Yeah, sure, this song may technically be about about the fight for Irish freedom, fighting against an oppressive British regime, but the sentiment is valid in every nation being oppressed by its government, including our own.
For if anyone believes that the citizens of the United States are truly free anymore, they are seriously deluded. Thankfully, we only have another 6 1/2 months under our current oppressors, who will then retire off to Texas and Wyoming with taxpayer protection for the remainder of their lives.
One can only hope that our next President will help restore that which the current has taken away.
FLOGGING MOLLY - WHAT’S LEFT OF THE FLAG
His eyes they closed
And his last breath spoke
He had seen all to be seen
A life once full
Now an empty vase
Wilt the blossoms
On his early grave
Walk away, me boy
Walk away, me boy
And by morning we’ll be free
Wipe that golden tear
From your mother dear
And raise what’s left of the flag for me
Then the rosary beads
Count them: one, two, three
Fell apart as they hit the floor
In a garb of black
We must pay respect
To the color we’re born to mourn
Walk away, me boys
Walk away, me boys
And by morning we’ll be free
Wipe that golden tear
From your mother dear
And raise what’s left of the flag for me
In his place there grew
An angry festered wound
Filled with hatred and remorse
Where I pick and scratch
‘Til the blood amassed
To silent rage now that fills my lungs
For there are many ways
To kill a man they say
With bayonet, axe or sword
But son a bullet fired
From a shapeless guise
Just leaves the shell of a Thompson gun
Walk away, me boys
Walk away, me boys
And by morning we’ll be free
Wipe that golden tear
From your mother dear
And raise what’s left of the flag for me
From the east out to the western shore
Where many men and many more will fall
But no angel flies with me tonight
Though freedom reigns on all
And curse the name for which
We slaved our days
So every men chose Kingdom Come
But sure as night turns day
It’s the passion play
Oh my God
What have they done
With madmans rage
Well they dug our graves
But the dead rise again you fools
Walk away, me boys
Walk away, me boys
And by morning we’ll be free
Wipe that golden tear
From your mother dear
Raise what’s left of the flag for me
Walk away, me boys
Walk away, me boys
And by morning we’ll be free
Wipe that golden tear
From your mother dear
And raise what’s left of the flag for me
In Feltre, Italy, this week, just 15km away from the memorial to Tullio Campagnolo at the summit of the Croce d’Aune pass, Campagnolo reintroduced its Super Record racing group.
Super Record was Campagnolo’s mystical racing group, but it has been decommissioned for more than 20 years. For 2009, it, along with new Record and Chorus groups, will help celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary. In addition to the groups, Campagnolo will offer new versions of its four top wheelsets: Hyperon Ultra Two, Bora Ultra Two, Shamal 2-Way Fit and Eurus 2-Way Fit.
The technologies and the range of products presented are nothing short of truly impressive. With SRAM’s Red, the new Shimano 7900 Dura-Ace group and now Campagnolo’s three new groups, 2009 will offer more choice and technology than ever before for those in the market for a new set of components.
But this is about Campagnolo. Its new products highlight the brand’s willingness to approach its competitors head on with its own innovation and new technology. On another hand, Campagnolo hasn’t lost its passion or respect for its own heritage; the new groups are as artful and stylish as any it has ever produced. And the new components are all still produced in Campagnolo’s factory in Vicenza, Italy. The three groups are based on and share technologies surrounding two key features: the third edition of Ergopower, which is called Ergopower Ultra-Shift, and an 11-speed cassette.
I know, I know … I should actually ride more before I start drooling over more bike parts; but you have to admit this group is absolutely gorgeous!!!
In contrast to the traditional medical model of disturbances, the Buddhist approach is founded on the belief that basic sanity is operative in all states of mind. Confusion, from this point of view, is two-sided: it creates a need, a demand for sanity. This hungry nature of confusion is very powerful and very important. The demand for relief or sanity that is contained in confusion is, in fact, the beginning point of Buddhism. That is what moved Buddha to sit beneath the bodhi tree twenty-five hundred years ago — to confront his confusion and find its source — after struggling vainly for seven year in various ascetic yogic disciplines.
Basically, we are faced with a similar situation now in the West. Like Siddhartha before he became the Buddha, we are confused, anxious, and hungry psychologically. Despite a physically luxurious prosperity, there is a tremendous amount of emotional anxiety. This anxiety has stimulated a lot of research into various types of psychotherapy, drug therapy, behavior modification, and group therapies. From the Buddhist viewpoint, this search is evidence of the nature of basic sanity operating within neurosis.
From OCEAN OF DHARMA: 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion, number 34.
— Chögyam Trungpa (1939 - 1987), Tibetan Buddhist teacher.
It is late last night the dog was speaking of you;
the snipe was speaking of you in her deep marsh.
It is you are the lonely bird through the woods;
and that you may be without a mate until you find me.
You promised me, and you said a lie to me,
that you would be before me where the sheep are flocked;
I gave a whistle and three hundred cries to you,
and I found nothing there but a bleating lamb.
You promised me a thing that was hard for you,
a ship of gold under a silver mast;
twelve towns with a market in all of them,
and a fine white court by the side of the sea.
You promised me a thing that is not possible,
that you would give me gloves of the skin of a fish;
that you would give me shoes of the skin of a bird;
and a suit of the dearest silk in Ireland.
When I go by myself to the Well of Loneliness,
I sit down and I go through my trouble;
when I see the world and do not see my boy,
he that has an amber shade in his hair.
It was on that Sunday I gave my love to you;
the Sunday that is last before Easter Sunday.
And myself on my knees reading the Passion;
and my two eyes giving love to you for ever.
My mother said to me not to be talking with you today,
or tomorrow, or on the Sunday;
it was a bad time she took for telling me that;
it was shutting the door after the house was robbed.
My heart is as black as the blackness of the sloe,
or as the black coal that is on the smith’s forge;
or as the sole of a shoe left in white halls;
it was you that put that darkness over my life.
You have taken the east from me; you have taken the west from me;
you have taken what is before me and what is behind me;
you have taken the moon, you have taken the sun from me;
and my fear is great that you have taken God from me!
— Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (1859 - 1932), Irish dramatist.
I’ve been reading Raising The Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business, by Gary Erickson (the founder of Clif Bar, Inc.) recently. I really like his model of a balanced ecosystem for a thriving business. Following this model has allowed Clif Bar to become one of the fastest growing privately-held businesses, and the leader (at least in my opinion) in the energy bar market.
Essentially, his business has five aspirations:
Sustaining Our Brands — Keeping Our Mojo
Natural Demand
Innovation and Reinvention
Nutrition and Quality Control
Connecting with Consumers
Sustaining Our Business — Living Within Our Means
Extraction, Reinvestment, Profit
Rate of Growth
Business as Stewardship
Sustaining Our People — Live Life to its Fullest
Find and Retain the Right People
Compensation
Learning and Growing
Wellness—Work Hard, Play Hard, Recover
Meaning and Purpose in Work
Morale
Sustaining Our Community — Giving Back
Do No Harm
2080 Program—Giving Our Time
Partnerships and Sponsorships
Product and Cash
Influencing Others
Sustaining The Planet — Reducing Our Ecological Footprint
Sustainable Ingredients
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Greening the Office
Fight Against Global Warming
Partners in Sustainability
Learning from and Encouraging Others
It would be really nice if every company followed this model, but most corporations, especially public companies (including my own employer) tend to chase the almighty dollar.
Michelin (in France) publishes a series of maps covering most of Europe, and in different scales. On many of the maps, roads are marked in red, yellow, or white. The red roads are the major thoroughfares which get you from point A to point B as quickly as possible. The yellow roads are arterial roads which are not as big as the red roads, but still well-travelled. The white roads are the small country roads that allow a traveller to really experience the country.
Most businesses try to always take the red road to profitability and growth. When travelling the red roads, the only that that is important is the destination, but not the journey itself. Just as it is in one’s personal life, the life of a business should also be about the journey and not simply about the destination. It is possible to have integrity and still make money.
God willing, if/when I open my own business, I will be able to focus on the journey.
Super Record was Campagnolo’s mystical racing group, but it has been decommissioned for more than 20 years. For 2009, it, along with new Record and Chorus groups, will help celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary. In addition to the groups, Campagnolo will offer new versions of its four top wheelsets: Hyperon Ultra Two, Bora Ultra Two, Shamal 2-Way Fit and Eurus 2-Way Fit.
