Crystals and Mud in Nature

Professor James Salzman has written a wonderful article, which promises an equally wonderful book. His article intelligently and thoughtfully examines the forces that compete, conflict, and combine in the creation of laws relating to drinking water. These include, of course, the physical characteristics of the resource itself and how the resource relates to essential biological needs of humankind. But as Professor Salzman demonstrates, the biological role is only one of several perspectives on drinking water relevant to the kind of legal rules that apply to it. The article describes drinking water as a cultural resource, a social resource, and an economic resource, contending that one has to consider each of these various natures of a natural resource to determine how best to fashion legal rules governing its management. The article readily reminds us how much human history and culture relates to natural resources law. For the purposes of this commentary, however, I would like to expand on two reactions I had to the article. The first is that the article\u27s narrow focus on one use of water undermines some of the article\u27s conclusions by understating water\u27s complexity. And the second is why the article made me think about dirt, and ultimately about mud, and the juxtaposition of water and dirt in natural resources law

Crystals and Mud in Nature

Professor James Salzman has written a wonderful article, which promises an equally wonderful book. His article intelligently and thoughtfully examines the forces that compete, conflict, and combine in the creation of laws relating to drinking water. These include, of course, the physical characteristics of the resource itself and how the resource relates to essential biological needs of humankind. But as Professor Salzman demonstrates, the biological role is only one of several perspectives on drinking water relevant to the kind of legal rules that apply to it. The article describes drinking water as a cultural resource, a social resource, and an economic resource, contending that one has to consider each of these various "natures" of a natural resource to determine how best to fashion legal rules governing its management. The article readily reminds us how much human history and culture relates to natural resources law. For the purposes of this commentary, however, I would like to expand on two reactions I had to the article. The first is that the article's narrow focus on one use of water undermines some of the article's conclusions by understating water's complexity. And the second is why the article made me think about dirt, and ultimately about mud, and the juxtaposition of water and dirt in natural resources law

Plato. Spider-Man and the Meaning of Life

Some versions of mysticism have taught that the ordinary world around us is sacred and wonderful, that the meaning of life is to be found not through some extraordinary knowledge or awareness, but in appreciating what already surrounds us. I believe that both Spider-Man comics and Plato’s dialogues offer exactly this deep vision, and that they introduce us to it in some remarkably similar ways. I cannot do any kind of justice here to the richness of either set of works, or to the variations of style and meaning within each of them. Instead I shall focus only on four interconnected themes they share. Both sets of works foreground sexual aspects of life. They both emphasize the inadequate, shadowy dimensions of our lives and a need to get beyond those limitations. Both prominently include a great deal of self trivialising humour. In Plato this humour is typically ironic, in Spider-Man it is typically flippant, and both connect with more serious ironies. And they both present their themes centrally and incompletely through sensory images

Campursari “Nyanyian Hibrida dari Jawa”

Java as a society in terms of the culture that was very old historical, traditional art culture has very many kinds. Almost never realized that in fact, the history of Javanese art is a jumble of various influences. Campursari is a "new kind of music", a new musical tradition that is a hybrid musical instrument or a mixture of traditional Javanese music and Western music. Development period makes the performing arts began to be used to make money and income. Campursari which are in the realm of entertainment makes the culprit compete for the pursuit of quantity rather than quality. This makes the polemics of various parties. Campursari that is a "hybrid" or a mixture of traditional music of Java pitched pentatonic and Western music pitched diatonic produce a harmonies wonderful voice, but the other side makes campursari debated because getting away from the musical tradition of the valuable Java. There are some interesting facts in campursari from various sides. How about the perspective of some parties for Pros and Cons campursari? Documentary film of Campursari "Nyanyian Hibrida dari Jawa" will expose it

Letter from John Muir to [Katharine] Hooker & Marian, 1909 Oct 25.

Martinez, Oct 25, 1909Dear Mrs Hooker & Marian:I was very glad to see your kind letter - about the only cheer bright thing I\u27ve seen the last week of constant severe headache. But I\u27m better. Wet cloth across my brow makes the pain tolerable. That some of that brain stuff didnt break under such pressure seems wonderful. I was alone None knew anything serious ailed me But by Providence & Scotch radium Ive pulled thru. By next Sunday I hope to be able to speak. My throat is clearing & the cold has ceased to strike d[illegible]. If the weather holds good wouldn\u27t you enjoy a little look at our valley & vineyards?Im glad you escaped the show It was mostly a dollary commercial scr[illegible]h. Remember to the South half of the family Ever gratefully your friend. John Mui

Letter from Maggie R.[Margaret Muir Reid] to [John Muir], 1887 May 15.

[4]& give my kind regards to Mrs Magee when you see herAnd now dear John. May God Ever bless & be wioth you. May His presence be very near you when away from home. [stricken word] to protect, & keep you from all danger seen. & remember. & watch over the dear ones you leave behind. will be anxious to hear from you when you have time to writeEver your affectionate Sister Marrie Reid01264.[1]12 Crete, Neb, May 15 1887Dear JohnI had been saying to J.R. note very long before your letter arrived today, that it seemed a long time since I heard from yourself. & thought you must be very busy (& from what Sister Annie said, that you were not well. I am sorry. I hope a change will greatly benefit your health. I wish there was some mount St Elias or toher wonderful place in this direction. so the ill wind [had blow me guide?], and pray do not forget that health is the main object of your [2]jaunt nor let any wonderful exploration draw to much on your strength. I am glad Annie is well enough to go on a tear, or set cloaking [illegible] . and hope she will succeed in chicken farm -ing. Perhaps Cam (if he is still with you) can give her lessons in poultry raising. Tell Annie that Mrs Loas arrived home yesterday. from Cal. & she is so well. & quite fleshy I wish you all could have got accquainted with her. She is my near neigh -bor._ I do not know when, but I will live in hopes of seeing you all again some day thank you all for your[3]many kind invitations The Ranch must look very beautifulit is looking pretty here too now , such living green strawberries has been shipped in here from the south. for some little time now. we all enjoy about usual health. [stricken word] house cleaning has been the order of the day for some time, with Annie & I, we impress into the service some of the other members of the family now & again.Give my love to Louie. Doctor & Mrs Strentzel. & kiss the wee lasses for me. Love to Sister Annie

Letter from John Muir to [J. E.] Calkins, 1912 Jun 12.

Hollywood, Cal.,June 12, 1912.1525 Formosa Ave.Dear Kr. Calkins:-I have often thought of you since I returned and I assure you that you ere far from any danger of being forgotten.As you say, I have had a grand saunter over two continents,and have had wonderful success not only in finding whet I was looking for in particular, but a great deal that I was not looking for and did not expect to see. I am now writing up some of my notes, but it is a long job to get them in anything like shape, and a harder job than traveling, even in thoso hot countries like Brazil and Rhodesia, and the equatorial regions at the heacd of the Nile.I em going to try and get to see you some time when I need a rest, but I cannot get away so easily as I used to, since my good friends, Mr. Hooker end Colonel Sellers, have passed away. In the meantime, hoping that you all enjoy your California home among the oranges, I em, with thanks for your kind letter and invitation,Cordially yours,[illegible]0921

Interview with Marianne Marcus

An oral history with Marianne Marcus, Professor Emerita at the University of Texas at Houston School of Nursing. Before she retired and assumed the title of Professor Emerita in 2104, Dr. Marcus chaired the UT Nursing School’s Department of Nursing Systems, directed its Master’s of Nursing Education degree track and directed its Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Education and Research. While at UT, she was elected to its Academy of Health Science Education and named as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She was appointed the John P. McGovern Distinguished Professor of Addiction Nursing at UT Health Science Center

The Freedom of the Christian for Culture

(Excerpt) It is somewhat surprising for Timothy Lull to be invited to address a liturgical conference of any sort. I was talking to several of my colleagues at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary this week about what I would be saying, and one of them said, Ah! Is Lull among the liturgists? He seemed surprised These colleagues wondered if you knew, for example, that I describe myself as a recovering evangelical catholic, or if you would know that I have the reputation in my congregation as being the great complainer about matters like the length of service, the fact that we sing no hymns written after 1750, that the basis for preaching almost never includes either the Old Testament or the Epistle lesson, and the kind of frightened anxiety with which we do things liturgical in our very liturgical parish