NOTES

SFGate (SFChronicle) piece.

A Burning Man participant was found dead this morning, hanging from the inside of a two-story high tent, according to Mark Pirtle, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Land Management.

The apparent suicide would be the festival’s first in its 21 year history, Pirtle said.

Pershing County coroners are investigating the scene and preparing to remove the body. Pirtle said the man was hanging for two hours before anyone in the large tent thought to bring him down. “His friends thought he was doing an art piece,” Pirtle said.

Malcolm X
Bandiera Rossa
You’re the Top Cole Porter De-Lovely Cole Porter
Listening Man The Bees Octopus
The Clef Club Willie “The Lion” Smith from Memoirs
I’m So Glad Skip James Today!
See Through Sergeant Buzfuz Fire Horse
Lono Cecil Taylor Cecil Taylor Solo
Per i Morti di Reggio Emilia

Direct Download nost.mp3

He was impregnably armoured by his good intentions and his ignorance.

Graham Greene The Quiet American

Insomnia

T.S.Eliot meets Portishead

[audio:portel.mp3]
Listen to the whole thing here.

Many rats remain on sinking ship.

Miss Teen USA 2007 – South Carolina answers a question

to Andrea and Matt

In the middle of bad news an envelope from Emily full of drawings by her students of poems of mine: I am both touched by, and interested in, their perceptions. Thanks, Emily — and thanks to the mostly anonymous fourteen.

They are here

A telephone call a few moments ago from Giona Beltrametti with the news of the death of our friend Giovanna Manduca. A flicker of images. An old Citroen DS. The Palazzo dei Diamante in Ferrara. Summer lightning and thunder. Sara spinning a hula hoop on flagstones scattered with bonzai. A stunning white philadelphus. Giovanna in Parma watching Giovanni paint while Steve played. Our love and sympathy to Michele, Serafina, Sara and their families.

made by Boris Kobe in Allach Concentration Camp.

Mix
Duncan Paul Simon The Essential Paul Simon
Water Under The Bridge Rova Saxophone Quartet Bingo
The Mariners Revenge Song The Decemberists Picaresque
Profoundly Blue Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet Profoundly Blue

Direct Download: seas.mp3

over and under.

Joel Felix, Ralph Mills, Bill Fuller. Chicago, 2003.

From this week’s Newsweek

China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is “an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.”

……………………..

According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 20 percent of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation. Recent surveys by the Barna Group, a Christian research nonprofit, have found that a quarter of U.S. Christians, including 10 percent of all born-again Christians, embrace it as their favored end-of-life view.

Germany arrested urban sociologist Andrej Holm because of his academic activities. He was accused of being member of a “terrorist association” called “militante gruppe” (militant group) who is suspected to be behind arson attacks against police and army vehicles.

Knocked into deep sadness at the news of Ralph Mills’ death yesterday. A fine poet, a sharp and intelligent essayist and critic, an admired and beloved teacher – and a courageous man. My sympathy to Helen and all their family. I remember our every meeting, conversation and correspondence with pleasure. This is one poem from his Selected, floating over the river here at dawn this morning.

Ralph J. Mills Jr. born Chicago 1931 died Chicago 2007
There are a few personal memories here.

Chicago Tribune obituary here. Text copy here.

For a quarter of a century I’ve enjoyed visiting D.C., a city that still manages to support a decent bookstore (Bridge Street Books). I was first invited there by Michael Lally to read with Darrell Gray (isn’t it time someone put his work back in print?) at Trinity. Shortly afterwards Doug Lang asked me to read at Folio Books, on Dupont Circle and became one of my dearest friends. As well as being a fine poet Doug is that rare being, a natural and generous teacher without the cut-throat vanity that makes academia more boring than selling double-glazing. He has now (to my count) four weblogs, all worth anyone’s attention. There is one on D.C. poetry (including history and some autobiography); one on movies; one on music and art and one for the pre-polished raw materials. Not a self-serving word on any of them. Take the RSS feeds: you can only benefit.

click image for exhibition details

>

Max Roach 1924 – 2007

[audio:09 – A Little Max (Parfait).mp3]

Sacrifices
Burn Babylon Sylford Walker Trojan Box Set: Roots (1 of 3)
Thurston@13 Thurston Moore Trees Outside The Academy
Ruby My Dear Steve Lacy Sextet We See
Opportunity
Can’t Tell Me Nothing Kanye West Can’t Tell Me Nothing (The Official Mixtape, Mixed By Plain Pat)
Section 2 (Sustained Tones) Anthony Davis Episteme
Love Will Tear Us Apart Honeyroot Love Will Tear Us Apart
In Walked Toot Billy Pierce Rolling Monk
Small Engine Repair Iain Glen

Direct Download swesor.mp3

I’d like to thank The Catherine Tate Show series 2 episode 1 ; John from Cincinnati episode 10 ; and Small Engine Repair for this evening.

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Home Thoughts from a Broad

Sad news this morning in an email from John Temple:

Andrew, who has been unwell for a while now, was diagnosed the day
before yesterday with two brain tumours, and his condition worsened
yesterday. He’s due to have an MRI scan on Monday.

Here is a poem of Andrew’s from probably thirty years ago that Jordan Davis had up some years back.