brutha's New Writeups

The Trent Case (idea)

2001-01-24T14:26:59Z

The Trent Case
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, London, November 28, 1861 ,published first in Die Presse No. 331, December 2, 1861.
(This happened during American Civil War.)

The conflict of the English mail ship Trent with the North American warship San Jacinto in the narrow passage of the Old Bahama Channel is the lion among the events of the day. In the afternoon of November 27 the mail ship La Plata brought the news of the incident to Southampton, where the electric telegraph at once flashed it to all parts of Great Britain. The same evening the London Stock Exchange was the stage of stormy scenes similar to those at the time of the announcement of the Italian war. Quotations for government stock sank three-quarters to one per cent. The wildest rumours circulated in London. The American Ambassador, Adams, was said to have been given his passport, an embargo to have been imposed on all American ships in the Thames, etc. At the same time a…

American Civil War (idea)

2001-01-24T12:54:53Z

The North American Civil War
by Karl Marx, London, October 20, 1861 , Die Presse No. 293, October 25, 1861

For months the leading weekly and daily papers of the London press have been reiterating the same litany on the American Civil War. While they insult the free states of the North, they anxiously defend themselves against the suspicion of sympathising with the slave states of the South. In fact, they continually write two articles: one article, in which they attack the North, and another article, in which they excuse their attacks on the North.

In essence the extenuating arguments read: The war between the North and South is a tariff war. The war is, further, not for any principle, does not touch the question of slavery and in fact turns on Northern lust for sovereignty. Finally, even if justice is on the side of the North , does it not remain a vain endeavour to want to subjugate eight million Anglo-Saxons by force! Would not separation of the…

Trade or Opium? (idea)

2001-01-24T12:22:47Z

Trade or Opium ?

                          New York Daily Tribune
                            September 20, 1858

                                   by
                                Karl Marx
&nb…

German grammar (idea)

2001-01-23T15:38:27Z

I fear hogdepodge is right here. This is a sentence from the german translation of "Thus spoke Golem" by Stanislav Lem. This long style of sentence was intentionally aplied by Lem, but if you read german texts older than one hundred years you will stumble on beasts like this:

So können die Kosmologen nicht anders, als sich irgendeine anschauliche Vorstellung von der Metagalaxie zu machen, obgleich sie genau wissen, daß hier von Anschaulichkeit keine Rede sein kann; die Physiker helfen sich insgeheim mit Spielsachen, wie etwa jeden Zahnrädchen, die Maxwell sich vorstellte, als er seine im übrigen nicht üble Theorie des Elektromagnetismus aufbaute , und wenn die Mathematiker glauben, sie würden von Berufs wegen ihrer eigenen Sinnlichkeit entsagen, so täuschen sie sich ebenfalls, doch davon vielleicht ein andermal, denn ich möchte euch nicht dadurch bekümmern, daß ich mich mit meinem Horizont von eurem Begriffsvermögen entferne, vielmehr möchte ich, um das (recht amüsante) Gleichnis des Dr. Creve…

The Fool's Epilogue (idea)

2001-01-23T14:58:02Z

THE FOOL'S EPILOGUE.

MANY good works I've done and ended,
Ye take the praise--I'm not offended;
For in the world, I've always thought
Each thing its true position hath sought.
When praised for foolish deeds am I,
I set off laughing heartily;
When blamed for doing something good,
I take it in an easy mood.
If some one stronger gives me hard blows,
That it's a jest, I feign to suppose:
But if 'tis one that's but my own like,
I know the way such folks to strike.
When Fortune smiles, I merry grow,
And sing in dulci jubilo;
When sinks her wheel, and tumbles me o'er,
I think 'tis sure to rise once more.

In the sunshine of summer I ne'er lament,
Because the winter it cannot prevent;
And when the white snow-flakes fall around,
I don my skates, and am off with a bound.
Though I dissemble as I will,
The sun for me will ne'er stand still;
The old and wonted course is run,
Until the whole of…

poetry (idea)

2001-01-23T14:51:40Z

POETRY.

GOD to his untaught children sent

Law, order, knowledge, art, from high,
And ev'ry heav'nly favour lent,

The world's hard lot to qualify.
They knew not how they should behave,

For all from Heav'n stark-naked came;
But Poetry their garments gave,

And then not one had cause for shame.

a parable by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1816.