Oct
31
Quotable
Filed Under politics | Leave a Comment
From Mohammed, at Iraq the Model, on the Status of Forces agreement:
I don’t dare suggest that Obama wanted to obstruct the treaty because it threatens Iran and other despots in the Middle East; I’m sure his purpose is different. The thing is that his purpose is also different from that of the U.S. or of Iraq — two friendly states looking forward to building long-lasting cooperation based on shared interests and mutual respect. We want victory in the war; Obama wants victory in elections — this is the problem.
I’m not sure how or if people here think the treaty might affect the presidential race, but in Iraq and the Middle East people think that signing the treaty before elections would be regarded as a victory for Republicans that could propel McCain to the White House. Again Iran and many in the Middle East don’t want McCain to be in the White House. I guess that’s one thing they have in common with Obama. [emphasis mine]
There are many voices from abroad I take seriously about our politics, but this still surprised me. A friend has suggested that someone knows how to say the right things, but I don’t know - there are plenty of good reasons to favor Obama if you think Iraq can handle its own security. What is stunning is the ability to conceive of the Presidency as a foreign-policy position primarily - given how notably absent that is from our day-to-day discussions here, part of me wants to hand citizenship out like it was candy. We could use some voters that are yearning less for free-market or anarcho-socialist utopias, and realize the full truth of Madison’s dictum: “compact is the essence of free government.”
Oct
29
- Homeless problem, past and present
- Crime
- Business-friendly? hahahahahaha
When running for Mayor some time ago, Michael Nutter actually took the time to slam Bush/Cheney in his ads, which made no sense - Philadelphia’s local problems are its own doing and responsibility. I went looking for progress reports on how the city is doing, haven’t found many yet. If you have links I should read, post them in the comments. Maybe the homeless problem is better and the crime rate is down overall, who knows?
I know several Philly residents that will mug you personally and enjoy it if you try to contend living in the city is some kind of paradise, though.
Oct
28
Noted Frustration
Filed Under music, personal | Leave a Comment
Those Bach Inventions and Sinfonias present a new challenge for me, the occasional pianist. I don’t care about the mistakes, but I do care that each voice is rich and vibrant and makes melodic sense. Moreover, I want a mature sound, a sound coming from a 28 year old at least.
Trouble is that it is easy to get a tinny “I’m just going through the motions aren’t I cool” sound and rest satisfied. Moreover, a trap lies in going beyond that: one can get a very good technical sound any pre-teen prodigy can get.
I never was a prodigy, and that’s fine with me. I want my music to grow with me.
Every note counts in Bach and Chopin - nothing is wasted. I’m not getting the sense in my own playing that I’m conveying that.
More technically challenging pieces convey a richness for all musicians who work on them. Part of me feels now that’s cheating for real musicians. It’s kinda like being a poet and doing only flashy or awesome things, and not realizing how well done Wordsworth’s “My Heart Leaps Up” is. The challenge for the poet is to do more than amaze one’s audience; the television can do that at will nowadays.
Oct
26
The yellow-green leaves outside my window catch sunlight, as do the orange and brown ones. But the yellow definitely catches my eye the most: it seems an earthy counterpart to the sun itself.
These autumn days are our riches. Even Starbucks and Wawa and various beer companies offer a full line of fall products to complement the season - we have pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice latte, oktoberfest and various “harvest” sorts of beer, and a million other things that surprise me pleasantly.
There’s something natural when our efforts go into worship of a season. I can see how some Athenians put up with the orgies and the lewdness which could become murderous. I think Rob Long in National Review once put it best, when discussing Jerry Springer: it wasn’t all the disgusting sex acts and the drugs and being proud of living in a trailer park that made the show a problem. The real problem always was that there were actual couples up there - no matter how messed up they were - and one member was always happy to break another’s heart to be on television for a few minutes.
Christ would be the first one to say that God can’t teach people to love, only how to love. That “how” is important, of course, but we think we’re beyond both concerns. We’re beyond good and evil, no?
Those leaves look more beautiful than they ever have, and yet they’re dying. I could use another pumpkin spice latte about now.
Oct
24
No kidding.
Filed Under personal | Leave a Comment
I don’t feel like reading Xenophon and writing a line-by-line commentary right now. What I want to do is write the most elegant flashy essay packed with a new reading of American history and its themes that will make us all perfectly rational voters eager to read Plato at the drop of a hat.
I want to be all pumped about this election too. I want to elect myself something like “official Prophet of the USA” or some other arrogant nonsense that lets me blather away and take questions which make me look smart.
There’s a shallow reason for this, and a deep reason. Shallow reason: I’m bored and want to do something different, and quite honestly, I do like teaching and don’t do enough of it right now.
Deep reason: philosophy can’t be done in a vacuum. The best thoughts occur in contemplation, and one’s true teaching probably will always remain a mystery to others until well after the fact. But to have everyone else be in a state little better than a frenzied mob is kinda like bowling alone. You can do it, you’ll progress, but the absurdity of it all becomes apparent, unless you’ve already transcended being human.