"I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls" - Elīna Garanča

    Elīna Garanča (1976 - )
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"I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls"

(From The Bohemian Girl ... The Gypsy Girl's Dream) // Opera composed by Michael William Balfe // ## Words by Alfred Bunn ## 
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I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls,
With vassals and serfs at my side,
And of all who assembled within those walls,
That I was the hope and the pride.

I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name;
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most,
That you lov'd me still the same...

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same.

I dreamt that suitors sought my hand;
That knights upon bended knee,
And with vows no maiden heart could withstand,
They pledg'd their faith to me;

And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim.
But I also dreamt, which charmed me most,
That you lov'd me still the same...

That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same.    

"Is Africa Selling the Farm?" - by TPO

Today, the Christian Science Monitor has on its front page a lengthy but very interesting article by Scott Baldauf titled: "Hunger and food security: Is Africa selling the farm?"

Although the article is detailed and somewhat thorough, I have not quite found the whole of it satisfying and/or helpful in getting to the core issues (national sovereignty and security, imperialism and international exploitation, etc.) Furthermore, I think readers may mistakenly be led to believe that with due care and diligence, Africans may actually benefit from leasing or renting pieces of their land to foreigners for agricultural, mining, and other ventures. It would be very easy to conclude that if Africans go about it smartly, there may be a win-win situation here for everybody involved.

Here is my take on the whole matter ....

It does not matter how much wealthy countries or giant conglomerates offer the poor African countries for a piece of their land. It will still be a steal! And there is no guarantee that in the future these leases or rents won't be turned to outright purchases. There is something sinister about all of this.