DAILY PHOTO: Guardian Lions of Wat Mae Yen
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Author Archives: B Gourley
Stingproof [Haiku]
the Buddha sits:
untroubled by the bees
enticed by garlands.
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“Ah! Sun-flower” by William Blake [w/ Audio]
Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the Sun:
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.
Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
Arise from their graves and aspire,
Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.
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PROMPT: Dogs or Cats
Dogs or cats?
I prefer either to humans, generally speaking. I prefer dogs when feeling the need for affection, but cats when I want my space. Since the latter is more often my state of being, I guess a slight edge to cats.
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BOOKS: “Languages: A Very Short Introduction” by Stephen Anderson
Languages: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen R. AndersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Website
This is a quick guide to the (not so briefly answered) question of how many human languages there are. SPOILER ALERT: There is either one or some number of thousands, depending upon one’s philosophical leanings and a range of factors touched upon by this book. Given that there is clearly not a consensus answer, much of the book deals with what obstructions hinder a clear count, as well as some related questions that influence the number of languages over time.
With respect to the trouble spots of counting languages, the core question is what exactly is a language? Can two people who can understand each other (e.g. as I’ve been told Russians and Ukrainians can) be said to be speaking two different languages? If yes, the number of languages will be higher than if not. But then, how well do you have to understand each other? There are short and simple sentences in German that I understand, but that doesn’t mean I could understand a German, or a German would understand me (well, they probably would because most speak English as an Other Language.)
The related questions dealt with in the book include: why is number of languages shrinking, and is it inevitable? Can a globalized world be consistent with thousands of tribal-scale languages, and — if so — how?
The book also discusses the diversity of sign languages, and how signed languages differ from (and are similar to) spoken languages. The final chapter considers a number of questions, including how language separates humanity from wildlife, or — alternatively stated — what is it that makes human language different from the communication systems of other species of which we’re aware.
This is a readable book that deals in some interesting questions.
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DAILY PHOTO: Sri Adinarayana Swami Temple
Trails [Kyōka]
wildlife trail:
a subtle part in the grass;
human trail:
a bald and dusty line..., but
a buck 'd be hell on your rug, too!
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PROMPT: Lose Track of Time
Reading, thinking, and learning.
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“The Mushroom is the Elf of Plants” (1350) by Emily Dickinson
The Mushroom is the Elf of Plants --
At Evening, it is not
At Morning, in a Truffled Hut
It stop opon a Spot
As if it tarried always
And yet it's whole Career
Is shorter than a Snake's Delay --
And fleeter than a Tare --
'Tis Vegetation's Juggler --
The Germ of Alibi --
Doth like a Bubble antedate
And like a Bubble, hie --
I feel as if the Grass was pleased
To have it intermit --
This surreptitious Scion
Of Summer's circumspect.
Had Nature any supple Face
Or could she one contemn --
Had Nature an Apostate --
That Mushroom -- it is Him!
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Raptor Rides [Haiku]
raptor rides updrafts:
head & eye swivel-pivot;
all else, glides.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 