Flora Cushman the Great Unsung Hero of Israeli Dance

This video is made as a tribute to Flora Cushman the legendary choreographer and teacher who recently passed away. I video taped it in silence and was astonished to see how well the music I added afterwards fit the movements. This is a testament to Flora Cushman’s sense of musicality embedded in her movements like silent songs. I have started to train again using her method that I remember from 33 years ago which is the last time I danced. You can follow my progress here as I attempt at 58 years of age to recreate a 12 minute solo dance she choreographed for me. Flora, this song is for you! Link to the remembrance page for Flora Cushman: http://www.rjweaver.net/JCCons/Flora.htm

This is day 5.

Flora Cushman the Great Unsung Hero of Israeli Dance PART 1

I first met Flora Cushman when she came as a guest teacher to my school Mudra in Brussels during a cold a dreary December of 1977. Mudra was a total dance and theater school founded by Maurice Bejart artistic director of the company, “Dance of the 21st Century.” She was a legendary teacher studied with Martha Graham, brought up in a musical environment. Flora also played piano for Martha Grahams classes. Continue reading Flora Cushman the Great Unsung Hero of Israeli Dance

GMO cotton seed for human consumption approved by EFSA

The European Union’s EFSA approved the GMO cotton seeds made by Bayer for food and animal feed.  Scientific Opinion on application (EFSA-GMO-NL-2010-77) for the placing on the market of herbicide-tolerant genetically modified cotton GHB614 × LLCotton25 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Bayer CropScience

EFSA European Food Safety Association has approved the use of GMO cotton seeds by Bayer Crop Science for food and animal feed. These seeds have shown to contain very high levels of Continue reading GMO cotton seed for human consumption approved by EFSA

World Hunger

Hunger

The world hungers for the taste of real food. Mass food production has provided more quantity but lower quality. We eat more but we feel more hungry. This is what modern farming techniques have done. Once you factor in the health hazards of eating food that has been sprayed with insecticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers and hormones, on the consumer and the farmers that have to handle such dangerous chemicals, where is the benefit? These failed western world mass food production policies have now invaded Greece the land of the Mediterranean diet with disastrous results. Continue reading World Hunger

Socratic Deception

Socrates

The Socratic Deception

The Socratic Deception has its origins in the dialogue “Meno” as recorded by Plato. In Plato’s Meno we have ground zero for the Socratic Deception. This marks the beginning of the end for the grand Hellenic experiment in rational thought. Socratic Deception as expressed in Plato’s Meno is based on the theory of disembodied remembered knowledge. Socrates attempted to prove this by first establishing that the slave boy did not know the Pythagorean formula for doubling a square.

Guided Questions

Socrates then proceeded to give a number of guided questions or leading choices to the slave boy until he got the right answer. Socrates declared this to be his proof that knowledge is not acquired but remembered. I find this to be the first instance of guided choice used as a substitute for acquiring knowledge or. This is the Socratic Deception, his “grand proof” of an all knowing soul, or higher all knowing intelligence. Most people these days would say the act of thinking helps them solve problems by finding solutions. But is it really so? Do they actually think? Is thinking really even necessary these days? Under the Socratic barrage of multiple guided choices who needs to think to survive? All we have to do is choose between chocolate or vanilla. Black or white. This is the extent of our Socratic thinking process we have inherited. We are being spoon fed choices and being led to the “correct” answers. Whether to vote for a candidate or a war or choose a pill or a vocation or escape vacation, or religion, or your choice of afterlife; paradise or hell. The question whether there is a heaven or hell is not even debated using rational thought free of superstition or fear. It has become accepted as a matter of faith or belief.  Continue reading Socratic Deception