Milliband's spreading democracy militarily

The United Kingdom's foreign secretary, David Miliband, will today set out the clearest exposition yet of Labour's recast foreign policy when he will argue that mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan must not cloud the moral imperative to intervene - sometimes militarily - to help spread democracy throughout the world.

He will warn that the rise of China means that the world can no longer take "the forward march of democracy for granted", and that Britain must unambiguously be on the side of what he describes as "civilian surges" for democracy. Continued here.

Interesting that the Milliband would mention China, but not Zimbabwe, isn't it?

Well, having received my Valentine's Day present by reading the world's most intelligent and peace-loving leader saying '"Prosperity and peace are in the balance", I shall neither write this man suffers from stupidity and megalomania nor comment his words, but leave this to Archbishop Cranmer, in whose piece you will find following nice anecdote, which I shall soon - in a other context - find the opportunity to recall:

'When Sir Charles James Napier [in the India of the early 19th century] was confronted with Hindu demands for a lifting of the ban on suttee. And the general famously replied: ‘You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.’

And now's your turn, His Grace.

Valentinejad's Day

Although it's said officially the beloved Mullah's would pretend to be not amused, one could even order Valentine's Day flowers online to Iran.

Oh well, who knows? Perhaps will even Iran's beloved President today whisper words of love.

PS: Sorry for the typos in the title. Don't know how it could happen. Seems not to be my day today.

Valenking's Day

RIYADH - Agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice visited flower and gift shops in the capital Saturday night to instruct them to remove all red items - from red roses and wrapping paper to boxes and teddy bears - from their shelves, shop workers said.

Why would this happen?

Two possibilities, says Tetrapilotomos.

1. The defender of human rights thought of that many people count their costs for those Valentine flowers in shortened lives and intended to set an example - once a year.

2. The wise and pious King Abdullah in his benevolen ce ordered to ban Red until Friday in order to push the black market prices for red roses and thus make Saudi Arabia's florists happy - at least once a year.

After all, isn't for His Majesty somehow every day Valentine's Day?

PS: Sorry for the typos in the headline. Don't know how it could happen.

PPS: Sorry about the red letters. Don't know how this could happen.

Hurray! They're not capitulating

Within hours after a plot to murder Kurt Westergaard was foiled, yesterday Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten republished the cartoonist's drawing of Mohammed which is depicting the Muslim prophet with a bomb under his turban.

And again I do regret that - not listening to Tetrapilotomos' advice - I did not found factories in which I could let produce flags on demand in all those countries in which pious philanthropists would encourage their (sic) people to give evidence of how peace-loving and tolerant their religion is.

Instead of presenting pictures showing burning flags and / or well educated humanitarians holding posters with slogans such as Death to / Kill /Massacre / Slaughter those who insult Islam" and or "Europe you will pay, your 9/11 will come", I do allow myself to recommend reading following essay by Henryk M. Broder which is an excerpt from his book Hurra! We're capitulating.

Ah, well, and due to a recent occurrance here another piece by the same author: Shariah Is for Everyone!

On the route again

'To know that I could whenever I wished.'

These eight words by Robert Gernhardt accompanied by his inimitable smile, came to my mind when Saturday morning I had to learn that my router after only a couple of months 'had breathed his last'.

As the telephone service could not help, they promised to send a new one. And - oh wonder - already this morning it arrived.
So, knocking on wood. :)

Yes, it is not nice to know that I could not if I wished.

Well, probably it depends on one's point of view. While I felt not immoderately amused, Mrs Jeating's words spoken Monday night let me suspect she was highly delighted.
"Ah, Sean, how lovely. I have not seen you so busy in the garden for many weekends. And there is still so much to do."

And when I asked, 'Is it possible I am not completely wrong when hazarding the guess you are gloating over my withdrawal syndrome?', her eyes sparkled while she exclaimed: 'Yessss, I love it'.

I did not finish pondering, yet, what's the (un)hidden message behind these four words. The more as by now I am back on the route(r), knowing that I could whenever I wished.

The Peace of the Night. :)

Hm, am I?

You're Siddhartha!

by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try
anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent
some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in.
This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It's
time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in
ferries.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

What about Seanhenge?

Jams in his comment on yesterday's post reasoned: 'Hmm by that logic Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall, even Buck Palace are doomed! '

Yes, indeed, and one could add Skara Brae, Newgrange, the pyramids, Machu Picchu, Chinese Wall, etc. pp.
My biggest worry, though, is: What about Seanhenge?

All these illegal buildings!

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein has condemned a decision by Israeli authorities to demolish the Al-Omari mosque in the village of Umm Tuba near Jerusalem under the pretext that the [700 year old] building had been built without a license.

In case this Ma'an News article bases on facts:

Would anybody, please, show me building application and licence for the Second temple?!

No, not what is written in the Book of Ezra; a notarized building application, an authenticated design and full planning permission and a certified and legalized building licence.

Otherwise, I think it were logic to immediately raze the Western respectively the Wailing Wall.

The Peace of the Night, and good luck!

*

Oh well, just in case any persons thinking they were peace-loving Muslims, intend to enthusiastically lavish me with virtual back-slapping and oriental flowery hymns of praise - think twice!
Next you might be asked for certain documents according the Dome of Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Salam!

The magic of another dawn

'The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.'
Henry Miller
The Wisdom of the Heart, 1941

Ha, yes. He did not write just Nexus, Sexus, Plexus.

Celestial peace

It embodied the peace of the morning.
Why shouldn't it embody ...




... the Peace of the Night? :)

Astrophysicist's Super Sunday

Neither yesterday nor tomorrow one would get this photo. Still, most of us would not get up at six 'o'clock on a Sunday morning to 'catch' this most infrequent celestial constellation. The friend of our daughter did. He is (astro-)physicist.




And he was ... lucky; despite of badly auguring clouds.
The moon would get visible at 6:30. But soon our satellite would be swallowed by the band of clouds above.
At 6:40 Venus (on the very left) and Jupiter (a width of a thumb to the right) would get visible and ... soon get swallowed by the band of clouds above.

So Sascha was able to 'shoot' at least some photos which - no doubt - made his day.
(Sorry I wasn't able to download 28 megabytes).

Ah, it is just a(n almost undescribable) pleasure to see the sparkling eyes of someone who is on a very good way (to mind a superlative) to make his childhood-dreams come true.

*

What did Bertrand Russel say?

'The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man, which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as surely as in poetry.
Mysticism and Logic, 1917

And let me add: ... in physics. :)

Apropos mathematicians :)

Efficiency test.

Task: Putting up a simple fence.

Participants: An engeneer, a physicist, a mathematician.

At their disposal: four stakes, wire.

Problem: Who would need the least material quantity?

The engineer would have a short look, drive the four stakes successively into the ground, twist wire around the square and - Bob's your uncle.

The physicist would ponder two minutes, drive three stakes into the ground, twist wire around the triangle and - Bob's your uncle.

The mathematician would see about the material given at his disposal - deliberate what to do - think - think twice - cogitate - consider and reconsider - contemplate - reason and reflect.

After four hours out of the blue he'd enthusiastically wrap the wire around his body and ... define himself outside.'

*

And what did Einstein say?
'As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain they do not refer to reality.'

That I am allowed to experience this!

Imagine you have missed the bus or the tramvai by a hair; and, alas, today of all days Flann O'Brien's The third Policeman is not at hand. So, what next? Boring yourself for some twenty minutes or ... rather walking to the next stop, on the risk of not walking fast enough and thus again missing the bus/tramvai?

To be on the safe side, all you need is but a bit knowledge of advanced probability and integral calculus.

Mathematicians Scott Kominers, Robert Sinnott (Harvard University) and Justin Chen (California Institute of Technology) derived a formula for the optimal time that you should wait for a tardy bus at each stop en route before giving up and walking on.

The research group found that the solution was surprisingly simple, as you will surely agree:



Now, are you grateful that you are allowed to live experiencing this magic moment, in which one of the last most brainteasing and riddling conundrums of all mysteriously puzzling enigmata has been solved, or are are you grateful to live experiencing this magic moment, in which one of the last most brainteasing and riddling conundrums of all mysteriously puzzling enigmata has been solved?

I thought so.

And now you'd like to get closer to the essential inheritent interior essence which is hidden in the root of the kernel of everything?

I thought so.

Here you are.


And here one anticipatory reaction:

'Science knows only one commandment: contribute to science.'
Bertold Brecht, Galileo, 1943

And one reactionary anticipation:

'The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.'
Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825


In case you miss it, I can't serve you with a quotation from Tetrapilotomos. He'd not be amused if I disturbed Calvagh O'Seanacháin and him while celebrating the 126th anniversary of their friend's birthday.

?

Ah, yes, of course, it's James Joyce.