Live Review: Wilco @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 8/20/21
Posted on 08/23/2021 by David LaMason	in Live Review and tagged alt-country, Americana, Chicago, Illinois, indie rock, Jeff Tweedy, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Sleater-Kinney, Wilco.
Wilco brings back the joy at Merriweather Post Pavilion Aug. 20, 2021. (Photo by David LaMason)
Just before things started closing down, just before 2020 was the last time I saw Wilco perform at The Anthem and hot on the heels of the release of their last LP, Ode to Joy. Since the nearly two years since I'd seen them last, Jeff Tweedy and the band have kept fans engaged with things like the Instagram show (there has to be a better word for this) "The Tweedy Show," broadcast from Jeff's home with his family and sometimes guests like the other members of Wilco — a homemade variety show with Jeff, Sammy, and Spencer Tweedy often singing / guitar playing / drumming to Tweedy and Wilco songs along with some fantastic covers.
And just in the past month, Jeff has even started a weekly substack which is like a personal newsletter / inspirational / confessional, maybe called "Starship Casual" where the songwriter shares musings and even rough bits of new songs (or songs-to-be). Basically, the band has been keeping things fresh and us fans fed, so to speak. So, after the announcement that Wilco would be touring again this summer, I couldn't wait to see the guys — Jeff, John, Mikael, Nels, Pat, and Glenn — back again in the DC area. This time at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
Heading into Merriweather Post Pavilion on a sweltering Friday afternoon, I had nearly forgotten how big this place was. And as the sun began its slow decent I was glad of the breeze running through the outdoor venue. This set things up for a fantastic set by fellow Chicagoan, NNAMDÏ and the return of Sleater-Kinney who had just released their latest LP, Path of Wellness performed a blistering set of favorites and new songs from the new album.
Sleater-Kinney
Corin Tucker
After the sun set on Aug. 20, Wilco took the stage under the cooling canopy of Merriweather, but that's not to say the band didn't bring the heat as the sextet seemed refreshed to the point where Wilco seemed like a younger band, filling the mostly well-known songs with a life or an urgency I hadn't seen in a long time. And they certainly set the stage (pun intended) with "A Shot In The Arm" — both a great tune and also, maybe, a subtle reminder of the current state of things as concert goers showed proof of vaccination before entering the venue.
After a few from band's most recent LP, Ode to Joy, including what may be the first time I've heard "You Are My Face" performed live, Wilco kept this crowd on its toes with a fantastic "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" and as the band started in on "Art of Almost" I was taken by the big bombastic lights and trailing beams across the back of the stage, emphasizing each line and the frenetic guitars right before the end. And there was one thing I missed seeing, which, honestly, I could never get tired of — seeing Jeff Tweedy strut across the stage. There was definitely a sense of, well, joy throughout the entire performance. In fact, I swear it was apparent the band was happy to be back, as, after a Nels Cline's solo on "Impossible Germany," Jeff remarked, "I missed that."
In one funny and poignant moment, after performing "Love Is Everywhere (Beware)" Jeff remarked, "This is one of the newer songs we'll be playing tonight on our record Ode to Joy that came out just before all the 'joy'." But making up for all that time, what I witnessed was one of the best rock and roll shows I've seen in my aging memory banks. From the rollicking "Everyone Hides," which had a lot of bite, especially the kerrang of Nels's guitar to Pat Sansone doing Pete Townsend proud with his guitar windmills to seeing John Stirratt leap up with his bass — this was a band having fun!
There was even a moment when the band played a particularly hilarious Doors-y version of "Heavy Metal Drummer" with Jeff Tweedy doing a pretty good Jim Morrison before kicking into the song we all know so well.
Wilco came back out for the encore for a few older tunes, including "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" and "California Stars." A cap to a brilliant show that left us all wanting more.
Wilco continue their tour through the US through the end of October. Definitely catch them here!
The setlist included:
A Shot In The Arm
Before Us
You Are My Face
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Art Of Almost
If I Ever Was A Child
Impossible Germany
Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
Box Full Of Letters
Everyone Hides
Born Alone
Jesus, etc.
Theologians
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Heavy Metal Drummer
I'm Always In Love
The Late Greats
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
California Stars
Here are some photos of Wilco performing at Merriweather Post Pavillion on Aug. 20, 2021. All photos copyright and courtesy David LaMason.
Pat Sansone
Nels Cline
John Stirratt
Mikael Jorgensen
Glenn Kotche
← Live Review: Colin Hay @ The Birchmere — 8/17/21
Preview: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue AND Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Wolf Trap, 8/24/21 →
Music Park: Japanese Breakfast @ Ottobar -- 4/2/18
Preview: Cat Power @ 9:30 Club, 1/22/22


Prices and Features For the MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD
MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD
MINI has announced pricing for the MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD, in time for its European debut at the 2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Customers can place their order for one of the 1000 MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD models, prices at £41,000 for delivery in March 2012.
A collaboration between MINI and Rolls Royce has seen the MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD come to life, with exterior and interior design features from Rolls Royce Design division.
The exterior paintwork is an exclusive Rolls Royce colour, Diamond Black metallic, which is met by 17 inch multispoke alloy wheels.
On the interior, the dashboard, central console, air vents, carpets, heated lounge leather seats, roof lining, doors and interior cladding all feature the Rolls Royce colour Cornsilk. While the dashboard and door handle surfaces, are are finished in Walnut Burr - a premium wood trim which is exclusive to Rolls Royce. The roof linings, sun visors and rear storage tray are cashmere and the footmats are deep-pile lambs wool, as found in current Rolls Royce models.
The MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD features a 1.6 litre 184bhp four cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger as found in the new MINI Cooper S.
Standard features include Xenon Adaptive Headlights, Park Distance Control, automatic air conditioning, an onboard computer, MINI Navigation and the audio system Radio MINI Visual Boost, including a Harman Kardon hi-fi speaker system. The car also comes with MINI's 5 year servicing package; MINI TLC.
MINI Hatch News
MINI Hatch Images
MINI Hatch Images may not be UK specification cars. Colours and exterior and/or interior elements may differ from actual models.


Supersymmetric world from a conservative viewpoint ( )
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 ... / /
When a flu epidemics wasn't the end of the world: 1995-1996
Covid-19 has been compared to the swine flu, SARS, Hong Kong flu, Spanish flu, and others. I was told about a rather high number of flu fatalities in Czechoslovakia of the early 1980s. But only yesterday, I was reminded about something that I should totally remember but I don't.
In 1995-1996, within just seven weeks, 11% of Czechs (over 1.1 million) contracted flu. The number of cases with complications was about 90,000 while 12,000 people died (although some later studies claimed that the number was just 5,000, still high). With Covid-19 in 2020, after six months, 635 Czechs died with Covid-19 so far.
OK, in 1995-1996, I was spending a lot of quality time ;-) on Liane BBS, a North Bohemian Bulletin Board Service (Liane stands for the Liberec Academic Network, Liberec is a North Bohemian/Sudetenland city) which was launched in early 1994. You may still read my (Lumo King Superstring's) 181 posts on the CZscience board. ;-)
» Don't Stop Reading »
Vystavil Luboš Motl v 6:58 PM | slow feedback (0) | Odkazy na tento příspěvek |
Other texts on similar topics: biology, Czechoslovakia, politics
Monday, September 28, 2020 ... / /
Coronazis' anti-Swedish propaganda gets hardcore
Sweden is a good example of a country that has enforced virtually no Covid restrictions, has never shut down its schools etc. but it did much better than other European countries, both medically and economically. Brazil had a mixed regime after extensive disagreements between the sensible president and many crazy local politicians but it still did better than almost everyone in Latin America. Belarus is the best example, however. It didn't impose any restrictions, neither centrally nor locally, and it only has 800 deaths now (almost 10 million people) and the expected GDP drop for 2020 is just 2.3%.
Well, it is super-tempting to compare Sweden (10.2 million people) with Czechia (10.7 million people). My Czech homeland has enforced an early and rather rigorous lockdown in the spring. Along with Slovaks, we were the first white nations to introduce mandatory face masks. For months, they were needed even outside. Restaurants and tons of businesses "interacting with the people" were shut down for 1.0-2.5 months, depending on the type, before the restrictions were lifted mostly in May. From July 1st to September 9th, we didn't need any face masks. In some respects, our lockdown was always relaxed, however. In particular, people were never terrorized for being outside (although, as I said, masks were needed even outside, for more than a month, and this duty was only gradually lifted for runners and then others).
Other texts on similar topics: biology, politics, science and society
Boleslaus I the Cruel, a brilliant Czech ruler
Picture: the cruel brother Boleslaus
Today, Czechia celebrates its Statehood Day, a national holiday. On September 28th, 929 or 935 (not quite clear), Duke Wenceslaus I was murdered by his younger brother and/or his aides. St Wenceslaus is known as the "Good King Wenceslaus" in the Victorian carol but he is the Czech Catholics' patron saint.
Czechia's most well-known statue is arguably the St Wenceslaus statue at the large Wenceslaus Square which is named after the same duke. The space "under the tail of the horse" may also be the #1 place where the Czechs often meet with their friends. Celebrations and pilgrimages are held in Stará Boleslav, the place of Wenceslaus' death. An extremely old chorale worshiping Wenceslaus exists. I think that this melody is too old and music still sucked when it was written down.
Vystavil Luboš Motl v 10:57 AM | slow feedback (0) | Odkazy na tento příspěvek |
Other texts on similar topics: Czechoslovakia, Europe, politics
Sunday, September 27, 2020 ... / /
How did Max Planck come up with the quantum theory of light?
Reposted from Quora
Back in 1900, Max Planck just wanted to find the right formula – which we know as Planck's law now – saying how much energy a black body (which absorbs everything and doesn't reflect any light) emits in electromagnetic waves in any interval of frequencies (or wavelengths) when it's heated up to a given temperature.
At low frequencies, it was known that the Rayleigh–Jeans law – a simple power law – did a good job to describe the density of energy per unit wavelength. A classical derivation from the first principles was known, too: it's based on the simple Boltzmann distribution applied to the possible values of energy carried by the electromagnetic waves.
Vystavil Luboš Motl v 7:59 AM | slow feedback (0) | Odkazy na tento příspěvek |
Other texts on similar topics: science and society
Saturday, September 26, 2020 ... / /
Klaus: stuck in the coronavirus loop
By Václav Klaus, second president of the Czech Republic
The Covid hysteria is culminating. The words "coronavirus" and "Covid" have conquered the news media once again. But it is no second wave of the disease that rules (the disease has no waves) but the second wave of the alarming news which has been scheduled by the fearmongers for a long time in advance. Is Covid-19 a mere disease? Or is it an instrument designed to transform the society?
Other texts on similar topics: biology, Czechoslovakia, guest, politics, science and society
Czech PM is currently more Covid-hysterical than the nation
Maybe his Slovak ancestry (and Slovaks are less rational than Czechs) is showing up?
On Monday, the Czech government underwent an apparently negative development. In the morning, the minister of healthcare Adam Vojtěch resigned, mentioning "previous careful thoughts about the current situation". Many pundits describe the situation by saying that "he has been a scapegoat who was prepared to be sacrificed at a favorable moment for a long time". Now, Adam Vojtěch has been rightfully praised as a key man who helped to minimize the impact of Covid in Czechia in spring and summer.
Let It Be, sung by the fired minister when he was a minister a year ago. It is occasionally out-of-tune but you can hear that he's still a guy with some singing background.
OK, this young man became well-known to many Czechs already in 2005 when he participated as a singer in the Superstar (American Idol) contest. He completed a law school later and was rising in politics, going through the ministry of finance and then ministry of healthcare. Later on Monday, at 8 pm, PM Andrej Babiš thanked Adam Vojtěch and framed him as a child whom "Babiš raised at the ministry of finance".
Other texts on similar topics: biology, Czechoslovakia, politics, science and society
Discrimination of dead-alive superpositions allows resurrection
...but the confusion about these simple insights shows some people's trouble with the state-dependence and indeed, with the universal rules of quantum mechanics, too...
In a new, 12-page-long quant-ph preprint,
On the Hardness of Detecting Macroscopic Superpositions,
Aaronson and Atia (Austin) and Susskind (Stanford & the Google Evil Corporation) make an interesting observation, and I think that it is basically a correct one:
If you had the measurement of Schrödinger-cat-like superpositions \(\ket{{\rm dead}} + \ket{{\rm alive}}\) under full control, you could slightly extend your gadget and the extended gadget would also allow you to resurrect the cat.
In this form, I think that the statement is correct. The detection of complicated superpositions is mostly equivalent to the reversal of decoherence; and it is also, perhaps less trivially, equivalent to the ability to transform the distinct states onto each other (which means to turning dead cats into alive ones).
Other texts on similar topics: quantum foundations, stringy quantum gravity
A somewhat technical intro to quantum computing
First, news on beyond the Standard Model dark bosons: In an MIT search (PRL) involving transitions in ytterbium nuclei, a 3-sigma deviation from the expectations was found; while in a Danish search using calcium (PRL), there was no deviation. The MIT excess may be due to some higher order effects, however. See a popular summary.
Some equations in this blog post are long and I don't want to break them to too many short lines. Please switch to the mobile template in this case, thanks. Also, right-click at an equation and set "Zoom trigger" to "click": a left mouse click on the formulae will magnify them afterwards.
Classical computers operate with classical information, e.g. bits encoded in the voltage of a capacitor. \(5 = 00000101\). Their working should be deterministic.
Additional reading if you wish: books such as "The Physics of Quantum Information" by Bouwmeester, Ekert, Zeilinger (a hyperlink appears later)
Richard Feynman was the first one to propose that there could also be computers that follow the laws of quantum mechanics instead of classical physics. While a tremendous progress has taken place in the recent year or two, a practical construction of a useful universal quantum computer remains a dream for the future (although the leading teams promise that it may be done within a few years; some limited algorithms or a simulation of quantum chemistry have already been achieved), nevertheless a lot has been learned about the theory and the algorithms and some preliminary steps to overcome the technical difficulties and realize the idea have been made.
Other texts on similar topics: computers, quantum foundations, textbooks
Dishonesty of the Coronazi fearmongers and bullies is too obvious
You Are My Lord, from the musical Dracula. Music by Karel Svoboda (the genius who shot himself dead).
The celebrities meet more people than the regular citizens and they are also more likely to be tested (or to need tests) which are reasons why the percentage of "known" positive Covid cases is higher among celebrities. The Czech ones (singers and actresses etc.) who have undergone the virus include Ivana Andrlová, a princess from 1980s fairy-tales, singer Hana Zagorová, her husband Štefan Margita (who is known as her husband in Czechia but he is also an opera singer LOL), Mr Ladislav Frej, Mr Láďa Vízek, Mr Lukáš Konečný, and more.
The latest announcement came from Ms Lucie Bílá (*1966; some YouTube videos). Since the 1990s or so, she has arguably been the #1 Czech female singer. To say the least she has won the Czech Nightingale contest 20 times, one-half of Karel Gott's 40 victories in the male category LOL. She announced her victory over the coronavirus in this Facebook video (92 seconds).
Friday, September 18, 2020 ... / /
Czechia, Israel have many more daily "cases" per 1M than any Covid powers ever had
...and still nothing is happening...
The radical leftists have rebranded themselves as carriers of the gospel that a flu-like disease named Covid-19 will kill everybody and they made billions of gullible sheep obsessed with the number of "cases" which means positive tests. So all the media for morons have been filled with irrelevant factoids about XY "cases" in this or that country, in the world, during a day, week, or month, "cases" surpassing one psychological threshold or another.
Only top immunologists etc. in countries like mine (e.g. Dr Beran) got the opportunity from the media to explain something that the people should actually know from the high school biology. There is nothing worrisome about a "case" (a positive test). It doesn't mean that the person is actually ill. And the tests on similar viruses including flu would end up positive in a far higher percentage of the tests. Moreover, the number of positive tests is an irrelevant number because it's heavily dependent both on the total number of tests that are being done (and that is always much lower than the full population); and the methodology to choose who gets tested (because the more "suspicious" people you test, e.g. the contacts of recent positive tests, the higher percentage will be positive).
Other texts on similar topics: biology, Czechoslovakia, Middle East, science and society
Thursday, September 17, 2020 ... / /
PC cripples technological progress
The unhinged extreme left is ruining the fundamental Western values: freedom, democracy, nation states, family, natural roles of sexes, control of the traditional cultures over territories, integrity of the scientific research, cultural heritage, the historical truth, moral values rooted in the Judeo-Christian religions and the Greco-Roman civilization, and many other things.
These pernicious trends are mostly promoted by "people working in certain convenient jobs" such as education and media (jobs that are subsidized and/or detached from the broader economy – where the employees do well when everyone else is in trouble which really means that the inkspillers and NGO members and others are parasites, not constructive members of the whole) but it is easy to see that the insanity is penetrating to most other jobs and industries, too.
Managements of corporations are increasingly turning into despicable pußies serving far left perverts. But there is still some engine beneath all these things that allows the society operate and the science and technology to advance, right? Well, only to some (shrinking) extent because the technological progress is being undermined by the SJW junk, too. I want to use a seemingly apolitical fact – the fact that the Czech Škoda Enyaq SUV was embraced with far more enthusiasm than other cars based on the Volkswagen Group's MEB brand – and argue that basically everything about the superiority is political in character. And this political disadvantage of the VW brand cars is a prototype of the gradual sublimation of the Western industrial supremacy in general.
Other texts on similar topics: cars, Czechoslovakia, Europe, markets, politics, science and society
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 ... / /
A fun trinification \(E_8\) string-inspired model
This funny yet silly 2011 song about Greece's living beyond its means (and how it should be inspired by some Czech tricks; the song targets the Czech character more than the Greek one) has collected almost half a million views. Slovaks recorded a similar song about the Greek debt (secured by Russia), a parody on Modus' Little Pieces of Glass (1984).
Two months ago, I discussed a Mexican string-inspired \(E_8\)-based model of particle physics. "Not quite stringy" but "suspiciously string-like" models with \(E_8\) in ten dimensions must be getting more popular. Today, a Athens-Munich-Potsdam-Geneva paper
\(N=1\) trinification from dimensional reduction of \(\NNN=1\), 10D \(E_8\) over \(SU(3)/U(1)\times U(1)\times\ZZ_3\) and its phenomenological consequences
by Manolakos, Patellis, and Zoupanos uses a compactification of the \(E_8\) gauge theory on a 6-dimensional manifold with some Wilson lines, too. But while the Mexican paper chose an orbifold of the (flat) six-torus, this Greek paper exploits a curved, fancier manifold, namely\[ \ZZ_3 \backslash SU(3) / (U(1) \times U(1)). \] At least I hope that the coset written on both sides is correct, they were a bit sloppy about it. The Wilson lines chosen on the \(\ZZ_3\) transformations break \(E_8\) to \(SU(3)^3\), the gauge group of "trinification" models (a relative of "unification" models that is, in some sense, equally "unified" as unification, assuming a generalized usage of "unified").
Other texts on similar topics: string vacua and phenomenology
The cases for a \(17\MeV\) QCD axion and cosmic strings
Today, after some time, I was intrigued by very ambitious interpretations of two experiments. First, there is the delirium over beryllium, a nuclear signal at \(17\MeV\) observed by Krasznahorkay et al. in Hungary (Krasznahorkay is the Hungarian transliteration of Krásna Hôrka, The Beautiful Little Hill [a castle], in Slovak).
In a new preprint,
Signals of the QCD axion with mass of \(17\MeV/c^2\): nuclear transitions and light meson decays
Daniele Alves of Los Alamos proposes a wonderful conclusion: the excess is real and the particle is nothing else than the QCD axion. The particle's mass is comparable to tens of \({\rm MeV}\) which sounds great, decays to electron-positron pairs, and is piophobic, Islamophobic, and homophobic, which a good axion should be. Note that an axion is a light scalar field \(A\) that is coupled to the QCD instanton density \(F\wedge F\) and is driven towards \(A\sim 0\), thus explaining why the coefficient of the instanton density is tiny and close to the CP-invariant value (zero). The axion is something that can solve the strong CP-problem (the problem why the coefficient of the CP-violating instanton density is so tiny), we say.
Other texts on similar topics: astronomy, experiments, string vacua and phenomenology
Czech PM Babiš: Keep Calm & how the CZ Covid response teams work
Lots of the sensationalist media in Czechia and in the world paint the Covid situation in Czechia as bad. Of course, it's not bad at all. Nothing bad is happening here at all, and I am just 5 km from the district (Pilsen-South) that had the highest number of cases in 7 days per 100,000 folks up to the last night.
In this Sunday video, the Slovak-born prime minister of Czechia sported a "keep calm and wash your hands" T-shirt and he delivered a calm message, indeed. In the spring, I believed that Babiš actually was the right man for a similar situation and he would quickly regain his composure and did a lot to keep the economy running etc. But only in the recent month or two, I am sure about it.
Here is a transcript.
Prime minister Babiš: About the face masks and the death due to Covid
So ciao folks, it's Sunday today. I will obviously talk about Covid-19, about the coronavirus, about the testing, about the lethality rates. And especially, I understand that you're bombarded by negative news from all directions. But I am here to calm you down, to give you some positive news that the Czech media, especially the public Czech Television, are not broadcasting.
Leftist war on meritocracy becomes overt
Bill has pointed out that Andrew Sullivan reviewed a new book, The Cult of Smart, which identifies meritocracy (especially in the world of thinking and intelligence) as the ultimate enemy of the leftist utopias (beneath the four main enemies, of course: they are spring, summer, fall, and winter).
For many years, we have seen that the post-modern or neo-Marxist left was increasingly fighting against some values that have been considered important for a long time, such as:
freedom (including freedom of speech, academic freedoms, freedom of assembly etc.), democracy (with the respect to elected leaders), family, natural roles of sexes, manliness and muscles, courage, women's physical beauty and smile, nation, competition, faith, harmony within a society, hard knowledge, industrialization, fossil fuels, fiscal responsibility, accountability, meat, sugar, fat, ... meritocracy.
The list is far from complete but even in this restricted list, many entries are really very, very important. Nevertheless, meritocracy is arguably more important than the average entry. Meritocracy has been important in the evolution of species – natural selection is just meritocracy involving "less intelligent than human activities" – and in the development of political ideas, scientific and technological know-how, and basically everything else that people do, especially if they are "achievers".
Other texts on similar topics: IQ, politics, science and society
Lithium reserves: enough for 1-5 generations of "cars across the world" and nothing else
Lithium-battery electric cars are a niche market and they will always be. And if most cars were replaced by lithium-battery cars, mankind would run out of lithium after the first generation of cars would be produced. Or soon afterwards. And it's possible that other materials such as cadmium (reserves are estimated at half a million tons only) are even more constraining.
First, note that the number of cars in the world has surpassed 1.4 billion. How much lithium do we need for 1.4 billion electric cars with 70 kWh lithium-based batteries?
Other texts on similar topics: cars, markets, science and society
I am proud of the Czech, typically non-German, Covid rationality
A commenter with a complex German nickname brought the following Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung diatribe to my attention:
From a model student to a problem child
The German author describes Czechia and Slovakia as the countries that defined the European Covid-19 strategy in spring – Czechia adopted the mandatory face masks on March 18th, the first white nation to do so, and Slovakia quickly followed (although in some limited contexts, Slovakia was ahead; please, brothers, I really don't want you to join the German fascists again, for stupid reasons, again LOL).
I think it's clear that the masks reduce the propagation of the disease. The disease was dropping in Czechia up to early July and when we threw away the masks completely, the disease started to grow again, albeit slowly. The growth accelerated when the kids returned back to school but there's no problem with it. The masks rather demonstrably make a difference (which may turn a growth to a decrease) but it doesn't mean that it's sensible to wear it at all times and in all places. The masks are still annoying and they also discourage people from going outside, to pubs, shops etc. The devil is in the details, only some times and places are reasonable (public indoor spaces were at least somewhat reasonable in April when some uncertainty still existed about the ability of the virus to kill us or cripple us); nations that already have herd immunity who adopted the masks in the summer are way too late and this decision was just totally dumb.
And the text notices that in Czechia, the atmosphere has changed dramatically since March and April and Czechs don't have a problem with the number of cases that was over 1160 on Monday and they have really returned to the normal lives, a fact that the author clearly hates. Czechs have turned into problematic teenage drug addicts, we learn. Well, Czechia almost matched all of Germany on that day (Monday, yesterday) when it comes to this quantity (number of positive tests) and stood at the respectable 8th place in Europe.
Other texts on similar topics: biology, Czechoslovakia, Europe, politics, science and society
Covid: science vs politics, propaganda, and obedience
Fewer than 900 deaths out of 5800+ Swedish deaths with Covid had Covid as the direct cause of death.
In one interview after another, the Czech epidemiologists, infectiologists, and other doctors (mainly top doctors) repeat that they're not worried about the rising number of cases (note that nothing is rising e.g. in Sweden that has nicely reached herd immunity), the disease isn't a big deal, it must be understood as a disease that is analogous to flu etc. Despite this pretty much consensus (which is being increasingly incorporated into Czechia's loose policies, as I happily predicted in early April), many journalists still keep on pushing the "narrative" that Covid is something serious.
I am talking about the physician Martin Balík who has treated lots of serious Covid cases, epidemiologist Jiří Beran, infectiologist Jiří Beneš, female bosses of the infection departments of big hospitals, and dozens of others. Today, a government scientific committee should meet and recommend a further loosening of the Covid rules (note that for a week, the personal quarantine in Czechia lasts for 10 days only instead of the previous 14 days). Only the serious cases should be traced; there should be no quarantine for the people who meet a Covid-positive person if they are asymptomatic; having had an FFP2 respirator in the presence of a Covid-positive person may become a reason for exemption from the quarantine, too.
Other texts on similar topics: biology, science and society
Most laymen completely misunderstand what a black hole is
I am receiving lots of e-mail from young and armchair physicists. It's often a pleasant exchange. Sometimes the sender wants a theory to be confirmed. And among the layman senders, most of the theories or "theories" are seriously wrong. Many of the misconceptions keep on repeating all the time.
One of those invalid memes that I want to discuss – because I got several copies of that meme just in recent hours – is the idea that
The point of the black hole is the singularity. That is what makes a black hole a black hole and that's also where the mysteries of black holes hide.
This opinion is completely wrong. In this case, however, I have some empathy for those who think of black holes in this way. When I was 8, I (mis)understood black holes similarly – due to the influence of Newtonian prejudices combined with some popular explanations – despite the fact that some of the popular explanations, including those in the TV show "The Windows to the Universe Are Wide Open", went much deeper than to this misconception and I did watch them and read them.
Other texts on similar topics: alternative physics, science and society, stringy quantum gravity
Morens' and Fauci's nutty Gaia religion
Willie Soon sent me a link to a critical comment about an incredible article by David Morens and Anthony Fauci:
Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19 (Cell)
Aside from some generic Covid-19 hysteria which has crippled millions of other brains as well, these two authors promote a rather hardcore version of an older, Gaia religion. It really looks like these two men have completely lost it.
Other texts on similar topics: biology, religion, science and society
Nobel Prize winners' support for Biden proves their madness
Br sent me this list of 81 U.S. science Nobel Prize candidates who have already endorsed Biden. From some broader perspective, it's unspectacular because they also represent the huge left-wing bias of the scholarly institutions. They're not just "good scientists"; they are results of the selection that has (from the 1960s or so) demanded the people to be a mixture of "scientists" and "mindless Stalinist and Maoist fanatics", with the increasing importance assigned to the latter.
However, the fact that they did throw this support for the mentally deteriorrating puppet of the most destructive forces now, in 2020, is particularly troubling.
Joe Biden: "Covid has taken this year, just since the outbreak, has taken more than 100 year, look, here's, the lives, it's just, when you think about it." pic.twitter.com/D3dDY6njfD
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) August 31, 2020
The ultimate guru of many U.S. scientists is crisply revealing the deepest and most perfectionist discovery about the coronavirus.
When I looked more carefully, I realized that I know more than ten of them in person. Starting from the most familiar ones to me, the first four are probably Gilbert, Glashow, Gross, Wilczek. Given the overrepresentation of these four in my perspective, it's likely that with some weight, more than 1/2 of the winners whom I know are subscribed here. The notable absences may be more interesting, e.g. Steven Weinberg.
Other texts on similar topics: politics, science and society
Max Born in Bangalore
Willie Soon sent me a rather fascinating story at an Indian website
When Raman Brought Born to Bangalore
Everything that follows in this blog post are spoilers so think twice whether you want to read my comments before the page above.
| Subscribe to: all TRF disqus traffic via RSS [old]
To subscribe to this single disqus thread only, click at ▼ next to "★ 0 stars" at the top of the disqus thread above and choose "Subscribe via RSS".
Subscribe to: new TRF blog entries (RSS)
Recent Disqus comments ☼
+ 20 recent comments
Support your TRF
Due to some breathtaking recent expenses related to my free expression, I really need your material help... Also try PayPal.me/motls (EUR,CZK avoid a fee)
Statistics of Covid-19, a map
Seven new dynamic views
☻ Classic ☻ Flipcard ☻ Magazine ☻ Mosaic ☻ Sidebar ☻ Snapshot ☻ Timeslide ☻ Mobile ☻
2 GB cloud space for free
LHC records
hottest papers:
ATLAS / CMS
highest luminosity:
21/nb/s = 570/fb/year (2017)
7.8/nb/s = 245/fb/year (2012)
delivered luminosity:
70/fb (2018, 13 TeV),
4.3/fb (2015, 13 TeV),
27/fb (2012, 8 TeV)
5/fb (2011, 7 TeV)
total collisions:
15 quadrillion
Hover for additional notes
The 2015-18 Run 2 is over. Calendar for 2016, 2017
\(\rm\LaTeX\) help: 6 pg, 157 pg
MathJax doc: mathjax.org
For TRF guest bloggers
See an example of the optimally formatted TXT source of the contributions; HTML outcome.
Wolfram|Alpha answers your query
Your calendar...
The past light cone
When a flu epidemics wasn't the end of the world: ...
How did Max Planck come up with the quantum theory...
Czech PM is currently more Covid-hysterical than t...
Discrimination of dead-alive superpositions allows...
Dishonesty of the Coronazi fearmongers and bullies...
Czechia, Israel have many more daily "cases" per 1...
The cases for a \(17\MeV\) QCD axion and cosmic st...
Czech PM Babiš: Keep Calm & how the CZ Covid respo...
Lithium reserves: enough for 1-5 generations of "c...
I am proud of the Czech, typically non-German, Cov...
Most laymen completely misunderstand what a black ...
Nobel Prize winners' support for Biden proves thei...
Highlight words; disabled
alternative physics, arts, astronomy, biology, climate, computers, Czechoslovakia, everyday life, experiments, freedom vs PC, games, guest, landscape, mathematics, media and critics, philosophy of science, politics, religion, science and society, stringy vacua and phenomenology, stringy quantum gravity, video
Show posts with certain words
Most visited in 30 days (it doesn't mean "best")
Hard left at Google, Apple, Amazon teamed up to nuke Parler
Everone who has both a spine and a clue about politics is threatened and needs to fight real hard Donald Trump still had two weeks of his ...
Midsize miracles of perturbative string theory
A big part of the reason why all competent high-energy BSM+QG theoretical physicists are basically certain that string theory is the correct...
Democrats' Senate takeover is a national, global catastrophe
It seems that both Senate seats will go to the Democrats, the worthless young empty suit and the problematic reverend. Joe Biden is destined...
The master of overfitting
Merry Christmas 2020! Back in 2014, I competed in the Higgs Boson Machine Learning Challenge (leaderboards) At the end of the conte...
In Norway, the vaccines might kill more people than Covid itself
Even more extreme results may apply to Australia and others A natural Norwegian cure for diseases is distilled six times. Norway is an...
EFT-hedron: the landscape within the EFT quagmire
Physicists have clearly worked more intensely during the Christmas and New Year break than the arXiv.org moderators. Consequently, the hep...
UV, dynamical problems are problems with a theory; IR, kinematic problems are just hard work for users
Elias Archer has asked whether and how string theory solves "difficulties and complications" that he sees in the quantum field the...
Ripple vs SEC: has the elimination of the crypto Ponzi schemes begun?
PF 2021 The cryptocurrency world isn't just a part of the criminal underground. It is something worse, a top symbol of the absolute ...
"Data scientists" don't have any expertise to determine Covid policies
It is absolutely shocking to watch the decay of the United States of America as we have known them since 1776. The degree of censorship and ...
Singularity of anti-meritocracy?
On the parasitic, omega-nary sector of the economy and the unavoidable backlash against this tumor Socialism of the Soviet kind has brough...
Select a category alternative physics (281) architecture (15) arts (224) astronomy (624) biology (444) cars (59) climate (1749) colloquium (24) computers (594) Czechoslovakia (971) Denmark (26) education (270) Europe (804) everyday life (321) experiments (1023) France (91) freedom vs PC (437) fusion (29) games (198) geology (65) guest (98) heliophysics (69) Hewlett-Packard (14) IQ (42) Kaggle (22) Kyoto (203) landscape (207) Latin America (9) LHC (511) LIGO (40) markets (665) mathematics (549) media and critics (132) Mersenne (5) Middle East (341) missile (99) murders (88) music (93) philosophy of science (783) Pluto (7) politics (2107) quantum foundations (312) religion (255) Russia (213) science and society (2257) sports (79) string vacua and phenomenology (1210) stringy quantum gravity (1107) TBBT (56) textbooks (36) TV (150) video (306) weather records (275)
Friends, disciples, stalkers
TRF global Facebook like button
His Czech blog
His Czech home page
Google Scholar (interrupted)
His Wikipedia entries
His Chrome extensions
ATOM XML + RSS
Mobile TRF (old 1, old 2)
Physics Stack Exchange
Google has reset my feeds, probably intentionally so. Unless they re-subscribe, the followers are lost.
Subscribe to Luboš Motl's Reference Frame by Email
Tweeting Lumídek
Tweets by @lumidek
in Pilsen, CZ: map
Map of your town
World Science
(global science news site)
Google Science
(at news.google.com)
CNN Science
(at www.cnn.com)
Blogs led by science
(Eric Berger)
Resonaances
(serious hep-ph)
Push-button thinking
(Roman Staněk's IT blog)
(Mathematica, S. Wolfram)
Wolfram Alpha blog
Click the logo to buy. Now Mathematica 10!
Check Mathematica on TRF.
Science and policy
See news at oilprice.com
World climate widget
Global map of winds + II
UAH daily
Arctic temps
Archives ► UAH
HadCRUT4
Hurricanes ◄ Others
Political and social blogs
Václav Klaus
(Czech president)
(David Horowitz)
Rae Ann
(vicious momma)
iSteve
(Steve Sailer's IQ blog)
Lies, damned lies, and statistics
Map above: visitors this month (by country), mobile template not counted
Pageviews since July 2010
Some physics at Amazon
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-1828728-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');


Chimes Digital Home
Two Pieces for Double Bass Quartet
Composer: Michael Montgomery
Recital Music
Code: RMD1314
'Who's on First Bass?' and 'Concertino' exists in a number of orchestrations – for double bass and string orchestra, double bass and piano or double bass quartet.
Michael Montgomery writes: "Who's on First Bass? is a short solo for double bass and string orchestra and written for David S., a young middle school bassist, at the request of his orchestra teacher.
David had progressed wonderfully in his second year of study, catching the attention of the teacher, who wished to feature him in the end of the year Spring concert. With the unfortunate happenings of the pandemic, however, face to face class meetings were suspended, the academic school year was completed via online remote learning, and the Spring concert had to be cancelled – David's moment in the spotlight would have to wait.
The title is, of course, a takeoff on the "Who's on First" comedy routine of Abbott and Costello in which the player Who actually is on first base. In this piece the soloist is accompanied by string orchestra (or string quintet) with a subtle (yet quite important) part added for claves. Here the typical five note rhythmic pattern of Cuban Salsa (the "clave", literally the key) is altered slightly, with the second note of the rhythm occurring on beat three rather on the "and" of two. This clave is indeed the key to much of the rhythmic material in the solo and string parts, especially the manner in which the downbeat of the second measure (of the two measure clave) is anticipated.
Concertino was written for graduating high school senior Isaac A. and was meant to be performed by Isaac at his final concert with the Rogers High School Orchestra.
High school seniors across the country were, as we know, deprived of the many ceremonies that define for them and their families this moment in their lives, so Isaac is by no means alone in his disappointment.
The piece remains as a memento of this rite of passage and hopefully for Isaac there will be another opportunity for a performance. The rather marked punctuation of the accompaniment stands in stark contrast to the somewhat flowing manner of the solo bass part throughout the first section of the piece, but gives way leading into measure thirty to more relaxed and almost naïve set of arpeggiated figures in the measures that follow. The solo part itself changes register quickly, rising across its two octave range in the first measure of sounding. That being said, this solo should be easily accessible to any high school senior who has been conscientious in his study of the instrument."
Two Pieces for Double Bass Quartet quantity
Chimes main site home
(you will leave this site)
Copyright: © Chimes Music (Kensington) Ltd. 2021
Accept Reject All Manage Cookie Settings Read More
Digital Downloads of sheet music are files, usually in PDF format, that can be viewed on your computer, tablet or mobile device or e-Reader. Once you've downloaded your sheet music, you can view or print it and take it anywhere you want and make music. Once you've got it on your device or printed on paper you don't need an internet connection to do that.
Digital downloads such as these do not
attract V.A.T.
PLEASE NOTE: All our Digital Downloads will have a watermark at the bottom of each page that includes information about the purchase, and your name and email address. You are authorised to print only the number of copies that you have purchased. You may not digitally distribute or print more copies than purchased and for your own use. For some pieces the publisher may have requested that they be sold with a requirement for a minimum copies.
You don't need an account with us to use the site but for your convenience we recommend that you create an account to use this site. This will enable you to track your purchases and downloads and download again if necessary. If you need to contact us please ensure you leave a valid email address along with your purchase.
You don't have to use PayPal to pay using PayPal. You just need to enter your credit or debit card details when requested.
IOS users who download files will find that it opens in a separate tab on the Safari browser. At the top right on the browser the user will see
Touch or click the left-hand icon, the box with the arrow at the top, and in the following dialog box select options
And in the following part select PDF.
You can then select where you want your PDF to go.
If you select "save to Files"
you will see something like
What you see may differ from the above image depending on what apps you have installed, for example if you have Dropbox on your device you will also see a folder for that here. If you don't have Excel, Word or GarageBand then you won't see those folders. Click Save at the top left of the dialog box.
To find the file on your device find Apples' Files App and open it. If you saved it to a Cloud storage folder navigate to there or if you saved it to, for example Downloads, go to "On My iPad" and select the folder where you saved it.
Please use the search bar in the header or click on one of the links below or the menu options to get started. Alternatively, check out the 3 carousels below where you'll find our most recent additions, featured products and best sellers.
Amy Roberts
Jade Bultitude
OUP Digital
Purple Publications
Rachel Broadbent
Chris West
Simon Cole
Douglas Johnson
Manage Cookie SettingsAccept All


Rama Navami discourse
By ram108 April 11, 2003 20 Mins Read
Listen to discourse: 11 April 2003
Rama Navami, Brindavan (Whitefield, Bangalore), 11 April 2003
Birds and beasts which do not have any type of education, have learnt to lead a life of discipline. But alas! Man who is endowed with all intelligence does not lead a disciplined life. What else is to be conveyed, oh people of this august assembly! (Telugu Poem)
The Lord shines effulgently in the universe, so also the universe shines in the Lord. The relationship between the Lord and the universe is intimate and inseparable. (Telugu Poem)
The sacred epic Ramayana is verily the Veda descended from heaven to earth. The Veda is classified into four: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharvana Veda. The Rig Veda helps, sustains and protects the yajnas and yagas. In the Ramayana, Rama symbolises Rig Veda. Lakshmana signifies Yajur Veda, which contains mantras chanted during the performance of yajnas and yagas. When Rama was away in the forest, Bharata stayed in Nandigrama singing His divine Name day in and day out. Hence, he symbolises Sama Veda. Satrughna was the one who annihilated the satrus (enemies) and protected the pious. He was obedient to his brothers. He stands for Atharvana Veda. The essence of Atharvana Veda lies in destroying wickedness and fostering sacred feelings and activities. The Ramayana is verily the Veda. The Veda is not different from the Ramayana. True humanness lies in understanding this.
Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna are the four sons of Dasaratha. Merely knowing this will not suffice. One should enquire and understand the inner meaning. Who is Dasaratha? He represents the human body consisting of ten senses (five senses of perception and five senses of action). Strictly speaking, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna are not the sons of Dasaratha and his three wives. We should not think that they were born like mere mortals. They are the chaitanya swarupas (embodiments of divine consciousness) who emerged from the sacrificial fire. They set an ideal to parents, brothers, and sisters in every family and to humanity at large.
Today, due to the impact of Kali age, there is no unity and love among brothers in a family. There are conflicts among them leading to disturbances. On the contrary, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna had total unity among themselves. They delighted others by their unity. Even while playing games in their childhood, each aspired for the victory of the other. Once the four brothers as young lads were playing a game. Shortly thereafter, Bharata came to mother Kausalya, sat on her lap, and started weeping. She asked him, "Bharata, why are you feeling sad? Have you lost the game?" Bharata replied, "Mother, I would have been happy if that were to be the case, but when I was about to lose the game, Rama managed to lose the game and made me the winner. I am upset at the defeat of my elder brother." What an example of fraternal love!
When Lakshmana fell unconscious in the battlefield, Rama was crestfallen. He considered Lakshmana as His very life. He lamented saying, "If I were to search in the world, I may get a mother like Kausalya and a wife like Sita but not a brother as noble as Lakshmana. What is the use of this life without Lakshmana?" The four brothers had such unity, harmony, and love among themselves.
When Bharata returned from Kekaya kingdom, he came to know from sage Vasishtha that Rama had gone into exile and would not return for fourteen long years. He was disconsolate. He went to the sage, offered his respects and said, "Oh venerable preceptor, I do not want this kingdom, which has caused the exile of my brother Rama. Being the eldest son, only Rama has the right to rule over the Kingdom. Hence, at this very moment I shall go to the forest, fall at the feet of Rama and plead with Him to come and take over the reins of Ayodhya." In this manner, each of the four brothers was ready to make any sacrifice for the sake of the other.
In order to uphold the plighted word of His father, Rama was ready to go into exile. He donned the clothes made of tree bark and went to the residence of mother Kausalya to seek her permission. Mother Kausalya, being unaware of the sudden turn of events, was eagerly awaiting Rama's arrival. She was ecstatic thinking of Rama's coronation and expected Him to come to her in royal garments. She was very much worried to see Rama and Sita in bark clothes. "Rama, is this the type of garment you should wear on the day of your coronation," she asked.
Rama smilingly replied, "Mother, I have been coronated as the king of Aranya Rajya (kingdom of forest) by My father. I am going to the forest to protect sages and saints who are being put to suffering by the demons. Hence, kindly do not raise any objection to My sacred mission. I have to obey the command of My father." So saying, He prostrated before His mother and sought her permission to go to the forest.
Hearing the words of Rama, mother Kausalya was overcome with sorrow. She pleaded with Him, "Son, You are talking of obeying only the command of father. What about the command of Your mother? I am the ardhangi (better half) of Your father. Hence, it is Your bounden duty to obey my command also. I will not come in the way of Your going to the forest, but let me also accompany You. I have borne You as a result of many rituals and severe austerities performed over a number of years. I cannot live without You even for a minute."
Rama pacified her saying, "Mother, it is not proper on your part to leave your husband in this old age. He is getting burnt in the fire of My separation. At this juncture, you should comfort and console him with soothing words. That is your foremost duty. For a wife, husband is God. He is the only refuge for her."
Sita, who was standing by, heard this conversation. She at once asked Him, "Rama, is not the dharma same for all women? Can there be one dharma for your mother and another for me? You have asked me to stay back and look after Your father and mother. Now, You are telling Your mother that serving the husband is the prime duty of a wife. Does it not hold good in my case?"
Mother Kausalya was moved by Sita's argument. She told Rama, "Son, the same dharma holds good in the case of every woman. It is destined that I have to suffer in this manner. Why should You put Sita to suffering by leaving her behind in Ayodhya? She has given up everything and has decided to go with You to the forest. Do not disappoint her. Take her along with You. It is Your duty to take care of her." One can very well understand the nobility and broad-mindedness of mother Kausalya from this episode.
The birthday of Rama is celebrated in order to remind us of the ideals for which He stood. We have to ponder over the ideals set before us by Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna and also by Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. Sage Vasishtha declared, Ramo vigrahavan dharmah (Rama is the embodiment of Dharma). He described the Divine form of Rama saying, Pumsam Mohana Rupaya (one whose form enchants all). "Rama, the beauty and handsomeness that You are endowed with are not limited to Your physical form alone. Your infinite love and compassion give You this blissful form. Even men are attracted by the blissful form of Yours. You are the very personification of sat-chitananda (being-awareness-bliss)." Thus, Sage Vasishtha extolled the glory and majesty of Rama. It is your good fortune that you are able to listen to the sacred story of Rama and sing His glory.
As I told you in the beginning, God shines effulgently in the universe, and so does the universe in God. The relationship between God and the universe is intimate and inseparable. The universe is full of living beings. Each being is the embodiment of Rama. Do not confine Rama to a particular name and form. All the beings are His forms. Rama means the One who delights. He is present in all. Easwara sarva bhutanam (God is the indweller of all beings). Isavasyam idam jagat (the entire world is permeated by God). The world is the very form of God. Sahasra seersha purusha sahasraksha sahasra pad (God has thousands of heads, eyes and feet).
In those days, the population of the world was only in thousands. Considering each of them the form of God, it was declared, Sahasra seersha purusha. With the passage of time, the population swelled from thousands to lakhs and from lakhs to crores. Then it was said, God is mukkoti devata swarupa, meaning He is in the form of three crores of beings. Today the world population has increased to nearly 600 crores. All are the forms of God. Usually people confine Rama to a particular form with a bow and a quiver of arrows. In fact, every man is Rama swarupa (embodiment of Rama). That is why people are named after Rama, Lakshmana, Krishna, Govinda, etc.
Not only the four brothers, even their consorts demonstrated great ideals. Sita and Urmila were the daughters of King Janaka. Mandavi and Srutakeerti were the daughters of his younger brother. They were women of sterling character and were endowed with supreme sense of detachment. They considered the happiness of others as their own. When Rama was leaving for the forest, Sita insisted that she should be allowed to accompany Him. She said, "Swami, You have come for the redemption of mankind. I too have a part to play in it. How can I remain here when You are going to the forest renouncing everything?" She removed all her ornaments, wore bark clothes, and followed Rama.
Lakshmana's wife, Urmila was a very good painter. Being unaware of the happenings, she was painting the picture of Rama's coronation. As she was deeply engrossed in her work, Lakshmana entered the room all of a sudden and called her in a raised voice. She was startled and at once stood up. In the process, she accidentally spilled paint on the picture she was painting. She felt sad for having spoiled the picture. Then Lakshmana remarked, "The coronation of Rama, which is meant to bestow peace and prosperity to mankind, is stalled because of Kaikeyi, and the picture of coronation that you are painting is spoiled because of me." He informed her that he was accompanying Rama and Sita to the forest to serve them and said that he would return only after fourteen years. She was least perturbed with his decision. In fact, she was happy and entreated him to serve Sita and Rama with utmost devotion. Pain and pleasure, sorrow and happiness follow one another. One should treat them with equanimity.
Pleasure and pain, good and bad co-exist, none can separate them. You cannot find pleasure or pain, good or bad to the exclusion of the other. Pleasures result when difficulties fructify. (Telugu Poem)
Lakshmana took leave of his wife and went to mother Sumitra to seek her blessings. 'Su-mitra' means a good friend. Her character was worthy of her name. When Lakshmana told her of his decision to accompany Sita and Rama to the forest, she, being a noble mother, was very happy. She was not at all worried that either of her two sons would not rule over the kingdom.
When her cup of pudding was taken away by an eagle, both Kausalya and Kaikeyi sympathised with her and shared their pudding with her. Lakshmana was born of the share of Kausalya's pudding and Satrughna of the share of Kaikeyi's. Hence, Lakshmana and Satrughna are the aspects of Rama and Bharata, respectively. Lakshmana served Rama, and Satrughna served Bharata. Sumitra thought that it was her good fortune that her sons were serving Rama and Bharata. She had such noble feelings. Where there is God, there is His devotee. Where God and the devotee come together, victory is assured. Sumitra told Lakshmana, "Son, to be in God's company is the greatest wealth." So, she gave her immediate consent to Lakshmana to accompany Rama and Sita.
When Rama went to Kausalya to take leave of her, she lamented saying, "Son, you are leaving me in Ayodhya with all the royal comforts and going to aranya (forest) to lead a life of hardships." To this, Lakshmana, who was at Rama's side, said, "Mother, this Ayodhya without Rama and Sita is verily the forest. The forest with Rama and Sita is verily Ayodhya. Sita and Rama are my parents. I will serve them and spend my time blissfully."
There was great unity and understanding not only among the four brothers but also among their consorts. They are ideals for every family. Is there a family where daughters-in-law live in amity? Is there a family where brothers live in harmony without indulging in property disputes? Nowhere do we find such an ideal family. This age of Kali (the age we are now in) has become the age of kalaha (conflict). In such a scenario, the Ramayana shines as the beacon-light to every family.
How should brothers and sisters conduct themselves? In the Ramayana, we find the demonstration of such great ideals. Merely going through the sacred text of Ramayana is not enough; you have to emulate the ideals. The Ramayana transcends the barriers of time, space, caste, and religion.
In all nations, at all times and under all circumstances, unity is very essential to find fulfilment in life. Even birds and animals have unity amongst themselves. They do not have the selfishness of hoarding things. Today we find wicked tendencies in man that are not found even in birds and animals.
There is not a single instance of internal dispute in the family of Dasaratha. You may question, "Was not Kaikeyi responsible for a family dispute that led to the exile of Rama?" No, it was not a dispute at all. In fact, Kaikeyi had great affection for Rama. She loved Him more dearly than her own son, Bharata. But her mind was poisoned because of the bad company of Manthara. Hence, it is said, Tell me your company, and I shall tell you what you are.
Even Manthara was one of good nature. She was only acting under the influence of an incident that happened in her previous birth. She was a deer then. One day she was playing with her husband in the forest. The king of Kekaya had come to the forest on hunting. He saw the deer playing with each other. In an attempt to capture them, he killed the husband deer with an arrow. The female deer was grief-stricken. She went to her mother and complained about the cruel act of the king. The mother consoled her saying, "My dear child, pain and pleasure, good and bad coexist in this world. We have to withstand the vicissitudes of life with equanimity. You may go to the king to seek justice."
Then the female deer went to the king and poured out her anguish thus, "Oh king! We were leading our lives peacefully and blissfully. You have inflicted untold grief on me by killing my husband. You have ruined my life." The king ruefully said, "Nobody can escape the consequences of his actions. You are grieving over the death of your husband. I can also understand the agony of your mother having lost her son-in-law. As a result, one day I too will suffer from the loss of my son-in-law." The female deer took birth as Manthara and caused the death of Dasaratha who was the son-in-law of King Kekaya.
This life is nothing but an ocean with the waves of union and separation. Everybody has to pass through the adversities of life. It is the nature of pravritti (outward path). There is another aspect to life, i.e. nivritti (inward path). A child goes to its mother and says, "I am hungry." The mother who follows the outward path says, "Child, go and eat food. You hunger will be satiated." This is the pravritti dharma. But the mother who treads the inward path does not merely say, "Go and eat food." She would advise the child as to what type of food to eat, when and how to should eat. When you are hungry, you should not eat whatever you like without enquiring whether it is good for health. The nivritti mother advices you to eat such food which will bestow good health on you.
Even the Vedas have dealt with the principles of pravritti and nivritti. One may have desires, but they should be under limit. They should be based on truth and righteousness. Do not eat whatever you get. Do not speak whatever comes to your mind. You should speak only after proper enquiry. These are some of the lessons that the Ramayana teaches to mankind. That is why the Ramayana is compared to the Vedas. It teaches the pravritti and nivritti aspects of life in a beautiful manner. Pravritti is the swabhava (nature) of prakriti. Nivritti is the swarupa (form) of the Atma. Nivritti broadens our outlook, whereas pravritti does the opposite. Hence, we should base all our activities on nivritti.
The Ramayana teaches the principles of dharma and the path of duty to every individual. Though ages and aeons have passed by, the Ramayana remains ever fresh guiding humanity on the path of truth and righteousness. Even today we think of the characters of Ramayana with respect and reverence. You can very well understand its greatness. There is no morality higher than what is depicted in the Ramayana. The Ramayana should be the subject of our parayana (worship). You should install the principle of Rama in your heart and experience bliss.
Practise the teachings of Ramayana in your daily life. Obey the command of Lord Rama. It is to understand and assimilate the principle of Ramayana that we are celebrating the festival of Rama Navami today. It is not enough if the celebration is confined to merely partaking of sweet pudding and other delicious items.
Sage Valmiki declared that the Ramayana will be there so long as there are mountains and rivers on the face of the earth. You may wonder, what is the relationship between the Ramayana and the mountains and the rivers. The mountains symbolise men and the rivers women. As long as there are men and women in this world, the glory of Ramayana will continue to illumine the world. Women are compared to rivers because they are the symbols of sacrifice. They flow incessantly quenching the thirst of one and all.
The Ramayana sets great ideals to men. People should contemplate on such sacred story and follow its ideals. The marriage of Rama and Sita was celebrated in Mithila with all festivity and gaiety.
They sang songs inviting people to see the divine marriage of Rama and Sita. Come let us go and see the marriage of Rama and Sita, The sight shall confer great merit. Oh come one and all to see the sacred marriage, Rama, who is riding on an elephant, is shining effulgently. Mother Sita is by His side, The brothers are at their service. Sita and Rama will smilingly enquire of our well-being; What else can we aspire for! Come let us go anon to see the holy wedding of Rama and Sita. (Telugu Poem)
People sang songs like this, rejoicing at the marriage of Rama and Sita. The people of Ayodhya as well as Mithila were greatly delighted. The entire city of Mithilapura rejoiced in great celebration. The divine marriage conferred immense joy on one and all. The story of Rama is mysterious, sacred, and blissful.
The story of Rama is not an ancient one. It is eternal and ever new. It is full of auspiciousness. May you fill your heart with the sacred ideals of the Ramayana! May you give up hatred and all differences! May you live in peace and harmony! When you contemplate on Rama incessantly, you derive great joy and delight.
Bhagawan concluded His discourse with the bhajan, "Rama Rama Rama Sita…"
Rama NavamiWhitefield
Rise above body consciousness
April 2, 2003 23 Mins Read
Chanting God's name – the royal path to liberation
Develop love and consider all as brothers and sisters


Home » Organizations Advancing Human Rights Worldwide
Source is A Force More Powerful
The Albert Einstein Institution's mission is to advance the worldwide study and strategic use of nonviolent action in conflict. Several books, publications and articles on nonviolent conflict, in multiple languages, are downloadable from this site. www.aeinstein.org
PO Box 455, East Boston, MA 02128 USA Tel: 617-247-4882 Fax: 617-247-4035
Email: einstein@igc.org
Human Rights Watch is an independent non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. www.hrw.org
50 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Email: hrwnyc@hrw.org
International Crisis Group (ICG) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, with over 110 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. www.crisisgroup.org
1629 K Street NW, Suite 450 Washington DC 20006 USA
Training For Change leads workshops in democratic nonviolent social change worldwide. www.trainingforchange.org
1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-1477 USA
Email: peacelearn@igc.org
Global Nonviolent Peace Force's mission is to energize and train an international nonviolent peace force that can be sent into conflict areas to secure human rights and prevent atrocities, allowing local organizations to work nonviolently towards peace.
www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
425 Oak Grove Street Minneapolis, MN 55403 USA
Email: info@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
Fellowship of Reconciliation is an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. FOR educates, trains, builds coalitions, and engages in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally. www.forusa.org
521 N. Broadway Nyack, NY 10960 USA. Tel: 845-358-4601
Email: for@forusa.org
Freedom In The World examines and compares political freedoms and civil rights in various countries. www.angelfire.com/ma//maxcrc/freedom.html
Freedom House, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization, is a clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world. Through a vast array of international programs and publications, Freedom House is working to advance the remarkable worldwide expansion of political and economic freedom www.freedomhouse.org
1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, 6th Floor Washington D.C. 20036 USA
Tel: 202- 296 5101 Fax: 202 293 2840
E-mail: fhdc@freedomhouse.org
The United Nations – Human Rights site contains documents and treaties from the UN High Commission on Human Rights. It also includes sections on economic and social development and peace and security, as well as the latest information on the war crimes tribunal trials. www.un.org/rights/
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created and funded by Congress. Its mission is to help prevent, manage, and resolve international conflicts by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by our direct involvement in peacebuilding efforts around the world. to strengthen the nation's capacity to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflict. www.usip.org
1200 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Email: usip_requests@usip.org
National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions in every region of the world. www.ndi.org
2030 M Street, NW Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Email: contact@ndi.org
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private nonprofit organization created to strengthen democratic institutions around the world. Each year, it makes hundreds of grants to support pro-democracy groups worldwide.www.ned.org
1101 15th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 USA
Email: info@ned.org
International Republican Institute (IRI) was founded in 1983, as a nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing democracy, freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. IRI programs are nonpartisan and adhere to the fundamental American principles of individual freedom, equal opportunity and the entrepreneurial spirit that fosters economic development. www.iri.org
1225 Eye Street, NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 USA
The Life & Peace Institute (LPI) is an international and ecumenical center for peace research and action. Its principal goal is to support the work of churches in the fields of peace, justice and reconciliation. www.life-peace.org
PO Box 1520, SE-751 45 Uppsala, Sweden
Tel: +46 (0) 18-169500 Fax: +46 (0) 18-693059
Email: info@life-peace.org
PO Box 21186, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +25422714121 Fax: +25422710349
Email: lpihap@africaonline.co.ke
Friends for a Non-Violent World works to build a world where people practice alternatives to violence and work cooperatively towards peace and justice. Their programs include nonviolence trainings and workshops that focus on the spirit of nonviolence and the use of conflict resolution skills. www.fnvw.org
1050 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104 USA
Thoreau on Civil Disobedience This link contains parts one and two of Thoreau's essay on civil disobedience. www.eserver.org/thoreau/civil.html
Nonviolence Web features articles on nonviolence and nonviolent actions worldwide from peace groups and international newspapers and magazines. www.nonviolence.org
INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUALS AND STORIES
Nashville:
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) works to protect and enhance the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities. This site includes NAACP newsletters, archives, information on current programs, a history of the organization, and valuable links to other related websites. www.naacp.org
SNCC, 1960-1966 is a website focusing on the history of the civil rights group the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). It includes a timeline of the organization's history, the main issues it addressed, some of its major programs and events as well as profiles of some of its most important members and nonviolent activists. www.ibiblio.org/sncc/
The King Center is a nonprofit organization the educates the world about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy and methods of nonviolence. The Center's site has many resources including news and historical information. www.thekingcenter.org
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that battles hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and the law. The Center is known for its monitoring of hate groups, tolerance education program, legal successes against white supremacist groups, and its sponsorship of the Civil Rights Memorial. www.splcenter.org
India/Gandhi:
The Official Mahatma Gandhi Web Site contains information on Gandhi's life.
http://web.mahatma.org.in/
Gandhi and South Africa 1914-1948 contains articles and speeches relating to Gandhi and South Africa. www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/people/gandhi/index.html For essays and information on India and the fight against apartheid, go to www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/solidarity
The Internet Indian History Sourcebook provides information and sites about ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history. www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/indiasbook.html
African National Congress, the official party of South Africa, has an informative web site The site includes news from South Africa, recent publications, and an archive of historical documents. www.anc.org.za
H-Safrica is an international electronic discussion group committed to promoting all aspects of South and Southern African history and culture. It includes discussion logs, book reviews and links to other South African related sites. www2.h-net.msu.edu/~safrica/
South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established by the Government of National Unity to help deal with the violence and human rights abuses that happened under apartheid. This site contains transcripts of hearings, legal background information, press releases and news articles, and other relevant information. www.doj.gov.za/trc/
Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation is a non-governmental organization dedicated to making a meaningful contribution to peaceful and fundamental change in South Africa and the surrounding region. The site includes information on the organizations, programs, and publications as well as upcoming events and links to related sites. www.wits.ac.za/csvr
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by promoting tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. Through its work, the Center addresses important current issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide.
1399 South Roxbury Drive Los Angeles, California 90035 USA
Tel: 800-900-9036 (toll-free from within the U.S.)
Email: information@wiesenthal.net
Website: www.wiesenthal.com
Poland/Lech Walesa:
CNN Cold War Profiles contains a biography of Lech Walesa. www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/walesa/ A separate link contains an interview with Walesa.
Nobel Peace Prize 1983 contains the speech that was made when Lech Walesa was presented with the Peace Prize as well as a brief biography of Walesa. www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1983/index.html
Colby Magazine contains a brief profile of Lech Walesa and audio clips of speeches he has made on globalism, Russia, solidarity, and the changing century. www.colby.edu/colby.mag/issues/88n1/hill/2.html
Solidarnosc is the official website of the Solidarity party. It includes the party's constitution, organizational newsletters, and information on current activities. www.solidarnosc.org.pl/eng1.htm
Chile/Augusto Pinochet:
Amnesty International has articles on the recent Pinochet Case. www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/pinochet/index.html
Oikos contains links and articles about Pinochet. www.oikos.org/ecology/pinochet.htm
Human Rights Watch has a special section on the Pinochet Prosecution that contains articles about his 1998 arrest and prosecution. www.hrw.org/hrw/campaigns/chile98/index.htm
B92 is an independent radio and television station in Belgrade. It began as a student radio station and has become an umbrella association including the fields of television, radio, internet, music, film and publishing. Along the way B92 has pioneered the use of the internet as a means of bypassing media repression; won global acclaim for its part in the downfall of a corrupt and violent regime; and nurtured a thriving creative scene in Yugoslavia. The site includes daily news updates, archives, and information on the fall of Slobodan Milosevic. www.b92.net/english/
The International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia is responsible for trying serious violations of International Humanitarian Law in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The ICTY is a part of the United Nations Security Council. www.un.org/icty
The Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) is a non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan organization that contributes to the establishment and strengthening of democratic values and institutions in Serbia by promoting free and fair elections. CeSID runs educational and research programs and works on monitoring of elections, as well as analysis of pre-election and election activities. www.cesid.org
Kralja Milutina 21, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Email: cesid@cesid.org.yu
Economic and Social Policy Institute specializes in economic and social research, as well as implementing and monitoring social and economic reforms and offering services to key decision makers during the transition. The G17 Institute continues to work at getting Yugoslav society and economy into a framework of a market economy and civil society. IT has also established an academic and research institution dedicated to studying economic processes and social reform. http://www.institutespi.org/DefaultEn.aspx
Knez Mihailova 10, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
G17 Plus is a network of experts established to promote and practically implement the ideas of a modern market economy, open and democratic society and the rule of law in Serbia through humanitarian and developmental projects in Serbia. www.g17plus.org.yu
Trg Republike 5, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
ISRAELI/ PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel is a non-partisan, independent organization that works for the protection of human and civil rights in Israel and in the territories under Israel's control. www.acri.org.il
PO Box 34510, Jerusalem 91000, Israel
Tel: + 972-2-652-1218
Bat Shalom is a feminist peace organization working toward a just peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors that includes recognition of a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel and Jerusalem as the capital of both. www.batshalom.org/
The Jerusalem Women's Action Center,
King George 14, P.O. Box 2426 , Jerusalem 91023, Israel
B'tselem works to educate the Israeli public and policy makers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, make the Israeli public acknowledge these issues, and help create a human rights culture in Israel. www.btselem.org
P.O. Box 53132, Jerusalem 91531, Israel
The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to informing Americans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assisting in developing a peaceful solution that brings security for both peoples. www.fmep.org
1761 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA
The Palestinian Center for Rapprochement between People (PCR) is a non-profit, non-affiliate, non-religious organization whose main objective is to encourage peaceful solutions to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. PCR uses dialogues to encourage understanding and educates and trains individuals for peace and reconciliation. It also encourages activism and leads people in nonviolent resistance against the occupation and for human rights. www.rapprochement.org
Women in Black: The international movement of Women in Black began in Israel in January 1988 with a small group of Israeli women who carried out a simple form of protest: Once a week at the same hour and in the same location at a major traffic intersection, they put on black clothing and raised a sign that read "Stop the Occupation". Women in Black has become a movement of women of conscience of all denominations and nationalities who hold vigils to protest violence in all worldwide. www.geocities.com/EndtheOccupation
PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT IN CHINA
Human Rights in China (HRIC) monitors the implementation of international human rights standards in the People's Republic of China and carries out human rights advocacy and education among Chinese people inside and outside the country. This site contains press releases, resources regarding the human rights situation in China, a list of publications, issues of their quarterly report, and reports on human rights in China. www.hrichina.org
HRIC Head Office
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3311, New York, NY 10118 USA
Special Report: Nonviolent Struggle in China: An Eyewitness Account, Bruce Jenkins and Gene Sharp. Both men were in Beijing studying the pro-democracy movement when the government crackdown occurred. They conducted interviews with student leaders and participants in the movement and observed daily events in Tiananmen Square leading up to the June 4 massacre. www.aeinstein.org/organizations77a2.html
PO BOX 455, East Boston, MA 02128 USA
China Site.com: Democracy and Dissidents – The Complete Reference contains links to Chinese political magazines, Tiananmen related websites, and sites that address democracy and human rights in China and Hong Kong. www.chinasite.com/dissident.html
UFW: The Official WebPage of the United Farm Workers of America includes action alerts, UFW activities, news releases, news articles in both Spanish and English, and links to Latino, labor, environment and farm sites. www.ufw.org
EDUCATIONAL SITES FOR TEACHERS
Educators for Social Responsibility's mission is to get educators to teach social responsibility so that young people acquire the beliefs and tools to create a safe, democratic, fair and peaceful world. www.esrnational.org
23 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Toll-Free Number: 800-370-2515
Email: educators@esrnational.org
Gandhi – Teaching with Movies is a learning site which explains how to use movies in the classroom and includes discussion questions for teaching the Richard Attenborough film, Gandhi. www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/gandhi.html
Teaching Tolerance contains a teacher section with lesson plans on the civil rights movement. It is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. www.tolerance.org
Tolerance.org
c/o The Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104 USA


Prithvi Shaw bats in nets as selectors prepare to pick squads for NZ tour
The selectors will be keen to see if Prithvi Shaw will be available for the Test series in New Zealand, where the first Test will start on February 21 and the second match on February 29.
By: PTI | Mumbai | Published: January 14, 2020 9:26:32 pm
Prithvi Shaw in practice. (Source: File Photo)
Recovering from a shoulder injury, the precocious Prithvi Shaw could make it to New Zealand, his hopes brightened after what he termed a "superb net session".
With the Indian selectors yet to name the ODI and Test squads for the tour of New Zealand, all is still not lost for the 20-year-old Shaw.
He was in sparkling touch since returning from his eight-month doping ban, but a shoulder injury on the opening day of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka cut short his run, ruling him out of India A's two practice matches in New Zealand.
However, his net session has sent a positive signal.
"My favourite sound. The sound when the ball hits the middle of my bat. Superb net sessions going on," Shaw tweeted alongside a video of the session.
He was seen driving, cutting and flicking with ease.
Shaw had hurt his left shoulder while trying to save an overthrow during Mumbai's the match against Karnataka at the Bandra Kurla Complex.
He was expected to figure in India A's two practice games during the New Zealand tour.
The selectors will be keen to see if Shaw will be available for the Test series in New Zealand. The first Test will get underway on February 21 at the Basin Reserve in Hamilton and the second match is scheduled to be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, starting February 29.
The selectors are to make the team announcement on January 19.
In the first Ranji match against Baroda, he scored 202 and 66. Prior to that, he amassed runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App
SportsSergio Romero involved in horror car crash, escapes unhurt
Rohit Sharma's 29th ODI ton helps India beat Australia by 7 wickets, win series by 2-1
India blow away Australia as Virat Kohli's men level series with a 36-run win in Rajkot
Virat Kohli named ICC's ODI, Test captain of 2019; Rohit Sharma bags 'ODI cricketer of the year'
David Warner-Aaron Finch's record partnership guides Australia to 10-wicket win over India in 1st ODI
India go through paces for Australian white-ball trouble in Mumbai