Author: Katherine

Poetry writer and author

A very full review of “The Jewish Writings” by Hannah Arendt

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n09/judith-butler/i-merely-belong-to-them

This broad ranging review  gives a very good account  of Arendt’s political views on Jews and on Israel.I learned a lot and have sympathy for her position.I am fearful of the current state of the middle east in  general

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A very good and rightly criticaI review of the film about Hannah Arendt

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2013/05/hannah-arendt-and-the-glorification-of-thinking.html

I came across this in the New Yorker,It has a lot of links e.g.to Claude Lanzmann’s film about the Shoa where his judgment is much  superior to that of Arendt.

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Are you lonely?

Sleep with a flea in your ear.
A bee can be a friend ,

Hot March days 015

unless you are a wasp.
The comfort of park rangers.
Lonely with you.
Cats are company.
How to enjoy your self.
Love yourself and then love another.
Existential dread and how to jump across the abyss.
Keep put of trouble,come to mine.
Have you a local?Try going to Church and get free coffee too as well as.. you know what!
Electrify men by wiring your lingerie with our simple kit.
Men…. how not to frighten the ladies.
How to say shit in four easy lessons.
Try a vow of silence to intrigue the opposite sex unless gay in which case  s ame sex.

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Funny notions

Image

Around the unborn it’s lonesome to dwell forever unrestes
As all get out  half way  up path,none arrive in heaven
She’s as beautiful as the way is wrong,I am happy to delay.
As tense as a Londoner‘s  hug  was,it was better than snuffing it on the floor.
As far as I can pee,there’s nothing but slugs
As bloody as gold,speaking metagogically

As whiff!You pong so!
As luck would grab it I hid it first
As plain as the rose on your lingerie lace
As slender as mother’s apple tart kept me..I was irresistible on the table
As the cow flies,the bull grew wings.That’s logic for you.
as time harasses me,I ask,why?
As useful as a dead baboon
As welcome as a monk at a  wife swapping party
As ye sew, so shall ye weep as I prick ye again
Too many jokes oil my path,so I tumble down again

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“The evil of banality”

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2009/10/the_evil_of_banality.html

A very interesting and disturbing discussion of books about Heidegger and Arendt.Heidegger’s silence after the war about the

And looking at the quote below it seems they lacked wisdom

Image

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New books out now for Thanksgiving

How to sleep with a flea in your ear.

How cats aid the lonesome

Make the most of sex pests .

What not to do in bed on your own

Keep warm with electrified bed bugs .

Hugging for the older, wilder and lonelier.New guidance

I put my finger in the socket and other tales of electrical excitement.

On your own?You are never alone with a fantasy or two.How to do  create a mental image

Why women love a bum

How to be safe  in bed…electrified nightwear for beginners.DIY

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Thinking… the last post?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-child-in-time/201008/what-do-we-mean-thinking

This article is  filed under child psychology.I think it is very good and also gives many references.I got into this thinking lark because I was reading  Heidegger‘s book,”What is called thinking.”but as I said initially my blog is about books…and all this thinking is tiring me .even though it is fascinating.Heidegger is hard and now I have got a book about Levinas to read too

And though I am very concerned about Heidegger’s being in the Nazi part yet I value his words a few of which I have copied below

Reading-Heidegger-philosophy-at-a-6

So he understood his own actions then?

“If it is Being that most calls for thought, what most calls to be thought about in our age is the forgetting or withdrawal of Being. And it is due to the withdrawal of Being that we are still not thinking. In contrast to Hegel’s notion of history, Heidegger’s is a history wherein we find ourselves increasingly fallen from and more distant from Being. Being withdraws in our technological age as the experience of thinking is reduced to calculative rationality. “Thinking” has become the experience of using rationality as a device to operate on a world of things already reified into a network of ends. In our age, Heidegger (1968) will go on to argue, ratio has trumped legein. The thoughtfulness of calculative rationality threatens to obliterate the possibility for being-thoughtful.

 

And yet

“Heidegger’s Nazism and the failure to confront it are philosophically significant for Heidegger’s philosophy, for its reception, and for philosophy itself. At a time when some are still concerned to deny the existence of the Holocaust, in effect to deny that Nazism was Nazism, and many still deny that Nazism had a more than tangential appeal to one of the most significant theories of this century, merely to assert the philosophical significance of an abject philosophical failure to seize the historical moment for the German Volk and Being is not likely to win the day. Yet there is something absurd, even grotesque about the conjunction of the statement that Heidegger is an important, even a great philosopher, perhaps one of the few seminal thinkers in the history of the tradition, with the realization that he, like many of his followers, entirely failed, in fact failed in the most dismal manner, to grasp or even to confront Nazism. If philosophy is its time captured in thought, and if Heidegger and his epigones have basically failed to grasp their epoch, can we avoid the conclusion that they have also failed this test, failed as philosophers?

  • Tom Rockmore (1992) On Heidegger’s Nazism and Philosophy. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 289″

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You so love me

Only Time... (49854383)
Only Time… (49854383) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 In the sudden hotness of the day

The bench beside the roses seemed set right.

We  talked about the flowers  so sweet  so  gay,

And whether Love is visible to sight,

 

The flowers seemed more beautiful and rare

Than any flower I’ve let  my eyes rest on.

I welcomed them with bold yet merry stare.

Ah,all too soon bright summer will be gone.

 

The sun was at the apex of the sky.

We caught the moment like a netted fish.

And as we looked the broad white clouds blew by.

All we can do is wish and wish and wish,

 

Now back to dishes,socks and “what’s for tea?”

I live so well because so  you love me

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The wrong end of the stick

1.Yes,Father.I killed a man with my bare hands..

My child,have you no gloves?

2.Oh,Father,I heard God is dead!

That Nietzsche! I’ll kill him.But he’s dead too

What do you mean,too?

3.Father,I have no sins to confess.

Have you no consideration for my needs?I look forward to your sins

I’ll try harder next week.I’ll sleep with my boyfriend.

Thanks so much.

4.Father I prayed in a Synagogue

That is not a sin

Thank Gog fort that.

But why did you do it?

My friend was polishing the floor…

Is she Jewish?

Yes, she’s descended from Solomon

I’ll take that with aa pinch of salt

Are you Jewish?They like salt beef.

You need lessons in logic.

Oh,no!I don’t want them.

Here they are.Swallow one syllogism morning and evening

Thank you,doctor

Geza Vermes Obituary

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/14/geza-vermes

This was published earlier this week.I found it a very moving and interesting story.Having been a Catholic most of his life….. perhaps initially to save it,he returned to Judaism in his later years

Lavender’s blue

Painted 2 My books and home 010

                  By Katherine  Marmalade October 2013

I made love to a tree with no leaves.
Well,I had no clothes on myself so I   was correct
And they say all is flair in love with a toy
Please make no groans about it
It was make love or break down for me
So don’t make out I am less than candid.
I made the glade at noon…on i tunes
And made tracks too in the grass.
I took some pics and caught no pox
I am not making it up really,it just comes in through a hole in my head
Don’t take to raving all night.I won’t heed you
And the tree trunk made your love seem out of sorts.
Why your love makes my blood feel like a coil of wire.
Faking leaves a lady aching!
Love is a phantasm with no orgasm.
No coronary spasm
is as good as a bird in a rush.
Too many books have spelled out wrath. for no reason
So roll your stone
and look for your marbles.
I’m aflame for a laugh…
That’s a free Plath for Hughes

Buy the Oxgrudge Fluke of English Birth free at Ram’s Inn
.

With anything in a skirt

Painted My books and home 010

Lamp and paper flowers by Katherine

To have your hose in my hair is very warming
No,not for all you see in her rhymes will I believe she’s a poet in a storm
He’s not just whistling pixie… he’s a real he man drinking whiskey
I am not playing with a bull with specs.It’s myopic…even mythaeopic
It is not the mightiest saying in the books.But it means so much if you love me.
Pascal was not keen to be the host of chance except for his famous wagers.
You are not the sharpest liar in the flock of men I meet weekly
I am not the harpiest wife to be the kitchen stabber
There is nothing impersonal in my love.I love you as warmly as if you were a piece of cake.In fact I prefer cake.
I have nothing to grieve at.. or with.My heart has fled and I am   just a bum
We had nothing to write poems about today…
just endless rain
on the window pane
made me think of you again
I love you and your brain
Yet love can bring such pain
And I barely knew your name
When will my love wane?
My heart was once so tame
Now it feels inflamed
I’ve got arthritis in the brain
Very stiff and in such pain.
Well.at least he came
I’ll miss his little game
And he cracked the window frame
And half a hundred panes.
My hair was once a mane
But I feel whiskey is profane.
I look like a real Jane.
I had nothing up my sleeve but I had a pin inside my skirt
To prick them where it hurts.

I hate the men that flirt

With anything in a skirt

With anything in a skirt

Aha

Katherine's avatarHow my heart speaks

Painted My books and home 010

Lamp and paper flowers by Katherine

To have your hose in my hair is very warming
No,not for all you see in her rhymes will I believe she’s a poet in a storm
He’s not just whistling pixie… he’s a real he man drinking whiskey
I am not playing with a bull with specs.It’s myopic…even mythaeopic
It is not the mightiest saying in the books.But it means so much if you love me.
Pascal was not keen to be the host of chance except for his famous wagers.
You are not the sharpest liar in the flock of men I meet weekly
I am not the harpiest wife to be the kitchen stabber
There is nothing impersonal in my love.I love you as warmly as if you were a piece of cake.In fact I prefer cake.
I have nothing to grieve at.. or with.My heart has fled and I am  …

View original post 138 more words

Courage

This is very interesting and the whole site is good

http://oates.org/index.php/journal/prior-editions/92-2001/288-schmidt-2001

Extract:

In examining the lives of these quiet heroes, Kohut concluded that they all manifested three features that gave their courage the qualities of groundedness and non-psychosis, but also allowed them to transcend the entrapment of the status quo. These three features were not necessarily equally present in these different individuals but they all seemed to manifest them in obvious measure so that it was clearly discernable by others. These three features are: 1) a sense of humor, 2) the ability to respond to others with empathy, and 3) a deep sense of peace. This latter attribute was especially noteworthy in spite of the intense inner struggle underway in them as they faced their choices and their agonizing consequences. Their personalities seemed filled with a profound sense of serenity, perhaps close to what we would call wisdom. These three elements, especially the sense of peace or serenity, always seemed evident to observers, even to their torturers, persecutors and executioners.

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What puzzles me about Arendt and Eichmann in Jerusalem

After reading the material  I have posted on,I saw that Arendt  believed Eichmann was not psychotic or crazy.She said he “did not think”.It puzzle me because one factor above all would seem to me to be relevant.That if a senior Nazi had decided he  did not agree with the Final Solution or any policy of the Nazis he would have been shot and/or his family would have been attacked.So fear would have played a  major role even if he had wished to stop what he ws doing.A big factor that allows humans to murder others en masse like the witches is to define them as somehow not human.And secondly to criticize their behaviour when it is cause by the conditions they are forced to live in.Jews were moneylenders because Christians were not allowed to do it [ charging interest was not allowed them]Being  rather intelligent some Jews became wealthy and were criticised as being only interested in money,grasping and avaricious.Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.Now in the UK this is happening to the sick,poor and unemployed.Scapegoats are attacked when times are hard. Whenever people meet a murderer they are surprised how normal they look.And other people look weird but are in fact good and kind,maybe a little handicapped in some way or just eccentric.Judging by appearances is an error; and especially if they are first  impressions

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Keeping reality at bay

       “Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality.”
― Hannah Arendt
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How much did Nietzsche know about women?

I think Nietzsche was a great philosopher but had the impression he was not very good with women…
I think  it’s highly  likely  it  is a false attribution.And are women more dangerous then men?It’s projection… vagina dentata for example.The vagina cannot bite off a penis.i woman can bit with  her teeth but so can a man.I recall  seeing “Love Bites” on I girls necks when I was young but I never allowed that…. let them bite their food or a bone
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An article about critical thinking

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/becoming-a-critic-of-your-thinking/478

The above website is very good,in my view

EXTRACT

Thinking Gets Us Into Trouble Because We Often:
  • jump to conclusions
  • fail to think-through implications
  • lose track of their goal
  • are unrealistic
  • focus on the trivial
  • fail to notice contradictions
  • accept inaccurate information
  • ask vague questions
  • give vague answers
  • ask loaded questions
  • ask irrelevant questions
  • confuse questions of different types
  • answer questions we are not competent to answer
  • come to conclusions based on inaccurate or irrelevant information
  • ignore information that does not support our view
  • make inferences not justified by our experience
  • distort data and state it inaccurately
  • fail to notice the inferences we make
  • come to unreasonable conclusions
  • fail to notice our assumptions
  • often make unjustified assumptions
  • miss key ideas
  • use irrelevant ideas
  • form confused ideas
  • form superficial concepts
  • misuse words
  • ignore relevant viewpoints
  • cannot see issues from points of view other than our own
  • confuse issues of different types
  • are unaware of our prejudices
  • think narrowly
  • think imprecisely
  • think illogically
  • think one-sidedly
  • think simplistically
  • think hypocritically
  • think superficially
  • think ethnocentrically
  • think egocentrically
  • think irrationally
  • do poor problem solving
  • make poor decisions
  • are poor communicators
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Why ruminating is bad for you.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/20/why-ruminating-is-unhealthy-and-how-to-stop/

When I was young I used to ruminate or brood.Looking back it made me feel terrible.But  thinking is not the same as ruminating.And neither change our reality unless we act.To stop ruminating it may be enough to say it does not usually help when you feel down.Then maybe take a walk,look at the world of nature.Try talking to a kind friend instead if you can.

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How I wrote this poem

The subject matter of a poem must come from whatever is inside your head.So reading more poetry or any well written literature contributes.The form of the poem may determine what rises to the surface as you write.I got the idea of beginning with a negative from some poetry newsletter I get [Sorry,not kept  reference] I was reluctant to write a sonnet.Iambic pentamet sounds frightening.To help me keep in my the right structure I recite

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day

Then I have to start,I think if a first line

“Not love nor money should we seek to steal;”

I like that as there is some alliteration,it’s the right length.and I agree with the sentiment.Once I have a first line then  the next lines seem to come more easily.THe whole sonnet is a surprise to me.Did I know I thought like that?Well,in a way, but r so explicitly.I have written about five now.They do resemble poems by the Metaphysicals like Donne.So I am unsure if I have found my own voice.I think the more one write the more likely it is you will find your own voice.Check the meter.Check for cliches.Check for adverbs used to correct the meter

Read poetry in books,on blogs,on the internet.Study some guides like

Teach yourself:writing poetry.

I like

W H Auden ,,Sylvia Plath,SimonArmitage,Donne,Marvell…..,Shakespeare,Rilke,Seamus Heaney,Hopkins,W B Yeats/

but you really need to read some modern poetry,

bus stop 6

BY SOME GRACE

Not love nor money should we seek to steal;
Nor for self praise and honor be in need
For these things cannot ever truly heal.
And onto a wrong path may often lead.

Not to vice nor virtue must our wills be tied;
Yet by some grace we gently may be led
Our will directs attention which denied
May let our pride control our thoughtless head.

Not good nor bad can track the vane of God
Far from our sightless eyes are his affairs.
Yet Faith and Hope can be a dowsing rod
With Love the force to trace the Spirit bare.

Oh,come down,Spirit,take me as your wife
Fill me with holy grace and with new life

Never think in bed

If you feel lonely in bed remember there are probably a few insects on you or if not millions of microbes inside you and take comfort from that..If you are lucky you may even have bed bugs.They bite but so do men sometimes.Tf that worries you boil your mattress every week. I said boil,not oil!Do listen,,,We used to boil them in a pan.Oh,no,that was our hankies.Well,boil them and dry them and then make the bed… there’s some wood in the shed.

Am I thinking?

Thinking again

Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” — George Bernard Shaw

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