The Chinese model of non-democratic excellence in government

This guy gives a persuasive presentation on the alternative offered by the world's most popular government with its own people, China. But he does not seem to be aware of the influence of his own culture on what we now think of as Western democracy. Confucius, Mencius and other Chinese thinkers were highly influential among political theorists in Europe when they were translated back in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Without them, there would be no enlightenment and no civil service exams, the basis of the bureaucratic structures that uphold rule of law, the skeleton of democracy. About that you can read more at, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/song/readings/inventions_ideas.htm 
under the headings, "Political and Economic Theories" and "China and the Age of Enlightenment."

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Bahaismo kaj Esperanto

Individual Expression Expressed by Mark

"Indeed, individuality of expression, within the framework of the Administrative Order, is preferable to too great a uniformity."

(From a letter of 26 April 1953 on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer; "That Promising Continent: Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, the Writings and Letters of Shoghi Effendi and the Letters Written on his Behalf on Africa" (Johannesburg 1998), page 9)

I thought this untitled painting of Mark Tobey went with this recently uncovered quote from Shoghi Effendi.

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How to be a Lady

Silvie's Proposed Book Cover, "How to Be a Lady"

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The Baha'i principle of economic equity applies to animals too.

Land Value Taxation and Agriculture

Cartoon by Silvie, 2009

Satirical response to my attempt to keep our study session serious.







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One of my favorite Baha'i writers, Stanwood Cobb; cured of depression by the hand of the Master

Stanwood Cobb remembers:...........Abdu’l-Bahá came into my room one morning without His translator. He sat beside me and took one of my hands in both of His and held it for a minute or two. He had not at any time inquired as to my health. He knew. From that moment on I found myself permanently relieved of these depressive moods. No matter how hard the going, I have always since then been glad to be alive.”

Socratic ignorance is still informing research into expertise

Noam Chomsky - Pirates & Emperors

Dueling sanctimony (my daughter was reminded of me)

http://conservatoons.deviantart.com/art/Dueling-Sanctimony-142758959

A Catholic cleric argues effectively against the New Atheists

Mazi En Gondolando

Mazi En Gondolando

Miaj infanoj multe sxatis tiun filmon. Ankaux bona maniero lerni, ecx por plenaguloj.

Our kids loved this film. Watched it over and over. I learned a lot too, about Esperanto vocabulary and diction. This is the sequel, Mazi revenas al Gondolando. Riveting plot.

This song is for beginners learning Esperanto, but I found it quite touching, in a bittersweet way. Many's a friend I had who mixed with me "kiel akvo kaj oleo." 

Filmeto por la muziko en Esperanto "Jen", kantata kaj ludata de Alejandro Cossavella (tiam en La Porkoj). Tiu video ankaŭ omaĝas la Kurson de Esperanto ( http://www.kurso.com.br ), eble la plej granda respondeculo pri la disvatigo de tiu muziko inter la komencantaro, ĉar ĝi enhavas "Jen" en unu el siaj lecionoj.

Next Step for Democracy: A Government BY the People

Branches of One Tree

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree..." -Albert Einstein

Evacuated Tube Transport Video Playlist

Euclid's proof of deity

Euclid gave what to me seems to be a pretty persuasive proof of the existence of God. We are created in God's image, two things are equal to that image, therefore they are fundamentally equivalent.

The recent movie about Lincoln shows how this same idea gave the great man faith that political polarities can be united.

Take this extract from the Huffington Post on this subject:

During our discussion, Kushner offered insight on Lincoln's affinity for Euclidian Geometry, particularly on its usefulness in avoiding political gridlock. Kushner remarked, "Lincoln was fascinated by mathematics and geometry, and often used it to resolve political differences." In one of the most poignant moments of the film, Lincoln recites Euclid's first common notion by stating "It is self-evident that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other." (clip shown below)

Video clip courtesy Movieclip.com

Euclid's first common notion gave Lincoln the ability to visualize two unlike ideas and allow parties to converge on a claim that would eventually become "self-evident." Lincoln's point was that truth claims become self-evident through the dialectic, or the combined process of resolving the tension between two ideas through discussion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ravi-chaudhary/steven-spielbergs-lincoln_b_2155859.html

Whole Earth Discipline Book

I am just finishing Stewart Brand's "Whole Earth Discipline," a revolutionary book that destroys many green misconceptions. Here, in a brief talk, he sums up the arguments he makes at length in the book:

Golab and the Seven "S"'s at Naw Ruz

Happy Naw Ruz! Persian cooking uses rosewater, as does oriental medicine. It is also used to welcome guests, especially at New Year.

"Rose water … has symbolic meanings within Iranian traditions and culture. It represents cleansing and as such is often placed on the ‘haft sein’  table at new year or Naw rooz ( a table containing 7 traditional items beginning with the letter S). The Rose water is  for collection all sickness be it in mind, thought, deed, or in the physical body and/or it’s sprinkled into the air. Rose water is symbolistic within the Zoroastrian religion and in ancient Iran newly arrived guests are greeted with sweets made with rose-water and sprinkled with rose-water as they entered the house. Some Zoroastrians still keep a ‘golabaz’, a traditionally shaped vase with rose-water in it and greet their guests in the traditional ways.  I also have memories of using rose-water to lightly cleanse and freshen up furniture and draperies before receiving guests and especially at Norooz."

From <http://javanehskitchen.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/rose-water-or-golab/

I have been getting interested in Iranian cooking lately.

Here is what celeb cook Jamie Oliver has to say about it:

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To be for the people, government must be by the people. Brilliant talk by Étienne Chouard