S U P P O R T   S W A N S

 

Note from the Editors

Though John Boehner and his colleagues felt honored to make the Russian sanction list, tension continues to grow between the two countries, and it is not a game. The situation in Ukraine reflects what is going on and what has been happening in the world over the past several decades, and once again, it is the U.S., not Russia, that is the instigator. Gilles d'Aymery explains our meddling -- the latest in a list that includes Egypt, Iraq, Kosovo, Libya, Pakistan, Serbia, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, and more, and yet it's funny how that democracy we claim to be spreading (in violation of international law) never quite takes hold... Social responsibility and capitalism are diametrically opposed forces, whether on the geopolitical front or in the local, "sustainable" business. Glenn Reed expresses his disillusionment with Ben & Jerry's -- now just another publicly-traded corporation -- and Green Mountain Coffee -- which sells about 3 billion non-recyclable K-cups of plastic a year. It follows that these days one's ethics are measured by one's credit score, yet as Harvey Whitney, Jr. demonstrates, the correlation is lacking, though as far back as classical civilizations, ethics has always been seen through the lenses of mathematics.

If you're wealthy and living in the U.K., a classical education might land you at Dartington finishing school, which as far as Michael Barker is concerned, offers the type of anti-modern education that the ruling class is so wedded to. In Paris, war, capitalism, and the super-rich meet up at the Ritz Hotel -- Jonah Raskin reviews a new book on the strange bedfellows who've frequented the luxurious venue since its opening in 1898. From Paris we travel to Ankara with Peter Byrne, whose curiosity brings him back to see for himself whether it's still Ataturk's town. Finally, we enter the world of music with Part II of Raju Peddada's series on the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and then drift off to sleep with some blurred thoughts from Guido Monte's bedside block notes.



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Pattern Which Connect

Gilles d'Aymery:  Contrast Between Russia And The USA

The situation in Ukraine reflects what is going on and what has been happening in the world over the past several decades, and once again, it is the U.S., not Russia, that is the instigator.   More...

 

Glenn Reed:  A Tale Of Two "Socially Responsible" Corporations

Just how socially responsible are the socially responsible companies Ben & Jerry's and Keurig? The answer may surprise you.   More...

 

Harvey E. Whitney, Jr.:  The Persistence Of Mathematics In Ethics And The Judgment Of Moral Character

Ethics as measured through the lenses of mathematics and science.   More...

 

Michael Barker:  An Education Fit For The Elite (Part II of II)

History of Dartington Hall School and Schumacher College.   More...

 

 
Hungry Man, Reach For The Book

Jonah Raskin:  Sex And Politics Make For Strange Bedfellows

A review of The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris.   More...

 

 
Travelogue

Peter Byrne:  Ankara: Goats And Power

The author returns to Ankara to see if it's still Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's town.   More...

 

 
The World of Music

Raju Peddada:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: His Inventive and Curative Magnificence - Part II

Part II of a series on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that examines his inventive and curative magnificence.   More...

 

 
Multilingual Poetry

Guido Monte:  Block-Notes

Other blurred thoughts before sleeping from Guido Monte's block notes, translated by Adele Ward.   More...

 

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THE COMPANION OF THINKING PEOPLE

SWANS - ISSN: 1554-4915
URL: http://www.swans.com/library/past_issues/2014/140324.html
Created: March 24, 2014