Mi fum i ym Mhennsylfania dros y Sul. Sul y Pasg ydoedd, ac roeddwn i wedi mynd i dreulio'r gwyl efo'm teulu, hyn yw efo fy mrawd a fy mam. Nos Sadwrn mi ges i freuddwyd cryf, od, rhyfedd. yn y breuddwyd, rhywun arall yr oeddwn i, rhywun yn hollol wahanol i bwy rwyf yn y byd deffro. Roeddwn yn dalach am un peth, â gwallt brown wedi'w dorri'n fyr iawn, ac mwy na hynny, roeddwn yn denau. Nid wyf yn denau o bell ffwrdd yn y byd deffro. Yn y breuddwyd perchenog clwb oeddwn i, clwb hoyw, lle roedd dynion yn dod i yfed ac i fwchio. Roedden nhw'n gallu bwchio yng nghanol y clwb petasen nhw eisiau hyd at hynny, felly fel un o'r clybiau hoyw mawr sydd yn y dinasoedd, neu fath o dy baddon fel yr un sydd gynnon ni yn Nhroia gerbron; hyd at hynny, doedd y lle yn enfawr ychwaith. Pob dim yr allwn i ei weld oedd y brif ystafell lle roedd y bar a'r bwchio.
Tu ôl i'r bar roedd llanc yn gweithio, gwas y bar oedd. Roedd o hefyd yn dal, yn denau, â gwallt du wedi'i liwio'n felynaidd rwyf yn feddwl. Fy nghariad oedd o. Neu, fy nghariad y mae o. Fy nghariad cwantwm.
Oes gwahaniaeth rhwng cariad ffug, cariad ffantasi a chariad cwantwm? Oes, a nag oes. Dywedeodd Linda Goodman mewn llyfr a ddarllenais i amser maith yn ôl, ei deitl yr anghofiais i rwan, "It doesn't matter unless you mind."
Felly, mae ffantasïau yn bod yn y byd cwantwm, yn y meddwl, fel mae'r byd allanol yn bod hefyd. Yr unig wahaniaeth yw ein bod ni'n credu fod y byd allanol yn wir, a bod y byd mewnol yn ffug, ond mae popeth yn un, felly mae'r gwir a'r celwydd yn cysgu gyda'u cilydd yn hawdd: y gwir yw, does dim ffin da rhwng y ffug a'r gwir tu hwnt i beth rydyn ni'n ei gredu.
Ond yn ôl rwan i'r breuddwyd... wrth ddiwedd y breuddwyd a diwedd nos y clwb, dringon ni lan y grisiau a gorweddon ni yn yr un gwely, fi yn ei ddal o, ei gefn yn erbyn fy mrest. Roeddwn yn gallu teimlo gwres a chaletrwydd ei gorff yn f'erbyn fel growedden ni yn y gwely'no, y dduwch ddofn. Roedd ychydig o eiriau rhyngddyn ni cyn i ni huno - dwi ddim yn eu cofio nhw rwan, ond rwyf yn cofio teimlad y geiriau hyn. Roedden nhw'n garedig, roedden nhw'n gynnes. Wedyn daeth y breuddwyd i ben.
Yn y bore, a thrwy'r dydd hyd at hyn, roeddwn yn meddwl ei gorff yn gorwedd yn fy mreichiau, ei felysrwydd, ei gariad cywir. Doedd dim ffordd imi wybod os oedd y cariad hwn yn un hen neu un newydd, un hir neu un byr, ond yn yr eiliad yno, yn y breuddwyd, roeddwn yn hapus yn llwyr, yn ddwfn. Rwyf yn cofio'r teimlad o hyd, teimlad unoldeb, teimlad hedd, teimlad llawen. Roedd o yn berthyn i mi, a fi iddo; roedden ni wedi dofi ein hunain, fel mae'r Tywysog Bechan yn ddweud, felly, o'r lleiaf yn ystod yr eiliad hwnnw, roedd mwy rhyngddyn ni na'r rhyw.
Roedd y breuddwyd a'r teimladau mor gryf, mor annisgwyl y rhoddais i'r enw "Fy Nghariad Cwantwm" arno. Oedd o'n wir? Yn y synhwyr cwantwm, oedd. O'r lleiaf roedd o'n bod yn fy meddwl, efallai dim mwy na hynny: f'ymenydd yn creu senario lle roeddwn yn gallu profi rhyw ychydig o lawenydd sy ddim ar gael imi rwan yn y byd hwn, yn gwella clwyf 'mod i'n ei gario yn nirgel ddyn fy nghalon, clwyf sy'n tarddu o amhosiblrwydd 'mod i'n ei sylwi. Efallai taw ffug oedd o, a dim byd mwy na hynny.
Ond efallai, roedd y dyn tal tenau yno yn un ohonof, rhan arall o'r profiad casgliedig mod i'n chwarae rhan ynddo, mae yntau a fi yn un bod, ac mae o wedi canfod rhywbeth na allwn i'w ganfod. OS yw popeth yn un yn barod, mae hwn yn bosib... yr unig gwestiwn sydd ar ôl yw beth yw'r bersonoliaeth? Pa mor hir a pha mor unedig ydyw. Ar ôl imi farw, ydy fy mhersonoliaeth yn symud ymlaen i ryw gyd-destun arall, rhyw brofiad gasgliedig lle mae ymwybyddiaeth y bersonoliaeth yn aros unedig i gael ei hailgylchu mewn ffasiwn? Dyna beth mae ailymgnawdoliaeth yn ei awgrymu i ni, hyd yn oed mae'r traddodiad cristionogol yn awgrymu bod y bersonoliaeth yn aros yn unedig os dim ond i fod yn was i'u Duw.
Mae theori cwantwm yn awgrymu nad oes gwahaniaeth rhwng y gorffenol, y presenol a'r tyfodol, felly rwyf wedi marw yn barod, a wedi byw can bywydau a mwy, efallai miloedd, neu filiynau os ydyn ni i gyd yn un bod yn barod. Felly wrth ddiwedd y gân, oedd, roedd fy nghariad cwantwm yn wir, ac roedd y teimlad oedd gen i yn wir hefyd. Efallai un dydd, bydd y bersonoliaeth hon yn canfod yr un fath o gariad, o'r lleiad am eiliad, cyn iddo ymuno unwaith eto y Cwestiwn Mawr.
dilluns, de març 28, 2005
divendres, de març 25, 2005
A Meco State of Mind (English)
Tonight Jon and Kim and I travelled west and north to the hamlet of Meco [MEEK-o], outside of Gloversville. Neither Gloversville nor Meco, though, are really the subject of this blog. Jim and Laurie reside in Meco, rather on its erstwhile outskirts, in an ecologically friendly home. We dined with them, their two dogs and one cat on a meal consisting of cheese, deviled eggs, mixed greens salad, vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, beets, pickled turnip, kim-chee, home-made bread, and for dessert rice pudding with choice of dressing, either maple syrup or "bourbon-raison sauce". I had two smaller portions so I could try both, and both were excellent, in the French sense of the word. The meal was fantastic, made even more special only by the fact that most of the ingredients were raised on the same land where Jim and Laurie have raised their homestead.
Their home sits on a sizeable tract of land adjacent to state lands. They have pulled as many raw materials for the house from the land on which is stands as possible. What the land couldn't offer, they acquired largely in barter from salvage. Recently the acquired an iron wood-burning stove, which cost them almost as much as the house has so-far. They generate their own electricity from solar panels on front of the house, and the home itself is heating largely through passive solar energy. They have a green house area off the front of the house which also serves as a passive solar collector. The greens from our salad were grown there. They have some 30 maple trees tapped behind their house from which they extract the sap to make maple syrup. They have extensive gardens where they grow much of the food they eat for the whole year, stored in their root cellar. Their bathroom has a composting toilet that requires no flushing and produces no unseemly odors. One more amazing fact about their home is that they have done all the work themselves, save a few of the larger projects with which some of their friends have helped them.
The house itself, although not yet complete, is very attractive. It's sits atop a ledge alongside a wooded rise. The front of the house is basically a long, steeply pitched glass slope facing south. The rest of the roof is hunter green metal roofing while the walls, filled in with hay are covered with a clay based slury now a handsome beige color. The windows and doors of the house wre hand milled by Jim, and are painted the same hunter green as the roof. On the south-east side of the house is a smiling sun-face etched into the clay. They have several outbuildings, one of which they use as a sawmill, another as a sugar shack for the maple syrup, and the primary one, the barn. The barn now is used for storage, but originally it was their base of operations before the main house was standing; they worked in one part of it, and lived in another.
The whole complex, the whole endeavour is an amazing story of dedication, dilligence, cunning, artistry and intelligence, and well worth copying. Jim and Laurie, through their hard work, have returned to the earth and have become good stewards of it, and are a fine example of what is possible when people decide to do it. Of course, given the current state of the world in which we live, we couldn't all do exactly the same, but if we each tried to make a smaller ecological footprint on the world, all our lives would be better for it.
Their home sits on a sizeable tract of land adjacent to state lands. They have pulled as many raw materials for the house from the land on which is stands as possible. What the land couldn't offer, they acquired largely in barter from salvage. Recently the acquired an iron wood-burning stove, which cost them almost as much as the house has so-far. They generate their own electricity from solar panels on front of the house, and the home itself is heating largely through passive solar energy. They have a green house area off the front of the house which also serves as a passive solar collector. The greens from our salad were grown there. They have some 30 maple trees tapped behind their house from which they extract the sap to make maple syrup. They have extensive gardens where they grow much of the food they eat for the whole year, stored in their root cellar. Their bathroom has a composting toilet that requires no flushing and produces no unseemly odors. One more amazing fact about their home is that they have done all the work themselves, save a few of the larger projects with which some of their friends have helped them.
The house itself, although not yet complete, is very attractive. It's sits atop a ledge alongside a wooded rise. The front of the house is basically a long, steeply pitched glass slope facing south. The rest of the roof is hunter green metal roofing while the walls, filled in with hay are covered with a clay based slury now a handsome beige color. The windows and doors of the house wre hand milled by Jim, and are painted the same hunter green as the roof. On the south-east side of the house is a smiling sun-face etched into the clay. They have several outbuildings, one of which they use as a sawmill, another as a sugar shack for the maple syrup, and the primary one, the barn. The barn now is used for storage, but originally it was their base of operations before the main house was standing; they worked in one part of it, and lived in another.
The whole complex, the whole endeavour is an amazing story of dedication, dilligence, cunning, artistry and intelligence, and well worth copying. Jim and Laurie, through their hard work, have returned to the earth and have become good stewards of it, and are a fine example of what is possible when people decide to do it. Of course, given the current state of the world in which we live, we couldn't all do exactly the same, but if we each tried to make a smaller ecological footprint on the world, all our lives would be better for it.
dijous, de març 24, 2005
Yr Hen Ysgubor (Welsh)
Mae hen ysgubor yn fy meddwl; mae'n gorwedd mewn glyn cysglyd bach, lle mae amrywfath o goed - o'r lleiaf un enghraifft o bob coeden a phob planhigyn y sonier amdanon nhw yn y Câd Goddeu, oherwydd mae'r ysgubor hon yn hudol, yn bod yn nhirogaethau ysbrydol diwethaf fy mod, ffriddiau fy mod yn wir lle mae fy myd naturiol ffigurol braidd yn wyllt o hyd. Mae nant fechan sy'n llifo ac yn canu'n glir trwy'r glyn hefyd, jyst tu ôl i'r ysgubor, ac wrth ochr y nant mae hen helygen enfawr yn plygu i lawr tuag at y dwr, ei dail yn llifo'n dawel ar gopâu tonau sisial dwr y nant fel y mae'n mynd heibio. Mae tipyn bach o borfa las hyfryd sy'n tyfu ynghylch yr hen ysgbor, ei phren yn llwyd ag amser, a llechi ei tho mor drwm ei fod o fel cefn bwa. Mae rhan isaf yr ysgubor yn garreg, hen garreg llwyd mwsoglyd. Mae gwydr ei ffenestri yn hen iawn, yn donaidd tipyn bach fel dwr y nant.
Ar y tu mewn, mae'r ysgubor yn enfawr, lle gwag du efo lampau tân bychian yn goleuo'r preni sy'n dal yr hen le i fyny. Mae ychydig o olau yn dod i mewn trwy'r ffenestri, ond dim llawer; mae coed y glyn yn cadw'r lle i gyd yn gysglyd.
Yma mae ysbrydion.
Mae cofion pobl fy nghorffenol yn ymweld â fi yma, ac heddiw mi welais i ddau ffrind o Lydaw. Hen ffrindiau, dim oherwydd 'mod i wedi eu hadnabod nhw ers amser mor faith, ond oherwydd hen bobl ydyn nhw, yn eu hwythdegau rwan, ac yn marw. Roedd delwedd Jean yn grefaf, yn grefach o lawer na Marcelle, ei wraig. Roedd y llun a ddatblygir yn yr hen ysgubor yn un o wyl, fel y prydiau o fwyd y cefais i yn eu ty. Roedd bwyd a gwin da, roedd canu a sgwrs, gwenu a chyfeillgarwch.
Roedd y peth oll yn freuddwyd ar ddeffro, breuddwyd gwych. Fy meddwl yn chwarae gemau â fi? Efallai, ond os ydy'r ffiseg cwantwm yn iawn o gwbl, mae Jean, Marcelle a fi, y gorffenol, y dyfydol, a delwedd yr hen ysgubor a'r gwyl oedd ynddi yn un. Mae hen gyfeillion annwyl Andel yn Llydaw yn farw yn barod, ond o hyd yn ifanc, yn bod mewn amser pan nad oedden nhw yn f'adnabod i. Mae eiliad cwantwm, neu ddigwyddiad cwantwm lle maen nhw, a fi, yn bod yn wir yn yr hen ysgubor. Wrth gwrs rwyf yn gallu eu dychmygu nhw yno, ond y peth rhyfedd ydyw nad oeddwn yn wir yn meddwl amdanon nhw; daeth eu delwedd i'm meddwl yn sydyn, bron fel roedden nhw eisiau bod yno, yn mwynhau, yn yr hen ysgubor, fy hen ysgubor.
Beth ydy hwn yn feddwl? Efallai dim byd o gwbl. Ond efaillai mae hwn yn neges o rywfath. Rwyf yn ddigon siwr na fyddaf yn gallu eu gweld nhw'n fyw unwaith eto cyn iddyn nhw ymadael, ond o'r lleiaf rwyf yn gallu mynd i'r hen ysgubor, ac efallai, caf i gyfle eu gweld nhw.
Ar y tu mewn, mae'r ysgubor yn enfawr, lle gwag du efo lampau tân bychian yn goleuo'r preni sy'n dal yr hen le i fyny. Mae ychydig o olau yn dod i mewn trwy'r ffenestri, ond dim llawer; mae coed y glyn yn cadw'r lle i gyd yn gysglyd.
Yma mae ysbrydion.
Mae cofion pobl fy nghorffenol yn ymweld â fi yma, ac heddiw mi welais i ddau ffrind o Lydaw. Hen ffrindiau, dim oherwydd 'mod i wedi eu hadnabod nhw ers amser mor faith, ond oherwydd hen bobl ydyn nhw, yn eu hwythdegau rwan, ac yn marw. Roedd delwedd Jean yn grefaf, yn grefach o lawer na Marcelle, ei wraig. Roedd y llun a ddatblygir yn yr hen ysgubor yn un o wyl, fel y prydiau o fwyd y cefais i yn eu ty. Roedd bwyd a gwin da, roedd canu a sgwrs, gwenu a chyfeillgarwch.
Roedd y peth oll yn freuddwyd ar ddeffro, breuddwyd gwych. Fy meddwl yn chwarae gemau â fi? Efallai, ond os ydy'r ffiseg cwantwm yn iawn o gwbl, mae Jean, Marcelle a fi, y gorffenol, y dyfydol, a delwedd yr hen ysgubor a'r gwyl oedd ynddi yn un. Mae hen gyfeillion annwyl Andel yn Llydaw yn farw yn barod, ond o hyd yn ifanc, yn bod mewn amser pan nad oedden nhw yn f'adnabod i. Mae eiliad cwantwm, neu ddigwyddiad cwantwm lle maen nhw, a fi, yn bod yn wir yn yr hen ysgubor. Wrth gwrs rwyf yn gallu eu dychmygu nhw yno, ond y peth rhyfedd ydyw nad oeddwn yn wir yn meddwl amdanon nhw; daeth eu delwedd i'm meddwl yn sydyn, bron fel roedden nhw eisiau bod yno, yn mwynhau, yn yr hen ysgubor, fy hen ysgubor.
Beth ydy hwn yn feddwl? Efallai dim byd o gwbl. Ond efaillai mae hwn yn neges o rywfath. Rwyf yn ddigon siwr na fyddaf yn gallu eu gweld nhw'n fyw unwaith eto cyn iddyn nhw ymadael, ond o'r lleiaf rwyf yn gallu mynd i'r hen ysgubor, ac efallai, caf i gyfle eu gweld nhw.
dimecres, de març 23, 2005
Top Ten Things Not to Do During an Interview (English)
In the past week, we have done six interviews for a fulltime teaching position in our division. I won't get into any details to save any embarrasment to the interviewees, but after sitting through more than 7 and a half hours of various forms of self-agrandisment, I would like to point out some things that people should consider not doing during an interview:
1) It is a not a kinder, gentler world. No one on your interview committee cares about your personal traumas. If they do, they too need to have their heads examined. It's just not the done thing to tell people about your life's troubles during an interview.
2) Don't swear.
3) Don't prattle on and on moving your mouth faster than a clapper on a duck's ass. Answer questions completely and succinctly, not half-assed and suckingly long.
4) Don't ask if one your interviewers is sleeping.
5) Don't scowl everytime you answer a question.
6) While it's perfectly acceptable to take a moment of relfection before answering a question, make sure it's only a moment.
7) Don't use the term "of course" in referring to something your interviewers may or may not do.
8) Don't seem too eager or desperate. Of course you're desperate, or you wouldn't be looking for a job. There's no good reason to underscore your misfortune at being jobless.
9) Don't email the lead interviewer hours after your interview offering more unsolicited information about your life.
10) Don't act like you come from planet Koozbane; while great strides have been made in the last 40 years to bring real equality to the masses of our country, we still have a bias for people who are actually human beings and not great masses of orange fluff filled with self-loathing, agression, or enabled co-dependence.
1) It is a not a kinder, gentler world. No one on your interview committee cares about your personal traumas. If they do, they too need to have their heads examined. It's just not the done thing to tell people about your life's troubles during an interview.
2) Don't swear.
3) Don't prattle on and on moving your mouth faster than a clapper on a duck's ass. Answer questions completely and succinctly, not half-assed and suckingly long.
4) Don't ask if one your interviewers is sleeping.
5) Don't scowl everytime you answer a question.
6) While it's perfectly acceptable to take a moment of relfection before answering a question, make sure it's only a moment.
7) Don't use the term "of course" in referring to something your interviewers may or may not do.
8) Don't seem too eager or desperate. Of course you're desperate, or you wouldn't be looking for a job. There's no good reason to underscore your misfortune at being jobless.
9) Don't email the lead interviewer hours after your interview offering more unsolicited information about your life.
10) Don't act like you come from planet Koozbane; while great strides have been made in the last 40 years to bring real equality to the masses of our country, we still have a bias for people who are actually human beings and not great masses of orange fluff filled with self-loathing, agression, or enabled co-dependence.
dissabte, de març 19, 2005
Dwi'n gwybod. Dwi'm yn gwybod (English / Welsh)
The semantic sense of these two sentences in Welsh does not convey the thoughts which currently run through my head. Literally translated they mean, "I am in knowing; I'm not in knowing." Literal translation from one language to another never works well; from Welsh to English, it works terribly. Imagine from Mohawk to English.
There is so much information available, even at the rate at which some is being lost, and yet most of mankind remains trapped in a cycle of outworn repitition which leads nowhere. It begs the question of the soul. It begs the question of god.
Then, there is "What the Bleep Do We Know?" An interesting film, at once reconfirming, mildly affirming and question raising at all one time.
It underscores three points...
1) The universe is interconnected. Having adopted a pagan principal, the Unitarian Universalist Church of which I am a member, reaffirms this notion. No thing in this world happens in a vacuum. By this world I mean, this reality, this bydysawd, this world of assault as it is called in Welsh. The world is indeed on of assault, from the wind and the rain to the very peptides that flow through our veins. We are never free from an unending barrage of stimuli, even in sleep. I learned tonight that what are mind sees and what it remembers are no different. Dreams then are no less real that the act of typing these words.
2) Everything is one. Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan and many other traditions underscore this point. According to the interpretation of the people who made the film, Quantum phsyics does also. Matter is a subjective experience. Matter is mostly vacuum. Matter is an illusion; it is not what it appears.
3) Essentially, we are all addicts. Our bodies, inasmuch as they are matter, work in a system of proteins (in this case, for this example, neuro peptides) and receptors on individual cells which make up the the complete figure of the self. When I feel joy, or any other emotion, my hypothalmus creates protein chains that wiggle out voraciously into my body and I feel the reaction to them on a cellular level. When each of my cells is ready to split, they split with the requisite number of receptors to accomodate my internal cellular levels of addiction to happiness, sex, anger, etc. They do this even at the expense of receptors which bring nutrients or expel waste from the cells. I am each of my cells, and each of my cells, as long as it lives is me. And yet, I am them, and more...
I am the atoms.
I am the nuclei.
I am the vacuum.
I am, at the very least, all these things...
My brain is a storm of electricity, and when my body dies, and the charge dissipates, do I merely dissociate into the background of 'stuff'?
I am alive in the quantum field.
My thoughts exist in the quantum field; in the quantum reality.
And yet, quantum physics suggests that there is no real difference between the past and present. It suggests that all is illusion, at the very least, it is not what it appears. It's real enough, just not what we think (Reference the story of St. Oran and Collumcille on this point, or, just as well, St. Gwenole and the Druid - whether these tales ever took place in the real world is irrelevant in both the literal and the quantum sense...)
Life then too, individualized, with its peptides, it's addictions, would be an illusion.
Freedom to think, to conceptualize represents a paradox on the most profound level. Most humans, who share 99% of our DNA with Chimpanzees (monkey see, monkey do) simply react to the consistent and only slightly variable pattern of addiction to the streams of neuro peptides. They never think "outside the box." Ironically, few of the people who are fond of saying this are either....
Yet those of us who do change our pattern of thinking, by some uknown mechanism of thought, of will (merely a conspiring coaliton of neurons scattered, not only throughout the brain as previously thought, but throughout the body?), we become free. At the very least we rewire our brains, reconnect the neural pathways, build new connections in our brains and this allow easier pathways to perceptions of what we observe.
However, we must beg the questions, who is it who observes? Quantum physics underscores the oneness of all things. Is it God who observes, and we merely melt in Its presence? Are each of us God? Am I the only one who exists and I am God? The potential answers to all these questions are numbing. Yet another question, or rather an answer is that all we are is what we observe. Our thoughts are indeed nothing more than the highly complex interplay of chemicals coursing through the cells of our bodies. Indeed life is still in illusion in this paradigm: consciousness is nothing more than a biochemical side effect of chemical processes; all of our musings are nothing more than observations made by conspiring chains of reactions based in electro-chemical processes.
But... if our observances of quantum physics is anything more than the result of knowing the truth, then perhaps there is indeed something more to this life than what meets the eye, the electron microscope, or the muse of religion. Life may indeed have meaning beyond what is observable. Our relationships may be more than chemical dependencies.
I do not know.
I know less and less about my life and what I am here with each day that passes by.
Perhaps I am addicted to not knowing...
in the same way I am addicted to the taste of my lovers' sex, and the beats of their hearts as I clutch their chests as I maw the parts of their bodys that make their addictions rise...
in the same way I am addicted to the refreshingly numbing feeling of bourbon, scotch, whisky, vodka and gin as the cells in my body receive their peptides...
in the same way I am addicted to the over-sated feeling of a good meal...
in the same way I am addicted to the sadness I feel when my friends and family die and I must close the chapter of their lives with my tears....
in the same way I am addicted to the green and craggy mountains of Wales, because I am addicted to my special knowledge of the place, its culture and its language...
in the same way I am addicted to all my knowledge, the co-conspirators of my brain notwithstanding...
in the same way I am addicted to my death, like Orpheus in love. Mine does not come as his, and I am even more addicted to the precept of its distances than its existence, more addicted to the feeling of urgency than to it as it approaches...
As I am addicted...
Dwi'n gwybod
Dwi'm yn gwybod
There is so much information available, even at the rate at which some is being lost, and yet most of mankind remains trapped in a cycle of outworn repitition which leads nowhere. It begs the question of the soul. It begs the question of god.
Then, there is "What the Bleep Do We Know?" An interesting film, at once reconfirming, mildly affirming and question raising at all one time.
It underscores three points...
1) The universe is interconnected. Having adopted a pagan principal, the Unitarian Universalist Church of which I am a member, reaffirms this notion. No thing in this world happens in a vacuum. By this world I mean, this reality, this bydysawd, this world of assault as it is called in Welsh. The world is indeed on of assault, from the wind and the rain to the very peptides that flow through our veins. We are never free from an unending barrage of stimuli, even in sleep. I learned tonight that what are mind sees and what it remembers are no different. Dreams then are no less real that the act of typing these words.
2) Everything is one. Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan and many other traditions underscore this point. According to the interpretation of the people who made the film, Quantum phsyics does also. Matter is a subjective experience. Matter is mostly vacuum. Matter is an illusion; it is not what it appears.
3) Essentially, we are all addicts. Our bodies, inasmuch as they are matter, work in a system of proteins (in this case, for this example, neuro peptides) and receptors on individual cells which make up the the complete figure of the self. When I feel joy, or any other emotion, my hypothalmus creates protein chains that wiggle out voraciously into my body and I feel the reaction to them on a cellular level. When each of my cells is ready to split, they split with the requisite number of receptors to accomodate my internal cellular levels of addiction to happiness, sex, anger, etc. They do this even at the expense of receptors which bring nutrients or expel waste from the cells. I am each of my cells, and each of my cells, as long as it lives is me. And yet, I am them, and more...
I am the atoms.
I am the nuclei.
I am the vacuum.
I am, at the very least, all these things...
My brain is a storm of electricity, and when my body dies, and the charge dissipates, do I merely dissociate into the background of 'stuff'?
I am alive in the quantum field.
My thoughts exist in the quantum field; in the quantum reality.
And yet, quantum physics suggests that there is no real difference between the past and present. It suggests that all is illusion, at the very least, it is not what it appears. It's real enough, just not what we think (Reference the story of St. Oran and Collumcille on this point, or, just as well, St. Gwenole and the Druid - whether these tales ever took place in the real world is irrelevant in both the literal and the quantum sense...)
Life then too, individualized, with its peptides, it's addictions, would be an illusion.
Freedom to think, to conceptualize represents a paradox on the most profound level. Most humans, who share 99% of our DNA with Chimpanzees (monkey see, monkey do) simply react to the consistent and only slightly variable pattern of addiction to the streams of neuro peptides. They never think "outside the box." Ironically, few of the people who are fond of saying this are either....
Yet those of us who do change our pattern of thinking, by some uknown mechanism of thought, of will (merely a conspiring coaliton of neurons scattered, not only throughout the brain as previously thought, but throughout the body?), we become free. At the very least we rewire our brains, reconnect the neural pathways, build new connections in our brains and this allow easier pathways to perceptions of what we observe.
However, we must beg the questions, who is it who observes? Quantum physics underscores the oneness of all things. Is it God who observes, and we merely melt in Its presence? Are each of us God? Am I the only one who exists and I am God? The potential answers to all these questions are numbing. Yet another question, or rather an answer is that all we are is what we observe. Our thoughts are indeed nothing more than the highly complex interplay of chemicals coursing through the cells of our bodies. Indeed life is still in illusion in this paradigm: consciousness is nothing more than a biochemical side effect of chemical processes; all of our musings are nothing more than observations made by conspiring chains of reactions based in electro-chemical processes.
But... if our observances of quantum physics is anything more than the result of knowing the truth, then perhaps there is indeed something more to this life than what meets the eye, the electron microscope, or the muse of religion. Life may indeed have meaning beyond what is observable. Our relationships may be more than chemical dependencies.
I do not know.
I know less and less about my life and what I am here with each day that passes by.
Perhaps I am addicted to not knowing...
in the same way I am addicted to the taste of my lovers' sex, and the beats of their hearts as I clutch their chests as I maw the parts of their bodys that make their addictions rise...
in the same way I am addicted to the refreshingly numbing feeling of bourbon, scotch, whisky, vodka and gin as the cells in my body receive their peptides...
in the same way I am addicted to the over-sated feeling of a good meal...
in the same way I am addicted to the sadness I feel when my friends and family die and I must close the chapter of their lives with my tears....
in the same way I am addicted to the green and craggy mountains of Wales, because I am addicted to my special knowledge of the place, its culture and its language...
in the same way I am addicted to all my knowledge, the co-conspirators of my brain notwithstanding...
in the same way I am addicted to my death, like Orpheus in love. Mine does not come as his, and I am even more addicted to the precept of its distances than its existence, more addicted to the feeling of urgency than to it as it approaches...
As I am addicted...
Dwi'n gwybod
Dwi'm yn gwybod
It's all relative (English)
Where to begin, the week has been so fraught with acticity that the word frenetic does not even begin to describe it. Very little of what has happened this week would be of great interest to anyone reading this blog now, but in considertation of the possibility that it may survive my earthly demise, perhaps the inane bits of my day to day life will of some passing interesting to future ethnographers...
In any case, the week has been long, full of life and the needful things of life. I am awaiting the arrival of my exam for Skol an Emsav, the Breton intensive course I plan on taking this summer. I need to take the test first to see what level I should be in. I'm sure that it will be level 0, but perhaps my rudimentary Breton will already be good enough for level 1. At work, on top of 27 hours of class, we have also had five hours of supplementary meetings for a search committee looking a new English profressor, as well as an hour and a half of Union meetings, five office hours, and various minor social events. The week has been packed from stem to stern, some good things, some mediocre, but all equally tiring. I am really looking forward to spring break beginning next week on Thursday afternoon. It will be a blessed rest.
Oh, one of the people whom we interviewed was Jon, of Jon and Kim. Honeslty, he was the best of the three so far. I'm hopeful that he will remain on top; he's a decent person, and I think he would be nice addition to our faculty.
In any case, the week has been long, full of life and the needful things of life. I am awaiting the arrival of my exam for Skol an Emsav, the Breton intensive course I plan on taking this summer. I need to take the test first to see what level I should be in. I'm sure that it will be level 0, but perhaps my rudimentary Breton will already be good enough for level 1. At work, on top of 27 hours of class, we have also had five hours of supplementary meetings for a search committee looking a new English profressor, as well as an hour and a half of Union meetings, five office hours, and various minor social events. The week has been packed from stem to stern, some good things, some mediocre, but all equally tiring. I am really looking forward to spring break beginning next week on Thursday afternoon. It will be a blessed rest.
Oh, one of the people whom we interviewed was Jon, of Jon and Kim. Honeslty, he was the best of the three so far. I'm hopeful that he will remain on top; he's a decent person, and I think he would be nice addition to our faculty.
dimarts, de març 15, 2005
The Fruit of the Season: Bananas (English)
On the radio this morning, the DJ's on 100.9 made mention of an article where they read that banana's are an excellent source of nutrition. Apparently, a team of researches spent many long, grueling months, and no doubt, lots of government cash to let us now something that we basically already knew. Oh well, the true beauty of life is sometimes found amidst its utter futility. At any rate, one of the interesting, and moderately startling findings they made was that eating two banana's would afford you enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout! now that is useful to know. Me, I follow the path cut by the old mothers of my clan; they ate at least half a banana a day. I hate squishy brown bits on a banana, so I eat the whole thing, but do try to make a point to eat one a day.
Beyond bananas that you eat, life has been bananas. I have had no time to write any decent blogs, and today will be no exception. The weekend was good enough. Anna and I journeyed north to Saratoga and enjoyed a lovely meal at O'Callaghans where I drank a martini new to me called a Purple Haze. It was quite good, Bombay Sapphire based and deep blue in color. I also did something remarkable - well people who know me well will find it incredible: I made an entire meal of sea creatures. Generally I can't stand them, but this restaurant made lovely spicey crabcakes which a devoured with relish (literally and metaphorically, they were served with a pepper relish...), and then for my main course I had a great dish of scallops (about ten, quite large ones), bathed in brandy butter and cheddar cheese. They were devine!
Sunday was the Welsh Society's St. David's Day Dinner, which went remarkably well, and we lost very little money (which is unusually good!). The highlight for me was the peaceful transfer of power from me to Leslie. I had been the President for six years, and I was more than happy to pass the baton to her. Indeed, I have spent some of my time this week finishing up odd bits and pieces of projects I had officially begun as President, and haver merrily forwarded the rest of the projects on to her this very evening.
The week, tho it is in fact only Tuesday, has already been long, and I see no sign of it shrinking anytime soon! Monday and today were mid-term exams and the submission of mid-term grades. This done, tonight was Yoga, which was impossible to get to on time for either Carolyn or me. We both went to the 7:15 section instead, meaning that instead of being home early, I got home late and have not accomplished all I had hoped. The rest of this week will be interviews for an English position at work. The joy and rapture of middle-class problems never ceases. I, however do, for now, until the next blog, from this time forward, go in peace.
Beyond bananas that you eat, life has been bananas. I have had no time to write any decent blogs, and today will be no exception. The weekend was good enough. Anna and I journeyed north to Saratoga and enjoyed a lovely meal at O'Callaghans where I drank a martini new to me called a Purple Haze. It was quite good, Bombay Sapphire based and deep blue in color. I also did something remarkable - well people who know me well will find it incredible: I made an entire meal of sea creatures. Generally I can't stand them, but this restaurant made lovely spicey crabcakes which a devoured with relish (literally and metaphorically, they were served with a pepper relish...), and then for my main course I had a great dish of scallops (about ten, quite large ones), bathed in brandy butter and cheddar cheese. They were devine!
Sunday was the Welsh Society's St. David's Day Dinner, which went remarkably well, and we lost very little money (which is unusually good!). The highlight for me was the peaceful transfer of power from me to Leslie. I had been the President for six years, and I was more than happy to pass the baton to her. Indeed, I have spent some of my time this week finishing up odd bits and pieces of projects I had officially begun as President, and haver merrily forwarded the rest of the projects on to her this very evening.
The week, tho it is in fact only Tuesday, has already been long, and I see no sign of it shrinking anytime soon! Monday and today were mid-term exams and the submission of mid-term grades. This done, tonight was Yoga, which was impossible to get to on time for either Carolyn or me. We both went to the 7:15 section instead, meaning that instead of being home early, I got home late and have not accomplished all I had hoped. The rest of this week will be interviews for an English position at work. The joy and rapture of middle-class problems never ceases. I, however do, for now, until the next blog, from this time forward, go in peace.
dimarts, de març 08, 2005
Busy Town, Busy People (English / Welsh / Cornish / Italian / French)
Pedwar diwrnod heb siw na miw...
This time, it's not even that nothing has been going on, rather that too much has. To be honest, nothing of consequence has occurred, but then again, everything has been wonderful in its own way. La vita è bella, as they say!
Friday was quiet and uneventful. Saturday, ar y llaw arall oedd yn fendigedig.
Daryl (a friend of Anna's from work), Anna and I went to Parisi's in Schenectady for supper. The meal was very good in my opinion. I had a stuffed portabello mushroom for starters, then a fantastic spinach, walnut, bacon and feta cheese salad. My main course was a filet mignon with Jack Daniels sauce. In addition, the bar made two excellent martinis, I had a glass of wine with my meal, and then grappa with a fairly good dessert to finish. I picked up the tab. We were celebrating, Anna got permanent appointment at her job; now she, like me, can only be removed by an act of God, more or less! Félicitations à ma chère copine!
Ond melysfwyd gwir y noswaith oedd yn hwyrach. Rhif newydd: Dau ar Bymtheg. Mor felys, mor hyfryd. Daeth ataf yn nerfus fel sy'n debyg ei fath ac yn wyllt ei goes, ond gadeodd â gwen ar ei wedd - a gwên ar le arall hyd at hynny.
Sunday - pwy ddaeth? Tri ar Hugain - oh là là, cariadon Ledi Chatterly. Neu rywbeth fel'na.
Lemmyn, an ober. Seythun vysy vydh henna, py seythun vysy yu'n barys! Caroryon? Nyns eus, nyns whath nep forth!
This time, it's not even that nothing has been going on, rather that too much has. To be honest, nothing of consequence has occurred, but then again, everything has been wonderful in its own way. La vita è bella, as they say!
Friday was quiet and uneventful. Saturday, ar y llaw arall oedd yn fendigedig.
Daryl (a friend of Anna's from work), Anna and I went to Parisi's in Schenectady for supper. The meal was very good in my opinion. I had a stuffed portabello mushroom for starters, then a fantastic spinach, walnut, bacon and feta cheese salad. My main course was a filet mignon with Jack Daniels sauce. In addition, the bar made two excellent martinis, I had a glass of wine with my meal, and then grappa with a fairly good dessert to finish. I picked up the tab. We were celebrating, Anna got permanent appointment at her job; now she, like me, can only be removed by an act of God, more or less! Félicitations à ma chère copine!
Ond melysfwyd gwir y noswaith oedd yn hwyrach. Rhif newydd: Dau ar Bymtheg. Mor felys, mor hyfryd. Daeth ataf yn nerfus fel sy'n debyg ei fath ac yn wyllt ei goes, ond gadeodd â gwen ar ei wedd - a gwên ar le arall hyd at hynny.
Sunday - pwy ddaeth? Tri ar Hugain - oh là là, cariadon Ledi Chatterly. Neu rywbeth fel'na.
Lemmyn, an ober. Seythun vysy vydh henna, py seythun vysy yu'n barys! Caroryon? Nyns eus, nyns whath nep forth!
dijous, de març 03, 2005
Gwacter (German, Pennsylvania German, Welsh)
Der Tag is manchmal so long
Das ist er beginnt schnell un endet langsam
Es passiert mir nicht oft
Aber wann kommt es
Ich fuhle mich wie habe ich keine Gemutlichkeit
Ik bin nur en Gespuch
Ik wanderah mit Menschen
Aber bin ik nur en fantasmus
Etwa dass hat jeman sofort vergissen
En gestern, a novelty
Gwacter, ambell waith, mae gwacter...
Das ist er beginnt schnell un endet langsam
Es passiert mir nicht oft
Aber wann kommt es
Ich fuhle mich wie habe ich keine Gemutlichkeit
Ik bin nur en Gespuch
Ik wanderah mit Menschen
Aber bin ik nur en fantasmus
Etwa dass hat jeman sofort vergissen
En gestern, a novelty
Gwacter, ambell waith, mae gwacter...
dimecres, de març 02, 2005
An cam nessa (Cornish)
Yma den ow tos dohajydh avarow dhe weles an chy ha ry prys an chy dhymm. My a vyn prys an chy godhvos rak fasthe an wajyow-mernans ha arghans erbysys pup mys. Wosa dhymm fasthe gajyow-mernans an chy-ma, my vyn chiow erel prena ha dyndyl meur a arghans gans kuntell rentys yn oll chiow erel. Wosa dhymm brena'n chiow erel, my a vydh beu y'n oll chy-ma hep gorbrenoryon, an oll chy dhymm, otenna hunros lowen dhymm yn wir.
Mes res yu dhymm gemeres an cam nessa ha mos a-hes gans pup cam avel yma ev ow tos...
Mes res yu dhymm gemeres an cam nessa ha mos a-hes gans pup cam avel yma ev ow tos...
dimarts, de març 01, 2005
Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus (Various)
(image from encarta.msn.com)
Gwyl Dewi Sant 2005 Hapus i bawb!
Joyeuse Fête du Saint David 2005 à tous!
¡Feliz Celebración del San David 2005 a todos!
Gol San Davyth 2005 Lowen dhe Bopunen!
Glücklichen Heiliger Davids Tag 2005 zu jeder!
De gelukkige Dag 2005 van Heilige David aan allen!
Giorno del San David 2005 felice a tutti!
Ευτυχής ημέρα Αγίου Δαβίδ 2005 σε όλοι!
Happy St. David's Day 2005 to All!
"Margoryow Hunros" py "Mollath" (Cornish)
My yu trist arta haneth yn-nos
Yth esa colon ow ystynna dhymm
Colon den an keth hender avel vy
Den skentyl esa gans jolyfta
Mes hunros esa ve
Py nyns y hunros esen my
Yndella y-honen ov vy haneth yn-nos
Ha'n hunros yu margoryow dhymm
Ha'n keth hunros a wra dos dhymm
Hunros klav ha cas yu
Hunros yma ev a wra ladha golon
Mes nyns ow drest
Yth esa colon ow ystynna dhymm
Colon den an keth hender avel vy
Den skentyl esa gans jolyfta
Mes hunros esa ve
Py nyns y hunros esen my
Yndella y-honen ov vy haneth yn-nos
Ha'n hunros yu margoryow dhymm
Ha'n keth hunros a wra dos dhymm
Hunros klav ha cas yu
Hunros yma ev a wra ladha golon
Mes nyns ow drest
"The Poor Will Always Be with You if You Do Nothing about It" (English)
Some people are impossible to convince, even when you explain things very carefully and show them the requisite information. A fellow congregant and I have been having a debate off and on over the past year about the relative standard of living between Europe and the United States. What follows is an email response to him, but it contains more follow-up information to earlier blogs I have made on HDI and HPI and the current sorry shape of the United States:
Hi,
At the end of the day, there is always a question of interpretation of the data and what it really means, hence one of the reasons why a certain mistrust of statistical data must be maintained. These data are good at showing trends, but poor at showing real life quality issues. In our disconnected conversation we have really touched on several arguments, and they're getting clouded as time goes by.
Let me try to spell my points out about each of these arguments one by one just to make sure we're clearly hearing what the other has to say, and then, perhaps, when all is said and done, concede various points if feasible, or simply agree to disagree.
Argument 1): The main thesis:
My main thesis in our general discussion is this: People, in general, living in our peer nations live better lives; they have better access to health care, education, leisure time and over all more disposable income. When *I* speak of "Standard of Living", I'm looking at it from the point of view of HDI, which is far more complex than merely the per capita GDP; I'm also including and HPI - Human Poverty Index. One indication of their superior level development is the level of poverty present in their countries. Another way to look at what I'm pointing out are Quality of Life Issues rather than "Standard of Living" since this latter term may force one to rely to heavily on GDP figures and relative incomes.
Argument 2): "The Poor Are Real": I will probably never agree with your point that by "getting rid" of the wealthiest ten percent of Americans we would somehow have anything more statistical parity with Europe. By our own measurements we have a far great number of poor than the other 16 wealthiest nations. We rank 17 out of 17 in HPI-2 (the HPI index for the 17 wealthiest nations). Since there is no way of simply disappearing 10% of the country, this is a moot point. We have a greater percentage of poor people in this country than France, Germany, the UK and 13 other nations. In a country as wealthy as this one (we have the second highest GDP in the world after the European Union, and the highest of any one nation), this kind of poverty is shameful. On the other hand, I'm on the horns of a dilemma about that best way to fix the problem. I am not convinced that European style socialism is the best way. Having said that, I am convinced it's still better than what we do now. At any rate, disregarding the wealthy does not make the poor go away. They're real, and they number about 12% of the population according the US census.
Argument 3): "Being Poor Is Relative": It's true that being poor in the US is better than being poor in developing nations; it is not better to be poor here than in Canada or any of the other 16 wealthiest nations. That's why we rank 17 out of 17. We have people who do not have access to running water, electricity, sufficient food or even shelter. About 3.5 million people in this country experience homelessness in a given year (http://www.nationalhomeless.org/numbers.html)
Argument 4): "The Rich Get Richer" or "CPI and Inflation":Interestingly your second chart shows a fairly alarming trend forming IMO. The 95th percentil has leaped significantly far ahead in percentage of increase by comparison to the other except the 80th. Sure, everyone has more money; but the wealthy have a whole lot more. Again, I would counter by pointing out that the numbers can show relative trends, but not reality. Your use of constant 2003 dollars is presumably based on the rate of inflation and/or the consumer price index, but the way in which those two numbers are generated has changed over the past 30 years. Your numbers, I think show an accurate trend, but what do 2003 dollars really mean in 2003? Why could they buy? The increase in 2003 $ may be there, but those dollars, even for the wealthy, may not in fact be going as far in relative purchasing power as 1970 dollars, and the problem is, it's hard to establish that one way or the other, hence the debate that is ensuing in circles where people address the question of economic justice. This is sticking point I don't think we'll agree on, so probably better to leave it at that. (http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/middleclass.html)
Argument 5): "Household income is on the rise; individual income does not appear to be...":To achieve an average household income of around $41,000/year, more and more families are turning to two or more incomes, many many more than in 1970. The over all income level of households would have to increase with two people working. Your charts don't make it clear if you are talking about individual and/or household income in all charts or just the first.
Argument 6) Americans are not better off than their peer nations, and on this point you will not get me to agree I'm afraid. The 7 nations whose HDI are higher than ours do have better standards of living over all, and the average person is better off in them. They're relative size is no excuse for us to tolerate our fellow countrymen's suffering, and really, to my way of thinking illogical. We should have more resources to help the poor than smaller nations. If we're supposed to be world leaders, then let's work to end poverty in our country, at least the crushing poverty with which some Americans live (even if it were true that 46% of the poor in American have homes, cars and cables, that still leave about 7% of the population unable to afford these things. The poverty level in our peer nations runs between 1% and 7%; you can be sure that 90% of those poor are better off than out 7% who are destitute...).
Argument 7) I would even argue that in peer nations whose HDI is lower than the US, the overall quality of life is better. This I state from personal experience of travelling to them on a yearly basis. Even if the typical German or French citizen does not have the purchasing power of his counterpart in the US, he has access to excellent healthcare (his government will send him overseas if he needs treatment not available at home), education, 5 weeks vacation and well managed land and relatively clean and safe cities (the crime rate in all EU countries is lower than in the US to the best of my recollection.) But I have to underscore *IF* - it's been my personal experience of having met folks at various socio-economic levels that they can afford to spend a lot more money than their "peers" in this country.
As to your question on the dwindling middle class, here are some relatively recent articles on the status of the middle class in the US; of course these are other folks crunching the numbers for the same goals you did, but they arrived in another place. Obviously I agree with them more than not...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52954-2004Aug9.html
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/09/04_sanders.html
http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/plugin/template/dmi/27/2841
http://www.newwork.com/Pages/Opinion/Raynor/Middle%20Class.html
http://themiddleclass.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=debatesq
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/middleclass.html (this one is the most concise)
Hi,
At the end of the day, there is always a question of interpretation of the data and what it really means, hence one of the reasons why a certain mistrust of statistical data must be maintained. These data are good at showing trends, but poor at showing real life quality issues. In our disconnected conversation we have really touched on several arguments, and they're getting clouded as time goes by.
Let me try to spell my points out about each of these arguments one by one just to make sure we're clearly hearing what the other has to say, and then, perhaps, when all is said and done, concede various points if feasible, or simply agree to disagree.
Argument 1): The main thesis:
My main thesis in our general discussion is this: People, in general, living in our peer nations live better lives; they have better access to health care, education, leisure time and over all more disposable income. When *I* speak of "Standard of Living", I'm looking at it from the point of view of HDI, which is far more complex than merely the per capita GDP; I'm also including and HPI - Human Poverty Index. One indication of their superior level development is the level of poverty present in their countries. Another way to look at what I'm pointing out are Quality of Life Issues rather than "Standard of Living" since this latter term may force one to rely to heavily on GDP figures and relative incomes.
Argument 2): "The Poor Are Real": I will probably never agree with your point that by "getting rid" of the wealthiest ten percent of Americans we would somehow have anything more statistical parity with Europe. By our own measurements we have a far great number of poor than the other 16 wealthiest nations. We rank 17 out of 17 in HPI-2 (the HPI index for the 17 wealthiest nations). Since there is no way of simply disappearing 10% of the country, this is a moot point. We have a greater percentage of poor people in this country than France, Germany, the UK and 13 other nations. In a country as wealthy as this one (we have the second highest GDP in the world after the European Union, and the highest of any one nation), this kind of poverty is shameful. On the other hand, I'm on the horns of a dilemma about that best way to fix the problem. I am not convinced that European style socialism is the best way. Having said that, I am convinced it's still better than what we do now. At any rate, disregarding the wealthy does not make the poor go away. They're real, and they number about 12% of the population according the US census.
Argument 3): "Being Poor Is Relative": It's true that being poor in the US is better than being poor in developing nations; it is not better to be poor here than in Canada or any of the other 16 wealthiest nations. That's why we rank 17 out of 17. We have people who do not have access to running water, electricity, sufficient food or even shelter. About 3.5 million people in this country experience homelessness in a given year (http://www.nationalhomeless.org/numbers.html)
Argument 4): "The Rich Get Richer" or "CPI and Inflation":Interestingly your second chart shows a fairly alarming trend forming IMO. The 95th percentil has leaped significantly far ahead in percentage of increase by comparison to the other except the 80th. Sure, everyone has more money; but the wealthy have a whole lot more. Again, I would counter by pointing out that the numbers can show relative trends, but not reality. Your use of constant 2003 dollars is presumably based on the rate of inflation and/or the consumer price index, but the way in which those two numbers are generated has changed over the past 30 years. Your numbers, I think show an accurate trend, but what do 2003 dollars really mean in 2003? Why could they buy? The increase in 2003 $ may be there, but those dollars, even for the wealthy, may not in fact be going as far in relative purchasing power as 1970 dollars, and the problem is, it's hard to establish that one way or the other, hence the debate that is ensuing in circles where people address the question of economic justice. This is sticking point I don't think we'll agree on, so probably better to leave it at that. (http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/middleclass.html)
Argument 5): "Household income is on the rise; individual income does not appear to be...":To achieve an average household income of around $41,000/year, more and more families are turning to two or more incomes, many many more than in 1970. The over all income level of households would have to increase with two people working. Your charts don't make it clear if you are talking about individual and/or household income in all charts or just the first.
Argument 6) Americans are not better off than their peer nations, and on this point you will not get me to agree I'm afraid. The 7 nations whose HDI are higher than ours do have better standards of living over all, and the average person is better off in them. They're relative size is no excuse for us to tolerate our fellow countrymen's suffering, and really, to my way of thinking illogical. We should have more resources to help the poor than smaller nations. If we're supposed to be world leaders, then let's work to end poverty in our country, at least the crushing poverty with which some Americans live (even if it were true that 46% of the poor in American have homes, cars and cables, that still leave about 7% of the population unable to afford these things. The poverty level in our peer nations runs between 1% and 7%; you can be sure that 90% of those poor are better off than out 7% who are destitute...).
Argument 7) I would even argue that in peer nations whose HDI is lower than the US, the overall quality of life is better. This I state from personal experience of travelling to them on a yearly basis. Even if the typical German or French citizen does not have the purchasing power of his counterpart in the US, he has access to excellent healthcare (his government will send him overseas if he needs treatment not available at home), education, 5 weeks vacation and well managed land and relatively clean and safe cities (the crime rate in all EU countries is lower than in the US to the best of my recollection.) But I have to underscore *IF* - it's been my personal experience of having met folks at various socio-economic levels that they can afford to spend a lot more money than their "peers" in this country.
As to your question on the dwindling middle class, here are some relatively recent articles on the status of the middle class in the US; of course these are other folks crunching the numbers for the same goals you did, but they arrived in another place. Obviously I agree with them more than not...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52954-2004Aug9.html
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/09/04_sanders.html
http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/plugin/template/dmi/27/2841
http://www.newwork.com/Pages/Opinion/Raynor/Middle%20Class.html
http://themiddleclass.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=debatesq
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/middleclass.html (this one is the most concise)
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