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KUBLA KHAN - BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

I read somewhere that you should memorize a poem.  I knew this one once - will work on it.

Kubla Khan

BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment. 
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
   Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round;
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;
And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
   The shadow of the dome of pleasure
   Floated midway on the waves;
   Where was heard the mingled measure
   From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

   A damsel with a dulcimer
   In a vision once I saw:
   It was an Abyssinian maid
   And on her dulcimer she played,
   Singing of Mount Abora.
   Could I revive within me
   Her symphony and song,
   To such a deep delight ’twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.


The Killing Fields of Cambodia


More than a little disconcerting seeing little children mugging before the memorials for their relatives and ancestors killed by the Communists in South East Asia. This small memorial is in Siem Reap, the town near Angkor Wat.  






World War II, the Cold War, and Vietnam

27 million people were murdered by the Axis countries in World War II in addition to those killed in war. The United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia were joined by the USSR, China, and other allies against Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy. Most people believe that World War II was necessary and justified.


146 million people were murdered by the Communist countries  in addition to those killed in war. The United States and Great Britain were joined by our old enemies and other allies against our former allies, the USSR, China, and other Communist countries. Most people believe the Cold War was necessary and justified.


Communism was everywhere on the attack from 1945 to 1985.  Communism expanded from Russia into Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, China, Cuba, Czechslovakia, East Germany, Tibet, North Vietnam, North Korea, and a number of other countries. Their goal was to bring Communism to all nations.

Communists used terrorism, murder and subversion to destabilize countries. Political murder and terrorism was an integral part of “Wars of Liberation.”

3.8 million more people were murdered in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos when the Cold War went hot. Millions more were imprisoned, enslaved, and ethnically cleansed. 

The anti war movement changed American policy. They believed that the War was immoral and that the U.S. was there for oil. They contended we were imperialist fascist war mongers. They believed that war is evil and to be avoided at all costs. They considered Ho Chi Minh and Pol Pot to be Freedom Fighters. "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, NLF is sure to Win". They thought Communism was an excellent system. They believed that Communists were fighting for freedom and self determination. They contended that the war in southeast Asia was a civil war. 


The antiwar movement succeeded in their goals.  The Congress elected in 1974 withdrew support leading to the successful takeover in 1975. This led directly to the massive genocide that took place in all three countries.

 
I believe an individual and a nation must oppose evil, especially when their avowed policy was to take over the world. We were both moral and right to oppose Hitler, Tojo, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, and Pol Pot.


We have largely prevailed over Communism. It has been abandoned in Europe. It is liberalizing and improving in Asia. China, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam remain totalitarian police states.

I believe that many of the anti war folks were sincere in their beliefs. And they were successful in their efforts to halt financial and military support for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. But millions of people are dead, tortured, ethnically cleansed and enslaved partly as a result of their success.


Never again. Until the next time.



Photos from the killing fields of Cambodia. Vietnam and Laos were just as bad but the people who committed the genocide and ethnic cleansing are still in charge and don't publicize what happened after the Communist takeover. 



References on Murder

Professor Rudy Rummel of the University of Hawaii has published extensive referenced and documented estimates on murder by government, which he terms democide. The table below summarizes some of his work.






1.Laos, Pathet Lao regime (1975- )
o Rummel:
* Democide in Laos: 130,000 (33% blamed on Laos; 67% blamed on Vietnam)
* Laotian war dead: 54,000
* TOTAL: 184,000 (1975-87)
o SIPRI 1989, civil war, 1977-90:
* military: 10,000
* civilian: 30,000
* TOTAL: 40,000
o Polish Press Agency, 3 Dec. 1998: 300,000 killed for political reasons, acc2 dissident Laotian Council for Independence and Democracy.


Philosophy by the Great Yogi



Philosophy by the Great American Yogi

Yogi Berra


Excellent City Planning in Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom












More photos at ruhu12.com



Angkor - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

whc.unesco.org › Culture › World Heritage Centre › The List
បកប្រែ​ទំព័រ​នេះ
They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a  ...
សៀមរាប

ប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត - វិគីភីឌា

https://km.wikipedia.org/wiki/ប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត
Buddhist monks in front of the Angkor Wat.jpg ..... Translating the Cambodian Temple of Angkor Wat in the French Colonial Period by Michael Falser. 2011.

Angkor Wat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat
បកប្រែ​ទំព័រ​នេះ
Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត or "Capital Temple") is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. It was originally ...

Angkor Wat - 7th Wonder of the World - Tourism Cambodia

www.tourismcambodia.com › ... › Angkor Complex
បកប្រែ​ទំព័រ​នេះ
Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC). Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II, dedicated to ...

Angkor Wat - Places of Peace and Power

https://sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html
បកប្រែ​ទំព័រ​នេះ
The temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia was constructed by Suryavaram II of the Khmer civilization in the 12 century.

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap - TripAdvisor

www.tripadvisor.com › ... › Things to Do in Siem Reap
បកប្រែ​ទំព័រ​នេះ
Book your tickets online for Angkor Wat, Siem Reap: See 15253 reviews, articles, and 10541 photos of Angkor Wat, ranked No.2 on TripAdvisor among 180 ...

Angkor Wat


Tree Church


Tree Church & Labyrinth Walk

Designed to show how an instant garden can be created using a Tree-Spade, the Tree Church gardens and Labyrinth walk is a welcomed  retreat from society.
Click to read more    http://treechurch.co.nz/

Clic

Planning a Renaissance Faire is a lot like planning a city - only different.

An interesting blog about Planning the Faire.




Click to read the full blog article: 

themedfairedesign.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html



Thoughts for the Day


I think it's pretty cool how Chinese people made a language entirely out of tattoos. 

The location of your mailbox shows you how far away from your house you can be in a robe, before you start looking like a mental patient.

My therapist said that my narcissism causes me to misread social situations. I'm pretty sure she was hitting on me.

My 60 year kindergarten reunion is coming up soon and I'm worried about the 195 lbs. I've gained.

I always wondered what the job application is like at Hooters.. Do they just give you a bra and say, "here fill this out"..?

The speed in which a woman says "nothing" when asked "What's wrong?" is inversely proportional to the severity of the shit storm that's coming.

Denny's has a slogan, 'If it's your birthday, the meal is on us.' .....If you're in Denny's and it's your birthday... Your life sucks!

The pharmacist asked me my birthday again today....Pretty sure she's going to get me something.

On average, an American man will have sex two to three times a week; whereas a Japanese man will have sex only one or two times a year. ...This is upsetting news to me............ I had no idea I was Japanese.

I can't understand why women are okay that JC Penny has an older women's clothing line named, " Sag Harbor ."

What is it about a car that makes people think we can't see them pick their nose?

When I die I want to be reincarnated as a spider. Just so I can finally hear a women say “ Oh my God, it's huge." 



Latin Script

This map shows the countries in the world that use a Latin alphabet as the sole official (or de facto official) national
script in dark green. The lighter green indicates the countries that use Latin as a co-official script at the national level.
 



Latin script, or Roman script, is a set of graphic signs (script) based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet. It is used as the standard method of writing in most Western and Central European languages. Latin script is the basis for the largest number of alphabets of any writing system[1] and is the most widely adopted writing system in the world (commonly used by about 70% of the world's population).

Click to read the full article:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_alphabet