1,863 total views, 1,095 views today
Leonidas Elegy on Impoverished Life with a Mouse
Anth. Gr. 6.302 (G-P 37)
Translated by Steven J. Willett
Roman mosaic of remnants thrown on the floor at a wealthy man’s feast.
This is what Leonidas would love to enjoy, but his political life, constant wandering and poor income from poetry during the 3rd. century BC brought him the wrong type of mice.
Clear off under my hut, you dark-loving mice: Leonidas’
trough tub, a mouse knows well, can’t fatten them.
The old man’s quite sufficient with salt and two coarse buns:
we learned from fathers who had praised this lifeway.
Then why dig deep for treasure in this nook, o dainty lovers,
and not enjoy the dung tang from my supper?
Striving for other houses, get on! for mine is only stark,
from them you’ll win a fuller store of food.
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“The US is on the cusp of a pronounced boom, having recovered in the first three months of this year as businesses reopened. The world’s biggest economy grew at an annualised 6.4pc during the first quarter, rebounding much faster than expected after last year’s sharp fall.
This growth is built in part on the US vaccine programme. Around 143m Americans – 43pc of the population – have had at least one jab, with 10m doses administered over the last week alone. This has lifted confidence, helping consumer spending in April hit a 14-month high.
We’ve also already had a $1.9 trillion (£1.4 trillion) Covid recovery stimulus – much of it spent on cheques sent directly to individuals (the latest, in March, for $1,400) and lavish aid to state and local governments.
Yet, on top of that, Biden has just unveiled another $4 trillion of stimulus, split between social safety net spending and investment in infrastructure and green jobs. Such spending is astounding and, with the economy accelerating fast, could also be seen as reckless.“
Comment: I was among the many who did not watch the Oscar nonsense so I know nothing of “Nomadland.” SWMBO was unhappy that the program did not show clips from the nominated flics so I was allowed to ignore the whole thing.
I think that my bank’s trust department is correct in advising me that “what goes up must come down.” The Bidenistas are intent on pumping funny money into an economy already expanding at a rapid rate. IMO there will be a continuing “sugar high” from all that money. This will go on for some unforecastable period of time and then there will be a failure of confidence among investors in both the economy and the markets. This will result in a serious fall in values.
I have been reducing our exposure in the equities markets for some time and will continue to do that. pl
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/05/02/bidens-bazooka-could-scupper-us/
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Leonidas of Tarentum Epigram (6.120) G-P 91 on Lyric Poets
Translated by Steven J. Willett
ἐξ ἡρέων ἡ γὰρ παρθένος αὐλοθέτει.
Not only do I know, perching on a lofty tree, how
To sing, as I am scorched by midsummer heat,
Without payment making a song for the wayfarers,
And feasting on the light, fresh juice of dew:
But even on the spear of fair-helmeted Athena
You’ll see me, the cicada, where I’m seated.
For as much as the Muses love me, far greater Athena
I love: for she, the maiden, is creator of the lute.
οὐ μόνον ὑψηλοῖς ἐπὶ δένδρεσιν οἶδα καθίζων
ἀείδειν, ζαθερεῖ καύματι θαλπόμενος,
προίκιος ἀνθρώποισι κελευθίτηισιν ἀοιδός,
θηλείης ἔρσης ἰκμάδα γευόμενος,
ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐπήληκος Ἀθηναίης ἐπὶ δουρὶ
τὸν τέττιγ’ ὄψει μ’ , ὤνερ, ἐφεζόμενον.
ὅσσον γὰρ Μούσαις ἐστέργμεθα, τόσσον Ἀθήνη
ἐξ ἡρέων ἡ γὰρ παρθένος αὐλοθέτει.
9,071 total views
A Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich.
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This is my own opinion. I invite you to do your own research. I don’t think I have ever seen a more awful demonstration of where wilful ignorance, stupidity, deceit, superstition, greed and dishonesty leads than the Covid 19 pandemic in India today. We should learn from it but we probably won’t. More about that later.
Does anyone now not understand the Covid 19 disaster now playing out in India? Does anyone still doubt the seriousness of this pandemic? The responses of Fauci, Birx , the rest of the American healthcare system and State and Federal Governments, even if they were grandstanding?
Last week Australia applied a blanket ban on flights from India, this has reportedly been further tightened today with a foreshadowed Five years in jail for any Australian who attempts to return to Australia from India by whatever means. Given that the behavior of Covid 19 is predictable from statistical epidemiological modelling and that Australia has good (Five Eyes) intelligence on what is happening in India, this action indicates that what is happening in India is, if anything, under representing the scale of the ongoing disaster. In my opinion, the flight bans have been put in place because we would now be facing an impossible flood of Covid 19 refugees without them. there is a suggestion that the bans may be lifted “in two weeks”, “just a precaution”, etc., mustn’t alarm the public. My guess is that by then there won’t be an Indian airliner even flying.
What we are witnessing in India, if we are lucky, is the meltdown of their entire health system. I say “if we are lucky” because what could follow is the breakdown of Government and society of a nuclear armed state. I would imagine that we are already leaning on India’s neighbors not to take advantage of this situation.
As for ignorance, stupidity and superstition, I offer the following quote from a supposedly rational western person – allegedly a pilot and instructor that encapsulates all of it, I apologize that its an American example, there are just as many Australian and European idiots:
” (Commenting on vaccination)
……..If it’s not dangerous, why did a friend of a friend (here in the US) die 4 hours after injection? If it’s not dangerous, why is it released (here in the US) under Emergency Use Authorization? If it’s not dangerous, why did a Miami Beach doctor die 2 weeks after the shots of a strange blood disease? If it’s not dangerous, why are there pregnant women in significant numbers losing their pregnancies?
Because this is not a true vaccine but instead gene therapy never tried on humans before, the short term effects are fairly minor compared to the potential long term effects. We are essentially walking in uncharted territory, as no humans have ever received such medical devices.
Again I pose the question: why should a person with a healthy immune system (like me) take an experimental and dangerous gene editing drug cocktail to supposedly (it doesn’t) protect me from a virus that has a 99% survival rate?
That is a question you would rather not answer, and I certainly understand why.
A legislator in the state of Arizona, female last name Hernandez, took the series of shots and about 2 weeks later came down with a full blown infection with all the symptoms. Her story was covered by RT a few days ago.
Besides being dangerous and experimental, it doesn’t work. There has never been a successful vaccination against coronavirus. In attempts to develop one, all the animals being tested died when infected.
I see no compelling need to take an experimental and dangerous drug to protect against a virus with a 99% survival rate, a virus that has been blowing around this part of Florida for more than a year that never seemed to bother me. I won’t be a crash test dummy for the pharmaceutical companies……..” (end comment)
As for deceit, greed and dishonesty, well, look no further than the behavior of the Indian Government and its pharmaceutical industry. The alleged black markets in oxygen and drugs for example.
The lesson we should learn but won’t? Simple…..
There is something to be said for the Judeo – Christian enlightenment view of the world with it’s emphasis on rationality, truth and science informed by the aforesaid religious values for all it’s faults. These are currently under attack by the proponents of CRT as well as other progressives who label truth as “Fake news” or “Conspiracy”. You are seeing where that ultimately leads in India.
12,601 total views, 32 views today
Comment: Have watched the two seasons. Highly recommended. pl
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Translated by Steven J. Willett
Drawing by Louise Keller, 1842
From dew the grass is glistening; more agilely The stream awakened rushes; the beech inclines Her slender head and in the leafage Rustles and shimmers; and all the hazy Cloud banks such crimson flames are now grazing them, Prophetic ones, they flutter without a sound; Like breakers on the shore, they billow Higher and higher the Variable. Come now, o come, and rush not so swift for me, You golden day, to summits of heaven gone! More open flies, more trusting you my Eye, o you joyous one! then so long you In your own beauty youthfully gaze and still Not glamorous, not proud you’ve become for me; You always might rush forward, could I, Heavenly wanderer, with you!—yet smile At joyful arrogance you, as he very might Resemble even you; bless for me genial friend My mortal deeds and brighten once more Kind one! today on my quiet pathway.
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6,680 total views, 189 views today
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