tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12988612723277179992024-03-12T17:41:04.522-07:00Literary GeniousFrederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-61016534229691503582018-04-30T01:06:00.002-07:002018-04-30T01:06:26.264-07:00Kindle UnlimitedHave you tried Kindle Unlimited? Like $10/mo. for all the books & magazines you can read. Sounds like just the thing for a Literary Genious like yourself: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/signup?ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1454291293420&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=fridrix-20&linkId=6ae3ea871df090c014550883c8025377" target="_blank">Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fridrix-20&l=pf4&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-4093504686157680592018-04-07T09:31:00.000-07:002018-04-07T09:31:09.298-07:00POTUS missingIntriguing new book on the way, sure to take you places you've never been: <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=fridrix-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0316412694&asins=0316412694&linkId=4d4b488d54422540d5ed6ee1a77fdfac&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066C0&bg_color=FFFFFF" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
<p>
</iframe>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-81443876983061260992017-09-14T05:10:00.001-07:002017-09-14T05:10:19.780-07:00Song for a pre-teen starlet: "Running to the Top"<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">14 Sept 2017</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Running to the top</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Running to, the top of the mountain</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">And I never stop</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">I just catch my breath</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Give it all you've got</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">And you'll reach, the top of the mountain</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">And you'll reach the top</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Just go step by step</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">There's a haze </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">In the valley</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">All my days</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Just go nowhere</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Kicking cans</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">In the alley</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">I don't want</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">To end up there</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">It's so hard</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Getting started</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Every step</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Feels like lead</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Once you're on</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">The path I promise</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Sets and reps</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Will get you there</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">(And you'll be ...)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Eagles fly</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Snakes are crawling</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Everyone</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Has their point of view</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Hold on tight</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">To your true vision</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">And you will</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;">Realize it too</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; min-height: 20.3px;">
(c) 2017 Frederick C. Ingram (BMI). All rights reserved.</div>
Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-5486226287275513512017-08-16T10:07:00.001-07:002017-08-16T10:07:16.824-07:00Ghost, memoir of counterterrorism agent Fred Burton (review)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/419CB8vEQEL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/419CB8vEQEL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The most interesting people are hyphenated, and we are fortunate that Fred Burton felt a calling to document his experience from his first days in the State Department's formative Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). This agent-historian witnessed an amazing, rapid-fire turn of events on a global scale from the climactic end game of the old Cold War to the increasingly far-reaching threats of the Islamic world.<br />
<br />
While a capable guide for the Shadow World, Burton illuminates the characters working the U.S. side of the fence. His chronicling of the rapid evolution of his own counterterrorism office at DSS is a feature he's uniquely qualified to present.<br />
<br />
The original, 1960s-era definition of "counterterrorism" as a state-sponsored terror activity against a hostile population isn't addressed here. He also skirts other controversial areas that are "above his pay grade." Burton does occasionally note the irony that unseen political machinations can produce, as in his having to safeguard notorious underworld figures on diplomatic visits.<br />
<br />
Many of these issues, and individuals (most notably the current POTUS), are still vitally relevant in the world today. It's not surprising that the well-connected Burton is keeping an eye on things for the Strafor ("Strategic Forecasting") consultancy. He is very active on Twitter with a straight-shooting but well humored account, often peppered with the barbs and boasts of lingering interagency rivalries.<br />
<br />
The title of this book sounds like the Russian word for guest (Гост, gost), which might make a good metaphor for someone who's toured the Shadow World and come back to a kind of postwar vision of America where truth and justice can be captured in black and white.<br />
<br />
It's not a bad place to be. Despite the truly epic scale of Burton's journey, some of its biggest and best and most moving moments take place in the DMV suburbs. This is a well considered book that works on many levels: addressing contemporary security issues, unspooling some secret history, and delivering an emotional salute to the largely unseen souls who make it possible for us to sleep at night.<br />
<br />
(c) 2017 Frederick C. IngramFrederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-63951462449794015032017-03-13T06:25:00.001-07:002017-03-13T06:25:11.222-07:00Snowflake LoveSnowflake love ... saw a lot of it yesterday with the last flurry of flurries. Do you love a snowflake?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zW8a1n4Smo/WMadpZggGBI/AAAAAAAAahU/NFihuPUJTCQSbdYL_TR87ZQEEl2ichgHQCLcB/s1600/20170215%2Bsnowflake%2Bheart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zW8a1n4Smo/WMadpZggGBI/AAAAAAAAahU/NFihuPUJTCQSbdYL_TR87ZQEEl2ichgHQCLcB/s1600/20170215%2Bsnowflake%2Bheart.png" /></a></div>
Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-3454858955000010962017-01-22T05:00:00.000-08:002017-01-22T05:00:58.849-08:00Frosty the Snowmangina<span style="font-size: x-large;">Sorry Voltairine ... presenting ...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">FROSTY </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">the </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Snowmangina!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NaKt2XFbP3U/WISsSAUzD_I/AAAAAAAAadg/oPw2TULzSCsxoXXbpfxMSCiAGJCLfVRtACLcB/s1600/20170122%2BFrosty%2Bthe%2BSnowmangina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NaKt2XFbP3U/WISsSAUzD_I/AAAAAAAAadg/oPw2TULzSCsxoXXbpfxMSCiAGJCLfVRtACLcB/s400/20170122%2BFrosty%2Bthe%2BSnowmangina.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
(c) 2017 Frederick C. Ingram. All rights reserved.Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-15119310935349762662015-11-19T01:34:00.001-08:002015-11-19T01:35:44.514-08:00Voltairine<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-od5cRJ3ke9k/Vk2Wo-HURWI/AAAAAAAAaDQ/LVecVgfQ39E/s1600/Voltairine%2Bheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-od5cRJ3ke9k/Vk2Wo-HURWI/AAAAAAAAaDQ/LVecVgfQ39E/s320/Voltairine%2Bheart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) 2015 Frederick Ingram. All rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I somehow missed Voltairine de Cleyre's birthday, November 17. I've recently penned her a song, with lyrics, music, and even a bleeding heart logo.<br />
<br />
De Cleyre caught my attention six years ago while I was proofreading her entry in the <em>Dictionary of Literary Biographies</em>. It was part of a volume on 19th-century radicals. She struck me as an intensely passionate creature.<br />
<br />
De Cleyre raged against what she saw as the unnatural shackles of the state on the human psyche. As these were what demented the assailant who shot her, she refused to testify against him and raised funds for his legal defense.<br />
<br />
I'm thrilled to finally have finished writing this song after so many years of daydreaming about it. I think I had to grow a bit as a musician. Learning my last song "Fishbowl" on the piano, just because one was around, was my gateway into composing a whole song on a keyboard for the first time in my life. You can hear the influence on the voicings. I don't think I'm even going to learn this on the guitar, my primary instrument; rather, let it live in the world of pianists.<br />
<br />
I'm not a real pianist yet. It will take a long time before I'm ever ready to play it in public. I have recorded a little video to document the song and will keep hacking away at the instrument until it's presentable. There's also the matter of singing it.<br />
<br />
Doing the performing songwriter thing really is quite a bit of work; appreciate them. Especially the guys who also strap on a harmonica. I've never gone there but who knows.<br />
<br />
I don't consider myself a radical but I'm really, really proud of my song "Voltairine" and hope it captures a bit of her essence.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Voltairine</strong><br />
(c) 2015 Frederick Ingram (BMI)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Em<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>D</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Life, this fiendish little thing</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>B/D<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A/D<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>G</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Crying out like a baby in the night</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Em<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>D</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Is there something you could bring?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
B/D<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>A/D<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Beauty, mercy, comfort, light?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Voltairine …</div>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Strife, this “terrible tension” —</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
You know their numbness is a
choice.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Is it far too much to mention?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Will they ever find a voice?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Voltairine …</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chorus:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>G</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
is it life itself that ails you?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>G</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
you’re a violet in a storm.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i>Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
there’s a roaring in your head<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></i>G</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That bleeds in words so red<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span></i>Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bm<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>G<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To fill a bright, white room …</i><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Voltairine.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Wife to no one on this earth.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Neither “owning, nor being owned.”</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Always laughing at the church;</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
You’d like to burn it down.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Exquisite rebel so divine,</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
A hero of your time!</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Poison pen, penning poison—</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
What you write could be a crime.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Voltairine!</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chorus</i>]<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bridge</i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
C<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>D(6)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Em<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
C<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>D(6)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Em<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
C<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>D(6)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Em<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
F#<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>/</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
they buried you at Waldheim<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
for you it’s hallowed ground<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine,
can you feel the worms now turning<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Revolution’s burning<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Can
you hear the sound?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voltairine
…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
And the state is a bitter little scandal</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
A massive slayer of our souls</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
All those torturers-in-chief</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Causing
endless grief</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
In the name of God</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
In the name of the Crown</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
In the name of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> ….</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
“Germinal! Anarchy! <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Liberty</st1:place></st1:city>!”</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
(c) 2015 Frederick C. Ingram. All rights reserved.Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-67930641654887076292014-02-17T10:35:00.000-08:002014-02-17T10:35:44.971-08:00"When I'm Gone" ~ The South Carolina Broadcasters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJo7SIp3C4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJo7SIp3C4</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The <a href="http://scbroadcaster.com/">South Carolina Broadcasters</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
captured #throughglass</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
performing their own arrangement of</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"When I'm Gone"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
15 February 2014</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
at</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Conundrum Music Hall</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
West Columbia, South Carolina</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
as part of</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
a weekend of</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
old-timey</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
country gospel</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
produced by</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://kevinoliver.wordpress.com/">Kevin Oliver</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
~</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More culture and #WinterStormPax pix at <a href="http://twitter.com/fridrix">http://twitter.com/fridrix</a></div>
<br />Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0West Columbia, SC, USA33.9934867 -81.073982533.8881637 -81.235344 34.0988097 -80.912621tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-91687105556929749732013-07-08T07:44:00.000-07:002013-07-08T07:45:59.811-07:00Ambiguous Adventure ~ Essay<em>I wrote this paper for a senior-level class on African literature led by Dr. Susanne Houyoux at the University of South Carolina. It was not my first choice but soon enjoyed immersion in a study of metaphorical depth. The concepts in this essay inspired not just the song that shares its title but "Lives of the Poets" as well. ~ f.</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: center 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">AMBIGUOUS
ADVENTURE<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>PRIVATE
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Frederick Ingram </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">(c) 1992</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Courier New;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">For this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost, and is found."--Luke 15:12</span></blockquote>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Courier New;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Samba
Diallo, the hero of <u>Ambiguous Adventure</u> by Cheikh Hamidou Kane, is a
young man whose existence is a part of many spheres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this story of his moral and intellectual
development, he tries to find a harmony through which he may satisfy the
necessities of physical existence while remaining true to the word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problems that he faces parallel those of
his people, the Diallobe, for whom he is being prepared to take the role of
leader, either spiritual or secular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is both a prince of blood and a prince of spirit (18).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He
is being educated spiritually by Thierno, also known as the Teacher, a man of
frail body but with a powerful spiritual influence over the Diallobe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The education that Samba receives at his
Muslim school consists of rote memorization of the Quran reinforced by physical
punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is designed to instill
in him the code of living contained in the Quran which is based on the
submission of the individual to the laws and harmony of God revealed therein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At
the same time, however, his aunt, known as the Most Royal Lady, believes Samba
should be groomed for the nobility, and should be versed in the ways of earthly
power and influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is directly in
opposition to the wishes of the Teacher, who believes the concept of nobility
arises from paganism:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Nobility is
the exaltation of man, faith is before all else humility, if not
humiliation" (23).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
basic conflict of spirit versus flesh is echoed throughout the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Most Royal Lady feels Samba is being
prepared for death, not life (27).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
concern is over the physical state of the Diallobe, or what the Teacher refers
to as "weight" (33)--his body's "sorry propensity to remain
glued to earth" (29).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people
want to send their children to the Western schools to learn how to take care of
their physical needs better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
chief--more spiritually-interested than his sister, the Most Royal
Lady--questions this "vertigo," or reluctance of spiritual heights,
on the part of his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Teacher
views it as his mission to master this weight through submission to God's
laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Significantly, his gait due to his
inflamed joints is like that of a bird (29).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
pupils of the Muslim school are not ignorant of the problems of poverty,
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As part of their duties, they
are obliged both to humiliate themselves and to gain compassion for others by
dressing in rags and begging for substinence for a period of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Samba Diallo does this, it is
appropriate to the above imagery that he is surrounded by wind (14).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
question of physical survival is contemplated by both Samba Diallo and the
"Knight," his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Knight reasons that attention to the physical necessities of life via working
is justified to the degree that that life is devoted to God (100).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samba derives from this the idea that work
need not be a source of conflict if it is undertaken in accordance with God's
law, a source of harmony:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"There is
no antagonism between the discipline of faith and the discipline of work"
(104).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
knight sees Western infidelity as a cause of strife regarding work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Nietzsche decreed "God is
dead," he states, "God was no longer there to measure and justify
man's activity."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond providing what
was needed for a prayerful and justified life, work then became for Westerners
"frenzied toil."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It then
ceased to value man (101).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Diallobe adopt Western methods for dealing with the demands of corporeal
existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the Teacher retires,
Demba, Samba's practically-oriented rival, is named as his replacement,
promising to make "short work" of problems (121).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
Samba has experienced negative aspects of the West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both he and the "Fool," also once
an observer of Western ways, agree that a void exists in the heart of Western
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pierre-Louis, a former African
jurist that Samba meets in Paris, agrees also, noting the feeling of
"vacuity" the busy streets paradoxically give (148).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A literal and spiritual lack of feeling is
mentioned, Westerners being distanced from death (148).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Paris, "the world is silent,"
Samba states, and </span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">"nothing touches me any more"
(150).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Knight sees his people
dazzled by the blinding light of the West (70).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elsewhere, the events of Western life are seen as obscuring the truth
(128, 167).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
coldness and narrow focus of Western philosophers is contrasted with the warmth
of remembered traditions and the wholeness of Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The culture of Islam and the Diallobe is
associated with shadow (74-81, 104) and night (71).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samba feels the shadows of his home closing
in on him after moments of doubt in Paris (161).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thought and God are associated with the sea
(128, 178).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During a philosophical
debate between the Knight and the father of one of Samba's schoolmates, the
office they occupy takes on the appearance of "a bluish-green
aquarium" (74).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
imagery illustrates an important difference in the tools the two cultures use
to describe the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orality informs
African modes of expression; the West is influenced by features of print.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Walter Ong (paraphrasing
Levi-Straus), "the oral mind totalizes" (56).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Context is most important in societies where
the primary mode of intellectual discourse is spoken language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, reading is an activity that
"throws the psyche back on itself" (69), hence Western-styled
detachment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In relation to human
perception and consciousness, "sight isolates, sound incorporates"
(72), hence the Diallobe likenings of God to media that surround, e.g. the sea
and the wind.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Samba
Diallo recalls his experience of the alphabet (158-160).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"With it, they struck the first hard
blow at the country of the Diallobe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remained for a long time under the spell of those signs and those sounds. . .
.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My happiness knew no further
limit."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrasted with the
extended process of Islamic education, he was now entering "a universe
which was, at the very first, one of marvelous comprehension and total </span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">communion. . . . "<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McLuhan has commented on the suddenness with
which it is possible for an individual to be made independent from his
traditional society via the easily acquired skill of reading with the phonetic
alphabet (86).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
strong psychocultural forces exert an effect on Samba Diallo to remain close to
tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Endleman has listed five
types of social classes from a psychological standpoint which offer a framework
for understanding how the social roles which Samba Diallo and others play
interact and how they are related psychologically.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
of Endleman's classes is the "culturally-stylized psychopathological
variant," the definition of which seems to fit the "Fool"
exactly:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he is characterized as being
considered deviant by the society, which affects his ego negatively (86-87);
his behavior is influenced by traumata some of which is not typical to his
society (i.e. his experience with Westerners, 88-93); and he is recognized
(169) and typecast by his society, since his histrionic behavior (85-93,
165-174) helps the society relieve stresses that cannot be resolved
otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Fool's naming of Samba
Diallo as successor to the Teacher is further evidence of his undeniable <u>de
facto</u> role in this society (166).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
is also possible to identify psychocultural forces that act on Samba
Diallo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through his traditional
education he is exposed to culturally prevalent traumata:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the negative reinforcement involved in memorizing
the Quran (1-7) and the experience of poverty (13-17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the traumata he experiences and his
means of expression are controlled by his society, characteristic of
individuals considered normal in their societies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the Western experience is a new one
both for Samba Diallo and for the Diallobe people.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
the Fool describes his experience with the Westerner, he uses a great deal of
figurative literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when the
author describes the people of the Diallobe, he makes comparisons from the
European tradition; e.g. Samba Diallo comparing his father with a medieval
knight (55).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a forerunner of his
immersion in "text-formed thought" (Ong 55), since his father reminds
him of an engraving of a knight in his history text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
book is similar to <u>The Notebook of Malte Larids Brigge</u> by Rainer Maria
Rilke in its mixture of personal observations, reminiscences, and philosophical
speculations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Rilke's protagonist,
Samba muses philosophically in the Paris heat (128-29).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He realizes the similarity of his story with
Pascal, a believer who strayed and could return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pascal's story is similar to the biblical
story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; tab-stops: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Samba,
too, comes home after an ambiguous adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If the West is the light and his tradition is the shade, during his
journey he falls into the penumbra, the part of the shadow into which some
light has spilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finds enduring
universal beauty only in the context of his religion, and in the end, he is
called back from his doubt into its purity and truth.</span></div>
Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-90383155841255187952012-02-02T05:59:00.000-08:002012-02-02T05:59:52.292-08:00Career advice<a href="http://www.monbiot.com/career-advice/">Career advice</a>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-80742923926481364552011-05-03T08:28:00.000-07:002011-05-03T08:28:09.749-07:00The Pun Also Rises â�� How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics<a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2011/05/04/pun-also-rises-%E2%80%93-how-humble-pun-revolutionized-language-changed-history-a?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4dc01efcace673d9%2C0">The Pun Also Rises &acirc;�� How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics</a>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-78515389421193123062011-04-24T02:55:00.000-07:002011-04-24T02:58:11.265-07:00Newbie KOs NYC publishers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n6bl0EUQNXc/TZRZwUiIY8I/AAAAAAAAAfY/ndF-kmSbIa4/s1600/John_Locke.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 290px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n6bl0EUQNXc/TZRZwUiIY8I/AAAAAAAAAfY/ndF-kmSbIa4/s1600/John_Locke.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703838004576274813963609784.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703838004576274813963609784.html</a>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-12625364117982734292011-02-02T00:23:00.000-08:002011-02-02T00:24:01.419-08:00Waimoku III<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A5I73vHua9c?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-38381174820122440742010-10-14T19:49:00.000-07:002010-10-14T19:49:06.992-07:00How To Be a Poet by Wendell Berry : Poetry Magazine [poem/magazine] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry.<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=30299">How To Be a Poet by Wendell Berry : Poetry Magazine [poem/magazine] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry.</a>Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-8996474414265945052010-10-02T07:27:00.000-07:002010-10-02T07:45:42.107-07:00Caught in the creative act indeed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.janetteturnerhospital.com/images/Janette_canechair.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.janetteturnerhospital.com/images/Janette_canechair.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I guess if you're gonna fail, fail big: <a href="http://gawker.com/5651154/columbia-writing-professor-sends-worlds-haughtiest-email-to-former-students">http://gawker.com/5651154/columbia-writing-professor-sends-worlds-haughtiest-email-to-former-students</a><br /><br />That's not the fail part though. This is: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/columbia-fiction-professo_b_746769.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/columbia-fiction-professo_b_746769.html</a><br /><br />I had the opportunity to meet Professor H. soon after she joined USC. I found her to be incredibly, utterly arrogant. I was so off-put I wrote about it in my Rain Man journal and henceforth had nothing to do with her vaunted "Caught in the Creative Act" guest lecture series or anything else at the University of South Carolina English Department. That was several years ago.<br /><br />I did see her give a eulogy for Joseph Bruccoli though. She was friends with him, and Bruccoli himself had been close with James Dickey (whose teaching position Hospital had inherited at USC). So it's not hard to see continuity with the showbiz/adman conception of literary self-promotion. Henry Hart called his authoritative biography of Dickey <span style="font-style:italic;">The World as a Lie.</span> It's great when it sells, but I'm not buying.<br /><br />Frederick Ingram<br />B.A. English, USC, 1992Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-20772375398910495982010-09-20T05:52:00.001-07:002010-09-20T05:52:31.311-07:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI4NDk4NzExNjY*MCZwdD*xMjg*OTg3MTQ4NjA5JnA9MjcwODEmZD1wcm9fcGxheWVyX2ZpcnN*X2dlbiZuPWJsb2dnZXIm/Zz*xJm89NGE1YmQxNWY2NTIwNGI2NThlMTVhNTVjM2M*NTkwNjUmb2Y9MA==.gif" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf" height="200" width="262" align="top" bgcolor="#ffffff" loop="false" wmode="opaque" quality="best" allowScriptAccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowFullScreen="true" seamlesstabbing="false" flashvars="id=artist_873045&posted_by=artist_873045&skin_id=PWAS1006&background_color=EEEEEE&border_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false"> </embed><br/><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://www.reverbnation.com/widgets/trk/40/artist_873045/artist_873045/t.gif"/><img height="1" width="1" border="0" src="http://a.triggit.com/px?u=reverbnation&rtv=873045wd,Folk,Folk%20Rock,Pop" />Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-3348240711279471142010-06-02T17:11:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:31:23.333-07:00Darling Nikki HaleyI knew a cougar named Nikki<br />She was a Republican queen<br />Saw her in the State House lobby<br />Talking about “transparency”<br />She said “Show me yours, I’ll show u mine”<br />And I could not resist ’cos Nikki is so fine<br /><br />She took me 2 her sister’s<br />And I just couldn’t believe my eyes<br />She had so many crystals and beads<br />Any New Age thing you could try<br />She said “Sikh and ye shall find”<br />The lights went out<br />Nikki’s sister blew my mind<br /><br />NIKKI<br /><br />© 2010 Frederick Ingram<br />All rights reserved<br /><br />The press corps started spinning<br />Or maybe it was my blame<br />I won’t tell u all she did to me<br />But my blog will never be the same<br />Our politics will kick yo behind<br />They’ll show you no mercy<br />Best hold that party line<br /><br />DARLING NIKKI<br /><br />Woke up the next morning<br />Nikki wasn’t there<br />I looked all over and I found<br />My cell phone on the stairs<br />It said “Thank u 4 a funky time”<br />I’ll always have Little Nikki on my mind<br /><br />Oh Nikki ohhh<br />It’s your sick “Sic” Willie!Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-18871571159936650762009-11-19T06:02:00.000-08:002009-11-19T06:07:53.338-08:00Laura's original---on 3 x 5 cardsAh, so son Dmitri didn't burn Vladimir Nabokov's last book per instructions. I think the world will forgive him. Nikolai Gogol really did burn his own last novel, and wouldn't it be great to know what it said now?<br /><br />As I have been into 3 x 5 cards, I thought this from today's <em>Washington Post</em> was really interesting:<br /><br /><blockquote>At the time of Nabokov's death, "The Original of Laura" also existed as a series of index cards, more than a hundred of them, in no obvious order. This Knopf edition consists of photographs of his miscellaneous handwritten cards, with a printed transcription of their text below, in a tentative order determined by Dmitri Nabokov.<br /><br />The cards themselves may be detached from the book and, if desired, rearranged by the reader.</blockquote> <br />I wonder if the Levenger stationery catalog is going to see a sales spike.Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-19066982686215740492009-11-09T05:01:00.001-08:002009-11-09T05:06:25.743-08:00Toronto Star don't need eidtors<a href="http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_david/2009starmemo.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 1059px;" src="http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_david/2009starmemo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is sad on many levels: <a href="http://torontoist.com/2009/11/disgruntled_star_editor_takes_revenge.php">http://torontoist.com/2009/11/disgruntled_star_editor_takes_revenge.php</a>. Yet predictable. p.s. Don't they also own Harlequin Books?Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-35635861892776986232009-11-02T04:12:00.000-08:002009-11-02T04:14:57.634-08:00Deep thoughts<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QvCE-HjAvmM/Su7NM-de66I/AAAAAAAAATI/qgB2koQpH0M/s1600-h/Foxwood+Pond+0625090643.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QvCE-HjAvmM/Su7NM-de66I/AAAAAAAAATI/qgB2koQpH0M/s400/Foxwood+Pond+0625090643.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399478626072587170" /></a><br />A photo to inspire contemplation, deep thoughts, etc. (c) 2009 Frederick Ingram.Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-48354954289200024552009-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:33:47.980-07:00Writing for robotsI have been catching up on SEO, and it's fascinating. These types of literary word games seem ideally suited for a literary background. Writing for robots, literally---what a 21st-century concept. It complements the "Singing for Swans" I do as a bard of the Celtic variety. Hey there's another blog idea . . .Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298861272327717999.post-65301617555643873222009-10-24T08:24:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:26:47.876-07:00Birth of a geniousI desired a place to mouth off about things literary. Till this thing fills up, you can check out my <a href="http://severalsonnets.blogspot.com">Several Sonnets</a>.Frederick Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01567138670418380309noreply@blogger.com0