L'aura del Campo

Zhong Qiu Jie. Leonard Pitts visits.

The Chinese moon festival, "Zhong Qiu Jie" is tonight. Nothing like a Harvest Moon. Leonard Pitts visited Kansas last night. He spoke in front of thousands.

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███████          L'aura del campo          ███████

AUTUMN: 10 Mashiyyat (6 October)

'é a lua,  é a lua,  na quintana dos mortos'
♣    Federico García Lorca    ♣

MY THOUGHTS

Went to hear Leonard Pitts, nationally syndicated columnist, last evening. He's a very good speaker. He spoke on America's response to 9-11. He began by quoting General Powell, "We are Americans, we are not terrorized". Unfortunately, we were, according to Mr. Pitts (and I concur).

Re the use of 'free speech zones' during the 2004 national political conventions: "I thought this whole country was a free speech zone."

Don't ask me the context on: "Lies, spies and alibis." It could apply to so many things. As could: "Our freedoms are being nibbled away ... gobbled away ..."

He is concerned that reports that 51% of us would give up freedom to insure safety, that there is a mind set that civil liberties are an inconvience. And that the government manipulates the American people to gain control and limit freedoms.

He spoke about an incident where Homeland Security tried to curb usage of a porn site in a library (the librarian ordered them out!): "It is difficult to get the full entertainment value." For instance, he mentioned that he has never seen someone reading Hustler on the airplane. You make your own picture.

How to get through anger? "Writing helps to vent." To wind down? "watching Comedy Central"

Re on-line plagiarism used by universities: "The anti-plagiarism software is here and here" pointing at his head and his heart.

The news link: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/oct/06/rights_writing_motivates_pitts/?ku_news...

WATT'S GNUS

Over 20 years ago I did a community newsletter with a segment I called "Watt's Gnu". So here we go:

Tonight is the Harvest Moon. And time for Zhong Qiu Jie, the Chinese Moon Festival. This year the moon is 12% bigger they say:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20061006/sc_space/tonightsfullmoon12percentbigger

Moon cakes are part of the Chinese festival:

http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/mooncake.htm

The Moon festival:

http://www.hkedcity.net/article/ec-mid-autumn/about/

Apparently we are a cooperative species that has an internal sense of what's fair. We are known to refuse something that will advance us when it hurts others or when it isn't fair to both/all parties. Here's an article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061005/hl_hsn/studyspotsthebrainsselfishnessoffswi...

How about getting internet anywhere? (well in the U.S. that is.) Verizon and Sprint have reasonbly cheap 3G broadband cards that can get you internet anywhere they are. And they are most everywhere these days.

Here is a link (note that it is a blog!):

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/samiljan/31

How well do you fit with your job? If you don't get along with your co-workers how long will you last? This article covers the other important issues but adds that how well you fit in with the others matters alot:

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/leadership/10050

The three key questions:

"Do you like and respect the people with whom you would work on a day-to-day basis?"

"Is the environment and culture one in which you can truly be yourself?"

"When you consider the senior-most leadership of the organization, do you aspire to become like them one day?"

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IMAGES

Thursday sunset:

A criss-cross of unraveling streams of moisture in the sky. A strawberry glow at the horizon over the western hills. Full moon hanging in the eastern sky. 360º of purple haze.

Friday afternoon:

The sound intrudes when the bus windows are open. Clear sky over a grove of locusts, in the shade, one orange construstion cone. Leaves are turning, falling; it's bone dry.

MY LIFE

Sometimes I need to break out of my comfort zone or just do something different. So when I heard that Leonard Pitts would be on campus, FREE, I went. Glad I caught the K.U. bus and arrived fairly early. The entire place was filling up and I went up to the third level to get a seat. It was packed. Perhaps 2,100! Far above the 500 of the hall they had originally scheduled him in.

Tutored Nick. I now know that this course covers Chapter 8-11 of the book. And I need to study this coming week to be able to help better. They will then read "Rosaura a las diez" which I have not read in years!

POETRY? YOU CALL THIS POETRY?

October drought

Bone dry,
through purple haze,
sun sets on sycamores
where the dry brown leaves fall before
the Fall. [163.380a]

BLOGVILLE

Well, I hit #20 on the list. Views are nice, but comments are better. Nada has started a new blog! Did anyone think she could stay away? I'm not staying awake long enough to get to read all the blogs I should.