in clearer form, and social inertia gives way to social action. Like it or not, political leaders and ordinary people take sides. Franklin Roosevelt and John L. Lewis took sides in the New Deal era; so did President Lyndon Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights era. And in both eras, millions - most of whom were new to political activism - threw themselves into the struggle for progressive social change. It wasn't always pretty, but it was nearly always necessary. Had political leaders not taken sides and had not people taken to the streets, progressive change would have died stillborn. With the wreckage of 30 years of right wing rule everywhere, an economic crisis of immense proportions hanging over the country, an extreme right, badly weakened, but still a part of the political equation, and powerful corporate interests and their supporters in both parties who either want to prevent or contain people's reforms, can we move this vast country in the direction of economic justice, equality and peace without intense, sustained, and partisan struggle with an increasingly anti-corporate thrust? History and common sense say 'no.' A reformer from an even earlier era famously said, "Power concedes nothing without a struggle." http://www.pww.org/ ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Let's Argue About Sonic Youth's "Retro-necro reverence"!
[lbo-talk] Let's Argue About Sonic Youth's "Retro-necro reverence"! Rebecca ok, provocateur! Blaming Sonic Youth for nostalgia in music is just silly. All music is a network of references to other music. Musicians, like other artists, copy each other. Like other artists, they borrow from and pay homage to contemporaries and predecessors. Most great musicians are also great lovers of other people's music Sometimes people into indie-rock are so into novelty that they like stuff just because they think it dispenses with conventions even if it sounds terrible (like most of uber-hip Dave Longstreth, who just seems like a Saturday Night Live parody of earnest folk-rock to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdT0N4GOydo). Can't decide for themselves what they like? Have no aesthetic criteria except what other people say is cool? That's why I think a lot of these hipper-than-thou music fans describe the most vanilla, hackneyed pop-drivel as if its genius, &/or praise to the skies some completely amateurish indy act who will disappear in a few years and while dissing Sonic Youth for being past their prime. As for the ATP "Don't Look Back" concerts - I've seen the criticisms but I don't agree. Maybe it's because I'm older than most of the other folks at the rock show, but I don't see what's so bad about enjoying music that's all of twenty years old. Maybe it's even more nostalgic to insist that classic records can only be enjoyed in the CD player and never live (unless remixed or re-imagined by some youngster). the Don't Look Back shows that I saw at Pitchfork fest in 07 and 08 were great. Thurston Moore also joined another elder, Yoko Ono for "Mulberry" the following night when she headlined. Too bad the Stooges' reunion was lame. It's not true of everyone. Public Enemy's performance of "It Takes a Nation of Millions" in 2008 was fantastic and energizing. see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvSc-XQflek&feature=related ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Partial list of famous musical artists who died as young or younger than Michael Jackson
Nat King Cole Nat King Cole Genre(s) Vocal jazz, swing, traditional pop, jump blues Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, pianist Voice type(s) Baritone[1] Years active 1935–1965 Label(s) Decca, Excelsior, Capitol Associated acts Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was the first black American to host a television variety show and has maintained worldwide popularity over 40 years past his death; he is widely considered one of the most important musical personalities in United States history. Contents [hide] 1 Childhood and Chicago 2 Los Angeles and the King Cole Trio 3 Early singing career 4 Making television history 5 Racism 6 1950s and beyond 7 Death and posthumous achievements 8 Marriage, children and other personal details 9 Politics 10 Notable TV appearances (other than his own show) 11 Discography 12 Filmography 12.1 Features 12.2 Short subjects 13 See also 14 References 15 External links [edit] Childhood and Chicago He was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saint Patrick's Day in 1919[2] (some sources erroneously list his birth year as 1917), and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, while he was still a child. There his father became a Baptist minister. Cole learned to play the organ from his mother, Perlina, the church organist. His first performance, at age four, was of "Yes! We Have No Bananas". He began formal lessons at the age of 12, eventually learning not only jazz and gospel music but also European classical music, performing, as he said, "from Johann Sebastian Bach to Sergei Rachmaninoff". Cole had three brothers, Eddie, Ike and Freddy. The family lived in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. Cole would sneak out of the house and hang around outside the clubs, listening to artists such as Louis Armstrong, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Jimmie Noone. He participated in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. Inspired by the playing of Earl Hines, Cole began his performing career in the mid 1930s while still a teenager, adopting the name "Nat Cole". His older brother, Eddie Coles, a bass player, soon joined Cole's band, and the brothers made their first recording in 1936 under Eddie's name. They were also regular performers at clubs. In fact, Cole acquired his nickname "King" performing at one jazz club, a nickname presumably reinforced by the otherwise unrelated nursery rhyme about Old King Cole. He was also a pianist in a national touring revival of Ragtime, the Ahrens and Flaherty musical, and Broadway theatre legend Eubie Blake's revue, "Shuffle Along". When it suddenly failed in Long Beach, California, Cole decided to remain there. [edit] Los Angeles and the King Cole Trio Cole and three other musicians formed the "King Cole Swingers" in Long Beach and played in a number of local bars before getting a gig on the Long Beach Pike for US$90 per week. In January 1937, Cole married dancer Nadine Robinson, who was also in the musical Shuffle Along, and moved to Los Angeles, where he formed the Nat King Cole Trio. The trio consisted of Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Wesley Prince on double bass. The trio played in Los Angeles throughout the late 1930s and recorded many radio transcriptions. Cole's role was that of piano player and leader of the combo. It is a common misconception that Cole's singing career did not start until a drunken barroom patron demanded that he sing "Sweet Lorraine". In fact, Cole has gone on record saying that the fabricated story "sounded good, so I just let it ride." Cole frequently sang in between instrumental numbers. Noticing that people started to request more vocal numbers, he obliged. Yet the story of the insistent customer is not without some truth. There was a customer who requested a certain song one night, but it was a song that Cole did not know, so instead he sang "Sweet Lorraine". The trio was tipped 15 cents for the performance, a nickel apiece (Nat King Cole: An Intimate Biography, Maria Cole with Louie Robinson, 1971). The Capitol Records Building, known as "the house that Nat built"During World War II, Wesley Prince left the group and Cole replaced him with Johnny Miller. Miller would later be replaced by Charlie Harris in the 1950s. The King Cole Trio signed with the fledgling Capitol Records in 1943. Revenues from Cole's record sales fueled much of Capitol Records' success during this period. The revenue is believed to have played a significant role in financing the distinctive Capitol Records building on Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. Completed in 1956, it was the world's first circular office building and became known as "the house that Nat bu
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
Waistline2 : Shane is a racist CB: In my opinion, based on reading Shane's many posts over the years, his thinking and writing is not racist. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
On 8/26/09, waistli...@aol.com > cb31...@gmail.com writes: > > Shane is a racist > > > CB: In my opinion, based on reading Shane's many posts over the years, > his thinking and writing is not racist. > > > Comment > > What you call racist I call white chauvinist. What I call racist is anyone > proceeding from a concept or idea that biological strata and substrata > exist amongst humanity. Anyone advocating eugenics is a racist, but not > necessarily a white chauvinists, although the two tend to go together . . > .but > not always. > > WL. ^ CB: Shane's posts are not racist/white chauvinist > > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
Waistline2 cb31450 at gmail.com writes: >> CB: Shane's posts are not racist/white chauvinist.<< Comment Why the subterfuge ? I wrote nothing about Shane's post. I responded to the question: "What's wrong with eugenics." Why not still to the point? ^ CB: I'm replying to where you say "Shane is a racist". All I know of Shane is his posts to these lists. I don't know what he does aside from posting to these lists. His posting to these lists, including his comment on eugenics are not racist or white chauvinist or white supremicist, in my opinion. His "what's wrong with eugenics ?" I took as half joking, not to advocate in favor of the well known historically racist eugenics efforts. Not all historical eugenic theories were based on a theory of races. I'd say Trotsky's discussion of eugenics is not racist in the sense of espousing a theory of human races as the basis for making eugenics decisions. There is some ignorance of how racist the American history and situation was in that he looks to the US to lead in eugenics, fails to understand that US racism would likely mare any eugenics program here. Although , he does pose it as a Soviet America, which would mean there had been a world historic defeat of racism in the US as a premise to a Soviet America. What posts are you referring to? ^ CB: Shane's posts on this thread and through the years. ^^^ The striving to create better people is racist. The eugenics movement is inherent racist. WL. ^ CB: I can't say that I subscribe to any "old" eugenics theories, but not all eugenics theories are based on the notion that there are better and lesser races. Today there is a potential for genetic engineering. If there are forms of genetically based blindness from birth, and there is discovered a way to prevent that genetically based blindness, to prevent it would not be racist or a bad thing in general. Some forms of cancer, heart disease and other pretty much universally recognized diseased conditions have genetic components to their etiologies. Nothing wrong with curing these through genetic engineering The notiion that it is preferable to be sighted than blind does not entail a notion that the sighted and blind constitute two different races. Same with cancered or not cancered , or heart diseased or not heart diseased. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Mitch Miller’s part in pop hi story
Mitch Miller’s part in pop history By Elijah Wald Published: August 21 2009 14:38 | Last updated: August 21 2009 14:38 Record producer Mitch Miller took Rosemary Clooney’s ‘Come On-a My House’ to the top of the pop charts for eight weeks in 1951 In the summer of 1966, Paul McCartney stood with his fellow Beatles on stage at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall and counted off the opening beats of “Paperback Writer”. They were starting their final tour and the harmonies were a bit rough but the filmed performance still has a loose infectious energy. That performance is a highlight of The Beatles: Rock Band video game, due to be released on September 9. But instead of using the actual Budokan performance, the gamemakers have manipulated the concert footage to match the studio-recorded version of the song. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/eeca345e-8de1-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
I of course do not support or advocate for eugenics. Do you? WL. ^ CB: I support genetic engineering that would cure genetically based blindness, cancer, heart disease or other universally recognized diseases. See below CB: I can't say that I subscribe to any "old" eugenics theories, but not all eugenics theories are based on the notion that there are better and lesser races. Today there is a potential for genetic engineering. If there are forms of genetically based blindness from birth, and there is discovered a way to prevent that genetically based blindness, to prevent it would not be racist or a bad thing in general. Some forms of cancer, heart disease and other pretty much universally recognized diseased conditions have genetic components to their etiologies. Nothing wrong with curing these through genetic engineering The notiion that it is preferable to be sighted than blind does not entail a notion that the sighted and blind constitute two different races. Same with cancered or not cancered , or heart diseased or not heart diseased. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Monthly Review's 60th Anniversary (NYC)
Monthly Review's 60th Anniversary (NYC) MONTHLY REVIEW, the leading English language publisher of socialist thought, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a gala celebration at 7pm on Thursday, September 17, at the NY Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, NYC. Suggested donation: $20. Doors open at 6:30pm; reception to follow. More information at http://monthlyreview.org/our-60th-anniversary.php Featured speakers include longtime activist Grace Lee Boggs, MONTHLY REVIEW editor John Bellamy Foster, author and media activist Robert W. McChesney, prominent lawyer and author Michael E. Tigar, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and political economist Fred Magdoff. The acclaimed genre-bending singer and songwriter Toshi Reagon will also perform. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] class and classical music
[lbo-talk] class and classical music Mike Beggs -clip-Alex Ross (author of the great 'The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century') has a very nice essay on this: http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/05/more_to_come_6.html [...] The twenties saw a huge change in music’s social function. Classical music had given the middle class aristocratic airs; now popular music helped the middle class to feel down and dirty. There is American musical history in one brutally simplistic sentence. I recently watched a silly 1934 movie entitled “Murder at the Vanities,” which seemed to sum up the genre wars of the era. It is set behind the scenes of a Ziegfeld-style variety show, one of whose numbers features a performer, dressed vaguely as Franz Liszt, who plays the Second Hungarian Rhapsody. Duke Ellington and his band keep popping up behind the scenes, throwing in insolent riffs. Eventually, they drive away the effete classical musicians and play a takeoff called “Ebony Rhapsody”: “It’s got those licks, it’s got those tricks / That Mr. Liszt would never recognize.” Liszt comes back with a submachine gun and mows down the band. The metaphor wasn’t so far off the mark. Although many in the classical world were fulsome in their praise of jazz—Ernest Ansermet lobbed the word “genius” at Sidney Bechet—others fired verbal machine guns in an effort to slay the upstart. Daniel Gregory Mason, the man who wanted more throwing of mats, was one of the worst offenders, calling jazz a “sick moment in the progress of the human soul.” The contempt flowed both ways. The culture of jazz, at least in its white precincts, was much affected by that inverse snobbery which endlessly congratulates itself on escaping the élite. (The singer in “Murder at the Vanities” brags of finding a rhythm that Liszt, of all people, could never comprehend: what a snob.) Classical music became a foil against which popular musicians could assert their earthy cool. Composers, in turn, were irritated by the suggestion that they constituted some sort of moneyed behemoth. They were the ones who were feeling bulldozed by the power of cash. Such was the complaint made by Lawrence Gilman, of the Tribune, after Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royal Orchestra played “Rhapsody in Blue” at Aeolian Hall. Gilman didn’t like the “Rhapsody,” but what really incensed him was Whiteman’s suggestion that jazz was an underdog fighting against symphony snobs. “It is the Palais Royalists who represent the conservative, reactionary, respectable elements in the music of today,” Gilman wrote. “They are the aristocrats, the Top Dogs, of contemporary music. They are the Shining Ones, the commanders of huge salaries, the friends of Royalty.” The facts back Gilman up. By the late twenties, Gershwin was making at least a hundred thousand dollars a year. In 1938, Copland, the best-regarded composer of American concert music, had $6.93 in his checking account. All music becomes classical music in the end. Reading the histories of other genres, I often get a warm sense of déjà vu. The story of jazz, for example, seems to recapitulate classical history at high speed. First, the youth-rebellion period: Satchmo and the Duke and Bix and Jelly Roll teach a generation to lose itself in the music. Second, the era of bourgeois grandeur: the high-class swing band parallels the Romantic orchestra. Stage 3: artists rebel against the bourgeois image, echoing the classical modernist revolution, sometimes by direct citation (Charlie Parker works the opening notes of “The Rite of Spring” into “Salt Peanuts”). Stage 4: free jazz marks the point at which the vanguard loses touch with the mass and becomes a self-contained avant-garde. Stage 5: a period of retrenchment. Wynton Marsalis’s attempt to launch a traditionalist jazz revival parallels the neo-Romantic music of many late-twentieth-century composers. But this effort comes too late to restore the art to the popular mainstream. Jazz recordings sell about the same as classical recordings, three per cent of the market. The same progression worms its way through rock and roll. What were my hyper-educated punk-rock friends but Stage 3 high modernists, rebelling against the bloated Romanticism of Stage 2 stadium rock? Right now, there seems to be a lot of Stage 5 classicism going on in what remains of rock and roll. The Strokes, the Hives, the Vines, the Stills, the Thrills, and so on hark back to some lost pure moment of the sixties or seventies. Their names are all variations on the Kinks. Many of them use old instruments, old amplifiers, old soundboards. One rocker was recently quoted as saying, “I intentionally won’t use something I haven’t heard before.”Macht Neues, kids! So far, hip-hop has proved resistant to this kind of classicizing cycle, but you never know. It is just a short step from old school to the Second Viennese School. [...] Cheers, Mike On Thu, Aug
[Marxism-Thaxis] Change
PROMISES, PROMISES: Early Katrina praise for Obama By BEN EVANS and BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press Writers Ben Evans And Becky Bohrer, Associated Press Writers 1 hr 55 mins ago WASHINGTON – As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama pledged to right the wrongs he said bogged down efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Seven months into the job, he's earning high praise from some unlikely places. Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., says Obama's team has brought a more practical and flexible approach. Many local officials offer similar reviews. Even Doug O'Dell, former President George W. Bush's recovery coordinator, says the Obama administration's "new vision" appears to be turning things around. Not too long ago, Jindal said in a telephone interview, Louisiana governors didn't have "very many positive things" to say about the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But Jindal said he had a lot of respect for the current FEMA chief, Craig Fugate, and his team. "There is a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done," the governor said. Added O'Dell: "I think the results are self-evident." The retired Marine general served what he calls a frustrating stint as Bush's recovery coordinator last year. "What people have said to me is that for whatever reason, problems that were insurmountable under previous leadership are getting resolved quickly," O'Dell said. "And I really hate to say that because (the top FEMA leaders) in my time there were good, hardworking, earnest men, but they were also the victims of their own bureaucracy." It's not that Obama has miraculously mended the Gulf Coast since Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005. The storm killed more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and caused more than $40 billion in property damage. Hurricane Rita followed nearly a month later, with billions of dollars in additional damage and at least 11 more deaths. On the fourth anniversary of Katrina, many communities remain broken, littered with boarded-up houses and overgrown vacant lots. Hundreds of projects — including critical needs such as sewer lines, fire stations and a hospital — are entangled in the bureaucracy or federal-local disputes over who should pick up the tab. Like Bush, Obama has critics who say he's not moving aggressively enough. Chris Kromm, director of the Institute for Southern Studies, an advocacy group, said the coast is "still waiting for Washington to show leadership." In many areas, such as long-term coastal rehabilitation and rebuilding levees, it's too early to determine whether Obama will live up to the many promises he made. But on several fronts, there is evidence of progress. Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans, said the administration has been able to "move mountains" for his school, virtually wiped out by Katrina and the breached levees. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has visited the campus twice and awarded $32 million to replace four buildings. "It's really awesome," Ukpolo said. "There's been so much progress." Tommy Longo, mayor of Waveland, Miss., said it got so bad toward the end of Bush's tenure that "you almost couldn't get them to return a phone call, and you certainly weren't going to get them to make any big decisions." "It has been refreshing to be back working with people who are hungry and want to make a difference," said Longo, a Democrat. "Who knows, a few years from now, at the end of Obama's term it may be back to the same ol', same ol', but it is refreshing now." Obama backed up his pledge to name an experienced FEMA administrator by appointing Fugate, a career emergency management professional from Florida. By contrast, Bush's director was Michael Brown, a lawyer who worked at the International Arabian Horse Association. He resigned after Katrina. In half a year, Obama's team says it has cleared at least 75 projects that were in dispute, including libraries, schools and university buildings. The administration has embraced a new, independent arbitration panel for the most stubborn disputes, and assigned senior advisers to focus on the rebuilding. The administration recently reversed a FEMA rule that barred communities from building fire stations and other critical projects in vulnerable areas. Local officials said the rule could have effectively killed off some places. The Bush administration's flat-footed response to Katrina left a lasting stain on Bush's legacy, and the sluggish pace of the long-term recovery has drawn continued criticism. Local officials and civic leaders long have complained about the changing cast of FEMA representatives who review project worksheets and demand repeated inspections or additional paperwork. In some cases, agency workers have subtracted costs that local officials thought were settled. Along with battling red tape, community officials say FEMA often stubbornly refused to pay for work that should have qualified for federal aid. Under Bush, FEM
[Marxism-Thaxis] Work song
Work song A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task (often to coordinate timing) or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song. Contents 1 Definitions and categories 2 Hunting and pastoral songs 3 Agricultural work songs 4 African American work songs 5 Sea shanties 6 Cowboy songs 7 Industrial folk song 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links [edit] Definitions and categories Records of work songs are roughly as old as historical records, and anthropological evidence suggests that all agrarian societies tend to have them.[1] Most modern commentators on work songs have included both songs sung while working as well as songs about work, since the two categories are seen as interconnected.[2] Norm Cohen divided collected work songs into domestic, agricultural or pastoral, sea shanties, African American (gang) worksongs, songs and chants of direction, and street cries.[3] Ted Gioia further divided agricultural and pastorals songs into hunting, cultivation and herding songs, and highlighted the industrial or proto-industrial songs of: cloth workers, factory workers, seamen, lumberjacks, cowboys and miners. He also added prisoner songs and modern work songs.[1] [edit] Hunting and pastoral songs In societies without mechanical time keeping, songs of mobilisation, calling members of a community together for a collective task, were extremely important.[4] Both hunting and the keeping of livestock tended to involve small groups or individuals, usually boys and young men, away from the centres of settlement and with long hours to pass. As a result it had been noted that tended to produce long narrative songs, often sung individually, which might dwell on the themes of pastoral activity or animals, designed to pass the time in the tedium of work.[4] Hunting songs, like those of the Mbuti of the Congo, often incorporated distinctive whistles and yodels so that hunters could identity each others locations and those of their prey.[4] [edit] Agricultural work songs Most agricultural work songs are rhythmic a cappella songs sung by people working on a physical and often repetitive task. The songs were probably intended to increase productivity while reducing feelings of boredom.[4] Rhythms of work songs can serve to synchronize physical movement in a group or gang, as they are in parts of Africa with drums as accompaniment to coordinate sowing and hoeing.[4] Frequently, the usage of verses in work songs are often improvised and sung differently each time. The improvisation provided the singers with a sometimes subversive form of expression: improvised verses sung by slaves had verses about escaping; improvised verses sung by sailors had verses complaining about the captain and the work conditions. Work songs also help to create a feeling of familiarity and connection between the workers. [edit] African American work songs African American work songs originally developed in the era of slavery, between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Because they were part of an almost entirely oral culture they had no fixed form and only began to be recorded as the era of slavery came to an end after 1865. The first collection of African American 'slave songs' was published in 1867 by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware, Lucy McKim Garrison.[5] Many had their origins in African song traditions, and may have been sung to remind the slaves of home, while others were instituted by the slave masters to raise morale and keep slaves working in rhythm.[6] They have also been seen as a means of withstanding hardship and expressing anger and frustration through creativity or covert verbal opposition.[7] A common feature of African American songs was the call-and-response format, where a leader would sing a verse or verses and the others would respond with a chorus. This came from African traditions of agricultural work song and found its way into the spirituals that developed once slaves began to convert to Christianity and from there to both gospel music and the blues. Also evident were field hollers, shouts, and moans, which may have been originally designed for different bands or individuals to locate each other and narrative songs that used folk tales and folk motifs, often making use of homemade instruments.[8] In early slavery drums were used to provide rhythm, but they were banned in later years because of the fear that black slaves would use them to communicate in a rebellion, nevertheless slaves managed to generate percussion and percussive sounds, using other instruments or their own bodies.[9] Perhaps surprisingly, there are very few examples of work songs linked to cotton picking.[10] [edit] Sea shanties Main article: sea shanty Work songs sung by sailors between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries are known as sea shanties. These songs were typically performed while adjusting th
[Marxism-Thaxis] John Henry
John Henry (folklore) Statue of John Henry outside the town of Talcott in Summers County, WVFor other uses, see John Henry. John Henry is an American folk hero, famous for having raced against a steam powered hammer and won, only to die in victory with his hammer in his hand. He has been the subject of numerous songs, stories, plays, and novels. Like other "Big Men" such as Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, John Henry also served as a mythical representation of a group within the melting pot of the 19th-century working class. In the most popular version of the story, Henry is born into the world big and strong weighing 33 pounds. He grows to become the greatest "steel-driver" in the mid-century push to erect the railroads across the mountains to the West. When the owner of the railroad buys a steam-powered hammer to do the work of his mostly black driving crew, to save his job and the jobs of his men, John Henry challenges the owner to a contest: himself alone versus the steam hammer. John Henry beats the machine, but exhausted, collapses and dies. In modern depictions John Henry is often portrayed as hammering down rail spikes, but older versions depict him as being born with a hammer in his hand; driving blasting holes into rock, part of the process of excavating railroad tunnels and cuttings. In almost all versions of the story, John Henry is a black man and serves as a folk hero for all American working-class people, representing their marginalization during changes entering the modern age in America. While the character may or may not have been based on a real person, Henry became an important symbol of the working class. His story is usually seen as an archetypal illustration of the futility of fighting the technological progress that was evident in the 19th century upset of traditional physical labor roles. Some labor advocates interpret the legend as illustrating that even the most skilled workers of time-honored practices are marginalized when companies are more interested in efficiency and production than in their employees' health and well-being. Although John Henry proved himself more powerful than the steam-drill, he worked himself to death and was replaced by the machine anyway. Thus the legend of John Henry has been a staple of American labor and mythology for well over one hundred years. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 In song 3 Animated shorts 4 Media references 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links [edit] History The sign by the C&O railway lineThe truth about John Henry as the strongest man alive is obscured by time and myth, but one legend has it that he was a slave born in Missouri in the 1840s and fought his famous battle with the steam hammer along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in Talcott, West Virginia. A statue and memorial plaque have been placed along a highway south of Talcott as it crosses over the tunnel in which the competition may have taken place. The railroad historian Roy C. Long found that there were multiple Big Bend Tunnels along the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railway. Also, the C&O employed multiple black men who went by the name "John Henry" at the time that those tunnels were being built. Though he could not find any documentary evidence, he believes on the basis of anecdotal evidence that the contest between man and machine did indeed happen at the Talcott, West Virginia, site because of the presence of all three (a man named John Henry, a tunnel named Big Bend, and a steam-powered drill) at the same time at that place.[1] The book Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend by Scott Reynolds Nelson, an associate professor of history at the College of William and Mary, argues that John William Henry, a prisoner in Virginia leased by the warden to work on the C&O Railway in the 1870s, is the basis for the legendary John Henry. Nelson points out that a steam drill race at the Big Bend Tunnel would have been impossible because railroad records do not indicate a steam drill ever existing there. [2] Instead, he believes the contest took place at the Lewis Tunnel, between Talcott and Milboro, VA. [3] Retired chemistry professor and folklorist John Garst has argued that the contest instead happened at the Coosa Mountain Tunnel or the Oak Mountain Tunnel of the Columbus and Western Railway (now part of Norfolk Southern) near Leeds, Alabama on September 20, 1887. Based on documentation that corresponds with the account of C. C. Spencer, who claimed in the 1920s to have witnessed the contest, Garst speculates that John Henry may have been a man named Henry who was born a slave to P.A.L. Dabney, the father of the chief engineer of that railroad, in 1850.[4] The city of Leeds is making plans to honor John Henry's legend with an exhibit in its Bass House historical museum and with a planned annual festival culminating on the third Saturday of September.[5][6] Though no documentary proof has emerged to rule out either theory,
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
Alberta Eugenics Board In 1928, the Province of Alberta, Canada, passed legislation that enabled the government to perform involuntary sterilizations on individuals classified as mentally deficient. In order to implement the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta in 1928, a four-person Alberta Eugenics Board was created. These four individuals were responsible for approving sterilization procedures. In 1972, the Sexual Sterilization Act was repealed, and the Eugenics Board dismantled. During the 43 years of the Eugenics Board, it approved nearly 5,000 individual sterilizations, and 2,832 procedures were actually performed. Contents [hide] 1 Historical context 1.1 Like begets like 2 Structure of the Alberta Eugenics Board 2.1 The original four members 3 Proceedings of the Eugenics Board 4 Board controversy 5 The end of the Eugenics Board 6 References ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] What's wrong with eugenics?
Racial hygiene Racial hygiene (often labeled a form of "scientific racism") is the selection, by a government, of the putatively most physical, intellectual and moral persons to raise the next generation (selective breeding) and a close alignment of public health with eugenics. Racial hygiene was historically tied to traditional notions of public health, but usually with an enhanced emphasis on heredity. The use of social measures to attempt to preserve or enhance biological characteristics was first proposed by Francis Galton in his early work, starting in 1869, on what would later be called eugenics. Contents [hide] 1 In Germany 2 After World War II 3 See also 4 Further reading 5 References [edit] In Germany It was the German eugenicist Alfred Ploetz who introduced the term Rassenhygiene in his "Racial hygiene basics" (Grundlinien einer Rassenhygiene) in 1895. In its earliest incarnation it was concerned more with the declining birthrate of the German state and the increasing number of mentally ill and disabled in state institutions (and their costs to the state) than with the "Jewish question" and "de-nordification" (Entnordung) which would come to dominate its philosophy in Germany from the 1920s through the second World War. One of the confusing aspects of "racial hygiene" is that "race" was often interchangeably used to mean "human race" as well as "German race" as well as "Aryan race" — three quite different concepts with three quite different implications. In the 1930s, under the expertise of eugenicist Ernst Rüdin, it was this latter use of "racial hygiene" which was embraced by the followers of Nazi ideology, who demanded "Aryan" racial purity and condemned miscegenation. This belief in importance of German racial purity often served as the theoretical backbone of Nazi policies of racial superiority and later genocide. These policies began in 1935, when the Nazis enacted the Nuremberg Laws, which legislated "racial purity" by forbidding marriage between non-Jewish and Jewish Germans. A key part of Nazism was the concept of racial hygiene and during their rule the field was elevated to the primary philosophy of the German medical community, first by activist physicians within the medical profession, particularly amongst psychiatrists. This was later codified and institutionalized during and after the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, during the process of Gleichschaltung (literally, "coordination" or "unification") which streamlined the medical and mental hygiene (mental health) profession into a rigid hierarchy with Nazi-sanctioned leadership at the top. Racial hygienists played key roles in the Holocaust, the Nazi effort to purge Europe of Jews, Communists, Gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents, the mentally retarded and the insane. [edit] After World War II After World War II, such attempts have been widely reviled as cruel and brutal, and the racialist ideology behind them as un-scientific and pseudoscience. What the racial hygienists didn't concern themselves with, was the fact that it is the variety and diversity within the human genome that accounts for the health and beauty of an observable human specimen, for it is the practice of inbreeding and isolation within a racial sect that accounts for at least some of the physical and mental deformities and retardations that the eugenicists observed and used as evidence of undesired genetic "flaws" that could be bred out by only allowing the "pure" Aryan race to procreate. However, in the days of the most influential eugenicists, little was known about genetic heredity and DNA, and it relationship to diseases such as Down Syndrome. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Ghosts of Germany's Communist Past Return for Election
Ghosts of Germany's Communist Past Return for Election By: Erik Kirschbaum - Erik Kirschbaum is a Reuters correspondent in Berlin. August 28th, 2009 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2009/08/28/ghosts-of-germanys-communist-past-return-for-election/ Will the party that traces its roots to Communist East Germany's SED party that built the Berlin Wall soon be in power in a west German state? Or is the rise of the far-left "Linke" (Left party) in western Germany to the brink of its first role as a coalition partner in a state government with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) simply a political fact-of-life now so many years after the Wall fell and the two Germanys were reunited? Will a "red" government in Saarland scare away investors and doom the state, as its conservative state premier Peter Mueller argues in a desperate fight to his job? Or will the new leftist alliance in Saarland be able to better tackle state's woes, as the SPD state premier candidate Heiko Maas insists? Depending on your Weltanschauung, that's what Sunday's election in three German states boils down to - an emotional debate about whether the ex "Communists" in the form of the Left party should be allowed to be part of the next Saarland government or not. It doesn't matter that the Left has already been in eastern state governments and will probably also be part of the next state government in the eastern state of Thuringia, which also elects a new state assembly on Sunday. The "Cold War" has flared up again in Germany ahead of Sunday's elections in three German states, a closely watched warm-up for the national election on Sept. 27 when Chancellor Angela Merkel will be seeking a second term. It's hard to explain to anyone outside Germany why the Left party has been seated in state and local governments throughout eastern Germany for the last 15 years with hardly a murmur while it was until recently an absolute taboo in western Germany. It's also not easy to explain to some Germans, especially those born after the Cold War. But here goes: Many western voters have until now had a knee-jerk reaction to the Left party - as well as its predecessor the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), which is the direct descendent of Erich Honecker's SED. Westerners remember the Wall, the shoot-to-kill orders, the barbed wire and the Iron Curtain that divided post- war Germany. "It's not a big deal in Saarland anymore," Maas, the SPD candidate in Saarland, told me in an interview on the campaign trail in Saarbruecken this week. "The CDU is trying to make a scandal out of it. They've been trying to whip up fears about `red-red' for months but there hasn't been any movement in the opinion polls. I think that shows people aren't interested in the parties mud-slinging about coalitions. They're tired of those games. They want political leaders to resolve their problems." Many eastern voters long ago realised the Left party is not the SED that built the Wall. In the east, the Left has become the most powerful party in many regions partly due to nostalgia for East Germany but mainly due to its fighting for leftist ideals as well as standing up for the so-called "losers" of unification. "A `red-red' government would send Saarland down the tubes," said CDU leader Mueller. And Merkel added at a rally in Saarbruecken: "This state cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of `red-red'." She does not use that line in her campaign speeches in the former Communist east, where she was raised, because she knows it would sound ridiculous to eastern ears. The SPD rules out a "red-red" coalition with the Left party at the national level because of deep differences over foreign and economic policy. But it now says it is ready to open the door to such alliances in western states - after some painful experiences in the last few years. And Maas in Saarland could be the first to go through. The SPD will probably drop that ban on "red- red" coalitions at the national level someday as well after having abandoned it for eastern Germany in 1994. So is it "The Commies are at the Gate in Saarland?" Or is it just part of a democratic evolution that the renamed, reborn East German Communists are about to gain a small but important foothold in western Germany? ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Japan opposition takes on economy after landslide
Japan opposition takes on economy after landslide By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer Eric Talmadge, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 53 mins ago TOKYO – Japan's likely next prime minister rushed to select Cabinet ministers Monday after his party trounced the ruling conservatives in elections and inherited a mountain of problems, including how to revive the world's second-largest economy. Yukio Hatoyama spoke only briefly with reporters before huddling with party leaders. In a victory speech late Sunday, he said he would focus on a quick and smooth transition and make a priority of choosing Japan's next finance minister. He has also said he wants to redefine Tokyo's relationship with its key ally, Washington. Prime Minister Taro Aso, conceding defeat, said he would step down as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "As head of the party, I feel strong responsibility and it is my intention to resign," Aso told a news conference Monday. His successor as party leader is expected to be named in late September. Although the nation gave the Democratic Party of Japan a landslide win, most voters were seen as venting dissatisfaction with the LDP and the status quo. The staunchly pro-U.S. LDP — teaming up with big business, conservative interests and the powerful national bureaucracy — governed Japan for virtually all of the past 54 years. Their election loss has been attributed primarily to frustration with the economy, which is in its worst slump since World War II. Official results were still being counted, but exit polls by all major media said Hatoyama's party had won more than 300 of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament. That would easily be enough to ensure that he is installed as prime minister in a special session of parliament that is expected in mid-September. The Democrats controlled the less powerful upper house of parliament with two smaller allies since 2007, but if they fail to quickly deliver on their promises, the LDP could resurge in elections for that house next year. The task ahead for the Democrats is daunting. Japan managed to climb out of a yearlong recession in the second quarter, but its economy remains weak. Unemployment and anxiety over falling wages threaten to undermine any recovery. The jobless rate has risen to a record 5.7 percent. After a rapid succession of three administrations in three years, Japan is facing its worst crisis of confidence in decades. It must also figure out how to cope with a rapidly aging and shrinking population — meaning fewer people paying taxes and more collecting pensions. Government estimates predict the population will drop to 115 million in 2030 and fall below 100 million by the middle of the century. The Democrats' solution is to move Japan away from a corporate-centric economic model to one that focuses on helping people. They have proposed an expensive array of initiatives: cash handouts to families and farmers, toll-free highways, a higher minimum wage and tax cuts. The estimated bill comes to 16.8 trillion yen ($179 billion) when fully implemented starting in the 2013 fiscal year. The party has said it plans to cut waste and rely on untapped financial reserves to fund their programs. But with Japan's public debt heading toward 200 percent of gross domestic product, the Democrats' plan has been criticized as a financial fantasy that would worsen Japan's precarious fiscal health. Japan's stock market surged early Monday on the news of the election, but then fell back — indicating uncertainty among investors about what the Democrats will bring. "The key difference is the Liberal Democrats' spending on public projects and infrastructure, but the Democrats spend on family and education," said Martin Schulz, a senior economist at the Fujitsu Research Institute. "The Democrats have a year to show results," he added, noting next year's elections are looming. The Democrats are also under scrutiny for their positions on national security and foreign policy. Hatoyama has been vocal about distancing Japan from Washington and forging closer ties with its Asian neighbors. He has said he will end a refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, and wants to review the role of the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed across Japan under a post-World War II mutual security treaty. He is not expected to make any radical departures that would harm relations with Washington, however, and the new U.S. ambassador to Japan said President Barack Obama is looking forward to working with the administration in Tokyo. "The challenges we face are many, but through our partnership our two great democracies will meet them in a spirit of cooperation and friendship," Ambassador John V. Roos said in a statement Monday. The Democrats' first task will be to convince a skeptical public that they can actually lead. The party is made up of an inexperienced group of left-wing activists and LDP defectors.
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Ghosts of Germany's Communist Past Return forElection
If a non-European wants to really > understand what is going on he (she) has to read a "countervailing" reports > by ot er journalists (in differenr media). > Stephen Steiger, Praue, Czech Republic > ^^^ CB Got any countervailing reports ? ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Japan Votes for Multipolarity
Japan Votes for Multipolarity dredmond Voters roundly reject the LDP's watered-down variant of a US-subservient neoliberalism: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200908300210.html Japan, it should be noted, is the second-largest foreign creditor of the US (slightly behind China). Hint, hint! -- DRR ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] The Earth
Astronomers: The Earth Will Soon Be Uninhabitable On a Cosmological Timescale, the Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over By Sigurd Published: 10 August 2009 http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/10/on-a-cosmological-timescale-the-earths-period-of-habitability-is-nearly-over/ One of the hottest topics at this year's XXVIIth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil involves the study of the astrophysical conditions favourable for the development and survival of primordial life. New research shows that compared to middle-aged stars like the Sun, newly formed stars spin faster generating strong magnetic fields that result in emission of more intense levels of X-rays, ultraviolet rays and charged particles -- all of which could wreak havoc on budding atmospheres and have a dramatic effect on the development of emerging life forms. Just how rare life is in the Universe is one of the key questions in the natural sciences today. By pulling in multidisciplinary expertise from biology, geology, physics and astronomy, astrobiologists are addressing different facets of this very profound question, and notably how the conditions around different types of stars in an early stage of development might help or hinder the emergence of life in a solar system. Several scientists at the forefront of this research have just concluded IAU Symposium 264 on "Solar and Stellar Variability -- impact on Earth and Planets". The Sun is awe-inspiring and fearsome -- a superheated ball about 300,000 times as heavy as the Earth, radiating immense amounts of energy and hurling great globs of hot plasma millions of kilometres out into space. The intense radiation from this giant powerhouse would be fatal close to the Sun, but for a planet like Earth, orbiting at a safe distance from these violent outbursts, and bathed by a gentler radiation, the Sun can provide the steady energy supply needed to sustain life. Now sedate and middle-aged, at around 4.5 billion years old, the Sun's wild youth is behind it. Edward Guinan, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University in the USA, and his "Sun-in-Time" project team have studied stars that are analogues of the Sun at both early and late stages of its lifecycle. These "solar proxies" enable scientists to look through a window in time to see the harsh conditions prevailing in the early or future Solar System, as well as in planetary systems around other stars. These studies could lead to profound insights into the origin of life on Earth and reveal how likely (or unlikely) the rise of life is elsewhere in the cosmos. This work has revealed that the Sun rotated more than ten times faster in its youth (over four billion years ago) than today. The faster a star rotates, the harder the magnetic dynamo at its core works, generating a stronger magnetic field, so the young Sun emitted X-rays and ultraviolet radiation up to several hundred times stronger than the Sun today. A team led by Jean-Mathias Grießmeier from ASTRON in the Netherlands looked at another type of magnetic fields -- that around planets. They found that the presence of planetary magnetic fields plays a major role in determining the potential for life on other planets as they can protect against the effects of both short-lived intense particle storms when the star ejects mass from its corona and the persistent onslaught of particles from the stellar wind. Grießmeier says: "Planetary magnetic fields are important for two reasons: they protect the planet against the incoming charged particles, thus preventing the planetary atmosphere from being blown away, and also act as a shield against high energy cosmic rays. The lack of an intrinsic magnetic field may be the reason why today Mars does not have an atmosphere". Guinan explains a surprising realisation that emerged from their work: "The Sun does not seem like the perfect star for a system where life might arise. Although it is hard to argue with the Sun's `success' as it so far is the only star known to host a planet with life, our studies indicate that the ideal stars to support planets suitable for life for tens of billions of years may be a smaller slower burning `orange dwarf' with a longer lifetime than the Sun -- about 20-40 billion years. These stars, also called K stars, are stable stars with a habitable zone that remains in the same place for tens of billions of years. They are 10 times more numerous than the Sun, and may provide the best potential habitat for life in the long run". He continues: "On the more speculative side we have also found indications that planets like Earth are also not necessarily the best suited for life to thrive. Planets two to three times more massive than the Earth, with a higher gravity, can retain the atmosphere better. They may have a larger liquid iron core giving a stronger magnetic field that protects against the early onslaught of cosmic rays. Furthermore, a large
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Japan opposition takes on economy after landslide
Thanks Charles. I kinda thought u would clarify this thusly On 9/1/09, CeJ wrote: > The thing to remember is this: the NEW RULING party is simply a set of > factions that emerged from the OLD RULING party over 10 years ago. > They ran as opposition on MORE FREE MARKETS, DEREGULATION, > LIBERALIZATION and appeasement of big business interests that seek to > co-habit with American big business interests and the US military. > It's true that they said they were going to re-think the postal > privatization (now that everyone realizes it's about the only thing in > the country that appeasing American interests hasn't yet ruined), but > it's also important to remember that, at the time the simpleton > Koizumi of the old ruling party (LDP) was arguing for privatization > and running on this issue, the DPJ was vaguely arguing the > privatization didn't go far or deep enough. > > One would expect the usual interests of the American national security > state empire to argue that Japan started its reforms too late or did > too little--except the collapse of the US bubbles leaves them so > thoroughly repudiated by their own stupid free market rhetoric (which > was more about making Japan pay for more of the US's military spending > while securing insider deals and monopolized markets with US-Japan > trade anyway). > > The LDP truly sucked, the DPJ promises to suck even harder. > > CJ > > ___ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis