San Francisco Symphony Premiered Mar 28, 2020 The first of two episodes explores the roots of Gustav Mahler’s music. SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas journeys to rural Bohemia to rediscover the inspirations of Mahler’s music, and traces Mahler’s life through the premiere of his first symphony in 1888. It shocked the contemporary audience, but as MTT and the San Francisco Symphony reveal, on location and in performance, this ground-breaking symphony contains elements of everything else that Mahler composed. Shot on location in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and in performance in San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall. Bonus Features: Full-length concert performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 by the San Francisco Symphony originally filmed in high-definition 16:9 widescreen and 5.1 surround sound. More information about DVD and Blu-Ray discs available here: https://www.warnerclassics.com/releas…

by Rob Brezsny | May 12, 2026 (NewCity.com)

Photo: Jan Canty

ARIES (March 21-April 19): When naturalist John Muir wanted to experience a storm, he climbed to the top of a hundred-foot Douglas fir and rode it for hours through gale-force winds. He later reflected that the danger, in his judgment, was “hardly greater” than staying under a roof, and that the exhilaration and sensory richness justified his experiment. I’m not counseling you to be exactly like Muir in the coming weeks, Aries. Please don’t take foolish risks. However, I would love you to explore what truths are available when you put yourself in the path of intensity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Soil biologists say a teaspoon of productive soil may contain billions of living organisms. These bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes work in cooperative networks, generating a hidden abundance that ensures everything above ground thrives. Your immediate future has this quality, Taurus. Beneath the visible surface of your life, beneficial processes are generating fertility and possibility. You don’t need to see the miracle to trust it’s happening. Your role is simply to have faith as you maintain the conditions that allow this mysterious abundance to do its work.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I suspect you would benefit from engaging with a friendly devil’s advocate or two in the coming weeks. Your clarity and understanding will deepen in just the right ways if you converse with affectionate skeptics who like and respect you but also want to help you grow. I realize that such people may be hard to find. If you can’t locate any, you could hire one. Or do the next best thing: Argue with yourself. Entertain lines of thought that are contrary to your usual ideas. Don’t let your habitual self get away with its usual rationalizations. The benefits of this exercise will be unpredictably huge.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star holds a fixed place in the sky. Also known as Polaris, or the Pole Star, it hangs in almost the same spot throughout the night while other stars rise and set. Because of this steadfast presence, it has long served as a trusted marker for navigation, especially for sailors at sea. Over time, it naturally came to represent an inner compass or a guiding ideal. In your own experience, Cancerian, what serves as your symbolic North Star? What’s the steady, orienting force that helps you decide where and how to move next? Now is an auspicious moment to tend to and revitalize your bond with this central source of direction.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the mid 1950s, researchers developed reliable methods for creating synthetic diamonds in the laboratory. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to grow large, high-quality diamonds from small seed crystals in a relatively short time. I invite you to make this one of your operative metaphors, Leo. In the coming weeks, the forces of destiny will align with your efforts if you experiment with nurturing and expanding the parts of your life that are most like a diamond. Facilitate the development of your valuable beauty.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Scientist Stuart Kauffman theorizes that living systems are healthiest when they operate near the “edge of chaos.” There’s a critical zone between rigid order and unstructured randomness where complexity and adaptability can flourish. Too much organization creates brittle stiffness, while excessive chaos prevents coherence. Life thrives when it has some of both. I invite you to ruminate on these themes in the coming weeks, Virgo. According to my edgy analysis of the astrological omens, you’re being invited to cultivate and foster your own personal “edge of chaos” territory. Your interesting task is to create sweet spots where structure and spontaneity synergize. Locate these happy places and abide there for a while.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Choose two small and specific ways you’re going to stop pretending. One example might be how you respond when someone asks how you’re doing. Another may be an opinion you’ve been softening to keep the peace. Or maybe there’s a desire you’ve been downplaying because it feels impractical or too revealing. Here’s the name of this experiment: Incremental Precision Liberation. The key is to do it casually, with no melodrama or self-consciousness. If it’s successful, you could try another round in two weeks.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio primatologist Frans de Waal devoted years to watching chimpanzees reconcile with each other after enduring discord. He was fascinated by how they rebuilt trust through elaborate rituals of appeasement, grooming and kind gestures. Once the chimps stopped fighting, he marveled, they actively repaired their connection, which often emerged stronger than it was before the dispute. I hope you will borrow their primate wisdom in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Do your best to navigate through conflict or alienation, and then instigate generous acts of rebonding. Don’t sulk, be evasive or go silent. Be creative as you work to replenish what was damaged. The renewed relationship could be closer for having weathered the difficulties.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The wandering albatross harnesses the wind, enabling it to travel vast distances with minimal effort. There’s an initial effort that leads to big energy savings. The bird climbs into strong winds and then relaxes as it gets transported, surfing the air currents. I mention this, Sagittarius, because I suspect you’ve been trying too hard and working too much—unnecessarily so. Less strenuous exertion, more gliding, please! Ask yourself what flows are already streaming in your favor. Could you catch a ride on existing momentum? Here’s my advice: Figure out where life’s tides are already moving, then position yourself to get carried along.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ethnomusicologists studying throat singing know that Tuvan singers can produce two or more tones simultaneously. The human voice, it turns out, has the ability to harmonize with itself. Most of us never discover this because we never try. What other multidimensional capacities are you not using because you’ve never investigated them or tested their limits, Capricorn? The coming weeks are ideal for experimentation. What unexpected capacities might you get access to if you explored possibilities you’ve assumed were beyond you? You may be able to develop aptitudes and acquire gifts you haven’t discovered yet.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Cartographer Gerardus Mercator created his famous world map in 1569, enabling sailors to plot straight-line courses across oceans. But his technique dramatically distorts the size of landmasses. Greenland appears larger than Africa, when in reality Africa is fourteen times bigger. And the truth is that every map privileges certain truths while distorting others. This is a key teaching for you right now, Aquarius. Examine the mental maps you’re using to navigate your life. Might they be hiding or warping reality in any way? Consider whether you would benefit from redrawing your inner visualizations of the wide, wild world out there.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Perfectionism has increased dramatically in recent decades. Young people are especially affected. But here’s the twist: The compulsion for perfection rarely improves performance. It’s more likely to undermine achievement by triggering paralysis and excessive self-criticism. Now is a favorable time for you Pisceans to rebel against the trend. I encourage you to cultivate a relaxed devotion to being “good enough” as you enjoy yourself thoroughly. Do you know the difference between cheerfully seeking excellence and grimly striving for perfection? Move away from what demands your obsessive rigor and focus on what requires soulful completion.

Homework: Imagine you’ve time-traveled to a favorite place in the year 2035. What do you see? (Read my newsletter: is.gd/PlsE70)

CBC Nov 26, 2025 Today we celebrate the Allergy Pride Parade in Portlandia.

“Be cheerful, sir.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits and

Are melted into air, into thin air;

And – like the baseless fabric of this vision –

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,

And like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep.

(The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1)

New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove May 13, 2026 James Tunney, LLM, is an Irish Barrister who has lectured on legal matters throughout the world. He is a poet, a visual artist, and author of The Mystery of the Trapped Light: Mystical Thoughts in the Dark Age of Scientism plus The Mystical Accord: Sutras to Suit Our Times, Lines for Spiritual Evolution. In this 2020 video, he notes that ancient traditions throughout the world have recognized the power of sound vibrations to affect consciousness in a variety of ways. Words of power are used in both magical and mystical traditions. This use has also been carried over to the world of commerce and other aspects of everyday life – as well as into areas such as hypnosis, psychotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming and the performing arts. James provides an insightful analysis into the application of magical words in Shakespeare’s great plays, Macbeth and The Tempest. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on October 26, 2020)

Being and Time

Martin Heidegger

One of the most important philosophical works of our time, a work that has had tremendous influence on philosophy, literature, and psychology, and has literally changed the intellectual map of the modern world.

About the author

Martin Heidegger

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) was a German philosopher whose work is perhaps most readily associated with phenomenology and existentialism, although his thinking should be identified as part of such philosophical movements only with extreme care and qualification. His ideas have exerted a seminal influence on the development of contemporary European philosophy. They have also had an impact far beyond philosophy, for example in architectural theory (see e.g., Sharr 2007), literary criticism (see e.g., Ziarek 1989), theology (see e.g., Caputo 1993), psychotherapy (see e.g., Binswanger 1943/1964, Guignon 1993) and cognitive science (see e.g., Dreyfus 1992, 2008; Wheeler 2005; Kiverstein and Wheeler forthcoming).

(Goodreads.com)

New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove May 12, 2026 Jacob Cooper, LCSW, holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Reiki Master, Certified Hypnotherapist, and specializes in Regression Therapy. He is author of Life After Breath: How a Brush with Fatality Gave Me a Glimpse of Immortality and The Wisdom of Jacob’s Ladder. He is host The Wisdom of Jacob’s Ladder podcast. Jacob synthesizes his mental health background and his spiritual experiences to assist others in their own transformations. His website is jacoblcooper.com. Jacob describes his profound near-death experience at age three, while on a playground, where he was given a choice of returning to his life. He offers that the spiritual realm is close by and that we are here to create heaven on earth. By living in contrast on earth, we can develop the power of love, service to others, and trust in infinite life. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:32 Jacob’s near-death experience (NDE) 00:12:27 Spiritual and angelic realm 00:19:16 Jacob’s life review and previous incarnations 00:32:06 Shining in the darkness 00:37:43 Purpose for being on earth 00:49:40 Features of NDEs 00:53:47 Post-traumatic spiritual growth 01:00:48 Integration of NDEs and mental well-being 01:08:56 Conclusion New Thinking Allowed CoHost, Emmy Vadnais, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist, intuitive healer and coach, and spiritual guide based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Emmy is the founder of the Intuitive Connections and Holistic OT communities. She is the author of Intuitive Development: How to Trust Your Inner Knowing for Guidance With Relationships, Health, and Spirituality. Her website is https://emmyvadnais.com (Recorded on March 9, 2026)

One May 11, 2026 

How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt

How does a democracy die?
What can we do to save our own?
What lessons does history teach us?

In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before. Drawing insightful lessons from across history – from Pinochet’s murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan’s quiet dismantling in Turkey – Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail, how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights.

(An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

About the author

Steven Levitsky

Steven Levitsky is an American political scientist and Professor of Government at Harvard University. A comparative political scientist, his research interests focus on Latin America and include political parties and party systems, authoritarianism and democratization, and weak and informal institutions.

“In order to discover new lands, one must be willing to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” Andrew Gide (1869 – !951) French Writer

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

Thomas in 1937^[1]

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

~ Dylan Thomas

Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet, writer, and radio playwright. Known for his lyrical and evocative style, he’s often considered one of the 20th century’s greatest British poets. His work is characterized by rich imagery, unique rhetoric, and themes of nature, childhood, and spiritual exploration. His best-known works include the poems “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “And death shall have no dominion”, and the “play for voices” Under Milk Wood. 

Born October 27, 1914, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom

Died November 9, 1953 (age 39 years), Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center, New York, NY

By Robert Lea published yesterday (Space.com)

“The only reason for this flyby is to get a little help from Mars to speed us up and tilt our trajectory in the direction of the asteroid Psyche.”

NASA’s asteroid-bound Psyche mission is headed for an encounter with Mars on Friday (May 15). The spacecraft, which is on its way to an asteroid also called Psyche, will come within around 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of the Red Planet during the flyby.

The aim of this flyby is to utilize the gravity of Mars to give Psyche a boost to its already impressive speed of 12,333 miles per hour (19,848 kph). This will enable the spacecraft to adjust its trajectory towards the 173-mile-wide (280 km) metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche, (or just Psyche) which sits in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The Psyche spacecraft, which launched in October 2023, is expected to reach its target namesake asteroid in 2029, offering scientists an opportunity to study a very unique object. 16 Psyche is thought to be an early solar system planetesimal, a body from which planets formed, that has had its outer layers stripped away by billions of years of collisions. Thus, its exposed nickel-iron core represents a rare chance to study the usually hidden cores of rocky planets.

But the Psyche spacecraft won’t just use the gravity of Mars to get a boost that will help it save its xenon gas propellant; the Red Planet flyby will also offer Psyche a chance to test and calibrate the instruments it will be using when it gets to the main asteroid belt.

In order to do that, Psyche’s multispectral imager will be used to capture thousands of observations of Mars. This process began earlier this month.You may like

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Psyche’s operators first began prepping the spacecraft’s Mars encounter by performing a trajectory correction maneuver on Feb. 23. This involved firing the spacecraft’s thrusters for 12 hours, increasing Psyche’s speed, and refining its approach to the Red Planet.

“We are now exactly on target for the flyby, and we’ve programmed the flight computer with everything that the spacecraft will do throughout May,” Sarah Bairstow, Psyche’s mission planning lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a NASA statement. “This is our first opportunity in flight to calibrate Psyche’s imager with something bigger than a few pixels, and we’ll also make observations with the mission’s other science instruments.”

The team thinks that the Psyche probe may observe a faint dusty ring, or torus, around Mars, which is thought to exist as a result of tiny space rocks, or “micrometeorites,” striking the surfaces of the planet’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and ejecting dust particles into space.

The alignment between the sun, Psyche, and Mars could result in this dusty material scattering sunlight, making it visible to the spacecraft’s instruments.

The team will also use Psyche to search for tiny satellites around Mars, a practice that will benefit the mission when the spacecraft hunts for “moonlets” around Psyche when it arrives at the asteroid in three years or so.

“If all our instruments are powered up, and we can do important testing and calibration of the science instruments, that would be the icing on the cake,” said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for Psyche at the University of California, Berkeley.