#the indian express explained analysis today

[vakilkarosblog]

A Nidhi company, as defined by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in India, is a non-banking finance company (NBFC) that primarily works for the benefit of its members. The core objective of a Nidhi company is to cultivate the habit of thrift and savings among its members while providing them with avenues for credit at reasonable terms. These companies are regulated by the Nidhi Rules, 2014, which lay down the guidelines for their functioning. Read More

#editorial analysis of the hindu #the hindu analysis #the hindu newspaper today #the hindu for clat #upsc preparation for beginners in hindi #the indian express news analysis in hindi #explained discussion for ias upsc in hindi #the hindu analysis today #the indian express explained analysis today #the hindu newspaper analysis today #inclusion #getting a work visa for spain #important articles for upsc in english #the hindu newspaper analysis #banking and financial awareness

[margridarnauds]

Yesterday I realized, after seeing some neonazi use a Celtic cross on a banner, like... if you went up to an Irish person who was going thru a famine at the end of the 9 years war caused by scorched earth policies, & said that one of those crosses over there were being used to advocate for harm towards a specific group by virtue of them being a part of it, they'd be pretty horrifed? neonazis claim to love their "heritage" yet actively disrespect the memories of the group they claim to represent

Yeah. Like, there’s not much to say but “Yeah.” 

Like, in the field, we’re VERY careful to say that medieval and Early Modern Ireland was, frankly, a bit of a shit place to live - Like....pretty much any European (and the vast majority of non-European) society, it was classist, sexist, and xenophobic. We don’t skim over that. The standard of beauty described was overwhelmingly (though NOT exclusively) pale skin + blonde/red (”red gold” is a common descriptor) hair. (But also. Their standard of beauty was a little. Strange. By our standards.) They did keep slaves as a casual thing. But also....they absolutely WOULD NOT understand this. You defeated a group of people, and then they were tributes to you, until they’re able to flip the tables again. Upward mobility was difficult, but it wasn’t IMPOSSIBLE. As early as the 1920s (which is NOT what you’d call a golden age for the field as far as studying the complexities of race), you’ve got Eoin Mac Neill saying that “The genealogical doctrine, however, must be taken as often expressing political status rather than racial origin”. (Before discussing the “vassal tribes” of Ireland in my dissertation, I had to include about a paragraph or two discussing how, despite what SOME SCHOLARS might have said in the past, we can’t really use the term “race” to apply in the same way and, if we do use the term, it has to be done with the greatest amount of caution.) 

The Early Modern period did bring a lot of tension between the aristocracy and the peasantry (who, for a ton of reasons, had the reputation for being pro-English), with the former saying that the latter, for example, were descended from demons. (Lawrence P. Morris wrote a REALLY good article on it, “Race, Language, and Social Class in Seventeenth-Century Ireland”), but, at the exact same time that that is going on, you have Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh writing, “I ask, however, how genealogies or other categories of history can be thus disseminated without writing of both ignoble and noble, of free and unfree in turn thus, for the theologians themselves say that there was not ever a king who did not come from a slave, not a slave who did not come from a king; see how David was a shepherd and Saul a keeper of she-asses before they were kings, etc.” 

(Also, something that I DO think is interesting is that you have quite a few prominent Irish figures who are said to be descended from slaves, from Niall of the Nine Hostages to St. Brigit.) 

Overall, classist? Yes, absolutely. Xenophobic? .....ja. Richtig. But definitely not having the same conception of this sort of thing as the Neonazis have. They would NOT understand it, and I do believe that, especially for the common people from that time...they REALLY would have been horrified. (Because, of course, it isn’t like the Celtic cross would have been confined to aristocrats, even if they’re the ones who could afford the really intricate symbols that we still see now.) Like, as of the 16th century, it was something you saw predominately at churches, going back to the 9th century (so, over SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS). And to try to explain to them that that symbol, associated with something as really...quintessentially Irish as the Catholic Church (at that point in time, not touching the modern relationship. Not. Touching) being used to justify the subjugation of an entire group of people based on skin color... Like. The best you could say to them would be the Israelites in Egypt, but in that case...well, there’s a really clear good and bad guy, isn’t there? And it isn’t who the white supremacists would want it to be. 

It becomes complicated down the line, in terms of Irish immigrants’ own participation in racism in the United States/colonialism and how they came to be perceived as “white”, but, at this time? No, I really don’t think...they could or would understand it. And maybe I’m naive about my field, but I don’t think so. And I know I’m emphasizing that a lot, but in my opinion, it’s important to emphasize it, especially now. (In Ireland to this day, it’s not uncommon to find Celtic crosses at jewelry shops because...why wouldn’t there be? It’s an old symbol with a lot of relevance, especially to the Celtic Revival, and when, after a scholar came to lecture at my campus about race in medievalism, I mentioned to my paleography professor that, yeah, the Celtic cross has been appropriated by Neonazis, she was HORRIFIED.)

Neonazis are all about spreading the (INCORRECT) “Irish Slaves” meme until it forces them to actually consider that their view of whiteness and white solidarity is a relatively new phenomenon (given that an Irish person in the 16th century would NOT have felt any warm and toasty kinship with the English...even if you were descended from one of the English groups that came over in the Norman Invasion) and that they’re actively disrespecting everything the groups they claim to “appreciate” underwent. (Also on the long, long, occasional problematic history of the Irish and Native Americans/the Irish being perceived as POC before, essentially, tossing other groups under the bus, see: Fintan O’Toole, “Going Native: The Irish as Blacks and Indians” [not a title I’d have chosen, even in 1994, and I feel like there’s a fair bit of what he said there that wouldn’t have been said/phrased that way today and shouldn’t have been phrased that way then, but. Useful in its analysis of the sources. Use with caution]; Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White. And, of course, the solidarity between the Irish and the Choctaw people during the Famine, which is commemorated in the Kindred Spirits statue in co. Cork.)

Which, on one level...it’s par for the course, since it isn’t like these people understand the bare minimum of historical analysis, but. 

#also don't tell them that Ireland's now a multi-ethnic country #their aryan paradise doesn't exist #(also when I say that it's a relatively new phenomenon that obviously doesn't mean that the Irish aren't white now) #(because they are still very much viewed as white after...around the 1930s-40s I want to say) #but. still. #the Irish went through years of being called subhuman only for their 'representatives' to spit on that #and use their culture #THEIR symbols #as a way of spreading hatred and oppression #Anonymous #long post #nazism tw

[decolonizationxabolition]

Neocolonialism and Indigenous Communities in the Americas

Through the lens of neocolonialism, it is important to point out that this form of colonialism is mostly dependent on cultural forces and ideas in order to maintain the power and influence of white settlers (or even non-white settlers that have access to a lot of power, money, and influence; corporate capitalists, basically).

neocolonialism: a variant of colonialism which does not rely on physical force. Rather, it uses cultural and market influences to create resistances against decolonization and enforce integration into a core imperialist economy (globalization); the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies. (The Red Nation, Oxford Languages) [for a more expansive definition of neocolonialism and it's characteristics, please check out my other blog post here]

I would say that some of the largest of neocolonial influences are the systems and/or institutions that embrace capitalism (specifically racial capitalism), resource exploitation, labor exploitation (that happen as a result of racial capitalism), and the persisting influence of the Christian religion via religious institutions (like the Catholic Church and other religious schools). Neocolonialism intersects quite literally with the structure of the prison industrial complex (but I will talk about that a bit at the end of this blog post and write a whole blog post dedicated to those specific intersections). It is also important to note that neocolonialism argues that the systems of the colonial era are internalized in our bodies. In order for these systems to continue to function, these institutions must work to internalize these cultural forces/ideas (like basically low key brain-washing to be honest) that affect our self-concept, the relationship with our bodies, and our access to resources.

Capitalism, labor exploitation, and parallels today from the "Colonial" era

There is a connection between how labor exploitation plays out today and the exploitative history of slavery during the colonial era, a lot of it is apparent in various industries (like the fashion/textile industry, prison labor, etc.) But in this blog post I'm going to mostly talk about the exploitative labor practices of the Hollywood/film industry and how they exploit indigenous communities through labor and the use of their land. I will also be talking about the capitalization of other natural resources such as water, which is a huge problem indigenous communities are facing today.

An example of the exploitative labor practices in the film industry can be found through the analysis of the film Even the Rain. In Fabrizio Cilento's article "Even the Rain: A Confluence of Cinematic and Historical Temporalities, Cilento breaks down how the film "takes a metacinematic approach to the the story of a Mexican film crew in Bolivia shooting an historic drama on Christopher Columbus's conquest. With the water riots as a background, Bollaín uses different cinematic styles to establish disturbing parallels between old European imperialism, the recent waves of corporate exploitation,... and the exploitation of Bolivian actors for the benefit of the global film industry.... Bollaín warns that these productions can fall into a colonialist dynamic by reproducing the imbalances between the 'visible' countries in the global film market, and 'invisible' countries whose native actors and visually appealing locations are exploited...." It is important to note how the persistence of capitalism and the exploitation of resources (whether that be land or labor) continue to work against decolonization and creates similar power imbalances between indigenous communities and corporate capitalists that allude to the colonial era. This is also a prime example of how there is a continued rift between the indigenous people's relationship to the land, especially through the limited access to water.

(Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz)

So, I would like to make the point that capitalism and corporate interests play a huge role in working against decolonization. We do not live in a "Postcolonial" world, but rather, a neocolonial world that continues to exploit indigenous communities for their (quite frankly already limited) resources. Today, many Native Americans/Indigenous people have trouble accessing water like the First Nations in Canada, the indigenous tribes in the United States, and indigenous communities in Latin America and the Caribbean (whom are 10 to 25 percent less likely to have access to piped water than the region’s Non-Indigenous populations according to this page/report).

For more in depth discussion about the water and land crises indigenous communities are currently facing. All My Relations podcast, which is a podcast run by Matika Wilbur (a visual storyteller/photographer from the Swinomish and Tulalip peoples of coastal Washington) and Adrienne Keene (a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and blogger that discusses cultural appropriation and stereotypes of Native peoples in fashion, film, music, and other forms of pop culture, and a faculty member in American Studies and Ethnic Studies at Brown University.), have done an episode about this topic named Healing The Land IS Healing Ourselves in which they discuss with Kim Smith (a Diné woman, community organizer, citizen scientist, activist, water protector, entrepreneur, and writer) about indigenous' communities relationship with the land, how it relates to the current environmental and water crisis, and the relationship it has with healing our bodies, in which Smith discusses that "violence on the land is violence on our bodies".

The Catholic Church, colonialism, sexuality, and it's influence today

When we're talking about colonialism in the Americas and the remnants of the colonial era today, the conquest of indigenous sexuality/eroticism via the Catholic Church and the repression of indigenous sexuality has played a huge part in colonialism and is still an issue today that perpetuates the erasure of indigenous identity.

In Sylvia Marcos's article "Indigenous Eroticism and Colonial Morality in Mexico: The Confession Manuals of New Spain" Marcos explains that "....By condemning indigenous erotic practices and imposing unprecedented restraints on them, the missionaries altered the roots of ancient Mexican perceptions of the body and the cosmos...." Marcos further unpacks this through probes of confession manuals from the colonial era "....The confession manuals of Molina, Baptista, Serra, and others seem to indicate the missionaries' uneasiness over the diversity of sexual pleasures enjoyed by the souls in their charge. The priests had to repeatedly describe their limited idea of sexuality so that the vital Indians could understand that what for them was often a link with the gods was, in their new religion, always a sin, fault, or aberration.... The morality of negation and abstinence propagated by the missionaries became one more weapon used in the violent process of violent acculturation...." It's important to point out that the repression of the sexual pleasures of indigenous peoples has contributed to the erasure of indigenous identity, especially since they considered it as a means of connecting to their gods. This was used as a weapon to conquer indigenous people's bodies through shame and disconnection from their bodies and spiritual practices.

This is still an issue that persists today, this article by the Washington Post, talks about how transgender Native Americans experienced disproportionately higher rates of rejection by immediate family. It also talks about the state-sponsored Christian schools that have affected indigenous for generations in the United States. So, basically the expansion of Christianity/Catholicism culturally and institutionally and the repression of indigenous sexuality has contributed to the erasure of indigenous identity. And indigenous people that fall outside of the gender binary experience stigma still to this day, which perpetuates colonialism.

To further build upon this point and how to begin explaining the intersection of this with prison abolition and the experience of being Black and/or BIPOC in an imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchal society, Estelle Ellison, a Black Trans disabled writer and transformative justice practitioner, in their essay "Gender, Time, and Other Methods of Policing the Body", Ellison unpacks the intersections between exploitative racial capitalism and how it connects to gender, time, and sexuality, and also explains how it is connected to being policed through our bodies by stating that "By design, each of us is expected to participate in gendering other people's bodies...." and that "....of all the possible ways that a person may live their life at any given moment, the infinite combinations of features, experiences, aspirations, and expressions; gender attempts to reduce our possible identities by half. But half of infinity is still infinity..." Ellison also talks about how time has been colonized (via capitalism through wage labor) and is "made possible by overlapping systems of white supremacy, anti-blackness, patriarchy, ableism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, exploitation, and countless other forms of oppression..."

Ellison's analysis of the intersecting systems of neocolonialism explains how these systems are internalized in our bodies and how it is connected to exploitation (whether that be from our bodies some other form under these systems) and that we are being policed through our bodies due to societal, cultural, or institutional pressures, such as the prison industrial complex and the military industrial complex, or I would argue through religious beliefs.

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#neocolonialism #capitalism #Indigenous Communities #religion #water crisis #education

[penzanews]

Foreign experts assess benefits of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

The Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announced that the Sputnik V vaccine demonstrated efficacy of 97.6%, based on the analysis of data on the infection rate of coronavirus among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V.

“The Ministry of Health of Russia maintains a register of persons who have been vaccinated, as well as citizens who have got infected with COVID as part of the Unified State Information System in Healthcare. According to the data from 3.8 million Russians vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021 as part of the mass-scale civil vaccination program, the infection rate starting from the 35th day from the date of the first injection was only 0.027%. At the same time, the incidence among the unvaccinated adult population was 1.1% for a comparable period starting from the 35th day after the launch of mass-scale vaccination in Russia,” says the message posted on the official website of the Sputnik V vaccine.

It is expected that the data and calculations of the vaccine’s efficacy will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in May.

Sputnik V is approved for use in 60 countries with a total population of 3 billion people. It ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.

Sputnik V has been approved in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Egypt, Honduras, Guatemala, Moldova, Slovakia, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Laos, Iraq, North Macedonia, Kenya, Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Philippines, Cameroon, Seychelles, Mauritius, Vietnam, Antigua and Barbuda, Mali, Panama and India.

As noted by the media, earlier Russian Sputnik V was the third in the list of vaccines with the highest level of effectiveness against coronavirus infection. For Moderna, it is 94.1%, while Pfizer/BioNTech initially had this figure at 95%, but in early April, the developer announced its decrease to 91.3%. Thus, the Russian vaccine now ranks first in terms of effectiveness.

According to Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the actual efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine may be even higher than the results of the analysis demonstrate, since “the data on the case registration system allows a time lag between the collection of the sample (the actual date of the disease) and the diagnosis.”

The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors. The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades. Moreover, the storage temperature of Sputnik V allows storing it in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure. There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V. The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.

Assessing the benefits of the Sputnik V vaccine, Muhammad Munir, Lecturer in Molecular Virology, Lancaster University, noted the presence of two different adenoviral vectors in the Russian vaccine – rAd26 and rAd5.

“One of the unique features of Sputnik V is use of two vectors for the delivery of antigen. The first dose primes the immune system and raise substantial antibodies whereas second dose induce the immune system to produce long lasting antibodies and T-cells without being neutralized by the first dose,” the expert told PenzaNews.

According to him, this feature makes Sputnik V better and different compared to AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) which uses single vector for both injections.

“Realizing this advantage, AstraZeneca partnered with Sputnik V to conduct mutual trial which could enhance the performance of AstraZeneca. Based on the published data, Sputnik V outperformed many of the vaccines of similar kind,” Muhammad Munir stressed.

Jacob Koshy, Deputy Science Editor, The Hindu, expressed the opinion that the main advantage of Sputnik V for India is the already established cooperation of vaccine manufacturers with at least five Indian pharmaceutical companies.

“So the hope is that anywhere between 300–600 million doses will be quickly available to India within months. Sputnik V has tied up with Dr. Reddy’s Labs and conducted a phase 2/3 adaptive study. The results of this aren’t in public domain but one hopes that this information is with India’s regulators and they have made a good judgement,” Jacob Koshy said.

He also drew attention to the fact that there is no prejudice in Indian society about Sputnik V, but there are general fears about vaccines.

“Like in Russia, there is significant hesitancy on vaccines in general. The ongoing second wave in India has caused tremendous panic and many – even though initially hesitant – are now seeking vaccines,” the expert said.

According to him, the main issue for India today is the details of the agreements concluded for the production of Sputnik V.

“RDIF has been on a major, global publicity blitz for several months in marketing Sputnik V to the world. However it must be more transparent on how many of the doses it plans for manufacture in India will actually be available to Indians and how many will be sent for export,” Jacob Koshy explained.

Moreover, in his opinion, Russia should conduct and publish more detailed studies of the vaccine, in particular, its effectiveness against new variants of coronavirus and possible side effects associated with vaccination.

In turn, Shankaran Nambiar, Head of Research, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research in Kuala Lumpur, reminded that the Russian vaccine Sputnik V has been highly rated by international agencies and is reported to be both efficient and safe.

“The vaccine is currently under assessment by the local regulatory body and a firm decision has not been announced yet. The minister for science, technology and innovation, Khairy Jamaluddin, who is supervising the vaccination campaign, had warned that if the regulatory approval process takes too long, Malaysia might lose out on the offer that has been made by the Russian authorities. The Russian authorities have offered 6.4 million doses,” the analyst said.

In his opinion, the advantage that comes with accepting Sputnik V is beneficial for Malaysia not only within the framework of the vaccination program but also but also because it will allow the country to obtain technologies for its production.

“Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology is willing to share its expertise with Malaysia and that will help Malaysia make inroads into the pharmaceutical industry. This will enable Malaysia to be the regional base for the production and distribution of the vaccine. There are tremendous advantages that Malaysia can gain by accepting Sputnik V and working with Gamaleya,” Shankaran Nambiar explained.

Meanwhile, Hildegund Ertl, Professor, Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, called Sputnik V an excellent vaccine with high efficacy.

“It was shown by the phase III trial results published in Lancet [one of the most famous and respected general medical journals, founded in 1823] [...] and it has complete protection against hospitalisations and deaths and mild to moderate side effects,” the expert said.

However, in her opinion, short terms of application of vaccines against coronavirus in the world do not yet allow making unambiguous conclusions.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine has thus far shown lower efficacy in preventing mild to moderate disease than Sputnik V and there have been claims of rare but serious side effects in women under 50 receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, which may or may not be related to the vaccine. But the AstraZeneca vaccine also completely protects against severe disease and death,” Hildegund Ertl said and added that we cannot claim that one vaccine is better than another till we know more about duration of protection and protection against circulating and future variants of the coronavirus.

According to her, today, one of the main priorities should be the united struggle of the world community against the pandemic.

“Right now it is crucial that we get the world vaccinated – not just the wealthy countries but every person in every country and for that we need every vaccine that has shown efficacy and will thereby prevent human suffering and death. [...] All the approved vaccines will be a valuable tool to end this pandemic,” the expert concluded.

Source: https://penzanews.ru/en/analysis/67088-2021

#SputnikV #vaccine

[apettis1]

HW1Case Q3

Q3 (34 pts.). Write up your case on your blog with the following subheadings:

 “The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.

“Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. In-class students: also reflect on the challenges and possible solutions involved in leading a discussion in a classroom or workplace setting.

“My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future and give your opinions about it. 3 sentences of average length or more.

Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Make a blog post that looks like this example.

   The Washington Redskins Trademark Dispute

  The Facts of the Case

After a name and location change for the Boston Braves to the Washington Redskins from 1933-1937. The Redskins received a formal trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark in 1967. After ignoring some negative PR from various media spokespeople and reporters; one of which was Paul Kaplan who stated “Some think of the symbols as monuments to their strength and manhood. Others disagree, bitterly denouncing the derogation of their heritage, an ignorance of their culture and an unabashed commercialism in the sense that Indian names and heroes are exploited with no recompense whatsoever for our native Americans.” In 1972 Redskins officials went on to introduce a graphically designed logo featuring the profile of John "Two Guns" Whitecalf, a Blackfeet Chief whose likeness also appeared on the Buffalo nickel, minted from 1913-38. Cementing their name and imagery to a cultural group of people.  

In 1992 during Super Bowl XXVI a group of roughly 3,000 protesters lined up outside the stadium against the name. That same year American Indians circulated a petition for the name to be changed.

In 1999 the first lawsuit was filed at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The case referenced the Lanham Act which prohibited the registration of any mark that "may disparage persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt, or disrepute." The TTAB ruled in favor of the plaintiffs lead by Suzan Shown Harjo a Cheyenne Tribe member. However, in 2005 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia reversed the TTAB's decision ruling in favor of the Redskins were they won the appeal under the basis of Lashes a term that refers to a “lack of diligence and activity in making a legal claim” according to law.jrank.org. This, in short, means that the plaintiff waited too long to file a complaint from the registered mark date.  

In 2014 a second legal case was filed with younger members of Native American tribes not subject to Lases ruling of the 2005 appeal. This case filed the term “Redskins” was as derogatory as “The N Word”. Plaintiffs used exhibits of historical negative depictions of Native American and references to the color of the skin as negative features, along with current reference to newscasters using terms like “scalping” the other team. Again, the TTAB again voted to cancel the trademarks in a two to one decision that held that the term "redskins" is disparaging to a "substantial composite of Native Americans." However, barely in December 2015, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the disparagement prohibition in the trademark law  stating that dissolving the trademark based on how a person (s) feels violate the First Amendment which forbids government regulators to deny registration because they find speech likely to offend others." On June 19, 2017, the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause passed in favor of the Washington Redskins.

Analysis

So, who has the best legal standing the American Indian People or the Washington Redskins officials? A couple of things should be considered; Is it disparaging or derogatory to use people as mascots? What makes other team that bare the likeness of groups of people not subject to the same legal fillings. Does the claim of disparaging violate freedom of speech? Should those two legal claims be allowed to cancel each other out, ensuring that the group with the most money and power win consistently? Finally, can an image be considered racist or racially charged if the creator of the image is a member of that same group. Which is allegedly the case with the Redskins logo. This argument is closely related to music made by African Americans using the N-word.  

My Conclusion

My conclusion is that the Washington Redskins have registered a trademark that is indeed disparaging, and derogatory to a large enough sample size of the American Indian Population to merit dissolving the intellectual property. Owning the likeness of a group of people is a violation of virtue ethics. Other teams with “people-oriented” mascots may need to make name and logo adjustments. There can be an argument made that the changing of the name is an infringement of First Amendments rights. My counter argument would be that a for-profit organization has a harder claim to first amendment infringement than organized individuals. Simple an organization does not have thoughts and feelings to stifle, people do. Finally, it makes no difference whether the creator of artwork belongs to a group of people that an artwork is derogatory against.    

Future Environment

I believe America is very slowly turning into the proud melting pot it claims to be. The current social climate will no longer tolerate blatant racism at the hand of large organization. Although people harbor their own terrible thoughts and beliefs many are less bold to take a risk as it relates to their bottom dollar. Much like the Washington Redskins it was not legal action, protestors, or public opinion that lead them to announce their plans to revamp their logo and name nearly 30 years after negative reactions were expressed. It was, however, the potential loss of 6.2 billion worth of sponsors including PepsiCo, Bank of America, Nike and FedEx and ESPN refusal to air the imagery that force the change.  

  Future Scenario

There are close to 2,000 teams that hold names and logos of some form of “cultural groups”. Many have generic names like “Braves, Raiders, Patriots that do not point to a specific cultural group of people. One team that may be forced to change could be the Minnesota Vikings. However, I would argue that “Vikings” are a not a currently living cultural group to be offended by the name. Many organizations may have to pivot their likeness or edit content. Such changes have already occurred with many teams Like the Cleveland Browns and Disney who have already made adjustment to Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Aladdin to avoid negative PR (a company known to have pro-white leanings). I look forward to the new American that will come out of the over correction of wrongs gone unchecked since American inception. I agree with the leaders of the protest the Washington Redskins people are “Not Your Mascot”  

  Sources and Citations

The Washington Post 2017 Article    

CNBC Article 2020    

Legal terminology https://law.jrank.org/pages/8043/Laches.html    

[theculturedmarxist]

What will reading Marx do for my bank account?

At the very least, because the people that determine what is in that bank account study Marx, and so you should as well.

A valid, but very revealing question. It’s a common sentiment, especially considering all the economic factors effecting the working class today, everywhere in the world. The accumulation and capital is an overriding concern, both for practical reasons, as well as the logic we absorb from living in a capitalist society. All human endeavor is reduced to cost analysis. Time spent not making money is time wasted, and wasting time—not making money, either for yourself or others—is a cardinal sin of capitalism. The drive to convert every aspect of the lives humans live into a monetary transaction is relentless, and has become so common that it simply goes without question. It has seeped into and colored everything people do, their romances, their careers, their passions, their lusts. The logic of accumulation and transaction eliminates the person and in its place leaves a bank account, a debit card, a dumb repository of value in relation to what they can do for someone else.

The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save  – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital. The less you are, the less you express your own life, the more you have, i.e., the greater is your alienated life, the greater is the store of your estranged being. Everything ||XVI| which the political economist takes from you in life and in humanity, he replaces for you in money and in wealth; and all the things which you cannot do, your money can do. It can eat and, drink, go to the dance hall and the theatre; it can travel, it can appropriate art, learning, the treasures of the past, political power – all this it can appropriate for you – it can buy all this: it is true endowment. Yet being all this, it wants to do nothing but create itself, buy itself; for everything else is after all its servant, and when I have the master I have the servant and do not need his servant. All passions and all activity must therefore be submerged in avarice. The worker may only have enough for him to want to live, and may only want to live in order to have that.>

So entrenched has this mindset become that in the mainstream it goes utterly unquestioned. People are immersed in it from birth, and might go to their grave without even knowing that there was any possible alternative, or even that they should desire one. Marx (for instance, he’s certainly not the only one) offers both a perspective outside of this logic as well as the analysis that can not only allow people to see it, but dismantle it. Marx and Marxist analysis provide a vocabulary and framework otherwise missing from the average worker’s lexicon. They are missing not because they are so esoteric and abstract that they require an imparted understanding, like a teacher to a child, but because the people in charge of workers’ lives—government officials, police, landlords, institutional educators, and bosses most of all—have done everything they can to strike them from the record. Billions are invested in making the thoughts themselves impossible, in inverting human tendencies and behaviors and values to make even the idea that the system is unfair a shameful one. Everything drives at ensuring that the worker stays isolated, ashamed, and desperate.

The benefit of reading Marx and other communists is that they understand this arrangement, go to great lengths to explain its whys and wherefores, and offer workers the tools not only to reframe the narrative in a manner of speaking, but the ideological guidance necessary to undo and escape it. Where capitalism breeds alienation, communists advocate socialization. Where capitalism fosters isolation, communists urge community. Where capitalism cultivates war and hatred, communism professes peace and international solidarity.

Marx tells the worker why he has to consider his bank account in the first place. He explains the mechanisms by which it is filled and drained and to whose profit. The confusion of chauvinism, nationalism, racism, classism, genderism, and so on is dispelled when revealed to be the deceptive antics of the very people that keep the working individual in perpetual anxiety over their bank account.

And still, even though Marx was writing about events that seem like a distant memory, does any of this sound familiar?

Dazzled by the “Progress of the Nation” statistics dancing before his eyes, the Chancellor of the Exchequer exclaims in wild ecstasy:

“From 1842 to 1852, the taxable income of the country increased by 6 per cent; in the eight years from 1853 to 1861, it has increased from the basis taken in 1853, 20 per cent! The fact is so astonishing to be almost incredible! ... This intoxicating augmentation of wealth and power,” adds Mr. Gladstone, “is entirely confined to classes of property.”

Again, reverse the medal! The income and property tax returns laid before the House of Commons on July 20, 1864, teach us that the persons with yearly incomes valued by the tax gatherer of 50,000 pounds and upwards had, from April 5, 1862, to April 5, 1863, been joined by a dozen and one, their number having increased in that single year from 67 to 80. The same returns disclose the fact that about 3,000 persons divide among themselves a yearly income of about 25,000,000 pounds sterling, rather more than the total revenue doled out annually to the whole mass of the agricultural laborers of England and Wales. Open the census of 1861 and you will find that the number of male landed proprietors of England and Wales has decreased from 16,934 in 1851 to 15,066 in 1861, so that the concentration of land had grown in 10 years 11 per cent. If the concentration of the soil of the country in a few hands proceeds at the same rate, the land question will become singularly simplified, as it had become in the Roman Empire when Nero grinned at the discovery that half of the province of Africa was owned by six gentlemen.

In the domain of Political Economy, free scientific inquiry meets not merely the same enemies as in all other domains. The peculiar nature of the materials it deals with, summons as foes into the field of battle the most violent, mean and malignant passions of the human breast, the Furies of private interest. The English Established Church, e.g., will more readily pardon an attack on 38 of its 39 articles than on 1/39 of its income. Now-a-days atheism is culpa levis [a relatively slight sin, c.f. mortal sin], as compared with criticism of existing property relations. Nevertheless, there is an unmistakable advance. I refer, e.g., to the Blue book published within the last few weeks: “Correspondence with Her Majesty’s Missions Abroad, regarding Industrial Questions and Trades’ Unions.” The representatives of the English Crown in foreign countries there declare in so many words that in Germany, in France, to be brief, in all the civilised states of the European Continent, radical change in the existing relations between capital and labour is as evident and inevitable as in England. At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Mr. Wade, vice-president of the United States, declared in public meetings that, after the abolition of slavery, a radical change of the relations of capital and of property in land is next upon the order of the day. These are signs of the times, not to be hidden by purple mantles or black cassocks. They do not signify that tomorrow a miracle will happen. They show that, within the ruling classes themselves, a foreboding is dawning, that the present society is no solid crystal, but an organism capable of change, and is constantly changing.

The colonial system ripened, like a hot-house, trade and navigation. The “societies Monopolia” of Luther were powerful levers for concentration of capital. The colonies secured a market for the budding manufactures, and, through the monopoly of the market, an increased accumulation. The treasures captured outside Europe by undisguised looting, enslavement, and murder, floated back to the mother-country and were there turned into capital. Holland, which first fully developed the colonial system, in 1648 stood already in the acme of its commercial greatness. It was

 “in almost exclusive possession of the East Indian trade and the commerce between the south-east and north-west of Europe. Its fisheries, marine, manufactures, surpassed those of any other country. The total capital of the Republic was probably more important than that of all the rest of Europe put together.” Gülich forgets to add that by 1648, the people of Holland were more over-worked, poorer and more brutally oppressed than those of all the rest of Europe put together.

Today industrial supremacy implies commercial supremacy. In the period of manufacture properly so called, it is, on the other hand, the commercial supremacy that gives industrial predominance. Hence the preponderant rôle that the colonial system plays at that time. It was “the strange God” who perched himself on the altar cheek by jowl with the old Gods of Europe, and one fine day with a shove and a kick chucked them all of a heap. It proclaimed surplus-value making as the sole end and aim of humanity.

Even these examples removed by time have their parallels and echoes today. Now just as then, capitalists refuse to raise wages, claiming it will bankrupt them. Now just as then, capitalists accumulate by rape and pillage the wealth of lesser nations. Now just as then, capitalists one and all make their fortunes through the pitiless exploitation of the working class. You worry about your bank account because it’s been emptied to fill the hoard of the person that owns all you make and for which they’ve never labored themselves.

That’s why you should read Marx and all the rest, because you have a bank account to worry about in the first place—a clock perpetually ticking down towards your ruin, and the only means of escape is joining with your fellow workers and building Communism.

#marx #marxism #capital #capitalism #economics #history #red academia

[guywhosoldtheworld]

Manto Zinda Hai (Manto is Alive)

“And it is also possible, that Saadat Hasan dies, but Manto remains alive” these words of Saadat Hasan Manto have proved to be true over the years. 2020 will mark the 65th death anniversary of one of the most controversial writers of his era. He was born on 11 May 1912 in a middle-class Muslim family based out of Ludhiana. Manto started his career by translating short stories written in English, French, and Russian to Urdu.

Manto's stories were based on untouched subjects and his apt analysis of human behaviour, which changed the course of Urdu literature. His stories showcased the moral decay of the society and took off the masks of prejudice, hypocrisy, dishonesty and falsehood. He was sued for obscenity several times. His stories and their characters are even relevant today.

The dark world of outcasts of our society held an important place in these stories. Saadat Hasan Manto  took his readers on a voyage into the world of pimps, prostitutes, Waifs and debauchees. He shared the sorrow of this abandoned section of the society and with his extraordinary skills was able to universalise these subjects.

Manto moved to Pakistan from Bombay after the partition, which transformed him as a writer. Most of his darkest stories were written in Pakistan, where he faced a lot of criticism and legal troubles. He wrote about the violence that he witnessed at the time of partition and explained the consequences of violence on humanity, human beings, and their minds and conscience.

His storytelling was so expressive that the language and the form didn’t hold any relevance. Some of the stories forced readers to create a savage image in their mind and left them disturbed. In the story ‘Khol Do’, Sakeena was sexually assaulted numerous times, that she unties her Shalwar when her father is asked by the doctor to open the windows. Sakeena from ‘Khol Do’, can be related to many rape victims and the horror that they witness in today's times.

Communal Violence was also covered extensively in the light of partition by Manto. This threat is still prevalent over our society in the form of rifts between various sects which have affected the inter-religious peace across the nation. The story ‘Siyah Hshiay’ was written after partition, but it reflects the current scenario of our society.

Manto was vocal about social justice and advocated the equal treatment of women in our society. Ismat Chugtai quoted,” Manto picked out pearls from the jilted squalor and refuse of life.” He has been referred to as the 'undisputed father of the modern Indian short story' by Salman Rushdie.

Today, even after over six decades of his death, his work seems so modern and admissible. The characters are largely relatable with the people we come across daily. His genius lies in the fact that with each passing day his work seems more and more relevant.

#Saadat Hasan Manto #Manto #Pakistan #Bombay #Ludhiana #Manto in India #khol Do #Thanda Gosht #nawazuddin siddiqui #short story #Manto is Alive #Manto Zinda hai #dead poets society

[simransingh32]

Structural and Cultural factors contributing to the maintenance of Violence against women in India: A structural systems analysis

            Women have historically been considered inferior to men throughout India’s history. Even though Indians have goddesses they worship, place their ‘mother’s’ on a pedestal and even call their own country ‘Mother India’, women are continually treated with disregard and as secondary citizens. As such, in charting the trends of violence against women, there is an evidently upward trajectory. 

The aim of this paper is to firstly analyze and evaluate what factors contribute to a culture of violence against women, and secondly to review why this violence persists regardless of time. The paper combines various levels of analysis - historical, cultural, social and religious - to explain how a culture of violence against women emerged. Additionally, it explores how those ideologies continue to sustain themselves today through socialization and cultural norms. 

This paper, therefore, addresses the question: What structural and cultural factors contribute to the persistence and maintenance of violence against women in India? 

The flow chart below (Image 1) highlights and separates the various factors that interact with and influence violence against women. Culture and structural factors were chosen given their interaction and influence with all other factors. It was believed their analysis would provide a nuanced understanding into why violence persists even in the 21st century. 

Image 1: Flow chart of structural factors influencing violence against women in India

The paper is organized in the following manner. First, it defines violence against women, articulating what types of manipulation and violence fall under its purview. Second, it will analyse the historical background from Pre-Vedic times until the British rule, depicting how influences such as religion and systems of oppression have amalgamated to place women below men. Third, it will look at the paradoxical case of Kerala, a state which despite high levels of education and literacy - considered protective factors against violence, continues to have the highest rates of suicide and domestic violence in India. Lastly, it will conclude by examining what factors have maintained and sustained this culture. 

Definition and Historical Background 

Gender-based violence can be defined as any act - sexual, physical or emotional - that “operate[s] at the intimate, interpersonal to the societal, macro-structural levels.” (Kirmani, 170). 

In order to understand the persistence of violence against women holistically, one must understand the history of how and why this culture transpired, alongside the systems that maintain it which will be explored in this section. 

Through an analysis of different systems of hierarchies, particularly the caste system in India, Sociologist Fernand Dumon defined it as a system of categorization inspired by religion that propagated the idea of superiority of the pure over the impure (Livnie, 3).  Dumont argued that the essence of the Indian caste system relied on principles of oppression and separation of the pure and impure, concepts deeply ingrained in Hinduism, a religion centred around ideas of purity and pollution (Livnie, 3). He posited that this system of separation is ideologically inseparable in Indian society, arguing that although it may change forms, it will continue to manifest itself through constructs such as racism and patriarchy. While this system has been deemed unconstitutional, its impacts have prevailed. For example, despite it now being illegal to characterize individuals as "untouchables", the associated connotations and stigmas this caste carried remain ingrained in modern culture. Even though legally they are seen as equal, people associated with this caste are still considered impure. Such examples emphasize the role culture and societal norms play in the perpetuation of systems of oppression. As such, this narrative can be applied to the system of patriarchy in India, which, at its base, assigns women as subordinates to men. Ultimately, notions of purity in relation to gender have become normalized and hence the marginalization of women continues to be a trend (Livnie, 4). 

During the Pre-Vedic period (1500-800 BCE), there were no legitimate gender hierarchies or violence against women. Infact, the contrary was the norm - Women were honoured and worshipped. Their consideration as sacred in Hindu culture is evident in the fact that Hinduism’s gods and goddesses were considered equally powerful and sacred. However, with the establishment of the institution of marriage during this time, these ideals started to change. Women were expected and obligated to stay inside the confines of their households and give birth to a son. As such, despite remaining worshipped, women were now considered objects whose value was defined by the standards established by their husbands and families (Livnie, 4).

Subsequently, the Post Vedic period brought the tradition of Sati, a “Hindu funeral ritual in which a widow commits suicide by way of lighting herself on fire” (Livne 5). 

The British colonial period brought Victorian values which stigmatized sexual liberalism in India. Since then, Indian culture has been marked by conservatism, with sex viewed as a taboo. Furthermore, during this period women became representatives of Indian culture and spirituality, with sentiments of nationalism flaring high (Livnie, 5). This, in turn, resulted in women being kept at home as a means of protection against foreign influence. Such effects of colonization have impacted gender ideals beyond India and can be seen across Asia. In Indonesia, for example, there was gender equality prior to colonization. Qualities such as compassion, sharing and cooperation were ideal in a man, however, colonizers deemed these to be inferior, feminine qualities (Prianti, 701). Whereas Indonesia was a collectivist society, where the group needs were placed prior to individual. Western society viewed masculinity as superior. Masculinity was to be understood as men's needs to express their superiority and distinguish themselves from those lacking these qualities. In other words, as a concept to conquer and silence “others' ' - i.e. the other being the colonized subjects (Prianti, 701). During colonization, indigenous populations learnt the hierarchical structure between western notions of masculinity and femininity. As a result, Indonesian men were conditioned to desire the masculine qualities presented by the colonizers as the only way to claim full citizenship (Prianti, 716). India witnessed a similar process, with its already existing bifurcation and gender inequality exacerbated through colonization. It was advantageous for the colonizers to divide and rule, and these impacts remain sustained even today.  

Patriarchy, a system wherein men are considered superior to women, emerged with religion and the caste system as a perpetrator (Livnie, 8). However, it was furthered by colonial agenda as a means of division that has been widely normalized in Indian society. Today, Indian culture expects women to be chaste and obedient, ideals rationalized and tolerated through socialization. In fact, Livne found 41% of women held the belief that a man was justified in beating his wife if she disobeyed him or displayed disrespect (Livne, 8). Likewise, these social norms are sustained by the law. For instance, safety is referenced in relation to women taking measures, such as dressing conservatively or travelling with male escorts. In other words, by placing focus on the sexual wrong of men to protect ‘good’ women. In essence, “the campaign about violence against women is dominated by a patriarchal understanding of safety and violence” (Livne, 9). 

Furthermore, patriarchy has led to a declining sex ratio, with female feticide on the rise.  The intersection of oppressive systems such as patriarchy, the caste system and class hierarchies work together to reinforce male superiority. This interaction is evidently present in the dowry system, the ritual wherein the bride’s family provides cash or goods to the groom’s family for accepting their daughter. Even though the 1961 Dowry Prohibition Act made this practice illegal, it remains significantly present in India. As such, given that having a girl child is seen as a financial drain whereas a male child is seen as a financial gain, female foeticide is furthered. Dowry has also led to an increase in Gender-Based Violence given that when it is considered unsatisfactory, the impact is taken out violently on women (Livnie,11). Such disputes result in the death of 25,000 women being killed between the ages of 15 to 24 every year (Livnie, 12). Nevertheless, its religious significance means it continues to be practised. This violence is tolerated as being unwed or getting divorced is highly stigmatized and a woman’s lack of education and financial dependence forces them to remain in abusive relationships as a means of survival. 

Case study of Kerala 

Kerala, a state in Southern India, has the highest gender development Index in the country. However, despite high literacy and female educational achievement rates, Kerala is also the state with the highest rates of suicide and domestic violence (Mitra et al.,1228). Researchers Arpana Mitra and Pooja Singh conducted a study to analyze the demographic, social and cultural changes that are leading to the maintenance of this Paradox in Kerala. They found that with an increase in women’s education there was also an increase in their aspirations. Human capital theory posits that educational and literacy attainment are crucial tools for achieving gender empowerment (Mitra et al., 1228). While women in Kerala have achieved this, society still expects them to be subservient. This imbalance between expectations and reality contributes to family violence and suicide (Mitra et al., 1240). Women in Kerala are married off to men who, despite being less educated than them, earn more money, due to labour market discrepancies. The less educated migrant males are more conservative and continue to internalize patriarchal values. This asymmetry often contributes to violence, with the leading cause of domestic abuse being disobedience from the wife. Regardless of being aware of the rights they deserve, demanding them is considered disobedience, which in turn results in additional violence. Furthermore, the dependence on their husbands for financial sustenance keeps women in these marriages, continuing the unequal power relations and cycle of abuse.  Ultimately, Mitra and Singh’s research concluded that much of the violence inflicted is a result of defiance and resistance from women to traditional norms that patriarchal systems dictate. An awareness of their rights and vocalization of such is viewed as defiant, hence there continues to be an increase in Gender-Based Violence. Relative resource theory suggests that there is an inverse relationship between men’s’ economic resources and instances of violence against women (Kirmani, 172). A study conducted in Pakistan found that in certain instances, domestic violence experienced at home has increased due to an increase in women’s economic activity. This implies that, especially in cultures where men are expected to be the family’s breadwinners, as women earn more than their husbands, men often respond with violence in order to assert their patriarchal authority. Furthermore, market forces produce and sustain gender inequality by continuously underpaying and under employing women (Kirmani, 172). While there isn’t a direct link between employment and the rate of domestic violence, women’s participation in the workforce comes at a cost. While working may give some women the ability and resources to leave abusive marriages, most don’t because of to the social stigma attached to divorce (Kirmani, 182). Similarly, paid work also leads to an increase in household tensions as women are expected to fulfil their domestic roles which increase stress and conflict.

While women are being given more liberties and their education is supported by the image of the ‘new woman’, the direction of change is circumscribed by classed and gender practices of respectability, with the ‘choices’ girls, have still being dictated by cultural authorisation. Society and parents of girls continue to stay deeply committed to certain forms of femininity (Hussain,165). Hence, women are ultimately discouraged from seeking economic independence and freedom by society. Even if they do, the independence they reach is dictated by a patriarchal society. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, while there are changes in the way women are being treated and the opportunities they are now presented with, these are still dictated and controlled by systems of gender that support patriarchy. It is considered a privilege for a woman to be ‘allowed’ to work or get an education, while for a man it is a given. The main cause for the persistence of these inequalities is the cultural acceptance and normalization of men using violence as a means of conflict resolution. Hence, until cultural and societal changes accompany educational and labour market reforms, ending a culture of inequality and violence against women is not truly attainable. There must be a simultaneous change at both levels to ensure the end of gender inequality. For women and men to be equal, women must be seen as equals and intellectual and financial necessities must stop being viewed a privilege ‘given’ to women (WHO, 7). Economic engagement and education can only lead to empowerment if there is a simultaneous transformation in gender relations at the structural household and cultural level.

Works Cited

Hussain, Saba M. "Merging Career and Marital Aspirations: Emerging Discourse of ‘New Girlhood’Among Muslims in Assam." Rethinking New Womanhood. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 147-168.

Kirmani, Nida. "Earning as Empowerment?: The Relationship Between Paid Work and Domestic Violence in Lyari, Karachi." Rethinking New Womanhood. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 169-187.

Livne, Emma. "Violence Against Women in India: Origins, Perpetuation and Reform." (2015).

Mitra, Aparna, and Pooja Singh. "Human capital attainment and gender empowerment: The Kerala paradox." Social Science Quarterly 88.5 (2007): 1227-1242.

Prianti, Desi Dwi. "The Identity Politics of Masculinity as a Colonial Legacy." Journal of Intercultural Studies 40.6 (2019): 700-719.

World Health Organization. "Changing cultural and social norms that support violence." (2009).

[yogaadvise]

Top yoga book recommendations

Esther Ekhart

Your body Your Yoga by Bernie Clark - So much greater than makeup publication. It's composed from the viewpoint that we are as different on the inside as we are on the outside as well as the value of practising yoga exercise from an useful technique, according to the range of movement provided by our very own distinct body.

Living Dharma, the flavour of freedom, Quantity 4 by Burgs - Bringing the Buddha's teachings to life, revealing that they are just as relevant today as they were 2500 years ago.

I am that by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj - an old standard that every serious yogi interested in achieving knowledge ought to read.

Julie Martin

What is Fascia as well as Why it Matters by David Lesondak - The initial publication to truly give a clear picture for everybody concerning fascia and its properties and also why we really require to start collaborating with this knowledge. You don't need to be a researcher or composition nerd to understand this publication as David has a fantastic, casual design of composing as well as clarifies what he's discussing really clearly. A must-read if you educate yoga!

Awakening the Back by Vanda Scaravelli - A lovely publication created by a leader in the yoga exercise globe. Her job wasn't really fashionable in the early years of the yoga exercise boom, but numerous even more individuals are headed in that direction now. Vanda is accountable for the quote, 'We require to deal with the body, not versus it'.

Healing the Core Injury of Unworthiness by Adyashanti - An amazing book for everyone, as our culture is plagued with the concept that we are not 'worthy'. Adyashanti is a spiritual non-dualistic educator who brings an obtainable high quality to how we can regard as well as ultimately stay in the suggestion of oneness.

James Reeves

Tantra Lit Up by Christopher Wallis - An extremely comprehensive explanation of how Tantra educates most of our modern techniques of yoga

Finding Quality by Jeru Kabbal - Clear, verbalize and stunning. This is the instructor of Esther's initially instructor [Taetske Kleijn] and it's a publication that touched my heart deeply.

Yoga and the Quest for real Self by Stephen Cope - A great read and a terrific tale of the trip right into the globe of yoga

I Touch by John Prendergast - A truly charming review inviting and also being totally attached with our internal globe of thoughts and feelings.

Anat Geiger

Yoga related: God talks with Arjuna, Yogananda's discourse of the Bhagavad Gita. The job he has actually done is astonishing and there is sufficient motivation below for lots of life times. An additional Gita variation I like is Eknath Easwaran's translation. Beautiful.

Also, anything by Vivekananda. He is incredibly straightforward and also extremely motivating. Whenever I read something by him I feel he eliminates some coat of justifications as well as reasons I indulge in as well as reaches me ideal where it most matters. Raja Yoga - his own commentary on the Sutras of Patanjali - leaves me inspired and also amazed every time.

Poetry: Kabir! Stunning as well as informed. There is so much surprise meaning, delicacy as well as beauty in his words. I obtained a publication with 44 of his thrilled poems from my instructors and I prize it deeply. Here's one of my favourites: Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat. My shoulder is pushed against yours. You will not discover me in stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, neither in synagogues, neither in basilicas: not in masses, neither kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in consuming only vegetables. When you actually search for me, you will certainly see me quickly - you will find me in the smallest home of time. Kabir claims: Trainee, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath.

How awesome is that?

Buddhism I enjoy the works of Pema Chodron. She is an American Buddhist religious woman with enormous concern, a scrumptious sense of humour as well as a talent with words.

Fiction: I was deeply relocated as well as impressed by Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It spans numerous lives and lifetimes (in my view) as well as for me it was everything about Karma. It's an intricate book and also worth every effort. Every from time to time I indulge in well-written fantasy stories - excellent v. wicked kind of fights and also challenges!

Marlene Henny

Moving right into Tranquility by Erich Schiffmann - Wonderfully created as well as quickly reaches the heart of what practising yoga exercise has to do with in easy to understand terms (without all the fluffy brand-new age things). The photographs as well as descriptions of the asanas are clear as well as understandable. I reference it regularly for my own practice as well as for teaching. Get it, read it, like it!

Yoga Spandakarika - The Sacred Texts at the Beginnings of Tantra by Daniel Odier Daniel Odier is a great author as well as his take on the Spandakarika is a lot easier to recognize than several various other translations. What I such as concerning this publication that it that provides an interesting viewpoint and enough info about the actual philosophy of Tantra and also leaves enough location for self-interpretation of the sacred text.

Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga by Sally Kempton - I discovered SO much concerning Hindu sirens, as well as the writer offers the information in an available and compelling way. Each phase, which follows the very same layout, is centred around a specific goddess and consists of reflections to help the reader materialize the goddess as well as her energy. The feminine powers of the world are so interesting. Even assuming regarding them just a tiny little bit as well as taking advantage of them at all can be profound. Certainly recommended!

David Lurey

The Gleam Sutras, translation and discourse by Loren Roche - A heavy poetic present of consciousness and also living a liberated life.

Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani - A real 'life after death' story that brings a beautiful point of view on the gift of life as well as exactly how to maintain points basic. This publication also offers attractive insights on just how to make challenging choices and also how to keep those we absolutely love in our hearts

A Brief Background of Nearly Whatever by Expense Bryson - Exactly as the title claims ... Fantastic for those who enjoy facts, insights on evolution and also amazing stories of just how we got below as a human race on this one-of-a-kind planet.

Down the Freeway: The Life of Bob Dylan by Howard Sounes - The tale of the best singer/songwriter of contemporary times (in my viewpoint). I am a big Dylan follower as well as this publication lit up many dark edges of the life of among my idolizers. I highly suggest reading a couple of chapters, after that most likely to YouTube for video clips of that time duration to see him and what was taking place. As well as likewise, much more notably, listen to the songs that are explained in the chapters you read.

Gulp by Mary Roach - A lovely as well as detailed story of our digestive system ... yes, seriously! It's amazing and also you'll never ask yourself once more what they are discussing when somebody states 'fecal transplant' at an alcoholic drink party.

Helen Noakes

Life on Land by Emilie Conrad - enthusiastic, dramatic, deep and also discusses breath motion as well as fascia beautifully.

Awakening the Spine by Vanda Scaravelli - Lovely images, poetic radical and also rebellious.

The Initial Body - Primitive Movement for Yoga Teachers by John Stirk - Totally initial, artistic, deep and also imaginative. A publication for life.

Jennilee Toner

Yoga and the Course of the Urban Mystic by Darren Key - Darren Main's book has actually been required reading for all my 200-hour educator trainees because 2010. It is such an enjoyable and easy means to study the practice and viewpoint of yoga exercise. The light and also fresh way Darren Main authentically explains his own way of dealing with the 8 Limbs of Yoga exercise is delightful.

How Yoga Works by Michael Cockroach and Christie McNally - This publication actually changed the means I came close to practising and teaching yoga. My personal technique and also teaching grew unbelievably after my very initial analysis of this Sutra-inspired tale. It came to be more intimate, a lot more intentional, more deliberate and extra soulful. I have actually needed it ever because in my 300-hour teacher trainings and each re-reading has actually even more assisted to advance my method and also training to new degrees of affection and service.

Katy Appleton

One Soul as well as Entering as well as in by Danna Faulds - Danna Faulds' verse publications are expressions and understandings to the internal landscape people as humans. I utilize them to supply deepness in the practice and open the area within.

The Diamond in Your Pocket - Gangaji - this book has to do with spiritual awakening in this life time. The common in the extraordinary!

Tracey Uber Cook

Light on Life by BKS Iyengar - This is a fantastic publication to have in one's collection. It is the culmination of Mr Iyengar's understanding from years of practise as well as teaching, weaving with each other Patanjali's 8 Arm or legs of Yoga exercise as well as the 5 Koshas from the Taittriya Upanishad. I have read this book numerous, often times, though never from cover to cover! I always pick it up and look to a page or phase which calls to me as well as each time it speaks something brand-new and profound to me. I have actually utilized it as a resource in teacher trainings and very suggest it to any person wanting to inquire much deeper right into the method and philosophy of yoga.

The Brilliance Sutras, translation as well as commentary by Loren Roche, PhD - Dr Roche has actually invested decades studying and also equating this luminous translation of the ancient Vijnana Bhairava Tantra message. Its 162 knowledgeables sing the tune of Life and Love in between the Devi (Shakti), the innovative power of deep space, and also Bhairava (Shiva), the boundless awareness which embraces Her and also from which She occurs. The verses define the enigma as well as wonder of Life within every thing, assumed and task. Bringing light to the loving understanding which makes all existence possible.

The Heart of Awareness (Ashtavakra Gita) - translation by Thomas Byrom - Referred to in numerous Vedanta circles as 'the highest training following to silence', this is the tune of understanding in all of its boundless types. I like to take it to the coastline as the sun increases, check out a few lines, and also rest in the quiet of the morning.

Marlene Smits

The Absolutely Nothing that Is by Robert Kaplan - more a metaphysical philosophical publication than a yoga exercise publication, 'taking us from Archimedes to Einstein and making fascinating connections between mathematical insights from every age and culture'.

Living in the Heart by Drunvalo Melchizedek - for a description of how to move from the brain-centred experience of truth to that which originates from the heart.

Irina Verwer

The Course Of Technique by Maya Tiwari - A stunning book on Ayurveda for women. Inspiring as well as heartwarming.

After the Euphoria, the Washing by Jack Kornfield - Quick, succinct, funny, and always informing stories.

Feeding Your Demons by Tsultrim Allione - Clearly created, sensible, and thorough instruction.

Nichi Green

Yoga and also the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope - I've simply finished reading this as well as definitely enjoyed it. Written much more like a novel, Stephen is a psychotherapist as well as yoga educator. His insight and experiences of yoga exercise are phenomenal and also he associates a great deal of it to spiritual technique as well as the restorative influence that yoga exercise has when you immerse on your own in it for enough time. Among my leading 10 yoga books!

Gilda Goharian

The Subtle Body by Stefanie Syman - This book is concerning the growth of yoga in the United States as well as exactly how it progressed from an old spiritual technique to a practice that countless Americans position at the centre of their lifestyle. Guide is entertaining and also simple to read.

... Unlike virtually everything by the late Georg Feuerstein, who dedicated his life to the understanding and also technique of yoga exercise! Every one of his publications are thick and scholastic however I can still advise him for his substantial knowledge as well as knowledge. If you ask me to select one I would certainly select Yoga Custom: Its History, Literary Works, Ideology as well as Method. The book supplies a full introduction of every yogic tradition, from the familiar to the lesser-known types. Not always a web page turner however it may be whatever you need if you're interested in yoga exercise viewpoint and background. And also once you begin checking out and get utilized to the design it can be entertaining too.

George Langenberg

Kriya Yoga: 4 Spiritual Masters as well as a Novice - If you have checked out Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda then you learn about the sages who acquired the highest degree through reflection in the Kriya Yoga family tree. Yoga is a course of Self Realisation as well as through Kriya Yoga exercise you can walk this path.

I read Autobiography of a Yogi in 1998 and also at the time wished that I might fulfill an educator that would show me 'the way' and show me a lot more regarding Raja yoga, reflection and also Pranayama. In 2001 this wish came to life: I satisfied my Guruji (spiritual teacher) in India and obtained Kriya Yoga exercise initiation in 2002. This book is concerning the Kriya Yoga family tree I comply with and also concerning being devout to a living Master. I have found out so a lot under his assistance over the previous 16 years. The lessons and reflections that I share on EkhartYoga are simply an understanding of the depth of the Kriya Yoga method where breath, embodied awareness and dedication collaborated in greater realms of the mind.

#ashtanga yoga #healing #iyengar yoga #kriya yoga #pranayama #prenatal yoga #raja yoga #spiritual #spiritual awakening #types of yoga #yin yoga #yoga #yoga alliance #yoga music #yoga nidra #yoga works

[meditativeyoga]

A Beginner`s Guide to Meditation

What is meditation? And exactly how and also why would I do it? Get the answers.

Although you do not have to formally practice meditation in order to practice hatha yoga-- nor is the technique of hatha yoga mandatory in order to practice meditation-- the two practices support each an additional. Via your technique of yoga exercise, you have actually enhanced both your capabilities to concentrate and also to loosen up-- the 2 crucial demands for a reflection practice. Currently you could grow your understanding of just what reflection is and also start a practice of your own.

What Is Meditation?

An exquisite method exists within the yoga tradition that is created to expose the interconnectedness of every living point. This fundamental unity is described as advaita. Meditation is the actual experience of this union.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali offers instruction on ways to meditate as well as explains what factors make up a reflection technique. The second sutra in the initial phase states that yoga exercise (or union) occurs when the mind comes to be quiet. This mental stillness is created by bringing the body, mind, and also detects right into balance which, then, kicks back the worried system. Patanjali takes place to clarify that meditation starts when we discover that our nonstop mission to have points and also our continual desire for satisfaction and safety can never be satisfied. When we finally realize this, our exterior mission turns internal, and we have shifted into the world of meditation.

By thesaurus definition, 'reflection' indicates to contemplate, consider, or contemplate. It could also denote a religious exercise of reflection or a reflective discussion of a religious or thoughtful nature. The word meditate originates from the Latin meditari, which suggests to assume about or think about. Med is the root of this word and indicates 'to take suitable actions.' In our society, to practice meditation could be interpreted several ways. You could practice meditation on or think about a course of activity regarding your youngster's education, or a profession adjustment that would involve a move throughout the country. Viewing an effective movie or play, you might be transferred to meditate after-- or ponder-- the ethical issues afflicting today's society.

In the yogic context, reflection, or dhyana, is specified more especially as a state of pure consciousness. It is the 7th phase, or arm or leg, of the yogic course as well as follows dharana, the art of concentration. Dhyana consequently precedes samadhi, the state of last liberation or knowledge, the last step in Patanjali's eight-limbed system. These three arm or legs-- dharana (concentration), dhyana (reflection), as well as samadhi (euphoria)-- are totally linked and also collectively referred to as samyama, the inner practice, or refined technique, of the yogic path.

Recall that the initial four limbs-- yama (ethics), niyama (self-discipline), asana (posture), and Pranayama (life-force expansion)-- are considered external self-controls. The fifth step, pratyahara stands for the withdrawal of the detects. This sensual withdrawal occurs from the practice of the very first 4 actions and also links the outside to the interior. When we are based literally as well as emotionally, we are acutely aware of our detects, yet disengaged at the very same time. Without this ability to remain detached yet watchful, it is not possible to meditate. Despite the fact that you have to be able to focus in order to practice meditation, reflection is greater than focus. It inevitably progresses into a broadened state of awareness.

When we concentrate, we route our mind toward exactly what appears to be an item apart from ourselves. We come to be familiarized with this object and also establish call with it. To change into the reflection realm, nevertheless, we need to end up being involved with this item, we should communicate with it. The outcome of this exchange, certainly, is a deep awareness that there is no distinction in between us (as the topic) and that which we concentrate or meditate after (the item). This brings us to the state of samadhi, or self-realization.

A great means to understand this is to assume about the growth of a connection. Initially, we meet somebody-- that is, we make get in touch with. Then by hanging around together, paying attention to, and also sharing with each one more, we create a relationship. In the next stage, we merge with this person in the form of a deep friendship, collaboration, or marital relationship. The 'you' and 'me' become an 'us.'

According to the Yoga exercise Sutra, our pain as well as suffering is developed by the misperception that we are separate from nature. The realization that we aren't separate might be knowledgeable spontaneously, without initiative. Many of us need advice. Patanjali's eight-limbed system supplies us with the framework we need.

5 Different Ways to Meditate

Just as there countless styles of hatha yoga, so there are lots of ways to meditate. The initial phase of reflection is to focus on a certain things or develop a point of focus, with the eyes either opened up or shut. Quietly duplicating a word or expression, audibly stating a prayer or chant, visualizing a photo such as a divine being, or concentrating on an object such as a lighted candle light in front of you are all commonly suggested points of focus. Observing or counting your breaths and discovering physical experiences are additionally optional centerpieces. Allow's take a closer look.

The Use of Sound

Mantra yoga exercise uses using a particular sound, phrase, or affirmation as a point of focus. Words mantra comes from man, which means "to think," and tra, which recommends 'agency.' Therefore, rule is a tool of thought. It also has come to mean 'shielding the individual that gets it.' Commonly, you can only receive a concept from an instructor, one who knows you as well as your specific requirements. The act of duplicating your rule is called japa, which means address. Equally as contemplative petition as well as affirmation have to be mentioned with function as well as feeling, a rule meditation method requires aware interaction on the part of the meditator. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Reflection (TM) upholds the method of concept yoga.

Chanting, an extension of mantra yoga, is a powerful method to get in into meditation. Longer than a mantra, a chant entails both rhythm as well as pitch. Western customs utilize chants and hymns to conjure up the name of God, to motivate, and also to produce a spiritual awakening. Going back to Vedic times, Indian chanting appears of a practice that counts on the innovative power of audio and its prospective to transfer us to an expanded state of recognition. The rishis, or ancient seers, educated that of production is an indication of the primaeval audio Om. Reflected in an analysis of words cosmos--' one tune'-- Om is the seed sound of all various other audios. Shouting Sanskrit typically as well as effectively creates extensive spiritual and also physical effects.

Many newbies discover using a rule in their reflection really reliable and also fairly easy. Shouting, on the other hand, could be frightening for some individuals. If you really feel awkward shouting by yourself, use one of the lots of audiotapes of incantations on the market, or participate in a group reflection where a meditation educator leads the chant and also the students repeat it. Shouting in Sanskrit can be effective, stating a significant petition or affirmation in any type of language could be effective.

The Use of Imagery

Visualizing is additionally a good method to meditate, one that beginners usually find easy to practice. Typically, a meditator pictures his or her selected divine being-- a god or goddess-in vibrant as well as thorough style. Basically any kind of things is valid.

Some specialists picture a natural object such as a blossom or the sea, others meditate on the chakras, or energy centers, in the body. In this kind of meditation, you concentrate on the area or body organ of the body representing a certain chakra, picturing the certain shade related to it.

Gazing

Another variant on using images is to keep an open-eyed emphasis upon a things. This focus is referred to as drishti, which implies 'view,' 'opinion,' or 'look.' Again the options available to you right here are virtually unlimited. Candle light gazing is a preferred form of this technique. Concentrating on a flower in a vase, or a statue, or a photo of a divine being are other possibilities.

Use this method with your eyes completely opened or partially shut, creating a softer, diffused look. A lot of the classic hatha yoga stances have staring factors, and also the use of drishti is particularly stressed in the Ashtanga design of hatha yoga. Many pranayama methods additionally require certain positioning of the eyes, such as gazing at the 'pineal eye,' the factor in between the eyebrows or at the idea of the nose.

Breathing

Using the breath as a factor of emphasis is yet one more opportunity. You can do this by really counting the breaths as you would in pranayama practice. Inevitably, however, contemplating the breath simply suggests totally observing the breath as it is, without changing it at all. In this instance, the breath becomes the single item of your reflection. You observe every subtlety of the breath and also each feeling it creates: exactly how it moves in your abdomen and also upper body, how it feels as it moves in as well as out of your nose, its high quality, its temperature level, as well as so on. You are fully conscious of all these details, you do not stay on them or judge them in any kind of method, you continue to be separated from just what you're observing. Exactly what you discover is neither excellent neither poor, you just allow on your own to be with the breath from minute to moment.

Breath observation is the predominant strategy used by specialists of vipassana, generally described as 'understanding' or 'mindfulness' reflection. Promoted by such renowned teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, as well as Jon Kabat-Zinn, this is a type a Buddhist technique. Words vipassana, which actually implies 'to see plainly' or 'look deeply,' is likewise interpreted to indicate 'the area where the heart dwells,' as well as shows the facility that assumed emerges from our hearts.

Physical Sensations

Another method to practice meditation is to watch a physical experience. Exercise this with the same degree of information as you would when seeing the breath. In this context, you will look deeply at, or pass through, a certain experience that draws your interest, such as exactly how warm or trendy your hands feel. The enhanced sensitivity you acquired as a result of your asana practice could offer you with other factors of focus: the strength of your spine or the suppleness you feel in your reduced body, for instance. Observing a certain feeling or any details location of discomfort is likewise a possibility. Whatever you pick remains your point of focus for the entire practice. You may discover that observing a physical feeling could be much more difficult than observing the breath. For many beginners, concepts, chants, as well as visualizations provide even more substantial methods to change or relax the spread thoughts of our minds, which seem to be perpetually on sensory overload.

Meditation Postures

Sitting

Although you could practice meditation, or become fully soaked up in any task or position of stillness, sitting is one of the most generally advised stance. There are a number of classic sittinged presents, yet Sukhasana (Easy Cross-Legged Posture) is obviously the many basic. Extra adaptable meditators favor Padmasana (Lotus Posture).

Sitting in a chair also works. It's no much less effective and also absolutely no less spiritual, as well as it's usually the most effective choice for beginners. The most vital things are that your spine remain upright which you really feel steady and comfortable, the exact same two high qualities required for performing asanas. To make the most of convenience on the floor, put a padding or folded blanket under your butts to raise them and also carefully lead your knees down towards the flooring. This helps sustain the natural lumbar curve of the lower back. Some individuals choose stooping 'Japanese-style.' You can purchase small, inclined wood benches for this position.

Relax your arms as well as position your hands on your upper legs or in your lap, with the palms in a relaxed placement encountering up or down. Roll your shoulders back and also down and also delicately lift the breast. Maintain your neck long and also the chin tilted somewhat downward. Depending upon which strategy you are complying with, the eyes might be opened or closed. Breathing is natural and also free.

Walking

A removaling reflection-- highly suggested by many teachers-- might be a satisfying choice for you. The obstacle of this type is to walk gradually and also purposely, each action becoming your prime focus. Destination, distance, and speed are all incidental. Unwind your arms at your sides and relocate freely, coordinating your breath with your steps. You could breathe in for 3 actions and also take a breath out for 3 steps. If that really feels unpleasant or challenging, simply breathe easily. You could practice walking meditation anywhere, select a setup you specifically enjoy-- the sea, a favored park, or a field. Keep in mind, obtaining somewhere is not the concern. Instead, the complete involvement in the act of strolling becomes your meditation.

Standing

Standing is one more meditation practice that could be really powerful. It is often advised for those experts who discover that it constructs physical, mental, and also spiritual toughness. Stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-distance apart. Knees are soft, arms remainder easily at your sides. Examine to see that the entire body is straightened in great stance: shoulders rolled back as well as down, chest open, neck long, head floating on top, and chin parallel to the flooring. Either maintain your eyes opened up or softly close them.

Reclining

Even though resting is connected with relaxation, the classic Corpse Pose, Savasana, is also utilized for meditation. Lie down on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing upward. Touch your heels with each other and permit the feet to fall away from each other, completely unwinded. Your eyes might be opened up or closed, some individuals find it much easier to stay awake with their eyes open. A supine reflection, although more physically relaxing than other positions, entails a greater level of alertness to continue to be conscious and concentrated. Therefore, beginners may discover it harder to practice meditation in this position without dropping asleep.

The Benefits of Meditation

Research has confirmed just what the yogis of old times already understood: Extensive physical and also psychological adjustments occur when we meditate, triggering an actual shift in the brain and also in the involuntary procedures of the body.

This is just how it works. An instrument called an electroencephalograph (EEG) records mental activity. Throughout waking task, when the mind frequently relocates from one idea to one more, the EEG signs up jerky and also fast lines classified as beta waves. When the mind soothes down via meditation, the EEG reveals waves that are smoother as well as slower, as well as categorizes them as alpha waves. As reflection deepens, mind task lowers additionally. The EEG then registers an even smoother, slower pattern of task we call theta waves. Research studies on meditators have actually revealed reduced sweating as well as a slower rate of respiration accompanied by a reduction of metabolic wastes in the blood stream. Lower high blood pressure and also an improved body immune system are additional advantages noted by research studies.

The health benefits reflection generates normally mirror the mental and physical results of this procedure. At the minimum, reflection teaches you just how to handle stress, decreasing tension consequently boosts your overall physical wellness and psychological wellness. On a deeper degree, it could add to the top quality of your life by teaching you to be fully sharp, conscious, as well as to life. Simply put, it is a party of your self. You are not practicing meditation to obtain anything, yet instead to check out and let go of anything you do not need.

Starting Your very own Meditation Practice

We highly suggest a period of day-to-day reflection. Add it throughout of your asana technique, or reserved an additional block of time. The important thing is that you find a time that functions ideal for you. Do not do excessive prematurely, you're proper to obtain dissuaded and stop altogether.

When and Where to Practice

To develop consistency, practice meditation at the exact same time as well as in the same place daily. Pick a location that is silent, one that is pleasurable, where you'll be undisturbed.

Traditionally, the early morning is considered the optimal time because you are much less most likely to be distracted by the needs of your day. Lots of people locate that an early morning reflection assists them enter the day with a greater level of equanimity and also grace. If an early morning practice is a battle, attempt an afternoon or very early evening meditation.

If you are new to yoga exercise and also meditation, you might find including 5 or 10 mins of reflection at the end of your asana method sufficient. When meditating individually of your yoga technique, a 15- to 20-minute timespan seems manageable for many beginners.

Posture

Choose a setting that benefits you. If you prefer sitting, either on a chair or on the flooring, maintain the spinal column erect and also the body loosened up. Your hands need to relax pleasantly on your lap or thighs, with the hands up or down. If you prefer to walk or stand, keeping excellent stance is additionally important, with your arms hanging easily on your sides. When relaxing, area yourself in a symmetrical as well as comfortable position with the ideal assistance under your head and also knees if needed.

Method

Decide on your point of focus. If sound appeals to you, develop your personal mantra, calmly or audibly repeating a word or phrase that is calming to you, such as 'peace,' 'love,' or 'pleasure.'

Affirmations additionally work. 'I am kicked back' or 'I am calm and also sharp' as you breathe out. Making use of a tape of incantations or listening to a relaxing piece of songs are also options.

If you select images, picture your preferred place in nature with your eyes shut, or gaze after a things put before you: a lighted candle, a blossom, or an image of your preferred deity.

One means to observe the breath is to count it: Breathe in for three to 7 matters and take a breath out for the very same size of time. Move to just observing the breath, seeing its own natural rhythm and its movement in your torso.

Whichever position and method you select, stick with them for the period of your meditation period. Certainly, when you locate what benefit you, you'll wish to keep that technique indefinitely.

Do not be amazed or discouraged by how frequently your ideas wander. When you understand that your mind has come to be distracted, just go back to your selected point of focus.

#asana #Benefits of Meditation #Hatha yoga #mantra yoga #meditating #meditation #Pranayama #spiritual #spiritual awakening #Vipassana #walking meditation #what is meditation #Yoga #Yoga Weight Loss

[tomasorban]

THE DREAMING SELF: HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT DREAMS?

Time has revealed dream phenomena as paradoxical realms that are highly resistant to empirical investigation. Despite attempts to probe, encroach upon, uncover, and map territory traditionally exalted under philosophical inquiry, they remain enigmatic and ineffable.

           Dreams fascinate, mesmerize us, and pique our curiosity, namely because they appear so diametrically opposed to waking conscious experience in terms of both form and content. They violate Aristotelian homogeneity without shame. In fact, the hallmark mental characteristics of dreams–the dearth of metacognition, severe disorientation, amnesia, confabulation, misperception, reflexive recourse to hyper-associations, and the loss of an analytical anchor–more closely resemble episodes of psychotic decompensation than anything we might experience in self-regulated conscious states.

Well, what happens in a cinematic and surrealistic dreamscape is that… our gelatinous legs won’t carry us to safety after our brains issue the motor command; we see no issue with giving a public speech whilst concurrently disrobing; we strangle strangers in our rage on impulse without remorse or fear of punishment; and our best beloved transmute into theriomorphs and then reassume human form–and there’s nothing at all anomalous about that. Sometimes the Eiffel Tower is in our backyard, and sometimes we instinctively know who somebody is despite their deceptive Protean disguise. It’s all arbitrary, nonsensical, and paradoxical, at least when equated with the self-referential processes of diurnal arousal, yet it all makes perfect sense when subjectively appraised from within the perceptual context it occurred.

Examining the phenomenon from a sociohistorical perspective, one cannot deny the eminence and exalted position dreams held in antiquity. During the Greco-Roman period individuals with an ailment might pilgrimage to the temple of the god Asclepius where they would slumber in the abaton, hoping that explicit details of a cure might be revealed to them in an extraordinary dream.  A protracted period of intellectual somnolence ensued during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Age of Enlightenment, however interest in the topic was reignited with the publication of Freud’s seminal work on the topic, The Interpretation of Dreams (1899). While his theories of dreams as an unconscious embodiment of wish fulfilment may not be as empirically veracious as he would have liked, Freud was instrumental in broaching the topic as a mental phenomenon worthy of philosophical consideration and scientific exploration. Jung began where Freud tapered off, interpreting dreams as a vehicle for the expression of archetypal raw material irrupting from the collective unconscious. The imbuing of dreams with meaning had a snowball effect, and more and more thinkers were now joining the coterie eager to unlock their deepest and most profound mysteries. As one might expect, the philosophical interest in causality generated an emerging counterculture as well with Harvard University psychiatrists like Hobson and McCarley opting for a more reductive physiological approach which presupposes that the brain is a “dream-state generator” and dreams random byproducts of nocturnal brain activation.

           Founded on logical operative cognition, the operative neuroscientific tools of today–PET scans, MRIs, and EEGs–have been inept at capturing the phenomenal essence of dreams. Subjective self-report is the only known window into dream phenomenology, and this is bound to stir at the very least discomfort and at most feelings of anathema in those with dogmatic adherence to the assumptive worldview of eliminative materialism.

How does one render the dream amenable to objective measurement when people struggle to recollect explicit details after waking? This, in fact, is a very valid question. Scientists will argue that subjective accounts are mutable and empirically unreliable–if we can’t reach a unanimous appraisal on a consensual public mugging, then what hope is there of giving a veracious account of a nebulous dream narrative unfolding at a time when memory processes are in complete abeyance? Here lies the conundrum…

           Despite the gaping conceptual chasm, there is some agreement amongst cognitive scientists regarding the interpretative nature of physiological investigations. Animal studies with maze-running rats, for instance, have shown that the prima materia of the dream is real-life experience. Dreamscapes are jumbled, reassembled, and reordered waking experiences–a nonphysical dimension and perceptual space where past templates are utilized as predictive devices to determine how future events might unravel. Neuroimaging studies generally show increased activation in mesial temporal lobe and prefrontal lobe structures during dream states, and hence corroborate this conjecture. Dreams are purportedly salubrious, exerting a positive influence on mood and a regulatory effect on the body’s biochemical and immunological functions. This much we do know.

           In hindsight, we see that there are purely psychological and more physiological-evolutionary explanations able to theoretically couch and account for dreaming cognition. Which of the two should we preference, if any? Or should we try to circumvent the impediment of an internalized either-or philosophy predicated on the Kantian-Cartesian epistemological box and take a more integrative approach to dreaming cognition?

           Recently I encountered an article by Graveline and Wamsley (2015) entitled Dreaming and Waking Cognition. In it the authors make a decisive argument against higher order interpretations which tend to imbue dream imagery with symbolism and allegorical meaning. Moreover, they scrutinize the interpretability of dreams in clinical settings. While I do not detest nor repudiate the idea of dreaming and waking cognition as commensurable phenomena with shared neurobiological and phenomenological correlates, I do wonder about their appraisal and treatment of an altered conscious state, one that lies on the furthest boundaries of the human consciousness spectrum, as if it were a homogenous and monolithic neurophenomenological entity.

If waking conscious awareness can manifest with variabilities in form and content (i.e., relaxed state, hypnoid state, hypoarousal, psychosis, delirium, coma), then there’s reason to believe that the same heterogeneity also exists in dreaming states. “Shared” correlates implies latitude for phenomenal variability and anomaly; nothing is absolute. The underlying unconscious assumption of a binary system with discrete functional units is an intellectual trap in consciousness research, one which we should avoiding making at all costs.

In and of themselves theories must remain unbiased and accommodate all observed and reported data, not just the preferred data sets. Currently, the hegemony of the Western mind sciences does not permit conceptualizations of the nonphysical mind as distinct from the brain, a phenomenon which has precipitated the dismissal of precognitive dreams as a respectable domain of scientific investigation. Historiographical accounts of polymaths, scientists, and creative luminaries converge on the dream as an illumination phase of the creative process. Emerging as instances of historical novelty, profound scientific discoveries and truths which initiate radical shifts from conventional dominant paradigms or shatter them altogether are frequently epiphenomena of dream states.

Kekule came up with a simple structure for benzene after experiencing a hypnogogic vision in which carbon atoms congregated in the form of an ouroboros, a snake biting its own tail. The celebrated Indian mathematician Srinivasan Ramanujan claimed the Hindi goddess revealed mathematical formulas, equations, and conjectures to him in the dream state. For Rene Descartes, a series of dreams served as inspiration for the development of the scientific method. How these profound illuminations occur in an input-deprived cortex starved of logical operative cognition eludes understanding and cannot be feasibly explained by any existing neurophenomenological model of the human mind and consciousness.

Indeed, scientific progress in this field may be illusory and may continue to be under the auspices of the reductionistic agenda. As the philosopher Colin McGinn eloquently asserts, humans suffer from “cognitive closure” and have invented scientific tools that are essentially products of logical operative cognition; they cannot detect, let alone investigate, quintessential nonphysical phenomena on the other side of that boundary. In the final analysis, we may have reached a stalemate when it comes to our spirited investigation of dreams, one likely to persist until there is a radical shift in the ontological and epistemological axis of science.

#consciousness #psychology #philosophy #science #mind

[xgeronimowrks]

Art and Magic

(extracts from "Ancient Art and Ritual" book by Jane Harrison, 1913)

Art and ritual, it is quite true, have diverged today.  Yet these two divergent developments have a common root, and neither can be understood without the other. It is at the outset one and the same impulse that sends a man to church and to the theatre.

Ancient Greece theater practices were very different from modern culture both in terms of meaning and scheduling of performances. The theatre at Athens is not open night by night, nor even day by day. Dramatic performances take place only at certain high festivals of Dionysos in winter and spring. It is, again, as though the modern theatre was open only at the festivals of the Epiphany and of Easter. Our modern, at least our Protestant, custom is in direct contrast. We tend on great religious festivals rather to close than to open our theatres. Another point of contrast is in the time allotted to the performance. We give to the theatre our after- dinner hours, when work is done, or at best a couple of hours in the afternoon. The theatre is for us a recreation. The Greek theatre opened at sunrise, and the whole day was consecrated to high and strenuous religious attention. During the five or six days of the great Dionysia, the whole city was in a state of unwonted sanctity, under a taboo. To distrain a debtor was illegal; any personal assault, however trifling, was sacrilege.

Ancient art and ritual are not only closely connected, not only do they mutually explain and illustrate each other, but they actually arise out of a common human impulse.

Art, Plato tells us in a famous passage of the Republic, is imitation. The artist imitates natural objects, which are themselves in his philosophy but copies of higher realities. All the artist can do is to make a copy of a copy, to hold up a mirror to Nature in which "are reflected sun and heavens and earth and man,"anything and everything. Never did a statement so false, so wrong-headed, contain so much suggestion of truth. But first its falsehood must be grasped, and this is the more important as Plato's misconception in modified form lives on today. A painter not long ago thus defined his own art: "The art of painting is the art of imitating solid objects upon a flat surface by means of pigments." A sorry life - work! Few people today, perhaps, regard art as the close and realistic copy of Nature; photography has at least scotched, if not slain, that error; but many people still regard art as a sort of improvement on or an "idealization" of Nature. It is the part of the artist, they think, to take suggestions and materials from Nature, and from these to build up, as it were, a revised version. It is only by studying those rudimentary forms of art that are closely akin to ritual that we come to see how utterly wrong-headed is this conception.

Take the representations of Osiris, for example - the mummy rising bit by bit from his bier. Can anyone maintain that art is here a copy or imitation of reality? However "realistic" the painting, it represents a thing imagined not actual. There never was any such person as Osiris, and if there had been, he would certainly never, once mummified, have risen from his tomb. There is no question of fact, and the copy of fact, in the matter. Moreover, had there been, why should anyone desire to make a copy of natural fact? The whole "imitation" theory, to which, and to the element of truth it contains, errs, in fact, through supplying no adequate motive for widespread human energy. It is probably this lack of motive that has led other theorizes to adopt the view that art is idealization. Man with pardonable optimism desires, it is thought,  to improve on Nature.

Among the Huichol Indians, if the people fear a drought from the extreme heat of the sun, they take a clay disk, and on one side of it they paint the "face" of Father Sun, a circular space surrounded by rays of red and blue and yellow which are called his "arrows," for the Huichol sun, like Ph?bus Apollo, has arrows for rays. On the reverse side, they will paint the progress of the sun through the four quarters of the sky. The journey is symbolized by a large cross - like figure with a central circle for midday. Round the edge are beehive-shaped mounds; these represent the hills of earth. The red and yellow dots that surround the hills are cornfields. The crosses on the hills are signs of wealth and money. On some of the disks birds and scorpions are painted, and on one are curving lines which mean rain. These disks are deposited on the altar of the god - house and left, and then all is well. The intention might be to us obscure, but a Huichol Indian would read it thus: "Father Sun with his broad shield (or 'face') and his arrows rises in the east, bringing money and wealth to the Huichols. His heat and the light from his rays make the corn to grow, but he is asked not to interfere with the clouds that are gathering on the hills."

Now is this art or ritual? It is both. It's a presentation of the strong inner desire, it's a sculptured prayer.  

Ritual then involves imitation; but does not arise out of it. It desires to recreate an emotion, not to reproduce an object. A rite is, indeed, a sort of stereotyped action, not really practical, but yet not wholly cut loose from practice, a reminiscence or anticipation of actual practical doing; it is fitly called by the Greeks a dromenon , "a thing done."

At the bottom of art, as its motive power and its mainspring, lies, not the wish to copy Nature or even improve on her-- the Huichol Indian does not vainly expend his energies on an effort so fruitless-- but rather an impulse shared by art with ritual, the desire, that is, to utter, to give out a strongly felt emotion or desire by representing, by making or doing or enriching the object or act desired. The common source of the art and ritual of Osiris is the intense, worldwide desire that the life of Nature which seemed dead should live again. This common emotional factor it is that makes art and ritual in their beginnings well-nigh indistinguishable. Both, to begin with, copy an act, but not at first for the sake of the copy. Only when the emotion dies down and is forgotten does the copy become an end in itself, a mere mimicry.  

Anthropologists who study the primitive peoples of today find that the worship of false gods, bowing "down to wood and stone," bulks larger in the mind of the hymn-writer than in the mind of the savage. We look for temples to heathen idols; we find dancing- places and ritual dances. The savage is a man of action. Instead of asking a god to do what he wants to be done, he does it or tries to do it himself; instead of prayers he utters spells. In a word, he practices magic, and above all, he is strenuously and frequently engaged in dancing magical dances. When a savage wants sun or wind or rain, he does not go to church and prostrate himself before a false god; he summons his tribe and dances a sun dance or a wind dance or a rain dance. When he would hunt and catch a bear, he does not pray to his god for strength to outwit and outmatch the bear, he rehearses his hunt in a bear dance.

Here, again, we have some modern prejudice and misunderstanding to overcome. Dancing is to us a light form of recreation. But among the Tarahumares of Mexico the word   nolávoa  means both "to work" and "to dance." An old man will reproach a young man saying, "Why do you not go and work?" ( nolávoa ).  He means "Why do you not dance instead of looking on?"

Magical dancing still goes on in Europe today. In Swabia and among the Transylvanian Saxons it is a common custom, says Dr. Frazer,  for a man who has some hemp to leap high in the field in the belief that this will make the hemp grow tall. When Macedonian farmers have done digging their fields they throw their spades up into the air and, catching them again, exclaim, "May the crop grow as high as the spade has gone." There is little possible doubt as to the practical reason of this mimic dancing.

These are rituals of sympathetic magic in a form of an utterance and action, a discharge of emotion and longing.  When doing magic it is not enough only to utter emotion, it must be represented, that is, we must in some way reproduce or imitate or express the thought which is causing us emotion.

The Greek word for a rite, as already noted, is  dromenon , "a  thing done" - and the word is full of instruction. The Greek had realized that to perform a rite you must do something, that is, you must not only feel something but express it in action, or, to put it psychologically, you must not only receive an impulse,  you must react to it. The word for rite, dromenon , "thing done," arose, of course, not from any psychological analysis, but from the simple fact that rites among the primitive Greeks were things done, mimetic dances and the like. It is a fact of cardinal importance that their word for theatrical representation, drama, is own cousin to their word for rite,  dromenon ;  drama also means "thing done." Greek linguistic instinct pointed plainly to the fact that art and ritual are near relations.

When representation (rite) is repeated there grows up a kind of abstraction which helps the transition from ritual to art. When the men of a tribe return from  a hunt, a journey, a battle, or any event that has caused them keen and pleasant emotion, they will often re - act their doings round the campfire at night to an attentive audience of women and young boys. The cause of this worldwide custom is no doubt in great part the desire to repeat a pleasant experience; the battle or the hunt will not be re-enacted unless it has been successful. Together with this must be reckoned a motive seldom absent from human endeavour, the desire for self - exhibition, self - enhancement. But in this re-enactment, we see at once, lies the germ of history and of commemorative ceremonial, and also, oddly enough, an impulse emotional in itself begets a process we think of as characteristically and exclusively intellectual, the process of abstraction. The savage begins with the particular battle that actually did happen; but, it is easy to see that if he re-enacts it again and again the particular battle or hunt will be forgotten, the representation cuts itself loose from the particular action from which it arose, and becomes generalized, as it were abstracted. Like children, he plays not at a funeral, but at "funerals," not at a battle, but at battles; and so arises the war- dance, or the death -dance, or the hunt- dance.

Plato never saw a savage war- dance or a hunt- dance or a rain - dance, and it is not likely that, if he had seen one, he would have perceived it art at all. But he must often have seen a class of performances very similar, to which unquestionably he would give the name of art. He must have seen plays like those of Aristophanes, with the chorus dressed up as Birds or Clouds or Frogs or Wasps, and he might undoubtedly have claimed such plays as evidence of the rightness of his definition. Here were men imitating birds and beasts, dressed in their skins and feathers, mimicking their gestures. In other words, if we look at the beginning of things, we find an origin and an impulse much deeper, vaguer, and more emotional.

#art #magic

[thequietestnoiseonearth]

Manifesto for Concrete Poetry (1952-55)

By Öyvind Fahlström, Sweden

1. Starting Point

The literary fashion for 1953 was dictated by Sigtuna [where a literary conference was held]. One rejected the psychoanalytically marked bust line and hop line, pulled down the skirt length and lowered the neck line. Since fantasy is to be stressed this year, flounces and butterflies in the hair, everyone Sings with Setterlind (Swedish "court" poet).

All this is well-known. But what lies behind these general recommendations, how shall we realize them? It has been said that we should interpret modern myths (at the same time that Freud has been accused of myth-making); and that we should not bury ourselves in the situation of our time, but should concern ourselves with timeless symbols.

Myths: does this mean to construct a complicated apparatus of symbolic and mythological contacts a la Joyce, Gösta Oswald [Swedish novelist], etc. "who did the same thing with Shakespeare or Virgil"?

Or to give up the precise complexion and to be satisfied with single ideas, most often only single words, floating around without definite contexts? The risk is that the impression will be less timeless and less related to our timeless humanity, quite simply that it will be looser and more general; since the eternally valid word-symbols (if there are such animals) have become faded by much rubbing on the washboard. To some, Lorca, for example, they have been quite useful in new contexts. Also for the surrealists, but on another level, for them it has been valid not to create eternal myths, but myths useful for the future.

At Sigtuna they also talked about the structural analysis of the new criticism. But no one claimed freedom from preoccupation with the self in connection with the claim of interest in poetical structure.

Poetry can be not only analysed but also created as structure. Not only as structure emphasizing the expression of idea content but also as concrete structure. Say good-bye to all kinds of arranged or unarranged private, psychological, contemporary, cultural or universal problematics. It is certain that words are symbols, but there is no reason why poetry couldn't be experienced and created on the basis of language as concrete material.

That the word has symbol value is no more remarkable than that in art representative forms have symbol value over and above their Superficial representational value, and that non-figurative forms, even if it is the white square on the white tablecloth, also have symbolic value and further suggest associations over and above the experience of the play of proportions.

The Situation: since the war a long beer housesad-doomsday-mood, the feeling that all the experimental extremes have been arrived at. For the person who refuses to soar in the worlds of vodka and ambrosia, it remains only to analyze

analyze

analyze the misery with the given means.

Today when the rough symbolic cryptogram, "beautiful" romantic jargon, or desperate grimaces outside the church gate appear to be the current alternatives, the concrete alternative must also be presented.

Starting Point: Everything that can be expressed with language and every linguistic expression on an equal basis with another in a given context that heightens its value.

Therefore Dostoyevsky problematics do not appear to me as anything more essential and human than to consider whether the voices of men are more beautiful in värder [host] or in världar [worlds-pronounced the same as värder]. Motive for drama can be for the poet, as well as for the dictator situated in time, the fixed fact that a certain sound can never be repeated. Experimental psychological results can be taken as starting points for a novel as well as for psychoanalysis. I describe certain people: Bobb, Torsten, Sten, Minna, Pi, without the slightest interest in them as people. Literature won't be inhuman for all that. Ants should only write books about ants, but man, who has the ability to look around himself and objectify, need not be that one-sided.

2. Material and Means

What is going to happen to the new material? It can be shaken up as you like, and after that it is always unassailable from the "concrete" point of view?

This can always be said at the beginning. But the circumstance that the new means of expression have not found their norms of value ready-made, does not prevent us from testing them, if their value is ever to be clarified.

One way is that as often as possible we must break against the path of least resistance, Mimömolan [minsta mötstånders lag]. This is no guarantee for success, but it is a way to avoid sitting in the same spot. To use the system as well as automatism, mostly to use them in combination, but not in such a way that the system becomes other than an auxiliary means. So no ambition whatsoever to reach the purest "poetry" with automatism; even the surrealists do not pay homage to that any more. But do not criticise the systems: if you choose them yourselves and do not follow the rules. Therefore the question is not whether or not the system is in itself The Only Right One. It will become so because you have chosen it and if it gives you a good result.

In that case I can construct, I say construct, for example, a series of 12 vowels in a certain succession and make tables accordingly, even though a twelve vowel series as such does not make the same sense as the series of the twelve-tone chromatic- scale.

It is said that our time longs for stable norms. It is clear: when we tire of regular meter and at last tire also of rhyme, we must find something else that will give the poem that general effect. Nowadays the connecting element has a tendency to be content, both descriptive and ideational content. But it is best if form and content are one.

It remains, therefore, to give form its own norms again. This is already being done in punktmusik. The possibilities are uncountable. In the case of poetry strophes can be broken up into vertical parallelisms in such a way that content determines form by placing the word exactly below the word above it, which it repeats, or vice versa so that when you have a fragment of line vertically parallel with the one above, it brings with it the content of the line above. Identical strophes aided by filling out a line with rhyme on the last word in the line, or with agreed syllables, words, etc. Marginal strophes beside the principal strophes. Framed-form strophes with a kernel strophe within: the possibility for more readings corresponding to the free movement of sight when you look at abstract art. Thus the strophes can be read not only from left to right and from above to below but vice versa and vertically: all the first words in every line, then all the second, the third, etc. Mirroring, diagonal reading. Change of lines, particularly of short lines. Free emphasis and free word order as in classical literature (that we don't have the same linguistic conditions is no reason not to make these experiments).

Therefore a richness of possibilities for reaching greater complexity and functional differentiation so that the different elements of content in a work of art can assume their own shape.

The simplest of all systematizations of formless material is, as always, the change between the contrasts, the contrasts within all thinkable aspects of the work of art. The play between difficult and easy sentences (respectively texts or words), rich and poor, normally syntactic and primitively added, such with and such without context in the environment, lofty, porridgy, knotty, gliding, sounding, and representing.

Not only simple changes but also augmentations -and rhythms. Everything except the lazy stumbling forward according to Mimömolan [the law of least resistance]. (It is something else, of course, if amorphous pieces are put in with intended, directed effect.)

Above all I think that the rhythmic aspect contains unimagined possibilities. Not only in music is rhythm the most elementary, directly physically grasping means for effect; which is the joy of recognizing something known before, the importance of repeating; which has a connection with the pulsation of breathing, the blood, ejaculation. It is wrong that jazz bands have the monopoly of giving collective rhythmic ecstasy. The drama and poetry can also give it. Even in art with its limited time dimension it can be done, Capogrossi has shown that.

It is only to break loose from the grinding of the new, new, new; not to leave behind oneself a kitchen mess of ideas for every step in the work one takes: instead of biting oneself to stick with the motifs, to let them repeat themselves and form new rhythms; for example one works at filling out rhythmic words as a background for principle meanings, which can be bound or unbound by the background rhythm. Independent onomatopoetic rhythmic phrases, like those which the African or East Indian drummer forms to represent his melodies of rhythm. Simultaneous reading and above all-readings of several lines of which at least one has rhythmic words. Of course metrical rhythms also; rhythms of word order, rhythms of space.

Another way to have unit and connection is to widen the logic by forming new agreements and contrasts. The simplest way is to go to the logic of primitive people, children and the mentally ill, the intuitive logic of likeness, of sympathetic magic.

This logic applied to language: - words which sound alike belong together, the fun comes from that. Rhyme has had a similar effect. Myths have been explained like this: when Deukalion and Pyrrha had to create new people after the deluge, they threw stones and people grew up: the name for stone is lias, for people laos.

When the fire has gone out [släckts], I am less sure that it has stopped burning than that the family [släckt] have gone on their way. The fire can both burn and be extinguished [släckt] and be related [släkt] to the family [släkten] or be extinguished [släckt] with the family [släkten]. Laxar [salmon] has to do with laxcring [laxatives], and taxar [dachshund] with taxering [tax assessment], and not vice versa. Homonyms provide great possibilities. Zeugmabinding also belongs here: to connect words, meanings and fragments, for example, poetry is poetry is poetry, where the middle poetry is both end and beginning. And the whole work may be valued for the word put in here and there, always inflexible, a binding cord for structure as realized thought motive. Always the precious repetition for the joy of recognition.

It is valid, particularly in the larger forms, epic,

drama, the film, also, to create happenings of the same

firmness of structure as that of reality. To give the

elements new functions and then certainly, to make

use of them instead of the comfortable improvisations of floating inspiration. To knit the net of relations tightly and clearly. To be bound by conventions you develop yourself but not by those of others.

With such possibilities for richness, ordinary, interpretations and antitheses such as tragically- and comically must be oversimplifications. The whole value in the connection tax-taxering [ dachshund-tax assessment] does not lie in the humorous effect which can result from the unexpected connecting.

Another form of magic with linguistic means is the conventionally seen arbitrary dictation of new meanings for letters, words, sentences or fragments: let us say that in this table all the "I's" represent "sickness," the more "I's" the more difficult-or in this fragment the word "sickness" represents "all sounds, prize stones"-or all words devoid of their own meanings represent "coldness."

You can also go one step in this direction by putting well-known words in such realized strange connections that you undermine the reader's security in the holy context between the word and its meaning and make him feel that conventional meanings are quite as much or quite as little arbitrary as the dictated new meanings. This is no more remarkable than is the case with Povel Ramel Swedish actor: the man who suffered from stage fright among other things and told us that his temperature taken rectally was from the stage of himself [rampen/rumpan], so that-hearing both through the situation and the similarity between the words-we discover a new meaning for the word ramp [stage].

You can't say that the well-known in the strange connection arouses fertile insecurity about the identity between word and apparition in everyone- it may arouse a quite fertile interest in the form itself, if the meanings for the reader are meaningless and he has such a great appetite that lie goes on looking for values. At first many meanings will sound meaningless, particularly amusing or touching, neither forbodingly meaningful nor diffusely sonorous.

Not least because they contain unfairly dealt with words. The unfairly, dealt with words are those which, despite the enormous expansion of the poetic vocabulary during the last century, are not yet considered able to keep themselves dry on the poet's copy sheets. "Salesmen," "excitement," "Clubs," "mine," "horribly," "whisk," "men," "dozen," "glands." These words can, of course, be found, but how often when compared with the old guard. Reading the dictionary is quite as exploratory for the language artist as is turning the pages of a handbook about insects, car motors, or tissues of the body is for the artist.

Meanings can also sound meaningless because they have been constructed in another way. It is valid not only to mix the word order, but to meet the necessities in terms of all the habitual mechanics of sentences or grammatical constructions; and as thinking is dependent upon language, every attack aimed at valid language form will be an enrichment of the worn-out paths of thought, a link in the evolution of language -of thinking, which always occurs on the every day, literary and scientific levels.

Ideas to renew grammatical structures are bound to emerge if you make comparisons with foreign languages, with Chinese, for instance, with its classless words and meaning derived from word order, or with the unexpected and shaded possibilities for expression in the languages of many primitive people. Perhaps it is more important and in any case easier, because of its accessibility, to examine the language of the mentally ill. If, for example, you examine the tests of manic-depressives, you find effects-certainly not meant to be artistic-the connecting of logical resemblances (contaminations), pure soundlikeness associations, modeling with the material of words (neologisms) and more or less rhythmical repetitions (perseverances).

Another way is to see what there is to keep in language found purely mechanically without the use of reading directions or a series system of words and meanings. This will be to break through the frontiers, very slowly to that which means something to you. We can obtain unexpected values from-as we -now see it-the most amputated and kneaded (fragmentized) word elements and phrases.

SQUEEZE the language material: that is what can he titled concrete. Do not squeeze the whole structure only: as soon as possible begin with the smallest elements, letters and words. Throw the letters around as in anagrams. Repeat the letters in words; lard with foreign words, gä-elva-rna [djävlarna = devils]; with foreign letters, ahaanadalaianaga for handling, compare with pig latin and other secret languages; vowel glissandos gäaeiouuåwrna. Of course also "lettered," newly--discovered words. Abbreviations as new word building, exactly as in everyday language, we certainly have Mimömolan [the law of least resistance]. Always it is a question of making new form of the material and not of being formed by it. This fundamental concrete principle can be most beautifully illustrated by Pierre Schaeffer's key experience during his search for concrete music: he had on tapes seconds of locomotive sounds, but he was not satisfied only to connect one sound to another, even if the connection itself was unusual. Instead he extracted a smaIl fragment of the locomotive sound and repeated it with a change of musical pitch; he then went back to the first again and so to the second, etc. so there was a change. He had created a n interference with the material itseIf by means of separation: the elements were not new: the newly-formed context yielded a new material.

From this it will be clear that what I have called literary concretion and non-figurative art is not a style-it is partly a way for the reader to experience word art, primarily poetry-partly for the poet a release, a declaration of the right of all language material and working means. Literature created from this starting point stands neither in oppositional nor parallel relationship to lettrisme or dadaism or surrealism.

Lettrisme: usual "representing" and the "lettristic" words can be experienced as both form and content, "representing" giving a stronger experience of content and a weaker experience of form, "lettristic , vice versa; a difference of degree.

From the standpoint of the result itself, surrealistic poetry can be seen to share certain resemblances with the tables. But there is a difference of starting point which must ultimately influence the results: the concrete reality of my tables does not stand in any kind of opposition to the reality of environment: neither as sublimation of dream or as myth for the future but as an organic part of the reality in which I live with its potentialities for life and evolution.

The coquettish or desperate grimace and even more dadaistic nihilism can be fertile if you see the artistic result, again it is the starting point that separates: I can find no reason to talk about grimace and denial, I have no feeling of fuss, of exceptional condition, that is the normal thing. A constructive dadaism and so none at all.

Having used the word concrete in these contexts, I have related it more to concrete music than to art concretism in its narrow meaning. In addition the concrete working poet is, of course, related to formalities and language-kneaders of all times, the Greeks, Rabelais, Gertrude Stein, Schwitters, Artaud and many others. And he considers as venerated portal figures not only the Owl in Winnie the Pooh but also Carrol's Humpty Dumpty who considers every question a riddle and dictates impenetrable meanings to the words.

Tr. Karen Loevgren, Mary Ellen Solt

From Bord-Dikter 1952-55

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[iwriteaboutfeminism]

Context and History for Our Fight Against Forced Family Separation at the Border

I'd like to add some context to our discussion on family separation at the border, both to add some history and to expand our scope.

We are all rightly outraged by what we're seeing in the news and we've organized to take collective action against it. Our demonstrations of solidarity with these families achieved a slight change to the policy, but people are still being criminalized and traumatized for the simple act of trying to find refuge. In order to continue our efforts effectively, we have to understand the situation a little more deeply.

The first point I want to make is that this is not the first time our government has separated children from their families. Starting in 1860, the US government kidnapped indigenous children from their families and dumped them into boarding schools where they were stripped of their culture and language and forced to assimilate to American culture in order to "civilize" them. Their hair was cut, their clothes were replaced with uniforms, and they were given new, Americanized names. The children were also forced to abandon their religious and spiritual traditions and convert to Christianity. Discipline in these schools was severe and sickness was common. Their motto, promoted by Col. Richard Henry Pratt, Headmaster of the Carlisle Indian School, was "Kill the Indian; Save the Man." This practice of forced family separation is not long-ago history. Our government did this until 1978. 

What's happening along the border now is directly connected to what was happening 40 years ago. The white supremacist/capitalist exploitation of bodies of color has always been our history. It's not just now. It's not just because of trump.

My second point is that these families at the border are not the only families we are currently separating. We also see a pattern of forced family separation in the criminalization and mass incarceration of Black youth. 

Based on data from 2015, Black children are twice as likely as white children to be arrested and five times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile facilities. In 2001, the difference was four times, meaning that even over the last 20 years, things have gotten worse.

To be clear, the disparity is not due to Black youth committing five times more crime. The Equal Justice Initiative explains:

Black youth are burdened by a presumption of guilt and dangerousness — a legacy of our history of racial injustice that marks youth of color for disparately frequent stops, searches, and violence and leads to higher rates of childhood suspension, expulsion, and arrest at school; disproportionate contact with the juvenile justice system; harsher charging decisions and disadvantaged plea negotiations; a greater likelihood of being denied bail and diversion; an increased risk of wrongful convictions and unfair sentences; and higher rates of probation and parole revocation.

In addition, the practice of unpaid, forced prison labor is also a direct continuation of slave labor, which was itself, of course, another obvious example of forced family separation. We see in the 13th Amendment, with the abolition of slavery, the express caveat that slave labor may still be used as punishment for a crime.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” 

The disproportionate post-slavery criminalization of Black people, since the days of Reconstruction, through Jim Crow and the War on Drugs, and into today, has ensured the continuation of white supremacy and black oppression. The long, American tradition of separating black families has never ended.

Capitalist white supremacy relies on these tactics of separation because the ruling class knows that unity and solidarity would be its downfall. Any possibility of organized resistance is guarded against by building structural inequalities and implementing discriminatory policies, held in place by the invention of racist ideas. These ideas are used as excuses by people who, influence by this framework, end up blaming the victims for their own depressed societal position instead of the institutional policies that force them, and keep them, down. 

This suppresses white solidarity with communities of color by convincing them that people of color either 1) don't deserve or need better, or 2) could have better if they would only try harder.

What we can learn from the past, and what we can see with our own eyes today, is that that's bullshit.

It is inaccurate for us to say that what's happening along our border today is "not who we are." The hard truth, but the honest truth, is that this is who we have always been. 

But we can be better.

We can reject the capitalist white supremacy we were built on and, in its place, build a new and better society that recognizes and celebrates the inherent value in all of us, rather than the exaltation of a few on the exploited backs of the many.

Our fight against forced family separation and detention at the border needs to be fought with this history and context in mind. Without it, we can't hope to fix the problem because we will only be addressing a portion of it. But with this analysis, we equip ourselves to rebel against and demolish the forces and circumstances that made this problem an inevitable outcome.

#family separation #racism #native americans #mass incarceration #written by me

[behealthy99]

2.8 lakh daily cases in India; PM Modi lauds youngsters

New Post has been published on https://behealthy99.com/2-8-lakh-daily-cases-in-india-pm-modi-lauds-youngsters/

2.8 lakh daily cases in India; PM Modi lauds youngsters

Vaccination status of passengers being checked onboard a public bus in Pune.

Over a third of the 8.5 lakh Class 10 students of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) who were promoted to Class 11 in the 2020-2021 academic year had to be given grace marks for them to get past the threshold of 33 per cent that’s required to pass.

Of the 2.66 lakh students who got grace marks, around 170 of them got up to 200 extra marks — 231 is the minimum pass marks — and nearly 9,400 students got over 100 grace marks, data accessed by The Indian Express show.

In a pandemic year, when learning took a hit and the CBSE and most state Boards, including GSHSEB, cancelled the Class 10 and 12 term-end exams, the findings, showing how mass promotions were facilitated, are significant since they are likely to be mirrored across the country.

Explained: The global toll of bacterial resistance to drugs

Hundreds of thousands of deaths occur today due to previously treatable infections — such as lower respiratory and bloodstream infections — because the bacteria that cause them have become resistant to treatment. A comprehensive estimate of the global impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), covering 204 countries and territories and published in The Lancet, has found that 1.27 million people died in 2019 as a direct result of AMR, which is now a leading cause of death worldwide, higher than HIV/AIDS or malaria.

The analysis

The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) report used statistical modelling to estimate deaths linked to 23 pathogens and 88 pathogen-drug combinations. Apart from 12.7 lakh deaths caused directly by AMR (these would not have occurred had the infections been drug-susceptible), another 49.5 lakh deaths were associated with AMR (a drug-resistant infection was implicated, but resistance itself may or may not have been the direct cause of death). HIV/AIDS and malaria were estimated to have caused 8.6 lakh and 6.4 lakh deaths respectively in 2019.

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To Be ‘Amar’ Is To Be Immortal; Will Amar Chitra Katha Stand The Test Of Our Critical Times?

Remembering ACK, Tinkle comics and Chandamama.

Once upon a time, there was magic hidden between the pages of a comic book. They came under the common branding of Amar Chitra Katha and opened a window to a world most of us didn’t know existed – stories drawn from Indian history, mythology, folk lore and legend. Stories we had perhaps heard about but forgotten under the burden of academic pursuits and the struggles of our day-to-day existence. As illustrated books with thought and speech bubbles for the dialogues exchanged between them, all captured within 31 pages. There were tiny footnotes to explain typically Indian words, rituals, Gods, customs and so on. Each comic made a dent in our hard-saved pocket money – a dent of Rs.2.50 to begin, which was later raised by 0.50 paisa.

One man was responsible for this comic book revolution - Anant Pai. Story has it that he was on an official trip from Mumbai to Delhi in 1967, intrigued by the television set that had entered the capital through Doordarshan. Wanting to have a dekko of what lay behind that box, he watched a television programme through the display window of a shop. He was shocked to discover that in the quiz show, children could give correct answers to questions around Socrates and Winston Churchill, but did not know the name of Rama’s mother!

This chemical engineer orphaned as a young boy, realised that children loved comic book heroes like The Phantom. Leisure reading of children studying in English medium schools was also confined to Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton’s and a few comics like Richie Rich and Tintin.

Phantom made ‘politically correct’ for the Indian reader. Image source: thephantomhead.com

He wanted to bring Indian kids back to their roots and joined India Book House, one of the leading publishers in Bombay that was largely into printing, publishing, distribution and selling of books. Pai had already introduced the Phantom series as the first cartoon strip in The Times of India and wanted to use this form of visual reading to entertain and educate through Indian stories. And so the first Indian comic book was born under the brand name of Amar Chitra Katha. It went on to become one of the most popular and high selling series of Indian comics.

Slowly, sales picked up. ACK classics initially used primary colours - blue, green and yellow but graduated to full colours as it’s popularity began to rise. Pai and his team extended the parameters to bring in regional languages - beginning with translations in Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu and further into Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu and even Sanskrit. It reached beyond its initial target of a middle-class readership to transcend class barriers and reach the upper class children. As ACK reached its 20th birthday in 1986, sales reached a peak of 5 crore copies, and then only two years later, a whopping 7 crores.

Related: Walking BookFairs: A Unique Initiative For Bibliophiles

Frequency also went from one classic every month to to one every fortnight around 1980. This was when IBH also launched its comic magazine Tinkle, that caught the reading fancy of all children at the time. The language used was simple, straightforward, and easy to understand by children not studying in English medium schools.

An entire generation isn’t even aware of this. Image source: amarchitrakatha.com

Amar Chitra Katha opened doors to an alternative visual culture that strived to adhere to its Indian roots. Yet, like all mothers everywhere, I would not allow my daughter to devour the comic books she was slowly getting addicted to. “It will take you away from your studies,” was my boring refrain. Scared of being stopped from reading what she had grown to love, she handed me an issue of Tinkle and asked me to read it. Tinkle was a weekly comic magazine brought out by the same publication – India Book House and the same man. I was bowled over. It was informative, funny, entertaining and carried a message and amusing adventures of the characters. It took me to one story from the ACK series, Ganga and I became a child all over again. I bought my daughter an annual subscription for Tinkle and, separated by a generation, we enjoyed the stories that could be read over and over again.

A position adopted by politicians today? Image source: wishberry.com

Chandamama, another magazine along the same lines, began to create and publish stories adapted from the Indian mythologies such as Ramayana and Mahabharata in 1947, just before Independence. In publication to this day, the magazine and its illustrations are known for its unique storytelling, reminiscent of grandparents' bedtime stories conveyed in print format. This was backed very innovatively with promotional strategies organized by IBH of fancy dress contests, displays in petrol pumps and book stores across every Indian city, launching new titles with press conferences graced by eminent personalities. By 1992, ACK classics were published and sold in 38 Indian and non-Indian languages by which time, Anant Pai had evolved into the children’s icon “Uncle Pai.”

Related: An Afternoon With An Author: Stephen Alter

Not surprisingly, these books started facing a lot of flak from sociologists, cultural historians, comic specialists and so on. This critique is an on-going process of sometimes making mincemeat of the series or questioning its authenticity or pointing out its pro-Hindu, anti-minority and extremely patriarchal bias as far as the representation of women characters go. There has been a lot of research both by Indian and foreign scholars on ACK’s representation of women.

Moot points were, women are conspicuous by their complete absence from the story and the illustrations such as Chandragupta Maurya or many of the Birbal stories. However, there were women protagonists in classics featuring Ganga, Draupadi, Shakuntala, Savitri, Vasavdatta, Mirabai, Padmini, Tarabai, Rani of Jhansi, Uloopi, Chand Bibi, Urvashi, Sukanya and many others. Another noticeable absence was in the Makers of Modern India series of 13 personalities that does not feature a single woman, though India has had many women leaders who should have found place among these makers. Leaders like Indira Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu are not part of this series and Kalpana Chawla was an afterthought. The same absence is noticed in the visibility of Muslim and Sikh leaders.

Rohan Islam, a Bengali literature scholar, in a detailed analysis raises questions about the ACK series that mark out sharp differences between “they” and “we”, “bad” and “good”, “us” and “them”. Islam also draws our attention to the Brahmin-Hindu-Male that takes precedence over Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and of course, women. He states quite assertively that the equations drawn between the Hindu identity and the National identity are quite sharply underlined.

Making History lessons fun. Image source: Amazon.com

Related: A Hospital For The Ageing Typewriter

This leaves us with questions. Why must we always place an entertaining comic series for children with informative stories on our culture, leadership, freedom struggle by contextualising it against the changing history and politics of changing times? Can one deny the historical significance of a classic series that has stood the test of time and space for four long decades? Can we deny ourselves the joy we got going through those stories and wonderful illustrations that took children away from their exams and more serious books? Take away the political, patriarchal and communal biases, which do not appear pronounced while we are reading purely for entertainment and information, and what we have is a harmonious ride into our cultural past.

Uncle Pai is no more. Long live uncle Pai. And with the magic between the yellowed pages of an antique Amar Chitra Katha, we can all live happily ever after. Or, can we?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101India.com

By Shoma A. Chatterji Cover photo credit: Amazon.com

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