Copyright notice
All text and original images in this blog © 1990-2010 by William P. Coleman. Some rights reserved. You may reuse only as specified in the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License or by written permission.About me
If you'd like to know more about me, please see the About page. My qualifications for the scientific entries are in my CV.
I see no reason to segregate scientific and technical posts from humanistic ones. In my life, scientific concerns mix with ethical ones, and they shade into a philosophical interest in the nature of cognition and the nature of people. Doing science is as creative as writing fiction, and I get inspiration for both from the same gods.
You will find little here on current politics. I'm an activist, but not in symptoms. Experience in martial arts shows me that the sure way to lose is reactivity; but if you stay cool and remember your training and what you're there for then you achieve goals and, when conflict is unavoidable, you fight and win. The idea of the liberal arts I was brought up in is that broad understanding of cultures and ideas gives you deeper, better goals -- making success more likely and more satisfying. Negatively, the hysteria since 9/11 shows how a country frightened and reactive can destroy itself more than an enemy can. I'm trying to contribute by changing the terms of discourse. . . . As Allen Ginsberg wrote, "America, I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel."
One fact shouldn't require special mention, but it sometimes does: namely that I'm gay. This blog is not primarily about being gay, but the topic sometimes comes up. I'm proud of being gay and do not hide. Muse
Category Archives: Meng Haoran
Meng Haoran — Memories, when winter cold first comes to the river
Memories, when winter cold first comes to the river Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Trees lose their leaves, and wild geese pass toward the south; the north wind brings cold to the river. My home is … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — On a summer day at the South Pavilion thinking of Xin
On a summer day at the South Pavilion thinking of Xin Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) The light from the west falls, all at once, behind the mountain; the moon reflects on the pond to the … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — Waiting all evening at the teacher’s mountain lodge for my friend Ding who hasn’t arrived
Waiting all evening at the teacher’s mountain lodge for my friend Ding who hasn’t arrived Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) At dusk, the sun sets over the mountain to the west; it swiftly fills each valley … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — Spending the night at the farm of an old friend
Spending the night at the farm of an old friend Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) An old friend prepared chicken with millet and has invited me to his farm house. It’s under green trees at the … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — Spring, at Dawn
Spring, at Dawn Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) It’s spring. I slept and didn’t wake at dawn; Everywhere, I hear the calls of birds. At night, there was sound of wind and rain; flowers fell. Do … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — Mooring for the night on the Jiande River
Mooring for the night on the Jiande River Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) I move the boat to moor in mist at an island. As the sun sets, my unhappiness returns. Across open wilderness, sky reaches … Continue reading
Meng Haoran — A memento to keep our friendship as I part from Wang Wei
A memento to keep our friendship as I part from Wang Wei Meng Haoran 691-740 CE (translated by William P. Coleman) Lonely, lonely, I’ve stayed. Why wait — day after day, returning emptied out. I long to search, to go … Continue reading
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