A SERENE TOUCH

“The sole art that suits me is that which, rising from unrest, tends toward serenity.” – André Gide

Another very busy day when many, many things had to be done and not enough hours in the day to do them in. I must learn to say no, more often, I think. Having good intentions and not wanting to disappoint people may all be very well, but it may end up being a tad too much for ourselves. That’s what burn-outs are made of, I guess. However, there is always some time, a little time that we can use to recharge our batteries, stop and smell the roses, meditate a little, smile a little, listen to some music that rests our soul…

Here is what I listened to today to do precisely that:


Pierre Bensusan (born October 30th 1957) is a French/Algerian guitarist who was only 17 when he released his debut album, Près de Paris, in 1975. The record showcased an impressively developed sensitive melodic style coupled with an equally evolved rhythmic underpinning. His subsequent nine albums, including his recent release, Altiplanos (2005), find Bensusan extending the possibilities of steel-string acoustic guitar in a variety of solo and group contexts, as well as through the exploration of electronic looping. His warm, deep voice melds beautifully with the sonority of the guitar and his songs interspersed amongst his instrumental pieces are a pleasure to listen to.

Bensusan’s approach is steeped in influences that span the globe, including Celtic, folk, jazz, Latin, and Middle Eastern music. He is a master storyteller, using his pieces to convey unique points of view, narrative development, dialogue, and movement. To that end, he infuses his tunes with distinctive voicings, counterpoint melodies, and pulsing bass rhythms. Another Bensusan hallmark is his exclusive use of DADGAD tuning. In fact, he’s one of the world’s leading DADGAD exponents, having spent his entire career exploring the breadth and depth of the tonalities the tuning has to offer.

Enjoy your weekend!

HEALTHY AGEING

“Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan

If you have been reading this blog, you’ll know I recently attended an international conference on research in Complementary Medicine. This was very interesting and numerous delegates from many well-known universities worldwide were there, presenting papers of great interest. Several presentations focussed on nutrition and especially nutrition and old age. The research is showing that if we take care of our diet, not only do we live longer, but we age in better health. But firstly, what is ageing?

The ageing process is the progressive deterioration of bodily functions over the lifespan. In Australia, life expectancy currently averages 78.5 years for males and 83.3 years for females. From 1901 to 2000, life expectancy at birth increased by 21.4 years for males and 23.3 years for females. The ageing process is destructive, progressive and intrinsically determined, universal amongst all complex living organisms. Is it a disease to be cured or a natural process that can be better managed? These two concepts are united by “anti-ageing strategies” in humans which involve life extension to the maximal limits, currently thought to be about 120 years, but also health extension, staying well until a short decline and death.

Most researchers seem to think that ageing is a multi-factorial process and relies on genetic factors, cumulative damage of body structures by many interactions with environmental stressors, oxidative stress, non-renewal of permanent cells, etc. Although there is no general consensus on the cause of ageing, most researchers would regard cellular damage as a key component. Many anti-ageing approaches involve boosting antioxidant defences against free radical damage and attempting to minimise protein glycation. Other approaches are focussed on gene therapy techniques to restore cell and organ function.

Recent studies in American populations showed that five factors seemed to be associated with a reduced lifespan:
1) Cigarette smoking 2) Diabetes mellitus 3) Obesity 4) Hypertension 5) Sedentary lifestyle.

The obvious thing to do then to extend lifespan, would be to eliminate these five factors from our life. The study referred to above showed that when these factors were eliminated, lifespan easily reached 90 years, other things being equal.

Many other studies around the world show that a low calorie diet is compatible with a longer lifespan. A famous study was set in Japan. Okinawa is a group of islands in southern Japan. Okinawans have up to 4-5 times the number of centenarians as the rest of Japan. Low calorie intake is common at younger ages and body mass index remains low throughout life. Adult energy intake is 20% less than the Japanese national average. Death rates from heart disease, cancer and cerebral vascular disease are 60 to 70% of the rest of Japan and they have half the number of deaths in the 60-64 year age range. Their diet is based around the Satsamu sweet potato, seaweed, leafy vegetables, fish, pork, tofu, green tea and kohencha tea. Mixed food broths are commonly eaten. Food is viewed as medicine and a common practice is to only eat 80% of the amount of food required to fill the stomach.

But what about anti-ageing nutrients? Nutrients impact on metabolism in a variety of ways and can function as gene regulators, free radical scavengers, cell membrane protectors, repair enhancers, anti-inflammatories, immune regulators and hormone modulators. Research has shown that there are many components in foods that can act as anti-ageing compounds and can promote health. Some of these are:

Resveratrol: This is an anti-fungal chemical naturally present in peanuts, mulberries, grapes (particularly those varieties more prone to fungal disease such as Pinot Noir), and in Giant Knotweed, a herb popular in Asian herbal medicine. It is believed to be responsible for the health-promoting effects of red wine.

Curcumin: This is the principal active ingredient in the spice turmeric, a member of the ginger family commonly used in curry powder. Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory herb used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities.

Grape seed: This is a superior antioxidant, it maintains capillary integrity, is anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective. Grape seeds contain phenolic acids, polyphenols and flavonoids. About 60-70% of the polyphenols in grapes are found in the seed and these have powerful antioxidant activity, estimated to be twenty times more potent than vitamin C and 50 times more potent than vitamin E and superior to pine bark bioflavonoids. They can scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol, protect against DNA damage in the brain and liver in mice and protect the skin from sun damage.

Mushrooms, especially polypore varieties such as reishi, shiitake and maitake, contain polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucans, that have anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties, including activation of lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells and production of cytokines, tumour necrosis factor alpha and interferon 46. Mushrooms may suppress autoimmune responses, modulate NF-kappa B activity and have anti-cancer effects.

Ginseng is a traditional Asian herb used as an adaptogen and tonic and to restore homeostasis. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and immune-stimulatory activity and has been shown to be useful for CVD, cancer, immune deficiency and liver toxicity. Ginseng's active components have beneficial effects on ageing, CNS disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Brahmi is a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of cognitive deficits. It has antioxidant activity in the brain and is a potent adaptogen. Brahmi prevents depletion of acetylcholine in the hippocampus, increases glutathione peroxidase levels and boosts the synthesis of new protein in brain tissue.

The general consensus about food and healthy ageing is, that we should develop good dietary habits while still young. Have a low body mass index and eat less calories, with a low saturated fat diet. Complex carbohydrates supplemented by a variety of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, good calcium intake, moderate sun exposure, lots of grapes (eaten with seeds!), some red wine with meals, nuts, some herbs and spices. Certain Asian diets and many Mediterranean diets adhere to these guidelines.

ILLUMINATED FLORAL MANUSCRIPTS

“I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.” - Emma Goldman

It is Autumn in Melbourne and we are experiencing some wild weather, alternating with calm mild, sunny days. Yesterday we had high winds, reaching speeds of 130 km/hr and in the evening welcome rain. However, there were three casualties yesterday that the wild weather claimed. Three people lost their lives. A woman buried under a collapsing wall in a laneway, a man killed in a building site, and tragically an electric company linesman who was electrocuted while trying to restore electricity by repairing damaged lines.

Today it was cool but sunny. The leaves have started to shed from the trees and the chrysanthemums have started to bloom. Autumn is a beautiful season although it is usually more agreeable and milder. Climate change is an indisputable reality and the unpredictable nature of the weather is something we are beginning to get used to. I dare say things will get worse as the years go by. At my new job we have a “Greening the Campus” committee and we are looking at more and more ways of becoming more energy efficient, promoting recycling, cutting down waste, using environmentally-friendly products and inculcating into the staff and students a green culture and modified behaviour that is environmentally aware. Many little things carried out by many individuals add up to a lot on a worldwide scale.

Autumn is also the time of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. This is a world-renowned event that is held in one of our oldest and most beautiful parks in the middle of the city, the Carlton Gardens and the adjacent, elaborately ornate Victorian landmark, the Royal Exhibition Building. The Flower is show is rated to be amongst the 5 best such events in the world and runs between the 2nd and 6th of April.

The show features floral displays both native and exotic, cut flowers and potted specimens, garden ideas, new products, award-winning landscape design, water-saving ideas, and numerous exhibitors from the garden and floristry industries. This event is always popular, despite the progressively rising admission prices. I walked by there today on my way to an appointment at St Vincent’s Hospital and I overheard two pensioners talking to each other outside the show, complaining bitterly about the high price (even though they were paying a concessional rate).

Another show that I am even more keen about is the exhibition of illuminated manuscripts at our State Library. This is another very fine Victorian Building situated on one of the main thoroughfares of our city with a magnificent dome and impressive façade. It has recently been renovated and is simply stunning. Definitely a place to visit if you are planning to stop by Melbourne in your travels. The State Library houses a fine collection of books, but also has several exhibition areas in which are housed both permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The free exhibition is called “The Medieval Imagination” and features illuminated manuscripts from Cambridge (UK), Australia and New Zealand. It runs from the 28th of March until the 15th June 2008. If you are a Melbournite you have no excuse for not seeing this magnificent exhibition and if you are planning to visit our City soon, put it in your travel diary.

Which brings me to the word of the day:

manuscript |ˈmanyəˌskript| noun
A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed: An illuminated manuscript.
• An author's text that has not yet been published: Preparing the final manuscript | Her autobiography remained in manuscript.
ORIGIN late 16th century: from medieval Latin manuscriptus, from manu ‘by hand’ + scriptus ‘written’ (past participle of scribere).

Incidentally, did you know that if you interest yourself actively in cultural activities, your immune response is raised significantly? Going to exhibitions and museums means you get sick less often, how’s that?

A PRIVATE MOMENT

“When the heart grieves over what is has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left.” - Sufi Epigram

While travelling back home from Sydney yesterday, my plane was delayed somewhat and an early evening flight became a sunset flight and by the time I got home it was night, especially so after a further delay in getting the baggage unloaded from the plane and onto the conveyor belts. A one-hour flight became embellished with another couple of hours of delay time and then add to that further travel time on ground transport getting to and from the airport. What was it that someone has said about air travel? “If we were meant to travel by aeroplane it would have been easier to get to and from the airport.”

Nevertheless, on the plane, flying at 10 km above the surface of the earth, one has interesting thoughts as one observes the world in miniature, as one floats above the clouds and one catches a glimpse of the magnificence of a sun dipping down the Western horizon before it gradually slips out of sight, leaving behind it blazes of colour that tinge the clouds a fiery red that continue to glow ember-red long into twilight. Philosophising becomes inevitable, don’t you think?

Sitting next to me on the plan was a middle-aged woman immersed in her thoughts, hardly acknowledging my polite greeting of “good evening” as I settled in the seat next to her. Her face was lined with what could only have been unpleasant recollections, worrying ideas, concern, the weight of endless care. I respected her wish for privacy and began to read my book. She stared fascinated at the brilliant display of the setting sun and her face furrowed further more into a frown while her eyebrows creased into a visible display of inner torment. I observed as casually as I could, pretending to also look at the setting sun. As the sun disappeared below the horizon, its last rays illuminated her cheeks, tinging them a reddish orange and making obvious a lone tear trickling like a liquid diamond down her cheek.

What does one do in such a situation? Does one remain silent, actively ignoring another’s pain, pretending not to notice? Does one speak, searching desperately to say something caring, but not patronizing or too invasive of another’s privacy? Does one try to communicate sympathy without words, trying to send a positive signal through the air without touching, speaking or otherwise visibly acknowledging the other person’s pain? How does one relate to another in such an obviously private moment where personal feelings rule the day and the external world, when other people and words can become obtrusive and grating? Then again, it is surely in such situations that we appreciate a kind word, another human being’s frank concern about our state, a simple kindness made even more worthy because it comes from a stranger.

In my embarrassment the words in this poem fell into place and gelled in my mind allowing me to recall them while I was I was awaiting for my baggage to be unloaded later on, and they were hastily scribbled on a scrap of paper there and then in the noisy arrival hall:

Sunset

While in the West the sun’s reduced to embers,
She sits, she watches and remembers:
A man, a love, a sacrifice, a cheap betrayal
As if on playhouse stage a poor portrayal.

The dusk descends, the night advances,
She counts her losses, and her fleeting chances;
Her life, where did it go, where youth, where hope?
In darkness lost, hanging on gallows’ rope.

Black clouds obscure the moon, no sign of star
Her future short, death watches – he’s not far…
And in the blackest hour sweet memories she clutches:
A kiss, some words of love, softest of touches.

Even in blackest night the thought of dawn alights,
In darkest hour, sweet hope holds a candle.
The soul revived will rise from depths to heights
And mind will cope, and heart the crisis handle.

Can you guess what course of action I followed on the plane as the woman beside me silently wept? What would you have done?

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER...

“It is much easier to become a father than to be one.” - Kent Nerburn

I watched a current affairs program on the Greek cable channel today, which featured an interview with a medical geneticist. The message was simple but poignant. More and more people are presently requesting DNA paternity testing. In a testing centre in Athens, a couple of years ago, the paternity test requests were one or two a month, nowadays the statistics are an alarming one or two a day…

The doctor was appalled by this increase in such testing and in many cases he was reporting, the children (many as old as 6-7 years old) seemed to be aware of what exactly was being done and why they were in the testing centre. He was not making a judgment on modern mores, nor commenting on today’s “open” relationships, he had no criticism of the parents of such children. All he was drawing attention to was the irreparable damage being done to these children, who seemed to be innocent pawns on a chessboard where strange games of power and money were being played.

Underlying many of these disputed paternity cases was a maintenance payment or a child support payment. In others, a claim on a part of a family fortune was claimed, or a demand for a share of some property. In other cases, children were caught in protracted legal battles, custody cases and government welfare agencies or social department disputes.

We are living in an increasingly liberated society, one becoming more tolerant of a broader definition of “family” and “relationship”. That can be a good thing, but also it may be something that is not so good. How many children nowadays come from a family where there are complex relationships because of siblings and half-siblings from previous relationships of their parents?

We are living in a society where the rights and liberties of the individual are upheld as a first priority, where selfishness often is a predominating force. Where the good of the family, of the community or of society, is often dismissed as an unimportant consideration. How many children are there who live in single parent households (mostly with their mothers) and how many of these children do not have a father figure to provide support and nurture and a role model? How many children are there who have no father because they are the product of an in-vitro fertilisation, or of an “affair” or of a short-term relationship?

How many “week-end” fathers are there, taking the children to the park or a football game or a restaurant, but playing no role in the day to day bringing up of their child (sometimes, through no fault of their own?)? How many stepfathers are there who abuse the children of their partner emotionally, mentally, physically, sexually? How many fathers are there who abandon their children once they find out through a paternity test that they are not the biological father of the children they thought were their own?

“Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,
Father will come to thee soon;
Rest, rest, on mother's breast,
Father will come to thee soon;
Father will come to his babe in the best,
Silver sails all out of the west,
Under the silver moon:
Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep…”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

What do you think? Are fathers a threatened species?

MOVIE MONDAY - BLOOD DIAMOND

“I love humanity but I hate people.” – Edna St Vincent Millay

Thanks to all of you who have wished me well in my travels. It was another gorgeous day in Sydney, although I am not seeing much of it, spending most of the day in the dark in a conference hall staring a ta presentation screen. However, the up side is that the presentations and delegates are really top notch, with people from the Mayo Clinic, Harvard, Oxford, McMaster University, University of Sydney, etc. One of the most rewarding personal findings that I garnered from this conference is that there is tremendous energy and vision in the traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) areas and that research is happening at a fantastically frenetic rate in these arenas. The other reassuring finding is that Australia is a world leader in these TCAMs. More and more representatives from the western, orthodox medical system are taking heed of all the activity in the TCAM area and there many collaborative projects in integrative medicine. I hope to cover some of the interesting presented research in the diet and lifestyle area on my food blog on Friday – stay tuned!

Having decided to have a little break at afternoon tea time, I am posting my Movie Monday blog, which is a film I watched at the hotel on cable last night. It is Edward Zwick’s 2006 film “Blood Diamond”. I had heard good reviews about this film when it first came out, but had missed out seeing it at the time. Well, it was great to finally see it last night and I have only good things to report about it.

I must admit that I am not a Leonardo di Caprio fan, but in this role he shows that he has enough acting ability to mature into a fine actor indeed. In this film he plays Danny Archer, who is likeable rogue that weaves his way though Africa in the illegal diamond trade in 1999. The film is set in West Africa (Sierra Leone) and traces the vicissitudes of entire populations as civil war rages through their country and as rebels fight with government troops for supremacy. Financing this slave labour that looks for diamonds, which are then illegally traded across the border by “Soldiers of Fortune” like Danny Archer. Needless to say that such blood-stained diamonds grace the fingers of Western populations who don’t bother to know the history of woe that each sparkling jewel hides within its depths.

Djimon Hounsou plays Solomon Vandy, a native who only wants the best for his family. They are caught in the middle of the bloody civil war and as the family is split, Solomon is bound to discover that there are worse fates than death for his teenage son. Jennifer Connelly plays a US journalist trying to expose the illegal diamond trade and doing some serious soul-searching along the way also.

The movie is violent, gut-wrenching, realistic and confronting. Scenes in it hit the viewer with the power of a fist in the belly and what it makes so much worse is the knowledge that it is all based on the harsh reality that still is the status quo in many African nations. To a certain extent, this film reminded me of the 2005 film “Lord of War”, which I reviewed some months ago.

This film is bound to shock and distress many people, but it is a film that should be seen. We ignore Africa at our peril. We remain silent about third world country problems and these problems will knock on our door shortly. We fail to act on matters of grave humanitarian crisis and our own humanity is compromised.

POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu

Greetings from Sydney, where I am attending an extremely interesting conference on Complementary Medicine Research. It is being held at the Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour, which is a beautiful part of Sydney, very close to the city, but not as well known overseas as Sydney Cove with its views of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In any case if you are visiting Sydney you are bound to see it and experience all of its attractions.

It’s a lovely day in Sydney with blue skies and warm (25˚C) temperatures, lots of people everywhere, both at the conference as well as around the Harbour. There is a festival of Greek Culture with music, dancing, food, exhibitions and many visitors. There are buskers and jugglers, food stalls, lots of boats and ferries, waving flags, a Sunday feeling of carefree relaxation and enjoyment of the day of rest.

However, some of us have to work eve on this day, so I am off to the conference again after having written all of you this little postcard, just to say “hello, wish you were here”!

A SMILE

“By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.” - Rabindranath Tagore

A Greek song this Saturday, with lyrics by poet Kostas Karyotakis (November 11, 1896 – July 20, 1928). It is sensitively set to music by Lena Platonos and sung by Savina Yannatou.
A Smile

Tonight, the evening is like a dream.
Tonight the valley is dipped in magic.
It’s not raining any more and the rested girl
Lay down in the moist clover.

The lips parted like two cherries,
And as she breathes deeply,
Her breast rises and falls
Like an April rose in the wind.

Sunrays escape from a cloud
And hide themselves in her eyes.
A lemon tree sheds dewdrops on her
And they drop on her cheek like diamonds,
As if she had been crying,
Though she smiles gazing at the sun.



Χαμόγελο

Απόψε είναι σαν όνειρο το δείλι.
Απόψε η λαγκαδιά στα μάγια μένει.
Δε βρέχει πια κι η κόρη αποσταμένη,
Στο μουσκεμμένο ξάπλωσε τριφύλλι.

Σα δυο κεράσια χώρισαν τα χείλη
Κι έτσι βαθειά γεμάτα σ’ ανασαίνει.
Στο στήθος της ανεβοκατεβαίνει
Νέον αγριοτριανταφύλλο του Απρίλη.

Ξεφεύγουνε από το σύννεφο ακτίδες
Και κρύβονται στα μάτια της.
Τη βρέχει μια λεμονιά με δυο δροσοσταλίδες,
Που στάθηκαν στο μάγουλο διαμάντια
Και που θαρρείς το δάκρυ της πως τρέχει,
Καθώς χαμογελά στον ήλιο αγνάντια.

Enjoy your weekend!

FULL OF BEANS

“Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent.” – Epictetus

I have had a rather busy week, more so than usual, and at the weekend I have to go to Sydney for work, staying there till Monday. Sydney is always nice to visit, but whenever I go there I always conclude that I wouldn’t like to live there. In any case, it does not look as though I’ll be seeing lots of the city as a very busy schedule awaits me.

Today we had Greek bean soup (Φασολάδα = fasoládha), a typical vegetarian dish that characterises much of the “ordinary” Greek cuisine. Beans are one of the staples that a Greek pantry is never without. This bean soup is so typically Greek that (in Greece) it is often called the “Greek national dish”! To the Greeks beans are an inexpensive, nourishing meal that is most usually served on its own with a little bread, some tomatoes and cheese. It is considered “peasant food” and replaces the more expensive meat dishes.

HEARTY GREEK BEAN SOUP - FASOLADHA

Ingredients
1 cup dried haricot beans
2 cups vegetable stock (you can use V8 juice and omit the tomato paste)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, cut in slices
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 can of Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley for garnish
1 bay leaf

Method
1) Place beans in a bowl, cover with water and let them soak overnight. Drain and rinse beans.
2) Meanwhile in a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium setting.
3) Add the onion, celery and carrots and salt for about 5 minutes or until soft.
4) Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and beans.
5) Simmer uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. You may add more or less stock, depending on how watery/thick you want the soup to be.
6) Season with salt and pepper and add chopped parsley before serving.
7) Serve with crusty bread, a simple salad, some anchovy fillets and cheese.

Beans are an excellent source of many essential nutrients and have been show to contain components that protect against many diseases. High in protein, low in fat, with no cholesterol, high in fibre and rich in many vitamins and minerals, beans are indeed a “poor man’s meat”. A diet rich in beans and other legumes protects against many gastrointestinal diseases (including cancer of the large bowel), but also against prostate and breast cancer, through the high content of phyto-oestrogens in legumes. The added goodness of vegetables in this dish makes it highly nutritious and healthful, as well as tasting delicious!

PYRAMID

“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.” - Neil Armstrong

One of the highlights of my travels around the world is my visits to Egypt, both times travelling down the length of that majestic river, the Nile, and visiting many of the important ancient sites: Alexandria, Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Dendera, Deir el Bahari, Luxor, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Abu Simbel… One of the most magnificent and unforgettable sights by anyone’s reckoning is the great plain of Giza and the pyramids there. One of the ancient Seven Great Wonders of the World, as reported by the ancient Greeks, the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza is the only ancient wonder still standing.

The sheer size of this “artificial hill” is astounding and the amount of stone used to build quite mind-boggling. It was originally just over 146 metres tall (480 feet) but over the 43 or so centuries it has stood, it lost about 10 metres of that height, through removal of blocks from the top. It is calculated that about two million stone blocks, each weighing about 1.5 tons, were used in its construction, at about 2560 BC.

Many people have been drawn to the Great Pyramid of Giza, What are they looking for? Some considered the Great Pyramid from purely an academic curiosity. They may be archaeologists, historians, scientists, mathematicians and their work involves the Great Pyramid in one way or another. It is certainly worthy of academic study.

Throughout history, many well-known individuals and great leaders were fascinated by the Great Pyramid. Herodotus visited it and described it in his “Histories”, Alexander the Great was drawn to the Great Pyramid and visited it. Napoleon also visited the Great Pyramid and even spent time alone in the King's Chamber. Sir Isaac Newton was extremely interested in the Great Pyramid and even wrote a dissertation on it. Many well-known explorers made it a point to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza. Its status as a wonder, as a tomb of a great king, as a magnificent man-made structure may have attracted the interest of these people.

However, even the ordinary person is attracted to Giza and the pyramids. Since the Great Pyramid has always been enshrouded in mystery, many people think it may contain the answers to some fundamental questions about life and death. People wonder why was the pyramid built, for what purpose, who built it and when? Does it have any significance or purpose for us today? Does it contain any hidden or lost information? As you may know, archaeologists have been searching for hidden chambers and passages for some time. Some are searching for lost treasures and others for lost secrets from an ancient civilization. Just the mystery of it is enough to attract people to explore and study it.

Also many common everyday people have gone out of their way to visit and explore the Great Pyramid. Many who have not had the opportunity to go to Egypt have undertaken an intensive and life long study of the Great Pyramid. There is no common denominator. People from different cultures, walks of life, diverse time periods, rich or poor, great or small, have been drawn to the Great Pyramid. Contemplating it is awe-inspiring. Clambering into it is an experience not to be missed and as one becomes encased in tons upon tons of rock, the weight of the centuries becomes a palpable reality. When one finally reaches the heart of the pyramid and stands in the King’s Chamber, one feels a sense of timeless wonder and a communion with the history of centuries of human existence in this spot of the earth.

Perhaps it is easy to understand why people have tried to attach a supernatural significance to the pyramid and why the parascientific discipline of “pyramidology” has sprung up. People have managed to construe all sorts of significance into the dimensions, the orientation, the height, the width, the placement of the pyramid. Each pyramidologist can provide evidence for his or her views, usually from a new-age or supernatural perspective. Pseudoscientific “validation” of these points usually gives the claims a superficial respectability and ease of digestion, that convinces many that their claims are indisputably true.

Apropos, the word for Thursday is:

pyramid |ˈpirəˌmid| noun
1 a monumental structure with a square or triangular base and sloping sides that meet in a point at the top, esp. one built of stone as a royal tomb in ancient Egypt.
Pyramids were built as tombs for Egyptian pharaohs from the 3rd dynasty ( c. 2649 bc) until c. 1640 bc. Monuments of similar shape are associated with the Aztec and Maya civilizations of c. 1200 bc – ad 750, and, like those in Egypt, were part of large ritual complexes.
2 a thing, shape, or graph with such a form : the pyramid of the Matterhorn.

• Geometry a polyhedron of which one face is a polygon of any number of sides, and the other faces are triangles with a common vertex : a three-sided pyramid.
• a pile of things with such a form : a pyramid of logs.
• Anatomy a structure of more or less pyramidal form, esp. in the brain or the renal medulla.
• an organization or system that is structured with fewer people or things at each level as one approaches the top : the lowest strata of the social pyramid.
• a system of financial growth achieved by a small initial investment, with subsequent investments being funded by using unrealized profits as collateral.

verb [ trans. ]
heap or stack in the shape of a pyramid : debt was pyramided on top of unrealistic debt in an orgy of speculation.
• achieve a substantial return on (money or property) after making a small initial investment.
DERIVATIVES
pyramidal |piˈramidl| |pəˈrømədl| |ˈpɪrəˈmɪdl| |-ˈramɪd(ə)l| adjective
pyramidally |ˈpɪrəˈmɪdli| |pəˈrømədli| |-ˈramɪd(ə)li| adverb
pyramidical |ˌpirəˈmidikəl| |-ˈmɪdɪk(ə)l| adjective
pyramidically |ˈpɪrəˈmɪd1k(ə)li| |-ˈmɪdɪk(ə)li| adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the geometric sense): via Latin from Greek puramis, puramid-, of unknown ultimate origin.

HOROSCOPY, AGAIN

“A physician without a knowledge of Astrology has no right to call himself a physician.” -
Hippocrates

The stars, the moon (in June), high up on Mars, poetry finds words to lay bare our innermost and most hidden thoughts, emotions. Gazing up on the night sky with wonder, we try to fathom secrets of our existence, and as we gaze we wonder whether up there revolving around another distant star, is there someone gazing up at ours? Writing poetry perhaps?

Casting Horoscopes

Trine Jupiter and square Mars,
The moon in opposition
While Mercury yet again is retrograde.
I gaze up counting all the stars,
Trying to define my position,
While searching for your hand, so much afraid.

Sextile Jupiter and Saturn,
Gemini in the eleventh house,
Aquarius on the ascendant.
You left me once, now it’s my turn,
Trying my love for you to douse,
Ignoring all the pains attendant.

The sun sets, Venus will follow
The zodiac rotates, and high up in the sky,
Cybele reflects in the moon’s shade.
My heart is empty, feels so hollow,
I cast the die, I try to push thoughts of you by,
But time reminds me of a fate I can’t evade.

The sky is dark,
My thoughts so stark;
My hand still languishes lonely,
Stars for my company, only.
I cast you far away,
The moon to keep at bay
My maddening, whirling thoughts of you.
I read my horoscope and find in it a taunting déjà vu.

LITERARY TIDBITS

“The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

I am in the middle of reading a novel by Peter Elbling called “The Foodtaster” and first published in 2002. Peter Elbling is an actor and screenwriter (he is one of the screenwriters of “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” and has been in many TV shows). The novel is set in Renaissance Italy and is the tale of an Italian peasant, Ugo DiFonte. Supposedly, the book is the author’s translation of the diary of Ugo, which has fortuitously fallen into his hands. A common literary device these last few years…

Ugo is widowed young and finding himself back in his father’s house, with a baby daughter, he tries to make ends meet. By chance, he and his young daughter Miranda are snatched and taken to the estates of Duke Federico Basillione DiVincelli, the Duke of Corsoli. Ugo thinks life can't get any worse, until he is forced to replace the recently de-tongued royal food taster. Though this elevates his position considerably, it also places him in the midst of court intrigues that constantly endanger his life and his position.

An added complication is that Miranda is growing up into beautiful womanhood and needing Ugo’s protection from her suitors and her own desires. Miranda teaches Ugo how to read and write, and Ugo eventually writes his fantastic tale as a memoir. The novel is full of memorable meals, sex, intrigue, action and humour. The style is mostly picaresque and often reminiscent of a fairy tale (as told by Monty Python!), but there are touching moments, scenes that allow the author to lightly philosophise and enough colour and historical detail to keep the reader interested throughout.

Not for the faint-hearted, this novel is often earthy (or even bawdy, and in places reminiscent a little of Gargantua and Pantagruel), and has quite a lot of operatic situational tension. A touch of Rigoletto here and there keeps the readers on their toes. A good, light-hearted read, justifying its best-seller status in several countries.

Lady Day is the day when the church commemorates the feast of the Annunciation. It was on this day that the archangel Gabriel proclaimed to the Virgin that she would conceive and bear a son nine months later. His name would be Emmanuel.
Ave Maria, gratia plena
Dominus tecum:
Benedicta tu in mulieribus.

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with you:
Blessed are you amongst women.
Luke I:28

This is the fulfilment of the prophet Isaiah’s prophecy:
Ecce, virgo concipiet,
Et pariet filium
Et vocabitur nome ejus Emmanuel.
Butyrum et mel comedet,
Ut sciat reprobare malum,
Et eligere bonum.

Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
And bear a son
And he shall be called Emmanuel.
Fed on butter and honey,
He will grow to the age of refusing what is bad
Choosing what is good.
Isaiah VII:14-15

This day is also the National Day of Greece, commemorating the beginning of the struggle for the liberation of Greece in 1821, from nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule. The day is celebrated with especial brilliance in Greece, as it is a national holiday, as well as a great religious feast day. Although it falls in Lent, the fast is relaxed on this day and traditionally fish is eaten.

ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑ ΣΤΟΥΣ ΕΟΡΤΑΖΟΝΤΕΣ
ΚΑΙ ΣΕ ΟΛΟΥΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ!

LET'S GET MARRIED!

"It is not from reason and prudence that people marry, but from inclination." - Samuel Johnson

Recently we have come to view relationships rather more liberally than the traditional model as espoused by church and society in most countries in the West for the past few centuries. Marriage in particular, has been seriously questioned and the traditional, monopolising role of the church in celebrating wedding ceremonies has been upstaged by other ways in which a couple may “tie the knot”. Ceremonies officiated by marriage celebrants in parks, homes, gardens, more exotic locations; ceremonies in town halls celebrated by mayors; ceremonies in all sorts of places carried out by all sorts of people.

However, even marriage as such is not as popular as it used to be and many people simply live together in a “de facto” relationship. The state recognizes such relationships and legally, they can be as binding as official marriages with each partner having the same rights as those in an “official” marriage. Gay relationships, couples separated by an enormous age gap and other unorthodox relationships also abound.

Many people also do not have a permanent relationship and choose to live alone. They opt for the casual encounter and eschew the commitment that a longer-term relationship entails. In fact for some people the idea of marriage or any permanent sort of relationship is absolute anathema. We live in an age where such casual encounters in both our public as well as private lives are becoming increasingly more common.

The increasing numbers of divorces seem to also contribute to the idea that marriage as an institution is having a tough time of it. Or is it? For Movie Monday today, a French film that explores these ideas and does so in a refreshing and humorous way. The movie is Eric Lartigau’s 2006 film, “Prête-moi Ta Main” (“I Do: How to Get Married and Stay Single”).

This sparkling comedy is just the thing for a night in, while you snuggle up to your significant other (or not!) and the rain falls outside. It concerns a confirmed bachelor who is besieged by women. Firstly his family: A widowed mother and his countless sisters and nieces. Then by his girlfriends (of the one-night stand variety). A bolt out of the blue is the decision by his family that it is high time he got married, seeing he is in his forties. Poor Luis (played wonderfully by Alain Chabat) is steamrollered into dating suitable matches (as arranged by his mother and sisters). He decides he has had enough and hires the charming Emma (Charlotte Gainsbourg) to pose as his girlfriend and intended wife-to-be for his family. All will go smoothly until the bride does not turn up at the ceremony and the heart-broken Luis will have found his peace of mind again, seeing his family will respect his heartbreak. Well that’s the plan, anyway…

The plot is as old as the hills, but it is well done and the performances are excellent. As a French farce, the contrivances are excessive and the characters stock and shallow. However, who cares? This is a feel-good bit of fluff that is played for laughs. As is the case with all comedies, however, even the most shallow ones, there is pointed social criticism aimed towards the mores of our times. An interesting subplot revolving around Emma’s adoption of a Brazilian child provides another more sobering dimension to the plot and the escalating statistics that show that many women in the West now are having great problems conceiving shows us that the family as we think of it may need serious reconsideration in the very near future.

ART SUNDAY - PYSANKY

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” -
Pope John Paul II

Happy Easter to those of you celebrating this holiday on this Sunday!

The day has been a glorious one here in Melbourne and many people have been out celebrating, on vacation as well as in churches. We are in a strange season this time of the year – traces of summer with heat and bright sunlight during the day, but cool nights and even a little dew in the morning.

Easter has been traditionally a spring and fertility holiday that was syncretised with the resurrection of Christ when Chrsitiniaty overtook the pagan religions of Europe. Eggs are associated with springtime because the rooster is considered the herald of the sun and because egg production increases in springtime. Thus, from ancient time decorated eggs were believed to help the cycle of the seasons and to bring on spring and the new growth of animals and crops; the potential to bring fertility was enhanced by the symbols.

Ukrainian decorated eggs or pysanky, are world famous for the richness of the designs and colours. The designs drawn on the egg include ears of wheat, grapes, rakes, cross-hatchings symbolizing the plowed field, pictures of chicks, rams and other farm animals, and, of course, pictures of the sun. Decorated eggs were buried in fields to transfer their fecundity productiveness to the earth and in houses to protect the home. Archaeological excavations of these buried eggs tell us how ancient pysanky are. When Christianity came to Ukraine, pysanky acquired a Christian meaning. They became Easter eggs. Old symbols were reinterpreted in the Christian context. Thus, representations of the sun, the four-spoked solar wheel, for example, came to represent the cross. New symbols were added and pictures of churches were drawn on eggs, as were the first letters of the words “Christ is risen”.

Pysanka comes from the word "to write" - pysaty. Making Easter Eggs in Ukraine dates back to thousands of years. Many Slavic groups paint eggs with their own interpretations. The writing of Easter eggs was suppressed by the Soviets in the past century and many beautifully decorated eggs were destroyed in museum. Throughout Ukraine the pysanka has enjoyed a resurgence as with other customs. Every region decorates eggs in their own distinctive style and meaning.

Another form of the pysanky which is also very common at Easter time are the krashanky. It comes from the verb - krasyty - to color, to dye. The eggs are dyed a one single color. Years ago Ukrainians used various varieties of plant material to color the eggs. A very popular method even now is to save onions skins for any months and then boil them in water. The eggs are dropped in later, boiled and turn out various shades of brown.

Symbols of Easter Eggs can be grouped into 6 main categories which are: 1) solar symbols, 2) bezkonechnyk - never ending lines, 3) plant symbols, 4) animal symbols, 5) geometric symbols and 6) Christian symbols. When Ukrainians accepted Christianity in 988 AD, the eight-pointed star, the then sign of a sungod, became a symbol of Christ. Dots depict stars in the heavens, and also recall Mary's tears when a legend tells, Pilate refused her plea for mercy. Deer and other animals of the Carpathian Mountains signify prosperity. Waves and ribbons circling an egg, without beginning or end suggest eternity. Originally pysanky symbolized the release of the earth from the shackles of winter and the coming of spring with its promise of new hope, new life, health and prosperity. Folklore has it that a decorated egg can avert any evil, bring good crops, and help a young maiden to win the man of her desire. After the advent of Christianity, the decorated eggs took the new symbols of the Resurrection with its promise of a better world.

Colours also have a symbolic meaning. Some examples: Yellow - is the symbol of light and purity. It speaks of youth, happiness, the harvest, hospitality, love and benevolence. It is the colour consecrated to the light deities and is the Christian symbol of recognition and reward. Red - the magical colour of folklore is considered a positive colour signifying action, fire, charity, spiritual awakening. It also glorifies the sun and the joy of life and love. In Christian symbolism, it denotes the divine love and passion of Christ. As seen in spring renewals, green symbolizes the breaking of shackles, freedom from bondage. It is the color of fertility, freshness, health and hope. In the Christian context, it represents bountifulness, hope and the victory of life over death. It is the color of Christmas, Easter and Epiphany. Blue carries with it wishes for good health, blue skies or the life-giving air.

Pysanky are magic symbols of life. The egg itself is magic in that it resembles an inert object, and yet contains the potential for a new life, of food for those already living. When they become pysanky, eggs are become more magical in that they are dyed. This is done using a technique similar to batik: Colours are protected with beeswax from subsequent dyes, rather than painted on. As an egg is worked, colour after colour disappears under the dark wax, to be magically revealed at the end when the wax is removed.

Many folk tales have been told about the origins of Ukrainian Easter Eggs. These stories may vary 
somewhat from one to another, but all show the importance Ukrainians placed on their pysanky. A legend that is 1,000 years old tells of a young woman who was on her way home 
one morning from the market in town with a basket of eggs and a jug of fresh water. When she 
was traveling the home to her home, she met a stranger sitting on a rock. Thinking He must 
be tired, she offered Him a drink of her water and was startled to see there were wounds on 
His hands. The stranger said nothing but accepted her offer and then continued on His way. 
When the woman arrived at her home, she uncovered her basket and discovered her eggs 
were transformed into pysanky. The stranger was Jesus Christ - and that morning was the first Easter.

Another story tells of a poor peddlar who was on his way to market to sell his basket of eggs when
 he came upon a crowd who was mocking and jeering a man carrying a heavy cross. The peddlar ran 
to help the man carry the cross for a while. When the peddlar returned to his basket of eggs by the
roadside, he found that they had been transformed into beautiful pysanky. The peddlar was 
Simon the Cyrenian, the man carrying the heavy cross was Christ.

A legend sometimes told is of one year long ago when birds who were traveling south 
were surprised by a sudden sharp freeze. The poor creatures fell to the ground, too frozen to fly. The generous Ukrainian peasants took the birds into their homes and nursed
 them until spring when they could fly away on their own. In gratitude for the kindness shown, 
the birds returned with decorated eggs for the peasants who saved their lives. And so, it is said, ever since then, eggs are decorated in beautiful pysanky every spring.

LIFE IS LIKE AN OLD FILM

“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” – Tom Bodett

My mother talks of her school days now and then, and the stories she recounts are sometimes amusing, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes scary, sometimes sad, but always enjoyable to listen to. She used to go to a girls’ school and things then were very strict, but she also says that they had a good time of it. School uniforms, lots of homework, girlish pranks, secret loves, dreams and illusions, sighs and scrap books full of poetry and flowers.

A couple of times a year they used to be taken on excursions and that was the highlight of their year. Laughter and music, giggling and high jinks, covert glances at the cute young teacher that used to be every girl’s dream lover. No wonder when a Greek film of 1959, starring the fresh young face of Aliki Vouyouklaki that was destined to become Greece’s national star, came out it was an instant success. It is called “Το Ξύλο Βγήκε Απ΄Τον Παράδεισο” (Spare the rod and spoil the child) and it concerned a high school senior who falls in love with her teacher.

When I first saw the film, it was just like my mother’s school stories. A fresh and sparkling comedy with witty dialogue, an innocent script and two young good-looking actors who were to become a real life couple. Here is a song from the film, where on a school excursion, the young Aliki Vouyouklaki sings of her love for her teacher, Dimitris Papamichael.

I Have a Secret

I have a secret that shines in my glance,
The plains know it, the mountain has guessed it.
The nightingales sing of it on the tree boughs,
And the swallows have written it in the sky.
I have a secret that makes everything beautiful
And for the first time I am inundated with happiness.

I have a secret that has become tangled in my lips
Even though it is a single little word, just one.
When night the enchantress falls, the stars will write the word
And the jasmines will say it in their flowerpot.
I have a secret that has changed my life
But I have no intention of telling you what it is.



Έχω ένα Μυστικό

Έχω ένα μυστικό που στη ματιά μου μέσα λάμπει
Το ξέρουνε οι κάμποι το ΄χει μάθει το βουνό.
Το τραγουδούν τη νύχτα στα κλώνια όλα τ΄αηδόνια
Και το ΄χουν γράψει τα χελιδόνια στον ουρανό.
Έχω ένα μυστικό που όλα τα ομορφαίνει
Και πρώτη μου φορά με πλημμυρίζει η χαρά.

Έχω ένα μυστικό που μες στα χείλια μου έχει μπλέξει
Κι είναι μια λέξη μόνο μια λεξούλα μόνο μια.
Σαν έρθει η νύχτα η ξελογιάστρα τη γράφουν τ΄άστρα
Κι όλο τη λένε μες στη γλάστρα τα γιασεμιά.
Έχω ένα μυστικό που τη ζωή μου έχει αλλάξει
Μα δεν το ΄χω σκοπό ποτέ μου να σας το πω.

HOT CROSS BUNS ON GOOD FRIDAY

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” - Luke 23:46

Today is Good Friday for the Western churches (Orthodox Good Friday is on the 25th April this year). The name of the holiday may be derived from “God's Friday” in the same way that “good-bye” is derived from “God be with ye”. Some people maintain it is derived directly from “good” because the barrier of sin was broken and hence this day is good for our soul. The Anglo-Saxon name for Good Friday was Long Friday, due to the long fast imposed upon this day.

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and on this day, Christians remember the day when Jesus was crucified on a cross. The date of Good Friday changes every year because it is related to the phases of the moon and the Spring equinox. The date of the original Good Friday is not definitively known, but many scholars believe that the event took place on April 7th, 30 AD. If they are right our calendar is wrong, by three years.

On Good Friday, Jesus was arrested and tried, in a mock trial. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. A crown of long, sharp thorns was thrust upon his head. Jesus was forced to carry his own cross outside the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after the beating that a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry Jesus' cross the rest of the way. Jesus was nailed to the cross. Two other criminals were crucified with him, their crosses on either side of him. A sign above Jesus read "Jesus Nazarene, King of the Jews."

According to the Bible, on the third hour of the day, Jesus was nailed to the cross. (9:00 am). On the Sixth Hour of the day, darkness covered the land (12:00 noon). On the ninth hour of the day, the darkness dissipated, and the Lord died (3:00 pm). The hours in the scriptures are calculated from the first hour of the day, this being 6:00 in the morning. Christians believe that Jesus stood in our place in an ultimate sacrifice in order to liberate us from sin. His death paid the penalty not for his own wrong doings but for ours.

Since the early nineteenth century, before the introduction of bank holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only two days of leisure which were almost universally granted to working people. Good Friday today is still a public holiday in much of the Western world. This means that many businesses are closed on this day. Some Christians fast on Good Friday. This helps them remember the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the day of crucifixion. If people do not fast, it is traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat.

Many churches hold a special service. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died. Some Churches hold services lasting three hours or more. They may celebrate the Stations of the Cross, or take part in Passion plays and dramatic readings. Some Christians take part in a procession of witness, carrying a cross through the streets and then into church. Churches are not decorated on Good Friday. In some churches, pictures and statues are covered over. It is seen as a time of mourning.

It is traditional to eat warm “hot cross buns” on Good Friday. Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition. The pastry cross on top of the buns symbolises and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed on. The buns were traditionally eaten at breakfast time, hot from the oven. They were once sold by street vendors who sang a little song about them.

“Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, One a penny, two a penny, Hot cross buns.”

At the London Pub, The Widow's Son, a Hot Cross Bun Ceremony takes place each Good Friday. In the early 19th century, a widow who lived on the site was expecting her sailor son back home for Easter, and placed a hot cross bun ready for him on Good Friday. The son never returned, but undaunted the widow left the bun waiting for him and added a new bun each year. Successive landlords have kept the tradition going after the pub was opened.

There are a number of superstitions relating to Good Friday. Traditionally Good Friday was the day when everything was cleaned and whitewashed in preparation for Easter Sunday.

From the reign of Edward III to that of Mary Tudor, monarchs used to bless a plateful of gold and silver rings every Good Friday at the Chapel Royal. By rubbing the rings between their fingers, the royal touch was believed to cure cramp and epilepsy. The custom was abolished during the reign of Elizabeth I.

• A child born on Good Friday and baptised on Easter Sunday has the gift of healing.
• Many fishermen will not set out for catch on Good Friday.
• Bread or cakes baked on this day will not go mouldy.
• Eggs laid on Good Friday will never go bad.
• The planting of crops is not advised on this day, as an old belief says that no iron should enter the ground (i.e. spade, pitchfork etc.).
• Hot cross buns baked on Good Friday were supposed to have magical powers. It is said that you could keep a hot cross bun which had been made on Good Friday for at least a year and it wouldn't go mouldy.
• Hardened old hot cross buns are supposed to protect the house from fire
• Sailors took hot cross buns to sea with them to prevent shipwreck.
• A bun baked on Good Friday and left to get hard could be grated up and put in some warm milk to stop an upset tummy.
• Having a hair cut on Good Friday will prevent toothaches the rest of the year.

Hot Cross Buns
(recipe makes 24) Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cup flour
1 1/3 cup currants or raisins
1 egg white

Glaze
1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1-2 Tbsp milk

Method
In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot. Pour warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over it. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually mix in flour, dough will be wet and sticky. Continue kneading until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough "rest" for 30-45 minutes.

Knead again until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 2 centimetres apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 200° C.

When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible.

Stories abound about the origins of the Hot Cross Bun. Yet, the common thread throughout is the symbolism of the "cross" of icing which adorns the bun itself. Some say that the origin of Hot Cross Buns dates back to the 12th century, when an Angelican monk was said to have placed the sign of the cross on the buns, to honor Good Friday, a Christian holiday also known as the Day of the Cross. Supposedly, this pastry was the only thing permitted to enter the mouths of the faithful on this holy day.

Other accounts talk of an English widow, whose son went off to sea. She vowed to bake him a bun every Good Friday. When he didn't return she continued to bake a hot cross bun for him each year and hung it in the bakery window in good faith that he would some day return to her. The English people kept the tradition for her even after she passed away.

Others say that Hot Cross Buns have pagan roots as part of spring festivals and that the monks simply added the cross to convert people to Christianity.

HORROR-SCOPES

“I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.” - Arthur C. Clarke

Do you believe in Astrology? I am interested it in simply because it seems to have so many adherents in the population. It is an interesting psychosociological phenomenon, if nothing else. Believing very strongly in something as tenuous as that, can make it true. Then again, “astrology” is the word that describes the rubbish that people read in their daily horoscopes in the newspaper and the same word “astrology” is used to describe the mystical, self searching exploration that many people embark on when they have their horoscope cast by an experienced astrologer, who uses their art in order to help the person begin a voyage of self-discovery.

I glance at the daily astrology column in the newspaper and have a chuckle. One twelfth of the population is meant to experience the same day that I am going to experience. Can you imagine it, there are twelve sets of occurrences that all of the people on earth are experiencing at the same time each day, as their horoscopes predict:
“You have hopes and dreams that you know you have to work hard to make come true. But you're also going to wish you could have more fun. For some, a child,/creative project/romance will be demanding your attention when you know you really ought to be doing what you can to achieve your aims. Also this coming month, you could find that your wider social circle takes a back seat, as you focus on one person - most likely a romantic partner or prospect. Depending on your personal cycles, a creative project could be planted now - or come to fruition.”

Is this double-talk, speak-slippery, generalised, all purpose hogwash or isn’t it? The sort of thing you read and forget immediately you read it? And yet it’s so popular! Most people would gravitate to the horoscope section in the newspaper and read their star sign (or maybe even their partner’s)!

However, When one’s horoscope is cast, there some interesting concordances that seem to be too close to one’s character to be pure coincidence. For example, here is what my cast horoscope said (amongst other things about me – a friend cast it for me a long time ago at University):
“You like plenty of variety in your everyday activities, in your friends, and even in your diet. Your interests are many and diverse--almost anything will attract your attention if only for a brief time. Truly, this is the sign of the jack-of-all-trades. As the story goes, you may find that unless you can develop your powers of perseverance, you may be the master of none. Your varied interests can result in a tendency for you to spread yourself too thin, sometimes failing to follow through on projects you've begun.”

That was the sun-sign. The moon sign description observes:
“You can be overly optimistic, sometimes looking at the world through "rose colored glasses." Emotionally naive, you continually overlook other people's shortcomings and deficiencies. You are essentially so romantic that you may rarely see life as it really is. You are tremendously unselfish, trusting and open-handed. Sometimes you can be a little too generous, especially with your boundless sympathy. Highly sensitive, you connect with others on an unconscious, emotional level. You actually feel what they feel. Thus, you have a most sympathetic and compassionate nature, and these fine instincts can be invaluable to you in the everyday world. In many situations, you can be too giving and overly-idealistic.”

Apparently, Mercury is in Gemini, my sun-sign:
“Gemini is the natural home for Mercury, and the placement produces pure logical reasoning of the highest order. This Mercury denotes a lightning quick thinker. Your concern is with fact and unbiased understanding, rather than personal preference. Communication is easy, rapid, accurate and often eloquent. You are an interesting and incessant conversationalist. Mercury is at its quickest and best when it resides in Gemini. If given proper training, you excel in mathematics as well as in language. You are very logical, and your mind moves very quickly. You love logic, a fact making you an excellent teacher or reporter. When engaged in arguments, you may miss a basic premise, but you are clever enough to win anyway. The opponent is convinced by your rational remarks. You have a great variety of interests, and your mind may flit from one idea to the next, never digging in very deeply. You have an intense curiosity leading you to want to know a little about nearly everything. This makes you a very interesting person, but rarely an expert in any particular field.”

Venus in Taurus creates an interesting mixture:
“Venus in Taurus produces a practical, stable, and constant persona. Your approach to love and romance is simple and direct. Your sincerity is attractive and often irresistible. You take love seriously and with careful consideration. Yet, you can be so much fun to be around. You are rarely too serious-acting, moody or unhappy. You know how to have a good time and to help others to do the same. You are easygoing and cheerful most of the time. There is an attraction to the luxuries of life, and often a tendency to overindulge in sensual pleasures. You may have a weakness for good food, good wine, fine furnishings and clothes, and many more objects and activities that delight the senses. The best of everything will be yours if you can figure a way to afford it all. This large appetite extends to love-making and romantic involvement. This sign produces the most earthy sex drive. When you fall in love, it is usually permanent and dependable. Your nature is faithful and permanent. You require a deep commitment from your partner and you are willing to give the same in return. You are loyal and a one-love person. But your demands on that one lover can be great. If you feel insecure, you may become jealous and overbearing with your mate. Just as you are loyal and dependable, you are very possessive and jealous if your emotional security is threatened.”

Hmmmm, so the word of the day:

horoscope |ˈhôrəˌskōp; ˈhärə-| noun
Astrology: A forecast of a person's future, typically including a delineation of character and circumstances, based on the relative positions of the stars and planets at the time of that person's birth.
• a short forecast for people born under a particular sign, esp. as published in a newspaper or magazine.
• a birth chart. See chart .
DERIVATIVES
horoscopic |ˌhôrəˈskäpik| adjective
horoscopy |həˈräskəpē| noun
ORIGIN Old English: via Latin from Greek hōroskopos, from hōra ‘time’ + skopos ‘observer.’

So you’ve read my blogs, now what do you think of my cast horoscope, is it accurate…?

HOME SWEET HOME

“Home is where the heart is.” - Pliny the Elder (Caius Plinius Secundus)

How welcome a sight one’s home is after one has been away. No matter how enjoyable travel may be, no matter how exciting the distant destinations and no matter how good a time one has while away, the home hearth is where the heart feels most comfortable. Like the migratory bird that returns to its nest year after year, the traveller will come home and settle in, content in familiar surroundings.

But there is also another kind of return… The return of the traveller who having spent many years in foreign lands one day returns to the place of his origin. How expectant is that return! Nostalgia has made of memory a sacred shrine. Remembrance has eradicated all unpleasantness and time has conspired with distance to idealise the lost homeland. How disappointing that return is when all one sees is a poor parody of what the expectant heart wishes to find… All is changed, all has progressed, all is well nigh unrecognizable. Here is the foreign land now, this place which one called home before, is now but a travesty of that sacred place that one had so carefully preserved in one’s innermost secret chambers of the heart.

The Return

My heart searches to slake its thirst
In heady wine of the return, so ruby-red.
Vermillion poppies are sweet draughts
In emerald chalice of unripened corn.

My heart searches to revivify itself
With life-giving blood and godly breath.
Anemones like drops of blood on hillsides
And in the azure of sky a breath of god.

My heart searches for a familiar word to hear,
A smiling friendly face to warm itself.
In every boat of the Aegean I see a letter writing “welcome”
While ancient statues smile at me like next of kin.

My heart searches far and wide for honey, balsam,
A therapy for all its wounds so that it love again.
Violet-coloured, scented evenings in islands white
And fragrances are medicine enough in nights so sweet.

My heart searches for all of these and more,
But time inexorably flows, it passes, destroys all.
Time conquers all that I knew and fondly recalled,
Return is poison, soured wine and bitter gall.

POSTCARD FROM BRISBANE

“Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind.” - Seneca

Brisbane is a thriving, modern, metropolitan centre and capital of the state of Queensland. It is Australia's third-largest city and although it looks like a big-city there are no pretensions and the locals are down-to-earth and remind one of the smaller town from which it initially arose. The city centre sits within a tropical landscape through which flows the undulating Brisbane River, and it boasts a pleasant climate for most of the year. It has been pleasantly cool (25-27˚C) while I have been here and there is the occasional shower keeping the gardens lush. This is certainly a contrast from the South, with Melbourne and Adelaide roasting in the over 40˚C heatwave.

Although I am here for work, there has been opportunity to visit friends and also do a bit of sightseeing. The restaurants have been largely very good too. Last night we had dinner at the Pier Nine Restaurant right by the Brisbane River. This is an excellent seafood restaurant and somewhat of a Brisbane icon. It offers great views, fantastic service and the food is wonderful, with the freshest of fish, shellfish and steaks served simply but imaginatively. The location right on the Eagle St pier affords great views and it is just the place for celebrating a special occasion.

It was a rather full day today and much was done at work. Tomorrow is my last day here in Brisbane and then I fly home for Easter. Or the first Easter, I should say, because Greek Easter is on the 27th of April. Always an annoying state of affairs, these two Easters. Why the powers that be from all religions don’t get together to agree to have Easter at the same time is beyond me. Much better would be the situation of agreeing to have Easter on the same date every year. Say the third Sunday in April, wouldn’t that be sensible?

I haven’t had much time to read while I’ve been away. Too busy and too tired. At night I manage to have a look at the morning paper and then all I want to do is flop down into bed and sleep. I think being away from home for three days is OK, but anything above that starts to get a bit tiring. Just as well I don’t get to do it for more than three days all that often.

THE FUGITIVE

“It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered.” - Aristotle

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Saint Patrick’s Day is a predominantly Irish holiday honouring the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity in the 5th century AD. He was born around 373 AD in either Scotland (near the town of Dumbarton) or in Roman Britain (the Romans left Britain in 410 AD). His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat. He was kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his 6-year captivity, while he worked as a shepherd, he began to have religious visions, and found strength in his faith. He finally escaped, going to France, where he became a priest, taking on the name of Patrick.

When he was about 60 years old, St. Patrick travelled to Ireland to spread the Christian word. Reputedly, Patrick had a winning personality, which helped him to convert the fun-loving Irish to Christianity. He used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. Saint Patrick allegedly drove all snakes out of Ireland. This may be an allegory, as the snake was one of the revered pagan symbols.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all around the world in countries with a large Irish migrant population (e.g. Australia and the USA). In these countries people of Irish sympathy wear green and party. Green is associated with Saint Patrick’s Day because it is the colour of spring, Ireland, and the shamrock.

For Movie Monday today, I have a film I saw a while ago, which features a scene with a St Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago. I really enjoyed this film, because it brought back memories of watching TV when I was a child in the 60s. I remember watching raptly the adventures of “The Fugitive” with David Janssen. The stories of poor Dr Kimble on the run, after being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit (and sentenced to die for it) were quite amazing for my young eyes. It was a great TV show and I hope to watch some episodes again if I can get hold of them.

In 1993, Andrew Davis made “The Fugitive” into a movie inspired by the series, casting Harrison Ford as the ill-fated Dr Kimble. The film works for me and I think it is one of the few movies that have followed a TV series and have done so successfully. Tommy Lee Jones in his Oscar-winning role as Marshal Sam Gerard, plays excellent foil to Harrison Ford’s performance. It is shades of Javert and Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables”, as two acutely intellectual opponents pitch their wits and dogged persistence against each other. The psychological thriller that results is good entertainment.

There is a good mix of action, mystery, suspense and thrills-and-spills, all pinned on a story with enough substance to keep the intelligent viewer interested. The relationship that builds between the hunter and his prey is interesting on a psychological level, and what starts out as a mindless chase of an escaped convict ends up as a mutual respect between two men, who gradually understand that they are on the same side of the law.

“The Fugitive” is an intelligent movie, full of rich characterisation, enough thrills to entice even the action-movie junkie, and performances that shine forth. Good movie, go out to your DVD shop and borrow it to watch if you haven’t seen it!