A fine excuse

During the past decades, whenever it happens - and I got the feeling it does happen quite frequently - I do wonder what Mrs. J. could mean by stating I know why the devil beat his mother-in-law.*

Anyway, why would I not write at least ten or twenty posts these days, why not even visiting regularly my 'seldom borings', let alone leaving comments?

I suppose it's just due to that my brain's not (yet) able to perform around 167 trillion calculations per second.



* She'd not find a proper excuse, you know. :)

Devils in disguise

A German designer has debuted a digitally-enabled burqa that can broadcast a photo of the wearer to nearby mobile phones. Markus Kison calls it the "CharmingBurka," and says it isn't forbidden by Islamic law.

Ha ha, ha! Oh, what did I laugh. And immediately I intended to share my laughter with you.

So far, so funny.

Not that I changed my mind, but after - indeed, even while - reading the article I asked myself yesterday night:
How many 'modern muslim women' wearing a burqa would wish to 'lifting the veil using a bluetooth-burqa'; and how many would be able to afford it?

Quite.

So what is the marketing masters' mission?

Kison's broadcast technology started as a marketing tool; the so-called "Bluebot" system is meant to send digital advertisements to passing phones.

Ah yes. So what can we learn from this both clever and cynic advertising stunt?

One does not need wearing a burqa to be a devil in disguise.

Peace be upon them

Well, what would a most pious and peaceful Muslim do as soon as he has left the mosque after his Friday prayers?

Yes.

Le petit verbicide struck again

Julian Le Grand has struck again. This time the 'leading Government adviser', i.e. without being elected being paid by the United (?) Kingdom's taxpayers calls for alcohol ban in supermarkets.

Surely le petit verbicide will call his latest effusions again "libertarian paternalism".

And what would I do? Sentencing the 'nasty little control freak' to severest swearboarding in the devil's kitchen?

No. Variatio delectat. Longrider, take over.

Malta, media & malheurs

“As a result of new corporate policy, di-ve.com will not, for the foreseeable future, cover political activities and statements as part of its day-to-day operations.”

Nothing wrong with it, so far. They could also have announced that in order to increase their readership from now on to change from English to a rarely spoken Hindu dialect. That's freedom of enterprise.

So why would quite a few people be not amused? Well, on the same day the Maltese news web portal published this notice (February 4th), in Malta parliamentary election was scheduled to be held on March 8th.

Thus, an act of self-censorship? A ban on politics? Yes, says the European Federation of Journalist. EFJ General Secretary Aidan White calls it

"a craven act of self-censorship at a critical time when the public needs reliable political coverage to be able to make informed decisions on the elections. Cutting political news is a shocking violation of responsibility."

Are these indeed the words of the EFJ General Secretary? Or have these lines been written by someone who recently jubilated, 'In November I'd not know how to write shornalist, and only three month later I happen to be one!'?
Apart from that the adjectives craven and shocking in this context are pretty redundant, does Mr Aidan think that the public does not need reliable political coverage as long as the times are not critical?
Well, and what evidence does Mr. Aidan have to call the decision (whose?!) an act of self-censorship? Perhaps it was just a 'gentlemen's agreement'? Or why would the notice be published on the same day the election date is being announced, and presumably only a couple of hours after one could have read within this article:

A democratic Malta must realise the media scenario is changing and evolving, even with the general aspirations of the rest of the country which are increasing. Readers and our audiences are ever more demanding for more news and better quality, and they are giving every indication of a society that is maturing and expecting more. Our society is becoming ever more discerning when it comes to the media, and yet the exigencies such a role brings for the media is not being properly recognised by the parties and institutions.

There are quite a few questions one could ask.

But the EFD, the Journalists’ Committee and the Institute of Maltese Journalists needed obviously all resources to write a 'joint letter' to the company's chairman:

“We hope you realise your company’s decision is a disservice to your own customers, to the Maltese public in general and to political parties that need journalists to disseminate and analyse their programmes before our country is called to vote.”

Oh dear. Does the public need journalists 'to disseminate and analyse the programmes of political parties' who'd write such sentences on their own behalf? Do political parties need them? Journalist's who seem not even able to investigate on their own behalf?
Apropos, 'our country'. Our? Whose? The journalists' country?

Nitpicking aside. What happens to the political editors who are not political editors anymore? Filling the space by writing articles about the open days at car dealers etc. without which those would not take out an ad?

What, by the way, if di-ve.com's advertising partners took political responsibility? They could f.e. publicly declare:

“As a result of new corporate policy, we will cancel our ads for the foreseeable future, in which di-ve.com does not cover political activities and statements as part of its day-to-day operations.”

Said Adlai Stevenson:
'Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from chaff, and then print the chaff. '

'And the best of these would become General Secretaries', he did not say. Perhaps a craven act of self-censorship?

Virus warning

Someone under the name MALABEI tries to spread a computer virus under different bloggers. He or she writes everywhere in the reactions the message "See HERE". I want to warn everyone not to click on its message or on its name.

h/t Internation Musing

Update, 23:00:
Within a couple of minutes I had strange visitors from Argentina, Brasil, USA (4), Portugal, Slovakia, Egypt, Norway, Macedonia Spain.
Two left a 'comment', which I allowed myself to delete.

el principito would wish 'saludo bloggers'.

Agamagra Blackray would like you to 'See here'.

Tonight's Thoughts

Denk ich an die Welt bei Nacht,

bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht.

Thinking of the World at night
puts all thought of sleep to flight.

Heine's dead - long live Heine

Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
dass ich so traurig bin ...

I don't know what it may signify
That I am so sad ...

Heinrich Heine (December 13th, 1797 - February 17th, 1856)

Nachtgedanken / Night Thoughts

Denk ich an Deutschland in der Nacht,

Dann bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht.
Ich kann nicht mehr die Augen schließen,
Und meine heißen Tränen fließen.

Thinking of Germany at night
Just puts all thought of sleep to flight;
No longer I can close an eye,
Tears gather and I start to cry.

Eyes travelling 23 million light years

What would an astro-physicist do in a starlit night?
Sleeping?
No. He'd let his eyes travel. Last night it was a 23 million light years trip to M51.



Object details

NGC Number:
5194/5195

Object Type:
SA(s)bc
(HII: Sy2.5)

Constellation
Canes Venatici

RA/Dec:
13h 29m 52.7s
+47° 11' 42.62''

Distance:
23 kly

Apparent Dimension:
11.2' x 6.9'

Visual Brightness (V):
8.1 mag

Date:
16.02.2008
01:50 bis 03:15

Equipment:
Cass. 50cm f/10
SBIG STL-6303E

Detail screens:
L: 4 x 300sec
R: 4 x 300sec
G: 4 x 300sec
B: 4 x 300sec
(Binning: 1x1)

Temperature:
CCD-Chip: -25°C
Draußen: -3°C

Software:
CCD-Soft
ESO-MIDAS
IRAF
MaxIM DL

Justice à la Turkiye

Not that I were surprised.

Observers voiced disappointment with the conduct of the trial of 19 persons for the January 2007 murder of Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor Hrant Dink after a third hearing was held yesterday [February 11th] in the Istanbul suburb of Besikta. The press is not being allowed to attend the trial. Full article at Reporters without Borders.

I am not even surprised that while millions would demonstrate either for or against a headscarve ban, 500 people demonstrated in a square to demand justice.

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.

Discovered: A Turkish Seanachie

As everyone would know my closest friend Tetrapilotomos, a writer who - although a fascinating storyteller - would not dare to write, is one of those stern members of the human family who would hardly get being caught laughing, even if one would follow him into the deepest cellar.

Mostly he'd be busy with scientific research, such as pre-assyrian philately, architecture of the Tuareg, Aztecan horsemanship etc. and, as an ardent advocate for interdisciplinary cooperation, of course, he has got friends and colleagues in almost every village on this globe who are working on the same respectively completely different subjects.
But I am running the risk of digressing a bit.

Where was I? Ah, yes ... he would hardly get being caught laughing, even if one would follow him into the deepest cellar.

Smiling here and then, yes. But that's all. The more surprised I was while tonight preparing spaghetti in a spicy mozzarella-tomato sauce and a delicious salad (champignons, red and yellow paprika, bush tomatoes and feta), hearing him chuckle again and again in front of the PC.

At dinner, raising my glass of vintage Ulysses, a marvellous Aetna vine, asked I: Any joyeous news according Kemal Kerinçsiz?

Spake Tetrapilotomos: No.

Said I: Last time I heard you laughing while we were having some pints of black gold with Calvagh and he was telling the story about O'Loughlins last order, which as you might remember happened to be a very long story.

Spake Tetrapilotomos: Ah, Calvagh O'Seanacháin, Professor for antediluvian fishing methods and philosophy and Erin's finest seanachie. Indeed, indeed. Must visit him again some day. Could you check, if there's a flight to Shannon tomorrow morning?

Said I: Sure, as soon as you've told what made you chuckling for almost half an hour.

Spake Tetrapilotomos: Well, I stumbled upon a Turkish seanachie.

Said I: That's extremely funny, indeed. Next you will tell, that Irish is a Turkish dialect and the first seanachie was a Turkish poteen producer near Knocknamuck, which - by the way - means the hill of the pigs.

Spake Tetrapilotomos: Stop nitpicking, Sean. Let's enjoy this delicious meal - by the way, will we have ice-cream à la Welshcakes Limoncello for dessert? - and then let me introduce you to my Turkish seanachie and his devine interventions.

Poetry at its peak

As I am just told by my dear friend McSeanagall,
in Colin Campbell's Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe
today you'd find

Poetry at its peak,
each word of praise
would be too weak.

Justice or insulting Kerinçsizness?

Smiling like a Cheshire cat from one ear to the other, today Tetrapilotomos asked me to read the following:

Turkish police arrested 33 persons who were actively involved in ultranationalist activities. Some of them are quite high profile. Retired general Veli Küçük, who has been in the news since the Susurluk case, some mafia leaders, the notarious lawyer Mr. Kerincsiz, Aksam columnist Güler Kömürcü, Sevgi Erenerol, spokeswoman for the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate - one opposed to the Fener Greek Patriarchate- are among the arrested ones...

I did and said: Interesting. And what's the amusing part about?

Spake Tetrapilotomos:

"I cannot remember that - and if so when - it happened in past decades that by reading a news I thought I were dreaming.
Therefore, I have been visiting this entry of Erkan's blog, at least twice every day, since.
Not that I wouldn't rely on Erkan who is the best journalistic source one can find in Turkey; no, it's just that I was anxious the good news could emerge as one of my daydreams, that I had become victim of my wishful thinking.

Now, after seven days I have decided to believe my eyes

The infamous Kemal Kerinçsiz arrested. What a pleasure, what a delight! Once again, filled with joy my heart is rising like a falcon up to the sky!
The neurotic who would fill complaints against dozens of Turkish journalists and authors inculpating them of insulting Turkishness, the pettifogging moron who'd sue the moon if only he could, whenever this planet's celestial neighbour dares to not appear exactly in the shape as is determinated in the Turkish flag, facing a trial himself! Ah, I wish him good health so that he may be able to enjoy the rest of his life behind bars."

Said I:

"Aside from that I remember that once you wished him to lose all his teeth except one for permanent toothache, as an admirer of Mr Kerinçsiz you will be aware of that the honourable gentleman heads the Büyük Hukukçular Birliği (Great Union of Jurists), which is responsible for most article 301-trials. One if not all of his approximately 700 dear colleagues and brothers in mind will do their best to turn the table and file a complaint against the prosecutors for insulting Kerinçsizness.

By the way, my dear Tetrapilotomos, I do start to understand why you would never write what you are thinking."


And here, for the beginning, a bit more about Operation Ergenekon.

Sudorific science

The secret of science is to ask the right question, and it is the choice of problem more than anything else that marks the man of genius in the scientific world.
Sir Henry Tizard

Ouod erat demonstrandum. :)

Jams O'Donnell did by offering a very heavy and sudorific evidence.

Casting out the devil by 70 Beelzebubs?

'The European Union has announced plans to increase the use of gas and diesel produced from plants. But the critique against biofuels is mounting. Many say they are even more harmful than conventional fossil fuels.'

Indeed. Trying to fight carbon oxide with laughing gas seems as if trying to cast out the devil by 70 beelzebubs.

Therefore, reading this article might be of interest, the more when keeping at the back of one's mind what has been thematized in previous posts.

In mood for meatless food? III

Having read the links commended in the previous post(s), the following will perhaps sound more reasonable.
Personally, I am not thoroughly convinced.
It's is not easy to convince an agnostic. :)

But when even those few German TV-stations I do consider slightly reliable are getting interested in the issue*, Mr Engdahl who makes himself ring a bit hollow by sensation mongering titles as

BUY FEED CORN: THEY'RE ABOUT TO STOP MAKING IT ...

might be at least not completely wrong.

Judge for yourself.


* There will (hopefully) soon a post covering this

In mood for meatless food? II

Just to make sure you wouldn't miss reading all parts of the Spiegel-article I recommended yesterday. (No, I am not on the Spiegel's payroll; besides, I do not like the spelling style of their German edition).


Part 1: The Choice between Food and Fuel

Part 2: The New Chinese Appetite for Meat

Part 3: Snapping Up Land Across the Globe

Part 4: Can the Poor Afford to Eat?

In mood for meatless food?

You are so shocked by the previous post that from now on you will eat nothing but whole grain bread, muesli, and only sometimes steal your hen one egg?
Fine, as long as you can afford.

Food prices are skyrocketing. Arable land is becoming scarce. And forests continue to disappear across the globe. The world must decide between affordable food and biofuels.

All it takes for Hans Dietrich Driftmann, a businessman from Germany's northern Holstein region, to explain the way the world works is a package of muesli -- or at least to explain the way his world, the world of agricultural markets, works.

Driftmann picks up a packet of "Köllns kernige Multikorn-Flocken" ("Kölln's Crunchy Multigrain Flakes") and reads out the list of ingredients: oats, wheat, barley and rye. Then he slips a set of price tables out of a plastic sleeve and does a couple of calculations to illustrate how the prices of the muesli's ingredients have changed: rye has gone up by 55 percent, barley by 70 percent and wheat 90 percent. The price of oats has also skyrocketed -- by 80 percent -- since the last harvest a year ago. This final figure is what really hits home for Driftmann.

... and the story ends here.

Bon appétit
&
The Peace of the Night.

Apropos calves

You read the previous post? Good.

Now don't I know (at least not yet) what you think about killing 2,000 one day old calves per week, nor would I know whether you like eating the veal of calves being turbo-fed within eight weeks.

As for me, rather than killing and / or eating I prefer admiring certain calves and praising their beauty. :)

The Peace of the Night.

Of Vice and Men

Please keep in mind the four links offered in three posts , January 10th:
The Pig Monopoly (Monsanto), Wheat / Soya Rise, Seeds of Destruction, Doomsday Seed Vault in the Arctic, and those tiny four words 'definively to be continued'.

Thank you. :)

Well then:

Since as a boy I read John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, my blood is boiling whenever I think of racketeers throwing fruits into the ocean 'to keep prices stable'.

Hm, how to cut it short?

Ah, stable is a lovely catchword. It brings me not to fruits but to livestock, and thus to one of Postman Patel's recent posts.

Enjoy, ... if you can.

Augurio, poeta! :)

Another 365 days flown by like 'like farts in the wind' (which is the title of one of his poems): Today my dear friend Giulio Stocchi is celebrating his 'compleanno'.

Auguro a te per le prossimo 366 giorni

salute,
amore,
pace,
ispirazione,
successo,
ozi,
contentezza

e - specialmente se mai qualcosa non immediato vuòle andare liscio -

sereno placidità e viceversa calmo serenità!


May your muse don't stop kissing you, poeta, and may Pegasus give you a good ride. :)



This afternoon I enjoyed hearing the master's voice by listening to 'La Cantata Rossa per Tall el Zaatar' (an album by Gaetano Liguori (music), Giulio Stocchi (text & voce recitante)) and Demetrio Stratos, featuring Concetta Busacca, Pasquale Liguori and Roberto Del Piano, originally released in vinyl LP format, 1976).

But 'The red cantata for Tall el Zaatar' is perhaps a bit dark for such a day.

So may I introduce you to

Pandolfer the cat (translated by Deborah Strozier)

This is the story
of a stray cat with no home
he runs down the streets
the rooftops he roams

yellow is his mane
the color of sulpher
they gave him a name
they called him Pandolfer

Pandolfer the cat
was born in May
he’s big and he’s brave
and he sleeps by day

Pandolfer the cat
is a tiger true
battles with the mice
and wins thirtytwo


By visiting Giulio Stocchi's site and clicking Pandolfer the cat, you get the whole fiaba [not only] per bambini. :)

Tripling the tribute

Neither I'd forget José Carrasco.

Seems it's a night I do remember some special people, representative for lots of courageous journalists.

Take it as a tribute to all those who had, have and will have the courage to speak out against injustice and totalitarism of any kind.
I am not sure, if I had been or would be such courageous.

The Peace of the Night.

... and by the way ...

... 104 days before Hrant Dink got murdered, on October 7th, 2006 and thus - again: by the way - coinciding with the anniversary of Vladimir Putin's birthday, Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated.

Since, they say, the inquiries are running at full speed.

In memoriam Hrant Dink

Clean your brain, bookseller

Spake Tetrapilotomos:
"Can't understand this. In my bookshelf the Satanic Verses are peacefully embraced by Bible and Koran, and there is no trouble at all. A very touching picture."

Asked I:
And what is it you can't understand?

Spake Tetrapilotomos:
Anyone who would not know that selling books implicates touching books.

Said I:
Sounds paradoxical, indeed.

Spake Tetrapilotomos:
Although it's logic.

Said I:
And the moral of the story?

Spake Tetrapilotomos:
Daily washing doesn't guarantee clean brains.

What a wonderful world

Welcome, welcome!
Did you have a nice day?
Yes? Oh, how lovely. I am delighted.

Me? Ah, thank you very much. A splendid day it was.
The more as a couple of minutes ago I happened to read one abstract of the Progress Report on Human Civilisation.

Okay, they may have chosen another title, but after reading you will agree that my title is surpassing theirs. Just go on, read it.

And as soon as you have finished, let's altogether lean back and enjoy the rest of this wonderful day.

The Peace of the Night.

Do you speak Guernésiais?

While I was enjoying a "postless weekend", Jams O'Donnell has been pretty productive.

All three postings are very interesting, and therefore recommended:

One about a Hadrian expedition in London, the doors to which will be opened in July;

one about attempts to save a language most of us would not even have known it exists;

one poison cabinet story about a considered coup which, for a change, did not happen.


Jams, your host at The Poor Mouth will be glad to welcome you and answer your comments.

Embedded perversion

Today, leafing through one of my Moleskines, following entry - although almost four years old - again let my blood boil:

Self-promoting ad on ABC, March19th, 2003:

AS IT HAPPENS

New
technology
will bring war
to your living
room

"The attack began shortly after 6:00 a.m. on March 20th, 2003"

Gene-rosity? Cui bono?!

Shortly after my visit at (the herewith recommended) Postman Patel where I "stumbled upon" the link to my latest post I "stumbled upon" this.

Oh, well, reading carefully what I portioned into this evening's three posts you will surely find ...
The Peace of the Night. :)

"Pearls" before the swine?

From the Monsanto-pigs to the wheat and soya prices.

May I remind you of we are still on the topic (worldwide) food-monopoly?

Thank you very much. :)

Rather a Dandy than a pig

Well, Brummel, d'Orsay, Baudelaire, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Wilde and des Esseintes (the protagonist in Huysman's À Rebours) kept me busy for a while.
A work about Dandysm in the English and the French literature of the late 19th century.
Work? Rather a pleasure; except for those moments, minutes, hours a chosen word, a phrase, a metapher would not fit, or a smooth transition to the next aspect not be found. At times, no doubt, the master in the devil's kitchen would have demonically smiled about this polite blogger knowing so many wonderful swearwords. :)
By the way, although Dandysm is pronounced dead, when reading this or that detail I'd immediately think of this and that contemporary.

And now - with thanks to the Monty Pythons - for something completely different: Pigs.


to be definitively continued

But one quotation

There is scarcely anything more important in the government of men than the exact - I will even say - the pedantic - observance of the regular forms by which the guilt or innocence of accused persons is determined.

Winston Churchill

Literary afternoon

That he knew human nature well, and that he had adopted the only course which could place him in a prominent light, and would enable him to separate himself from society of ordinary herd of men, whom he held in considerable contempt.

Here I stopped reading out, and asked my friend: "Do you think, this hits the mark?"

Taking his silence was consent, I went on:

There was a heartlessness in his character, a spirit of gay misanthropy, a cynical, depreciating view of society, an absence of high-minded generous sentiment, a treacherous versatility, and deep powers of deceit.

"And? Doesn't it ..." At this moment I realized that Tetrapilotomos was enjoying his afternoon nap in my wing chair.

The more surprised I felt when suddenly I heard the sleeper declamate as if his voice were centuries old:

"I looked for no less, my lord, from your High Magnificence, and I have to tell you that the boon I have asked and your liberality has granted is that you shall dub me knight to-morrow morning, and that to-night I shall watch my arms in the chapel of this your castle; thus tomorrow, as I have said, will be accomplished what I so much desire, enabling me lawfully to roam through all the four quarters of the world seeking adventures on behalf of those in distress, as is the duty of chivalry and of knights-errant like, whose ambition is directed to such deeds."

Not only for a Steppenwolf :)

Like ev'ry flower wilts, like youth is fading
and turns to age, so also one's achieving:
Each virtue and each wisdom needs parading
in one's own time, and must not last forever.
The heart must be, at each new call for leaving,
prepared to part and start without the tragic,
without the grief - with courage to endeavor
a novel bond, a disparate connection:
for each beginning bears a special magic
that nurtures living and bestows protection.

We'll walk from space to space in glad progression
and should not cling to one as homestead for us.
The cosmic spirit will not bind nor bore us;
it lifts and widens us in ev'ry session:
for hardly set in one of life's expanses
we make it home, and apathy commences.
But only he, who travels and takes chances,
can break the habits' paralyzing stances.

It even may be that the last of hours
will make us once again a youthful lover:
The call of life to us forever flowers...
Anon, my heart! Do part and do recover!

Hermann Hesse, Steps

with thanks to the translators

And here in German the original:

Stufen

Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend
Dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe,
Blüht jede Weisheit auch und jede Tugend
Zu ihrer Zeit und darf nicht ewig dauern.
Es muß das Herz bei jedem Lebensrufe
Bereit zum Abschied sein und Neubeginne,
Um sich in Tapferkeit und ohne Trauern
In andre, neue Bindungen zu geben.
Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne,
Der uns beschützt und der uns hilft, zu leben.

Wir sollen heiter Raum um Raum durchschreiten,
An keinem wie an einer Heimat hängen,
Der Weltgeist will nicht fesseln uns und engen,
Er will uns Stuf’ um Stufe heben, weiten.
Kaum sind wir heimisch einem Lebenskreise
Und traulich eingewohnt, so droht Erschlaffen,
Nur wer bereit zu Aufbruch ist und Reise,
Mag lähmender Gewöhnung sich entraffen.

Es wird vielleicht auch noch die Todesstunde
Uns neuen Räumen jung entgegen senden,
Des Lebens Ruf an uns wird niemals enden …
Wohlan denn, Herz, nimm Abschied und gesunde!

Little Night Musi ... ng

Goethe:
Mozart is the human incarnation of the devine force of creation.

Mozart:
I write as a sow pisses.

Tetrapilotomos:
A divine sow, then.

The Peace of the Night.

The Poor Mouth speaking for Omnium

Tonight, as I am a bit busy with something else - of course, it has to do with Omnium, but not at all with blogging - I keep mine shut, and let Jams O'Donnell's Poor Mouth speak for me.

Jams let leak a seriously hilarious story from his keyboard into the blogosphere.
It's about science and fragrant winds, which is unfortunately not as nice an alliteration as is "wohlriechende Winde".
Hm ... ah! ... Heureka! What's about "wondrous winds"?

And now: Hurry up, and enjoy. :)

And what next?

As you might be able to imagine I had a very pleasant time between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Example: While I'd be busy with one of my gifts – a mortar – Tetrapilotomos would read to me out of his present: “Nietzsche für Boshafte”; in English the title might read “Nietzsche for malicious (readers)”.

Well, today, I was just extremely busy with preparing a Rucola pesto, out of the blue I heard my closest friend saying, his voice maliciously purring:

”By the way, Sean, may I congratulate you and your comrades-without-arms on your exorbitant blogospheric triumph in 2007, and may I ask what country's people you are going to freeing this year?”

And when I turned round, my brows forming a question mark:

“Last year you freed Burma, didn’t you?”

My right hand clasping the vessel I was just about saying something like ”And this is a mortar, and you are a mortal”, but in this moment Tetrapilotomos smiled:

”No offence, Sean! Just a tiny piece of sarcasm. Read this."

The rest was silence.